All geared up but you can't get there from here

Is this winter in Alaska? December 30, 2014.

New Year's Eve has always been great at the East Pole. It just seems to be the best place to shed the old year and put on the new. The problem is you need a good cover of snow to get there. That's not happening this year. For an idea what this winter is like, get this: December 27 marked a year since the temperature in Anchorage dropped below zero.  That's the second longest streak on record. All the local sled dog races have been cancelled.

Gear gathered? Check.

Puddles of water and ice in the yard, snow almost gone. Conditions aren't much better around the Pole, with a reported snow cover of about 9 inches which would translate to a little more at the cabin. But with rain in the forecast and temperatures well above freezing, most likely the trail would be lakes overlaying a base of ice, creeks open and a miserable trip along the way.

Transportation ready? Check. Snow? Eh, not so much.

Here is the choice: If I had to go, I probably could make it. If the trip is just for enjoyment maybe it isn't worth it.  Am I growing up? Finally? Maybe. Why make yourself miserable if you don't have to, not that spending the holiday under gray skies and 40-degree temperatures here sounds any more appealing. There was a time when just poking your nose out to see how it looks, as in driving up there with the idea I might have to drive back, was the best choice, but it just doesn't sound like much fun any more. Perhaps this time discretion is the better part of courage.

Nevertheless I spent much of yesterday shopping and getting the winter gear out ready for the trip in hopes the weather forecast this morning would be more promising. Actually it came up looking worse, so the trip is off and it will be at least two weeks before another one can even be considered.

Maybe it's a good year to see if the Hillbilly Hangout has another great recipe for welcoming the new year.

And who cares if every economic indicator is up and Rolling Stone named him one of the most successful presidents in American history? What I'd like to know is what has President Obama done about the weather?

Hillbilly Hangout recipes for a new year.