Bay Area Trip Day 1 (Prudhoe Bay, AK)

It has been an interesting week here at work on the oilfield. First there was the cold. Saying that it got cold in the arctic may seem to be blindingly obvious, but when the weather gets cold by arctic standards, believe me, it's worth note.

Alaska's North Slope has been hit with a cold snap, dropping the temperature to a frigid -46 F and a slight breeze that took the wind chill temperature down to -72 F. There is simply nothing in the English language that can adequately describe what -72 F feels like. Your entire body feels like it's been slapped by a giant icy hand, the air hurts your lungs, and exposed skin will freeze within a couple of minutes. I am warmed however by thinking about and planning our trip to California that we are flying off to within a couple of days. When it's this cold, you need warm thoughts to get you through.
Speaking of traveling, there was a bomb scare at the Anchorage airport this week, when someone tried to bring a pipe bomb onto the BP Charter flight to Prudhoe Bay. Don't worry everybody, it wasn't me. The bomb turned out to be an avalanche triggering device, and the passenger had intended no ill will, but that does beg the question as to why he thought it would be ok to bring such a device in his carry on. Surely the proper stowage of one's pipe bombs should be in the checked luggage compartment.
It's kind of funny that when I heard about an explosive device on the plane that I fly, my initial thoughts were not about passenger safety or which of my co workers it may have been, but rather my brain went straight to, "Oh hell, TSA will be worse than ever this week."
At any rate, I have been finding lots of time today to put some finishing touches on plans for the California trip. Booking a few last events and reading restaurant reviews. Looking forward to flying out of Prudhoe Bay today, spending the weekend in Anchorage, then south to San Francisco on Monday. I look forward to keeping you all posted. Bye!