I hate it when....

[Scott P]

I hate it when....it gets dark so friggen early at this time of year. At least in Colorado or Utah, the sun sets easliest on December 8 and the sun is setting a little later each day, but I hate it when I ride my bike home from work in the dark. It's getting friggen cold in Craig CO on a bike too. Yesterday was the first time it was above 0 in the morning at my house since November 28, but the official station had a few nights as warm as 2F last Friday and 3F Sunday. Except for yesterday, all mornings have been colder.

Same for mountaineering too. I really like winter mountaineering, but don't like it when it gets dark so early. Burnin' the extra headlamp batteries for sure. Anyone else feeling it?

I like winter activities, just not the short days.

[accadacca]

The short days blow fer sher. I have been riding my motorcycle to werk. It gets dark just after 5 and I ride home in the dark. Coming to werk isn't much different...a bit lighter tho. Blows goats...does that explain how I feel??

[rockgremlin]

Yup, I feel yer pain. It's dark when I leave to go to work, and it's near dusk when I return. I also hate when the sun is so low in the sky that your visors can never shade enough.

[psl53]

after Dec 21 we'll be heading the other way, but it does suck cause it will take a while before we start to notice any change.

[Sombeech]

after Dec 21 we'll be heading the other way, but it does suck cause it will take a while before we start to notice any change.

Why is there only a major celebration on June 21st for Solstice? I would think there would be more celebrating on the Dec 21st (crap, I just forgot the opposite of Solstice).

It's like YAY, the sun's coming back!!!

....oh, naked hippies probably prefer warm weather.

[price1869]

after Dec 21 we'll be heading the other way, but it does suck cause it will take a while before we start to notice any change.

I'll have you know that I was about to say something about the 21st too, but I took it to the wiki and some other websites.

Because of the way that we have our clocks set, the shortest day doesn't change, but the earliest sunset does. The earliest sunset happens around the 8th of December. It's staying light later and later after that. Interesting, yes, I think so.

[Sombeech]

Interesting, yes, I think so.

Unfortunately, we're going to have the UUtah board discuss your response, and decide if in fact, it is interesting or not.

[Cirrus2000]

Interesting, yes, I think so.

Unfortunately, we're going to have the UUtah board discuss your response, and decide if in fact, it is interesting or not.

Poll, we must have. Yessss.

One nice thing about being further north is that, although the days are shorter in winter (shortest is 8:13, compared to 9:14 in SLC), they do get commensurately longer in summer (longest is 16:13, compared to 15:06 in SLC). You can take some pretty damn long hikes, on days like that. I'll never forget working in northern Alberta, where the sun set at 10:40 PM, and twilight lasted forever!

[DickHead]

Ugh I hate winter and I hate the short days. I did manage 20 miles on the bike yesterday since it was 50F here in Utah

I took a couple interesting pics I'll upload 'em in a bit.

[stefan]

One nice thing about being further north is that, although the days are shorter in winter (shortest is 8:13, compared to 9:14 in SLC), they do get commensurately longer in summer (longest is 16:13, compared to 15:06 in SLC). You can take some pretty damn long hikes, on days like that. I'll never forget working in northern Alberta, where the sun set at 10:40 PM, and twilight lasted forever!

true ... it always pissed me off when i was very young and my mother put me to bed before it got dark in the summer ... unfair!

as far as the long days, i have to say you it's worth making it north of the arctic circle.

while i haven't actually been north of the arctic cirlce i did spend 4 days 50 miles south of the arctic circle in alaska, on a ridge tall enough that, for 7 days around the solstice, the sun never sets. we shifted our days so that we slept on an off during the day, but we were up hiking/wandering/gazing all night long. it's wild to watch the sun spin circles in the sky. the daylight was painted with the usual sunset colors from about 8pm till about 4:30am, with the sun slowly sinking along an arc, just barely sitting at its lowest point above the horizon ... due north.

kinda looks like this substitute the ice and water and replace with endless tundra/taiga covered rolling hills and small mountains as far as the eye can see.

[Scott P]

Because of the way that we have our clocks set, the shortest day doesn't change, but the earliest sunset does. The earliest sunset happens around the 8th of December.

More interesting or boring stuff: The shortest day is the same throughout the Northern Hemisphere and is reversed in the Southern, but the day of the earliest sunset varies by location. My at "least in Colorado and Utah" was refering to December 8. In Honolulu for example, the sun sets earliest on November 26. In Fairbanks Alaska the sun sets earliest on December 18. It depends on where you are.

[donny h]

I'm not fond of the short winter days, but I love the long summer days, so I think it's a fair trade-off for living farther north.

Why is there only a major celebration on June 21st for Solstice? I would think there would be more celebrating on the Dec 21st

Not trying to attack anyones religion here, but the history of xmas IS a celebration of the winter solstice.

The Roman church co-opted the Dec Saturnalia festivities as their own, as a shrewd political move to disenfranchise the members of Christianity's major competitor in Rome at the time, Mithraism.

[tanya]

The Roman church co-opted the Dec Saturnalia festivities as their own, as a shrewd political move to disenfranchise the members of Christianity's major competitor in Rome at the time, Mithraism.

[Sombeech]

Yep, one more example of Rome's attempt to control the Christians by merging pagan & christian beliefs and rituals.

[tanya]

Yep, one more example of Rome's attempt to control the Christians by merging pagan & christian beliefs and rituals.

You are the expert... tell us about it please!

[Sombeech]

Yep, one more example of Rome's attempt to control the Christians by merging pagan & christian beliefs and rituals.

You are the expert... tell us about it please!

Well..... maybe some other time. It's a long story. But basically, the movie "The DaVinci Code" is pretty accurate about how the Romans created Catholicism.

Edit: The BOOK is more accurate.

[tanya]

Yep, one more example of Rome's attempt to control the Christians by merging pagan & christian beliefs and rituals.

You are the expert... tell us about it please!

Well..... maybe some other time. It's a long story. But basically, the movie "The DaVinci Code" is pretty accurate about how the Romans created Catholicism.

Edit: The BOOK is more accurate.

I love that movie! So..... who is Mary? Is that part right too in the movie?

[Sombeech]

I love that movie! So..... who is Mary? Is that part right too in the movie?

Well, the movie/book & Bible may be talking about 2 different Marys. We all know about Mary Magdalene, and instinctively think that this was the VERY SAME Mary that was the prostitute at the well.

In fact, there has NEVER been any connection between the Mary at the well, and Mary M. Nothing, nowhere in any passage of scripture says that these are the same two Marys.

So, from that perspective, dropping the idea that Mary Magdalene was the prostitute, we can seem to move on a little forward.

[erial]

the days are getting longer:

http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

[JP]

the days are getting longer:

Yes they are and I can't wait for them to get even longer