Latest Break-Up on Record

Saturday we awakened to snow on the ground in the dog yard.  I can't remember snow actually sticking to the ground so late in the season before.

Snowy dog yard, May 18th, 2013

 
The ice on the Tanana River finally broke up at 3:41 yesterday afternoon.  This is the latest that the ice has ever gone out in the 97 year history of the Nenana Ice Classic, a jackpot drawing in which people wager on the exact date and time that the ice goes out at that community.

Several villages on the upper Yukon River has been flooded as the leading edge of breaking ice passes their communities.  Eagle flooded, though no so severely as a couple of years ago.  Circle was hard hit, with nearly every building in the community flooded.  While those folks were trying to get started on clean up the water topped the banks at Fort Yukon, though I haven't heard of any buildings inundated there.  There are also flood warnings out for Beaver, Stevens Village and Tanana.

I had just finished filling a major hole in one of the pens (Animosh is an excavator) when I received a call from work, asking me to come in early.  One of my co-workers needed to leave as quickly as possible due to an emergency at home.  I through my suitcase together and headed out the door sooner than expected and was able to make good time on dry roads. 

So, here I am at my place of employment for the next two weeks, hoping all goes smoothly.