8 Things I Just Learned About Living In Tok Alaska

Here are some little details I’m learning about living in Tok that are interesting, curious or just plain good to know.

1. The Fairbanks News-Miner is delivered by truck each day. Usually after 12pm. Sometimes, it doesn’t make it into town. Most people rely on the Internet to access their “local” paper. $1.25

2. The real local paper here is called the Mukluk News, and it is a number of 13×17 inch sheets of paper stapled together. Filled with local tidbits, ads for local businesses, and lots of religious references and quotes. Fifty cents.

3. The Anchorage Daily News is only delivered Wednesdays and Sundays. By small plane. And when the plane can’t make it in to Tok, no ADN. $1.50

4. When your car gets down to minus 50 or colder, strange things begin to happen to your car. Such as your steering and brake fluid begins to freeze. As you are driving.

5. Most Tokites put cardboard or leather across their car grills to keep out the cold air. Otherwise, when you are driving, the cold outside air is forced into the car, quickly cooling it down until you literally have no heat.

6. If you have condensation on your windshield and are driving down the highway, it will quickly turn into a thin, opaque crust of ice. We had to scrape the inside of our windshield the other night. While driving. With actual windshield ice scrapers. But I think a credit card might do a better job. More flexible.

7. They have karaoke every other Saturday night at the Tok Lodge (bar). I have to get my Karaoke system out of it’s box so I can start practicing!

8. The outer walls on our house are 12 inches thick. My husband says this is not typical. Usually, walls are 6 inches thick, I believe. But the foot of wall between us and the cold is why we can stay so warm in the house.

More Tok Tidbits soon!

And For Those Who Need Proof…Minus 80 Degrees F

This is a shot of the weather station temp gauge at the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge offices in Tok, Alaska.

I’m still looking for a thermometer for the house that will register lower than -60 degrees. Any ideas?

Living in Tok Blog on Day To Day on NPR!

The interview I recorded yesterday was aired this morning on the wonderful news show Day To Day (a partnership between NPR and Slate.com). I spoke with Noah Adams. He asked me all sorts of things about the weather here in Tok. Yesterday, we were pushing -78 and today -70.

You can listen to it later this afternoon at:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99162528

For those of you checking Weather Underground for temps in Tok, the main Tok link they use is NOT accurate. Possibly correct for the crossroads area of “town,” but for those of us blocks away, the temps are not measurable on our thermometers.

On Weather Underground, try choosing APRSWXNET or Turks on the Tundra as the weather source and watch the temps measured drop by at least 10 degrees below what the main temp reads.