Eagle River (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Salcha: houses, school, living in)

[brandy77]

Hello! Is there a period of time over the year (winter) when the sun doesn't reach any part of the Eagle River valley because of the Chugach range blocking it? If so how long does it last? Does the south facing side of the valley get sun year round? Does anyone have views of Eagle Peak and Organ Mountain and the active glaciers around there? Thanks!

[bongo]

When I was teaching at Ravenwood Elementary there was a period of time around the solstice when the sun never hit our playground. Our location was:

Google Maps
Ravenwood Elementary 9500 Wren Circle Eagle River Alaska

The houses up high on the ridge above ER valley of course would get sun.

And of course up Hiland Rd with northern exposure no sun!

[RayinAK]

You also have to take into consideration that that one goes to work while dark (during the winter), and comes back still in the dark in Alaska. This does not take place all winter, but a great portion of the winter.

[Blueberry]

It really depends on one's location whether or not he gets sun. I lived very close to one of the mountains, and my house and yard never saw the sun during parts of the winter, but--of course--it was still light outside. Some of my neighbors, however, were far enough away from the mountain that they got direct sunlight. Snow in my yard melted later than it did in my neighbor's yards.

I lived in Chugiak rather than Eagle River, so the juxtaposition of location, mountains, and sun angle are somewhat different.

[rotorhead]

It depends exactly where in the valley you live. Our house was off New England Dr. just where Eagle River Lane becomes Steeple Dr. and we got just a few minutes in the morning and a few more in late afternoon around the winter solstice. The situation changes considerably depending on exactly just how far up the valley you are and how far up the hill you are. There are spots where they get good sun, and as mentioned earlier the ones across the river get basically none at all since they're on the N. side of the opposite hill. Best bet is to do some looking around in winter and see for yourself, but a good approximation can be obtained with a compass and a bit of imagination. It also bears mentioning that the weather makes more of an impact than your exact location most winters.

There's a formula based on lattitude and season, but I've only seen it used in the architect books for figuring the ideal length of eaves overhang for balancing solar gain for hotter climates. Maybe one of the more math-savvy can figure it out for you.

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

we got just a few minutes in the morning and a few more in late afternoon around the winter solstice.

Oh, that's a fabulous example, which I'll need to remember!

Every now and then on Usenet I tease folks with a story about a school teacher showing me an "IQ" test she was giving to grade school children (in the 1970's, when my kids were in grade school). The test was far too culture centric to be of much use in an Alaskan village though. She showed me an example question, "Which direction does the sun come up from?" with four multiple choice answers, North, East, West or South. She accepted any answer as correct.

Of course telling that story sets some people into orbit. Even after it is explained that kids here see the sun come up from at least three directions, I've had people adamantly claim that 3rd grade children in Alaska should be taught that in the Lower-48 the sun always comes up in the East... What can one say? :-)

Of course people who think about it a little bit catch on in an instant, and then some of them have very good questions, such as asking how it can come up in the West? What I've always done before is point out that if one is located in proximity to a mountain, the sun might come up almost from anywhere. But it never occurred to me that it could also "come up" twice a day, once on each side of the mountain! That's a really great twist.

Hmmm... last time I heard, that teacher had been living in Eagle River (aka "Turkey Gulch" for those who didn't know) for several years. Anybody there know an old school teacher named Elaine,
who's in her early 60's now, that raised 2-3 Yup'ik grandchildren there? An absolutely incredible 1st grade teacher!

[Floyd_Davidson]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

You also have to take into consideration that that one goes to work while dark (during the winter), and comes back still in the dark in Alaska. This does not take place all winter, but a great portion of the winter.

It doesn't make a lot of difference here, but when I lived in Salcha I always figured what Alaska should adopt Eastern time!

That would put everyone's business day into sync with the rest of the country. In Fairbanks it would also have people (particularly children) coming home when there is still some daylight left!

In the summer, who cares, it's light all the time anyway...

[RayinAK]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

It doesn't make a lot of difference here, but when I lived in Salcha I always figured what Alaska should adopt Eastern time!

That would put everyone's business day into sync with the rest of the country. In Fairbanks it would also have people (particularly children) coming home when there is still some daylight left!

In the summer, who cares, it's light all the time anyway...

Good points. I remember going to work in the darkness (not very dark) of morning, and coming back in the darkness of evening in Anchorage. We do get lots of sunlight in Fairbanks during the summer, which is quite nice.

[rotorhead]

I wish the entire US would just simplify the matter and forego the whole "switching back and forth" from standard time to daylight savings time. They've got the idea in AZ, just opt out and hope the rest follow.

Here's a shot of a sunset just past that mountain you look at from where I used to live in Eagle River, I believe it's Mt. Gordon Lyon.


In any case, it's the back side of the range that Alpenglow ski area inhabits. This view is maybe south by southwest, it's almost along the Glen Highway back into Anchorage. In summer the sun easily clears the mountaintop but in winter it disappears for most of the day, provided you can see the sun at all through the prevailing coastal wintertime low cloud deck of course. The further up the valley the less of a problem this is, but where we were was just perfectly positioned to catch the shadow. We were quite a way up the hill, most of the folks down lower got at least some days with no direct sun possible.

[lisaagogo]

beautiful picture rotorhead