23 March 2018

Not a sign you see in many places.  Tromsø, with it's steep and ice covered streets, is definitely one of those places

Pretty view of the harbor.

This is just the best idea!!

22 March 2018

It was definitely a wise decision to spend the night in Honningsvåg.  Very heavy snow this morning made the drive to the airport extremely difficult.  Heavy snow, sticking to the windshield, combined with a white road.  There's no way I could have made the drive from Gjesvær, if the road was even open.  When I arrived, I asked the person at the airport if she thought the flight would be flying today.  She looked out the window and said "Yeah, I don't know. We will see". A little while later, the plow and the snowblower headed out onto the runway. Sure enough, the Widerøe flight arrived. Not every day you see a plane coming in sideways. We were supposed to stop in Hammerfest, before continuing on to Tromsø. The pilot tried twice to land and then gave up. When we landed in Tromsø, the sky was blue.

The temperature is much milder here and there is not very much snow.  It's the first time I've had the long underwear off since I left Andennes three weeks ago. Stores, restaurants, people. It's a bit overwhelming - but in a good way.

I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep.  For the last two nights, I had dreams of heavy snows and road closure.

21 March 2018

Came SO close to launching last night but a last minute problem at the Range shut us down.  We'll have to come back and try it again.  I had the only clear camera site and it was SO clear.  Lots of active aurora covering the sky. 

Today, I'll pack up the camera site and head out of dodge before the next storm hits.  Avalanche warning, so I'll try to get on the road as soon as I can. 

Pretty sunrise, this morning.

I had much appreciated help moving my crates to the front of the school, for pickup later today.

I made it to Honningsvåg.  It's nice to not have to worry about the weather quite so much.  It was pretty obvious, on the drive, why the road had been closed for four days.

This house is my favorite, on the drive.

A walk around Honningsvåg.

20 March 2018

Pretty morning, this first day of Spring!

It's been a busy morning, making travel and shipping arrangements.  Tonight is our last night of the launch window and we may actually have two clear camera sites!  I will spend the afternoon making sure everything is in working order.

The road is supposed to be opening back up this afternoon.  Turns out the problem was avalanches.  There have been helicopters flying low, to trigger slides, and they hope to have it cleared out soon.  Just in time for my Thursday morning exit.

19 March 2018

Still snowing and windy, road still closed, still no cable and the internet was on and off last night at the school. It's becoming rather difficult to get to the camera site, the snow is so deep. Yesterday, with magnetic activity predicted, I put the camera boxes back up. Just in case. The weather can change so quickly, you can't predict when a clear spot might occur. It was so windy everywhere that the plane couldn't even take off. That was pretty much our only option for a camera site.

Today and tomorrow are our last opportunities to launch.  Cabin fever is setting in....

Tonight started out with snow then sleet then snow, then cleared for awhile with some nice aurora. Upper level winds kept us from launching.

On a positive note, I saw a snow plow coming down the mountain!  (but the road is still closed)

18 March 2018

Snowing
Windy
No cable
Road still closed
A new layer of ice has formed

and repeat

17 March 2018

Still here.  Last night we scrubbed before we even began.  Bad weather everywhere.  Gale force winds here with snow then sleet then rain then snow....  I brought my camera boxes in again, fearing that the tripods would blow over.  Then, with the wind coming directly toward the window my cables went out through, the window started being blown open.  No amount of tape was going to hold that window closed so I sealed all the cable ends in a trash bag and put it outside the window.  Getting the window closed was no easy task.  Ice had built up and had to be cleared, as well as all the plastic and tape I had used as stuffing - with the wind and snow howling toward me through the opening.

It's a good thing that ship doesn't have a sail on it.

Today, it's above freezing and the snow is extremely heavy.  Perfect snowman snow. With more snow coming, and temperatures dropping, I decided it would be a smart time to dig out the cables that are now under 3-4 feet of snow.  Once it freezes, yikes, I'll be here until Spring digging them out.

Mission accomplished.  I only broke one windshield scraper (I have no shovel).

Today is a day off, due to weather, but hopefully tomorrow will look more promising.

Gale force winds, still, and the road is closed.  I've also lost cable :(  SOS!

So, tonight I was going to brave the winds and have dinner at the restaurant.  Good thing I checked before walking ALL the way over there.  Turns out it's closed tonight.  It's Marita's Uncle's birthday and they're having the celebration there.  When there's an occasion to celebrate, they close the restaurant so that EVERYONE in town can attend.  She politely asked me to join them but I suspect they'll be just as happy if I don't.  

16 March 2018

Still no launch but there was some nice aurora before the snow started again. I wish I was a better photographer!

15 March 2018

We didn't launch last night but suddenly my skies were clear and there was aurora in the sky.  Tonight is supposed to have good activity, as well, so hopes are high.

My view out the window at 10 a.m.  Yikes.

After a not so promising start, it turned out to be a beautiful day for a walk around town.

This is the only gas pump I've seen in town....

A fishing boat, heading out.

I was surprised to learn that the fish on the drying racks is just the heads.  They call this stock fish. Putting fish out to dry is the oldest form of food preservation and the method is more than a thousand years old. Only water is removed from the fish during the process while all the nutrients remain. No salt is added. This is what enabled the Vikings to make their long voyages.  It surely does have a strong aroma. The fish I've seen hanging under porches and eaves is the rest of the fish.

14 March 2018

And it's STILL snowing.  Sporadically, though, so that's an improvement.

Last night I saw a convoy of plows and snowblowers coming down the mountain.  I sure hope that means the road is open today, since I really need a trip to the store and the bakery.  I shoveled out the car, yesterday, so I'm good to go!

I learned last night that the word around town was that the rocket had launched.  Marita was surprised to hear that I was still here.  They saw that my orange boxes were gone and assumed it was over.  Interesting that they all seem to be aware of what is going on but only a couple people have said anything to me.  For those at the Range who have read the book in the lounge about Norwegians, you will recognize this behavior :)

I successfully made it to Honningsvåg and back.  For the first mile up the mountain, I was thinking I had made a mistake.  The snow on the road was a couple inches deep, so I was extremely happy to meet the snowplow.

After being snowed in, and almost running out of food, I really felt the need to stock up on groceries.  Looking at the forecast, I wouldn't be surprised to see the road close again in the next couple of days.  The drive was a bit difficult but I made it home in one piece.

Very happy for those red poles.

I asked my landlady how I could mail a postcard.  She had no idea, never having mailed anything.  She researched it for me :)

The other night, I noticed that there was a car idling in the driveway of the house next to my camera site for several hours.  I mentioned my concern to a woman walking her dog.  Her response was "So knock on the door and see if they're dead."  Not quite what I was expecting....  When I mentioned it to Marita, she immediately knew who I was talking about.

I decided on the trek over the mountain today that I may have found my next career move - Ice Road Trucker!!

Honningsvåg to Nordkapp
This is my drive home from the store.  At 6:00, you get to the turn off to Gjesvær.  Picture it with a couple more feet of snow.