4 December, 2001

Roar of an engine, brisk cold covering the cheeks, white snow and clear blue sky touch the horizon - Ahhh! Snowmachining in Alaska! This is the major form of transportation during the winter months in the rural parts of Alaska. I was able to take the snowmachine on a test run. This was a good idea, since in March I will be traveling everyday on a snowmachine! Currently, there is not much snow in Council. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the snow to come so snowmachining can begin! Due to the lack of snow, I just took a ride on the ice covered Niukluk river! Snowmachining can be lots of fun but also lots of work! I found some difficulty in making the turns. Plus, they commonly get stuck in the snow and require some pulling and pushing to get them moving once again. I am sure by the time I drive a snowmachine for 411 miles, I will be quite the expert snowmachiner!

Instead of deep layers of snow on the ground, there is currently a layer deposited called hoar frost or often called surface hoar. This happens when the weather is extremely cold and dry. The water vapor in the air sublimates back onto the ground as a solid. The result is that beautiful ice crystals form!

This is the snowmachine that I will travel on in March. Currently, it remains parked in a storage bin! ===== April Cheuvront 7133 Rhododendron Drive Newland, NC 28657 aprilcheuv@yahoo.com

Huge Hoar Crystals form on the ground. These crystals are exceptional in size. Crystals this size would normally only be found in ice caves or crevassses. ===== April Cheuvront 7133 Rhododendron Drive Newland, NC 28657 aprilcheuv@yahoo.com