Nice work Chip!!! So you thinking you'll be headed to Tulane? Isn't that where MTHeaded is?
I've got an interview invite for University of Washington with Alaska's WWAMI program. Tuition there is about 65k less than Tulane, so UW has to be my top choice. Tulane was really nice though, so I won't be at all disappointed if I go there.
I have a few questions since you're in Alaska,
Do you have an block heater for your truck?
Do you leave your car running when you run up to the super market or out to eat?
and once it gets below -20 degrees, does it feel the same?
Thanks
My truck has an engine block heater, an oil pan heater, and a trickle charger for the battery. They aren't optional here. I plug the truck in for about two hours before I drive when the temperature drops to about 5 below. At about 30 below most cars won't run at all unless they've been plugged in. I don't mind plugging the truck in; the problem is that the cold causes cars to break, and it's awful trying to fix them when you can't touch a wrench without burning your hand.
I don't leave my truck running when I go out, but many do. Supermarkets and other businesses have plugs in the parking lot. If I'll be there more than an hour I'll plug in or go out periodically to run the engine for a few minutes.
There isn't any one temperature at which things no longer feel the same. The breakdown is roughly this:
10 above: As good as it gets this time of year. I still have to keep a fire going in the woodstove during all waking hours.
0: Coats, hat and gloves are required for even short trips outside. Cars should be plugged in.
10 below: The woodstove alone is no longer enough to keep the house warm in the day.
20 below: A face mask or scarf must be worn outside, even for short trips.
30 below: Cars will not start unless they are plugged in. If a cabin is left cold for a day, it may not be possible for the heater to burn diesel oil.
40 below: A bottle of 80 proof vodka will freeze solid if left on the porch.
50 below: Some cars will not run even if they were plugged in all night.
I should say that not all of Alaska gets this cold. I grew up in Kodiak, and it almost never got below 15 degrees in the daytime. I'm planning on living in Southeast or Southcentral Alaska for a few years after residency. Where I am now in North Pole is just too cold and miserable for me to ever come back to.