Winter Scenes

I am always entertained by the number of people around Homer who 1) do not have driveways or 2) do not have driveways in the winter and have to walk, snowshoe, snowmachine or ski to get to their homes.

The area by Lookout Mountain on Ohlson Mountain Road is one great example (and where all of these pictures were taken on a recent weekend).

Near the cross-country ski trails the pictured sign is posted, requesting that people please not park along the road, as that is their "driveway!" The cross-country ski trails weave in and out and around some of these homes. They are what I consider truly Alaskan homes: cabins, log, old, and a bit crazy perhaps. Most have outhouses, many are tiny, and all have lots of character. Some are quite a ways from the main road, and I wonder what kind of person would want to live so far away from people and put up with the extra challenges of getting to their home during the winter (and during spring break-up too, as the mud would be more challenging than the snow).


Some people actually do try to have driveways, and the result is what you see in the above picture--a narrow alley between walls of snow that probably gets blown over every day. Some of these people must be recluses, because a vehicle will get buried in the snow and not get dug out for a week or more.

There are homes all over the area that don't have driveways to the house, including our next door neighbor who has to walk by our house, across a bridge, down a hill, and across another bridge to get to her house! She has been hauling stuff all that ways for 15 years now! It just makes me shake my head. I am not going to say I would "never" do that, because it seems like every time I do I end up doing what I said I would "never" do! I might! ( :

Cochlear Implant Technology in Alaska

When I moved to Alaska I didn't really think about the availability of medical resources. One friend I know, though, has had to fly to Seattle to see an arthritis specialist until last year when one finally came to Anchorage. Cancer treatment means a trip to Anchorage as well, and going to doctor appointments is one of the common reasons people from all over the state visit Anchorage.

My audiologist had suggested that I might be a cochlear implant candidate a few years ago, but I pooh-poohed her suggestion, not realizing what a cochlear implant really was. When I was helping at a ski race a few months ago a stranger came up to me, pulled off what looked a hearing aid and said, "This is my cochlear implant and you need to get one!" I was taken aback but intrigued. Come to find out it was the mother of the Homer Women's Nordic Ski Team coach which I belong to. I had mentioned my hearing impairment to my coach and she had pointed me out to her mom, so she knew who I was. A day standing at the finish line of the race chatting opened my eyes to a whole different world.

I had pretty much not even considered getting a cochlear implant since moving to Alaska since I figured I would have to fly to Seattle for all pre- and post-testing. As I found out, there are audiologists in Anchorage who do all the pre-testing, the 2-3 hour surgery happens in Seattle, and then all the post-op support and rehab happen in Anchorage. Though Anchorage is a 4-5 hour drive, that is short compared to flying to Seattle. I got in touch with the audiologist, found out I am a candidate, and am now waiting for insurance approval. A visit to an ear, nose & throat specialist will be next on the list, and then a pre-op physical. A non-profit in California will fly my husband and I down to Seattle at no charge for the surgery. We'll be there 2 or 3 days, fly back to Anchorage, the implant will be 'turned on' and then the serious work begins.

When an implant is turned on, if a person can hear any sounds or understand any words at all they are doing incredible. Most people, though, get their implant turned on and might not even be able to hear the microwave ding. The sounds are now electrical impulses rather than acoustical, so the brain has to re-learn how to hear sounds. On the other hand, everyone is different. Sonja, who got her implant 2 years ago, was able to hear almost perfectly when she was 'turned on.' That is the exception. Since there are no auditory rehab specialists in Homer, my rehab will be done with computer programs. There could be up to 6 trips up to Anchorage needed for follow-ups, tweaking the programs in the implant to sound more like I want them to sound.

Northern Hearing Services, where I went, has helped over 200 people in Alaska get cochlear implants, many of them infants or children. They work closely with the cochlear implant companies to provide good follow-up service. When a person has learned to hear with an implant, their hearing often becomes equivalent to a normal person's hearing. Many people, having gotten one implant, often want their other ear done as well. They figure it couldn't be much better than getting the first one, but many are stunned with the incredible quality of sound of bilateral cochlear implants, and the second is as amazing as the first.

The lesson I learned here is not to assume that just because I'm in Alaska doesn't mean services aren't offered. All it takes is the right doctor or specialist to want to live in Alaska and open an office to make a service available to all Alaskans.

Snow Day!

Friday morning dawned like any other snowy morning--there was just a lot more snow than usual, all of which had fallen during the night. Since snow days are non-existent here (volcano days are more common), it wasn't even on Doug's radar as he headed up East End Road. However, when he got to McNeil Canyon School and the plowed road ended, he figured there must not be school. Upon turning on the radio he discovered that was the case, and a call to the superintendent confirmed it.

In 25 years of McNeil Canyon Elementary School's history, they have not once had a snow day. I'm still surprised a foot plus of snow overnight would cancel school for all of Homer plus the Old Believer schools at the end of the road. It wasn't blowing and visibility was fine, but I think that amount of snow maxed out the small squadron of plows (read: dozers and graders).

Now it is Monday night and we have a blizzard warning for tonight, which means winds 25-35 mph and gusts up to 50. We've already had a foot-ish of snow today and shoveled our driveway twice. I think my husband is not happy I talked him into not getting a snowblower! But I would hope he enjoys the workout as much as I do! Ahhhhhh. Fresh air! How invigorating!

Mooooooose!

When we were in Michigan we had a family ritual that went like this: every time we saw cows my husband or I would call out, "Say hi to the cows!" We would all chime in "Moooooooooo!" Then, "Say good-bye to the cows!" "Moooooooooooo!"

Since we never see cows here, our new mantra is "Moooooooooose!" whenever we see a moose. Lately, that has been one, two or even three times during a few mile drive to town. Yesterday as I headed to the Bay Club down Kachemak Drive I saw two people walking on the snowy road ahead of me. I thought it unusual for anyone to be out walking on such messy roads, but as I got closer I discovered it was the back end of a mommy moose and a baby moose, trotting side by side down the road. They veered off the road as I neared, with junior taking the lead.

Then I got to the club and settled on the exercise bike and lo and behold! A moose was kneeling on the lawn eating grass, gazing benevolently at the building (now why didn't I think to take my camera to the Bay Club with me??!!). The entire hour I was on the bike he traveled only a few feet in one direction or another and finally darkness hid him from sight. No one else was paying any attention to him; it is just like watching a horse or cow graze--and just how long can you do that?!

Seeing lots of moose this winter has been a blessing. For a good eight months before that I hardly saw a single moose and I was afraid they were gone. While it is neat to see them in our yard, it is also a little disconcerting since they can be very aggressive and unpredictable and I don't always want to have to think about them every time I run outside. Mostly though, I would rather have them around than not, and I have been happy saying "mooooooooose!" a lot lately!

Home Visits for Sick Cars!

House calls for cars? What a treat!

Last week I called our mechanic who used to 'live across the canyon' from us way up near the end of East End Road (see my blog post in November 2007 about 'Picking Up My Car!'). Now that we live near town getting oil changes has been more of a mish-mash of getting it done wherever we happen to be. But I was in need of the oil change as well as getting some other things looked at so I'd called up Steve from Turbo's Way. My schedule last week was crazy as I was constantly shuttling kids to swimming and other practices so it didn't happen. I was delighted when Steve pulled into my driveway this morning and offered to change my oil on the spot. Whoooo-weee! So I got to get dinner ready (I usually prep dinner at lunchtime) while my car got oiled, fixed and checked over. Somehow I feel kind of spoiled.

Ohlson Mountain Revisited: Weekend Fun in Homer

Last year our trips to Ohlson Mountain consisted of dropping off Aurora for snowboarding. Another Christmas vacation to Alyeska renewed our interesting in skiing, and we were able to find used downhill ski packages for both Doug and Denver, opening up the possibility of skiing at Ohlson Mountain each week (no local rental place).

A season pass of $125 for the family makes this an economic reality, though the benefits are not excessive: the rope tow is only open Sunday's from 11-4, it doesn't usually open till the end of December, it is not groomed, and it is, after all, a rope tow. The Kachemak Ski Club that runs it is a nonprofit organization, and the tow operators are all volunteers pieced together from week to week, often pulling from whomever is there and trained.

The slope has never felt crowded, though most weeks I would say at least 50 or more people are out there. Most are kids (85%); parents usually just drop them off and then come to pick them up a few hours later. Some people out there are very good while others are beginners. It really is a great place for kids to get experience on skis since it is local and relatively cheap. A lift ticket at Alyeska might start at $45 per person, so you don't just bop in there for an hour or two like we do at Ohlson Mountain.

The rope tow is my nemesis. The first week we headed there this year we skied an hour, took a break for a half an hour and then skied another hour. We were all exhausted after that, and spent the week complaining about how sore our (shoulders, back, neck, hand, arms, wrists--choose any of the above and add your own) were. Ouch. The skiing was fun; the rope tow was torture. I missed 3 weeks of Ohlson Mtn. fun and returned last weekend. I had 2 goals: get a video of the rope tow and actually ride the rope to the top. I got the video: I got on the rope, got Doug to get on right behind me to help hold the rope up, and away we went! I held on as long as I could with 1 hand, which is what you see in my clip (I hope it works!). I didn't make it to the top. At the end of our 2 hours we got all our gear, backpacks, poles, etc. that were scattered around and all got on the rope at once. Doug went first, then Denver, then me. By that point my arms were exhausted from a couple hours of holding on, and where the mountain gets really steep at the top I just couldn't hold on any longer. I fell off it and sidestepped the rest of the way up (15 feet maybe) on my skis. My arms were, literally, shaking from fatigue. I am no wimp; I've got plenty of muscle mass and I lift weights and exercise daily, but that rope tow gets me!

Last week's snow was a fresh 6 inches of wet stuff. It was a day made for bombing: we would get off and just bomb straight down the hill. I go faster on my cross-country skis! I considered my job to "groom" as much of the hill as possible with my skis in 2 hours, and I did a good job!

All in all, it is a fun place to go every weekend, it gets us out for family fun, and the kids get better so when we go to Alyeska we'll get our money's worth!

Ice Cleats, YakTraks and Studs--Necssary Footwear!

Signs like this are a common sight around Homer. This winter has been very mild, with temperatures dipping below the teens rarely, and 40 degrees not unusual. The mild temperatures have meant lots of rain, which turns into lots of ice! Thus, comments like one of my friend's, "I need to put on my chains," refers to putting on some sort of ice handling footwear. Yaktraks are popular, as are studs and cleats.

I have often joked this winter that there ought to be a new Olympic sport: icewalking! I have gotten so used to walking on ice as I traverse my slippery driveway from house to cabin. As of the past couple days, the ice has melted to the point that dirt is showing through, so now we'll have the mud problem rather than the icewalking problem. Take my pick!