Randy, I live vicariously thru you so post your adventures up there when ya can.
I've noticed when the Winter weather is bad in the Alaska area and/or the Northeast lower 48, we here in Northern Missouri have a good Winter. I hadn't checked Alaska yet, but the Northeast has had crappy weather for a couple months now. They are already getting heavy snow. So if that trend continues we should be okay here. Our weatherman is predicting 18-21" of snow for the entire Winter. Last year we were close to 50". Also predicting slightly warmer temps than normal. That part has a dark side, we will get more ice.
I've retired from my full time military career this month after 40 years. Now I can devote my time to running the grader at a much more leisurely pace. I'm blessed with a good machine so I'm looking forward to this Winter's work.