Robinson Alaska Mission

           We finally went to the Eagle River Nature Center. It was a short walk down to the river where there was a nice viewing deck. It was a pretty day for a short walk. There were others riding fat bikes and cross country skiing on the trail. During the summer people frequently see bears attracted by the salmon in the river. The Nature Center had some interesting displays with the bears and other furry animals. It was interesting to feel the fur of the different animals. The bear skins had very coarse hair for their outer coat and softer fur underneath. Moose have that too, a double layer of fur and hair. We learned that a moose's winter coat is so warm that at 23 degrees they pant because it is too warm. Their lighter summer coat is too warm at temperatures over 50 degrees.       The bighorn sheep horns were really heavy! We aren't sure if it is the mount they are on or the horns themselves. They felt like a wrecking ball.   ...

       The weather this week has been a mix of lows and highs. It snowed early in the week and there was 2 feet of fresh snow when we went to Willow, north of Wasilla. We were taking a bed to the missionaries there. Five of them share a house and really like rural Alaska. It was a pretty drive and nice with clouds to block the sun from shining in our eyes. The home where the missionaries live is off the road and it hadn't been plowed, so it was a slippery drive in the back country.  I'm glad we didn't get stuck in the snow because I don't think I could have pushed us out.      Later in the week we had record-breaking high temperatures in the upper 40's. It has been alternating between snow and melting snow and ice. Last year the snow was piled about 20 feet in the parking lot in January. It is less than 5 feet now that most of it has melted. It is windy too, but it is a warm wind — hah! The missionaries came by the office after playing basketball....

       I never get pictures to look as pretty as what we see. Alpenglow is a pink glow that shines on mountains at sunrise or sunset and can appear in a lot of places, not just Alaska. I hadn't noticed it as much though until living in Alaska. It covers the whole sky and usually happens with the right combination of clouds, blue sky and snow. There was a big cloud that looked like cotton candy and was so pretty (sorry I missed that picture). It is not quite as spectacular as the Northern Lights but it still inspires me at how beautiful nature is. Even though winter is cold and icy, there are things to see that make me so grateful for the experiences we have had here.      We are glad we have not experienced a car accident though. There was a snow storm last week and we drove by several accident scenes on our way to work. Elder Robinson likes the ingenuity of using zip ties to make car repairs. He noticed this car next to us at a stoplight. You had to l...