Ice Fog

Ice fog, Anchorage, Alaska. There is a fully lit 5-story building just a couple hundred feet beyond, right in the center of the photo.

Ice fog is the name folks give to fog that rolls in when it's freezing. In the daytime, I love it. It's ethereal. Buildings you know are just over there are gone. Things slowly appear out of the mist. Plants and trees all have this incredible pure white coating on them. The most beautiful picture of winter one could conjure. It's also an interesting cold, as there is humidity in the air.

At night, though, driving is a nightmare. Zip for visibility. Can't figure out where you're at because all points of reference, even the intangibles such as the lights in a particular neighborhood, they're all gone. Driving on the freeway is a game of "chicken". Don't know what's ahead, don't know when the turns are coming up, can't see overpasses, nothing. Creepy. Oh, and of course we're always wary of moose. Nobody is telling 'em to not go out in front of cars.

Today is Sunday, Decenber 13, 2009. For about a week now, Anchorage has been shrouded in this hypnotic, mysterious fog. Some folks like myself enjoy the phenomenon, others wish it to be gone. I have never seen ice fog like this, it has been quite a treat. For a few days we walk amongst the clouds.