Gee, we never do this in Florida

Copyright 2006 Lydia Hinshaw

SKAGWAY, AK -- Let the record show that Skagway got its first frost of the season on Sept. 15, 2006.
The second frost followed on Sept. 16, a Saturday, and our day off. We decided to take a drive over the mountains at about 10 a.m. and still had to scrape ice off the windshield before we could leave.
Because we live on the east side of the narrow valley, we remain in the shadow of the eastern mountains until well into the day. In the late afternoons, we get our payback, since we can enjoy the sun for a while after our neighbors to the west are shivering in the shadows.
Most of the time, this doesn't matter since it's too cloudy to know where the sun is anyway. Against all odds, the past three days have been gorgeous. Here we are, about to leave in six days, and suddenly the weather is perfect. Go figure.
We were able to get in a nice hike at the top of White Pass, 14 miles outside town, in an area that's been fogged in about 80 percent of the time the past two months.