Ice's Out...

Not much to do while recuperating, so been following the Nenana Ice Classic. Every year since 1917, when engineers building the Alaska railroad started it, there's been a guessing game to figure out when the ice goes out on the Tanana River. Tickets are sold all over the state and the winning prize is around a quarter million $ now.

This year was interesting, to me at least, because record high temps in March could cause the ice to go out real early and break the record of April 20. But when the weather cooled off a bit at the end of the month, it looked like it might freeze up again and delay breakup. As luck would have it, the warmer temps returned last week and the river began to carve an open channel through the ice.

The tripod's leaning as a channel opens up near the south bank of the river on April 11.

The the channel widens and the tripod tilts over the open water on April 13.

Finally, the ice breaks up on April 14th and the tripod drifts downstream. The official end time, when the tripod moved far enough to trip the clock wire, broke the record by almost a week (six days, fifteen hours, six minutes to be precise!).  http://www.nenanaakiceclassic.com