Well It's 43 below this morning, and expected to go on down to 60 below before the week is out. I'm not talking about chill factor, I'm talking about straight temperature. And some people wonder why we call this place North Pole. Cars and trucks are making funny noises when they are started, even the one kept in the garage, as soon as it is backed out into the cold. Makes me look forward to going to Florida.
Saturday went with a friend to run his trap line. Got a Lynx, everything else is hold up it looked like. Nothing else on the entire line. Even the wolves did not seem to be traveling much. Don't blame them I'd hold up too.
Wife just said if it gets 60 below she is not going to work. Smart woman.
Beagles don't want to go outside. I'll take them to the garage, half way to the door they turn around and go back to the laundry room. Or they hide under one of the cars and refuse to come out.
Strange things happen when it gets this cold. Brakes don't work sometimes on the trucks. Make sure you slow down and ease across the railroad tracks. Hit them hard and you can pop the bead right off the wheel. The tire will be so stiff, you will then drive the tire right off the wheel. Springs break before they bend, tie rod ends freeze up and snap before they move. CV boots break, and universals snap. It's best to stay home. When I drove into town yesterday, 11 miles of dry pavement, the tires on my car warmed up. I parked and went into the health club. When I came out two hours later, the tires were frozen to the ice in the parking lot. Had to gently break them loose, a little at a time so I did not tear a big chunk out of the tires.
My Ford diesel truck and the son's Chevy truck won't start after 50 below. They stay outside. My Mitsubishi Eclipse will start, as does our son's Suzuki Samurai, they too are kept outside. The wife's Kia Sportage is kept in the garage. The key pad mounted to the outside of the garage will not work after 30 below. Our son is in the habit of going in and out through the garage. He has also gotten into the habit of not carrying a house key with him. Last night he came home from a hockey game and could not get into the house. Michelle and I were already in bed. He had to call on his cell phone and get one of us to go downstairs and open the front door for him. Poor little guy was cold, bet he remembers his key today.
Went into town (Fairbanks) yesterday, air is so bad I could hardly breath. There is a dark cloud hanging over the city, Wood and Coal smoke. If we get a temperature inversion we will be in bad trouble. EPA is already screaming about the poor air quality, and the Borough is issuing air quality alerts telling people to stay indoors. Me, I'm staying out of town.
