Artic Desert...with a volcano???

So I went to the doctor here after being sick for a week and having chest pains whenever I breathed the cold air outside. She explained to me that Alaska is essentially an artic desert with cold dry air. People like me who are used to warmer, more humid climates sometimes find it difficult to handle the climate for extended perioods of time. So I have to make sure I wrap up, cover my face when outside, drink significantly more water than I normally would and take plenty of vitamins....yeah yeah doc, so are you saying I have been in Alaska far too long???

Here's my January recap:

First week of January...subzero temps around 25 below zero. It was one of the longest cold snaps in history. You know the temperature is below zero when you sniff and your nostrils stick together, hahaha! One good thing is that the days are lengthening in January…gaining 6 minutes a day.
Mid-January... There was a quick "heat wave" in mid-January of temps around 35 and 40….so much snow and ice had built up that many streets were a sheet of wet ice which made it almost impossible to drive or walk on. The local courts and government offices closed down for ice for the first time in almost 30 years due to weather. Alaska is used to cold and snow, but the ice was horrible.
January 20… There were several community service events in Anchorage the day before to commerote the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I took off on January 20 to celebrate the inauguration. (See why I'm celebrating) The University of Alaska at Anchorage showed the inauguration in the auditorium on the big screen. It was part of their Civil Rights Month Celebration. Hundreds of people attended and we all participated as if we were there….standing, applauding laughing and even crying. They also provided reflection cards for attendees to write down their reflections on what the day meant to them so they could display them all as part of the Alaska Civil Rights Exhibit later in the month. Later that night there were celebration parties/balls around Anchorage.

At this point let me say that I have experienced thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornadoes and even an earthquake in Northern California, but of course, Alaska is aiming to broaden my experiences even further...

January 23/24...Some in anchorage felt an earthquake, but I didn't. This earthquake was unrelated to the unrest that was observed at Mount Redoubt Volcano. Yes, a volcano. ' I was surprised to learn how many volcanoes are actually located here in Alaska. Mt. Redoubt is located some 100 miles southwest of Anchorage was expected to erupt at anytime. It's eruption differs from your traditional lava flowing eruptions from a Hawaiin volcano in that it spews volcanic ash miles into the air and the wind carries that ash miles away. The danger is that the ash from the eruption is most likely to significantly impact Anchorage. This ash is actually earth rock which our lungs can't process. Residents are encouraged to buy goggles and face masks to prepare for the eruption. So yes, all of the hardware stores were running out of stock. Thankfully I was able to secure 2 masks and a pair of goggles just in case. The Alaska volcano observatory keeps daily updates on their website. I'm praying it just settles down and does not erupt. I'll keep you posted.