Valentine Wishes!

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Our adventures continue!

John and I had the awesome opportunity to take snowmobiles out to McDougall Lodge for the weekend of our anniversary. Saturday afternoon we met Chad at Deshkah Landing in Willow, AK. We got on our helmets, snow suites and everything was all ready. I'm sitting on the snowmobile thinking, "what am I doing here? I've never done this kind of thing." I'm feeling excited and nervous at the same time. Ready to start this adventure. When we take off from the landing, it's FREEZING!! Literally, it's about 20 below zero. I'm driving along, following Chad, I'm doing pretty good, maneuvering around the corners, staying on the trail, when I look off to my right and about 2 feet from me I see WATER!! I start envisioning the worst "one turn in the wrong direction and I'm in freezing water. It suddenly dawns on me, (though I already knew but didn't comprehend until I actually saw it) we are driving ON the river. This same river that I rode in a boat, I am now driving on top of it! CRAZY!!
After staring straight ahead for while, I realize, I can actually move my head and see what is around me. It was so beautiful. Mt. McKinley looming in the distance, hills, mountains, trees, all covered in snow. Such an awesome sight to see. Just as I'm starting to really enjoy the scenery, I notice Chad above me, slowing down a little and then he disappears. OK, thinking the worst again.... Then I see him again, just as I get to the same spot. A big drop in the trail! I keep going, (what else can I do?) and I drop as well. "That wasn't so bad". We keep going for a while, lost track of the time. All of a sudden I see a wall of snow ahead!! I've never done this before, do I slow down, speed up, what? Well, my smart head decides to speed up, after all, how else will I make it up the wall? The front of the machine hits the "wall" (now a hill) went right up it, when the machine landed, I didn't. My feet and butt came off the seat and all I could think was "DON'T LET GO!". When the machine hit the ground, (OK, so you think I landed on the ground don't you?) I ended up back on the machine. "Amazing" I told myself, "well, maybe next time I wont speed up". A little further down the trail I notice that Chad has stopped. I stop as well and he tells me that he hasn't seen John for a little while. He goes back to see where John is, turns out Johns trailer had gotten stuck in some soft snow. While they are gone, working on getting him out I am waiting in about 30 below zero temperatures! I am walking, jumping, stretching, anything to keep warm! Finally, what seemed like hours later (numb fingers, and face, thank goodness for boot warmers, my feet were toasty), they pull up beside me and we get going again. I just kept saying to myself, "this better be over soon". I'm not sure how long we were on the trail but when we finally pulled up to the lodge, it was such a beautiful sight to my cold, tired body!
We stayed at the lodge for 4 days. It was supposed to be 3 days, but the day we were to leave it was about 40 below zero at the landing, way too cold to be on the river, where it is about 10 degrees cooler. Our first night at the lodge we saw the Northern Lights. It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen! Green, White and Orange lights streaking through the black sky. So cool!!
We stayed in a little cabin next to the main lodge. I stayed in the lodge most of the day, John and Chad where out and about getting wood, fixing pipes and freighting to the landing and back once.Our last morning there, John and I had to go to the bathroom but we didn't want to wake up Chad or his mom so we decided to use the out house! I have never had to pee on a toilet that had a ring of ice around it, and I never want to again. I thought I might get stuck :) .
We left on Tuesday and it was 6 degrees at noon. The trip back to the landing was much like the trip out. This time I was following John, not Chad, who was having fun playing around on the trail. Well, John decided to take us down the wrong trail and we had to turn around. When I turned the machine I ended up going in to some soft snow. I guess the machine didn't want me on it anymore, because as it turned to the left, my body went to the right! When I was somewhere between the machine and the ground, I was thinking "now, how in the world did I end up here?" After landing in the snow, I took a mental inventory of vital body parts. "Arms, check...legs, check...head, check....OK, I'm fine" Then I started laughing as I realized, I cant get up!! The snow was too soft and I couldn't get out of it! Chad and John pulled up about then and that's when I learned I was supposed to give a "thumbs up" if I was OK, thus eliminating the feeling of panic from the one who loves you! I grabbed hold of the machine and pulled my self up and back on to the machine. We all took off again and in what seemed like forever, we made it back to the landing, in one piece!
After putting a heater under our vehicle to warm it up enough to start (it was 30 below), we headed back home, to the nice, warm 15 degrees in Anchorage!
Now, the day after arriving home, we are thawed out and reminiscing of our latest adventure.
Hope you are all doing good! We love you all!!
John and Jennifer

Off the planet at 20 below!!

John and I are going to the Lodge for our anniversary weekend. We will be taking snowmobiles from Deshkah landing to the Lodge, about a 3 hour ride. Temperature is at around 20 below out there on the tundra!! We are really excited. We bought ourselves helmets and snow suites. I will write when we get back about our adventure!!