And people think we're crazy

I rose before the sun again today. Not that it's much of a feat, especially this time of year when sunrise occurs after 7 a.m.

What I awoke to startled me a bit. Made me thankful for where I live. Also diminished any sense of accomplishment that might come with waking before sunrise.

See, I was reminded that doing so isn't much to brag about. Particularly if you're waking in Barrow, Alaska. Thankfully, I wasn't.

Among the first things I heard when I upon rising today was a brief blurb on TV about what November 18 means to those unfortunate people who live near the top of the globe. Apparently, today marks the first of 66 consecutive days without sunlight in Barrow, "the northernmost community in North America."

Sixty-six days? Consecutively? Those poor inhabitants of Barrow -- 4581 of them, according to the 2000 census -- won't get so much as a glimpse of the sun until 11:51 a.m. on January 24.

January 24?!!!

Oh, my. I can't fathom that. I don't even want to try. I simply can't imagine how dreary that must be. Downright depressing, really. Unless, of course, you're a psychiatrist or tanning salon owner.

Then, combine the lack of natural light with the less-than-glorious weather Barrow, um, enjoys. How funereal must that be?

I've seen a decent portion of our far-flung and beautiful country. I've visited approximately half of our 50 states. Touched down in or near all four corners of our contiguous 48. Been to both coasts and our international borders to the north and south. I've encountered some locales that I would describe as, in a word, alluring. There have been plenty of others that, um, well, let's just say I hope I never have to see again. (By the way, I pray for those of you who live in these places -- and you know who you are.)

I've never been to Barrow. Don't think I'll ever get there. That's fine with me, though. I'll just have to learn to live with the fact that the only polar bears I'll ever see will be behind a zoo's bars.

Just consider some of the facts I uncovered about the town.

The daily low temperature in Barrow is below freezing, 32 degrees Fahrenheit, 324 days a year. Do the math. That's almost 90 percent of the year.

The average high temp during the summer is a not-so-balmy 40 degrees. There probably isn't much demand for headbands or air conditioner repairmen in Barrow.

And temperatures throughout the year can range between -56 to 78 degrees.

Guess there's no such thing as moderation in Barrow. That, along with it's position on the globe, could explain why between May 10 and August 2 the sun never sets on the town. Never.

So much for beauty being only a lightswitch away.

I love the sunshine. As much as anyone, methinks. But, puh-leeze. Almost three months of 'round-the-clock sunshine? Even a crack addict needs a breather every now and then.

Pass the blindfolds, please.

So the light residents in Barrow finally see at the end of the proverbial tunnel in January is the relentless sunlight that awaits them during the summer months? Somehow that doesn't seem so comforting to me.

Yet so many people think Minnesotans are crazy for living where we do. Hey, the weather here throughout much of the year might be something much less than ideal -- not to mention occasionally similar to Barrow's -- but at least we maintain hope, no matter how faint and how consistently dashed it might be at this time of year, that we can see the sun every day.

And I still can carry a certain degree of achievement from waking before sunrise.