The Midnight Sun
This is just a side note talking about what it's like to be in Alaska during the Summer.
As most people have heard, being up in the higher latitudes causes the day-to-night ratio to become pretty extreme. I happened to be in Canada and Alaska during the first part of July, right after the longest day of the year took place. In Alaska, as opposed to say, Kansas, the term "longest day" had significant meaning.
The further North I drove, the longer the daylight lasted. This had the effect of letting me travel long distances without having to worry about the daylight running out. Basically I stopped due to being tired, not because it was after dark.
Most often, when I am driving in the lower 48 states, I tend to stop between 6:00 and 7:00 because that's when the hotels start to fill up. This was unnecessary in Canada. Also, driving at night on the Alaska Highway can be incredibly dangerous due to the randomly placed wildlife. This, too, was overcome with the extended daylight hours.
Arriving at Palmer, Alaska, I discovered that the sun hit the horizon shortly after Midnight, around 12:30 am. One evening, I peaked my head out the window close to 3:30 am and the sky had brightened back up. For all practical purposes, the sun never set. This allowed me to get an immense amount of work done.
Being a real estate photographer, I am very conscious of where the sun is in the sky. Often I have to scramble to shoot all of the East facing houses on my list between 10:00 and Noon and then shoot all of the West facing homes between 2:00 and 4:00. In Alaska I could take my time. Since the sun moved at a snail's pace, I could get up at most any reasonable morning hour and complete my first set of photos with minutes to spare. Next, there was nothing to do but take an extended lunch. Resuming my assignment, I could work as late as 6:00 or even 8:00. Following that, there was still time remaining to go explore the surrounding countryside. I didn't ask anyone, but I suppose that the Alaskans have adapted to an equally relaxing pace.
Upon returning, a number of friends asked me if the constant daylight kept me from sleeping, or if the lack of evening made me tired. The answer was a definite "No". The ever-present daylight kept me energized from the time I woke up to the time I went back to sleep. The only reason I actually went to sleep was because I looked at the clock. Once indoors, I simply pulled the blinds and nodding off was not a problem.
The long daylight hours had an interesting effect on the temperature. It barely fluctuated. People back home (where it was 104 degrees) asked me if it got cold at night. No. There was no "night". With the sun always out, warming the air, the temperature hardly dropped, even at "twilight". I don't know if this was normal, but the climate was relatively mild and comfortable. The only time I felt cold at all, was when I approached a glacial ice pack.
Yes, Summer conditions in Alaska were perfect for lovers of the Great Outdoors, especially golfers. There seemed to be an abundance of golf courses and people could play to their heart's content. Whatever a person might choose to do outside, there was never any rush to finish. For nocturnal critters, however, the Midnight Sun did pose a few problems.
Now, for a moment, let's imagine what it's like in Alaska in January. I'm guessing there are only three hours of daylight, if you can even call the sun barely being above the horizon "daylight". This has to explain the high density of "expresso huts" I encountered. They were everywhere. I bet in Winter they do a brisk business. So what is life like when there are 21 hours of darkness? It must drive citizens nearly insane. I hear that it's cold, but it doesn't snow much. And they tell me the tour guides all go to Hawaii.
The one thing I did miss by being in NorthWest in the Summer was the Aurora Borealis. Perhaps it is the one consolation gift the locals receive during their long hibernation. I wish I could have witnessed the Northern Lights, but they were temporarily blotted out by the light of the Sun.
As most people have heard, being up in the higher latitudes causes the day-to-night ratio to become pretty extreme. I happened to be in Canada and Alaska during the first part of July, right after the longest day of the year took place. In Alaska, as opposed to say, Kansas, the term "longest day" had significant meaning.
The further North I drove, the longer the daylight lasted. This had the effect of letting me travel long distances without having to worry about the daylight running out. Basically I stopped due to being tired, not because it was after dark.
Most often, when I am driving in the lower 48 states, I tend to stop between 6:00 and 7:00 because that's when the hotels start to fill up. This was unnecessary in Canada. Also, driving at night on the Alaska Highway can be incredibly dangerous due to the randomly placed wildlife. This, too, was overcome with the extended daylight hours.
Arriving at Palmer, Alaska, I discovered that the sun hit the horizon shortly after Midnight, around 12:30 am. One evening, I peaked my head out the window close to 3:30 am and the sky had brightened back up. For all practical purposes, the sun never set. This allowed me to get an immense amount of work done.
Being a real estate photographer, I am very conscious of where the sun is in the sky. Often I have to scramble to shoot all of the East facing houses on my list between 10:00 and Noon and then shoot all of the West facing homes between 2:00 and 4:00. In Alaska I could take my time. Since the sun moved at a snail's pace, I could get up at most any reasonable morning hour and complete my first set of photos with minutes to spare. Next, there was nothing to do but take an extended lunch. Resuming my assignment, I could work as late as 6:00 or even 8:00. Following that, there was still time remaining to go explore the surrounding countryside. I didn't ask anyone, but I suppose that the Alaskans have adapted to an equally relaxing pace.
Upon returning, a number of friends asked me if the constant daylight kept me from sleeping, or if the lack of evening made me tired. The answer was a definite "No". The ever-present daylight kept me energized from the time I woke up to the time I went back to sleep. The only reason I actually went to sleep was because I looked at the clock. Once indoors, I simply pulled the blinds and nodding off was not a problem.
The long daylight hours had an interesting effect on the temperature. It barely fluctuated. People back home (where it was 104 degrees) asked me if it got cold at night. No. There was no "night". With the sun always out, warming the air, the temperature hardly dropped, even at "twilight". I don't know if this was normal, but the climate was relatively mild and comfortable. The only time I felt cold at all, was when I approached a glacial ice pack.
Yes, Summer conditions in Alaska were perfect for lovers of the Great Outdoors, especially golfers. There seemed to be an abundance of golf courses and people could play to their heart's content. Whatever a person might choose to do outside, there was never any rush to finish. For nocturnal critters, however, the Midnight Sun did pose a few problems.
Now, for a moment, let's imagine what it's like in Alaska in January. I'm guessing there are only three hours of daylight, if you can even call the sun barely being above the horizon "daylight". This has to explain the high density of "expresso huts" I encountered. They were everywhere. I bet in Winter they do a brisk business. So what is life like when there are 21 hours of darkness? It must drive citizens nearly insane. I hear that it's cold, but it doesn't snow much. And they tell me the tour guides all go to Hawaii.
The one thing I did miss by being in NorthWest in the Summer was the Aurora Borealis. Perhaps it is the one consolation gift the locals receive during their long hibernation. I wish I could have witnessed the Northern Lights, but they were temporarily blotted out by the light of the Sun.
posted by Tom Palmer at 7:05 PM
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