I Took Almost 1,500 Pics

Be prepared for a long post. :-)

First things first, I keep forget to bring you up to speed on the toilet seat. I made a new one a few weeks ago. I got a piece of rigid foam insulation and custom fit it to the outhouse. When I laid it down I cut the hole to fit the open for the seat. The first time I sat down I almost fell in! I made the hole too big! Luckily I've got a big butt so it works. I do have more insulation so I will make one with a smaller opening to that visitors with smaller booties won't fall in. lol

WARNING: This paragraph borders on TMI. Consider yourself warned. Read at your own risk. Saturday night it snowed, just a light dusting and there is still some on the ground in the shady areas. It was in the high teens temp wise this morning and I had to use the outhouse. The seat is AWESOME! It wasn't cold on my behind! lol I have wet wipes in there that I use. Well, they were a frozen brick this morning! I guess I can't leave them in outhouse anymore. I have to take them back and forth. I also have hand sanitizer in there. While it wasn't frozen this morning, I'm sure it will be when it's 20 below so I'll have to take it back and forth as well.

Ok, now on to my weekend. It was the most amazing weekend, the coolest thing I've done yet. Words and pics cannot describe or do justice to the experience I had. I flew up to the Inuit native village of Kaktovik on Barter Island. It is just off the coast in the Arctic Ocean and is the only village in ANWR. There are about 500 natives who live here. The village is a whaling village. They are allowed 3 bow head whales a year. They also hunt caribou, moose and fish. This is also the gathering spot for polar bears the end of summer while they wait for the sea ice to come in.

We flew up there Saturday morning (I was part of a group that a local charter flight company put together). We landed about 11:30. As we were coming in to land , there was a snow plow on the runway so we had to circle around a bit before we could land. After we landed, we were met by the manager of the Kaktovik Native Corporation who then took us to the Marsh Creek Inn, the place we stayed. After we were given rooms (I had to share a room with two other men on the trip and the bathroom was down the hall) we had lunch, then went on a driving tour of the village. The first place was the end of the air strip, where we came across our first polar bear. What an amazing sight he was!! There were a couple of people there in their cars watching him and he was super close. We watched him for about two hours. We were able to get out of the van to take pics and got pretty close to him. We were told that this bear had just showed up a few days before. He was very thin, and rather sickly looking. The other bears all slept during the day and fed at night. This guy was the opposite. He didn't look thin to me, until I saw the other bears that is.

After the driving tour we hooked up with a couple of the locals who had boats. They took us out to a spit of land about a mail away where the bears slept during the day. When we got there there was a female and her two cubs really close to shore. They were all cuddled sleeping together. We were able to get pretty close to them and then the got up and started wandering around. They were aware of us but not threatened in the least. The twin cubs were very playful and fun to watch.

Behind them, pretty much everywhere you looked you could see bears. There were 24 in total. Most were laying down sleeping but there were some who were moving around. There were some cubs that were play fighting. They were fun to watch!

After the mom and twins moved down the beach, some of us got off the boat and moved closer to the other bears. We were able to get better pics and it was just so amazing to be close, nothing between us and them. Words fail to describe this experience.

After a while we got back on the boat and went down to watch the mom and twins. There was another female that have been kind of following them. For some reason, the mom didn't like this and she and one of her cubs went over to the female. The mom and the female squared off and shared a few words. Again, what an amazing experience! It was only a couple of seconds but everything was resolved by that little exchange. The cubs then went in the water and played in the water for a while. They were almost acting like sea otters. Very fun to watch!

We ended up going back to the hotel and had dinner. At 8pm we went back out to the bone pile. It was dark by then. The bone pile is where the villagers put the whale remains. They do this for to hopefully keep the bears out of town. This doesn't always work. When we got to the bone pile, there was only one bear there eating. We watched her for a while and after about an hour others started showing up. In total there were 9 bears there eating at once. At this point it was easy to realize how small an sickly the first one we saw was. The female that we had been watching was pretty large, as were most of the others who came around. Then the hugest bear of all showed up. He was sooooo big! He easily stood a foot taller than the others. Just an amazing creature!

We were pretty close to all the action, may be 15 feet. I got out of the van a couple of times to just watch and try to get pics. One of the villagers was there who was on lookout patrol, making sure we were safe. He kept an eye out for where all the bears were. As the others started arriving, we got back into the van. I was in the front passenger seat. One ended up walking right next to the van on one side. Then one walked right by the other side. Amazing!! Then one walked right up to the front of the van, seriously only a foot away, and looked right in the window at me!! Talk about chills!!! Then she went back to eating.

I had rolled the window down to listen to the bears. A few of them exchanged words now and then. There were tons of seagulls around but they moved back and gave the bears space. Well, some psycho gull flew right at me in the van and was trying to come through the window and attack me!! I was trying to keep it out with my hand and tried to roll up the window! Funny, 9 huge polar bears around and it's a freaking seagull that attacks me!! LMAO

About 11pm we went back to the hotel to sleep. The next morning we went back out to the bone pile at 7am. The only bear there was the sickly one we first saw. We watched him a while then he laid down and went to sleep. I got about 15 feet from him and had my picture taken with one of our guides and the bear in the background.

We went back to the hotel to hang out until we were to fly out at 2pm. A couple of people went back to the spit to watch the bears again. When we went the day before, it was a beautiful day, it wasn't windy or snowing, just cold. (I had hand warmers in my gloves and toe warmers in my shoes!) But this day it was snowing and windy. I had no desire to be out there in the wind.

Flying out was an experience. The runway hadn't been plowed since the night before and the visibility was minimal at best. But there weren't any mountains around. So despite the poor visibility, I knew that as long as we could take off we'd be fine. I also knew we had the company's most senior pilot flying the plane. He was also their VP of Operations. So I felt like we were in good hands. We took off just fine but it was an interesting experience. I slept pretty much the whole flight back and was drained by the time we got back to Fairbanks. What a weekend of a lifetime. This was by far, without a doubt, the most amazing thing I've ever done. I took almost 1,500 pics during the trip. I chose some of the best and put in an online album. If you are interested in seeing them leave me your email address and I'll send you the link.

How in the Heck Did They Find Me?

I'm sore today. Kirk called me Saturday afternoon and invited me and Clara out to his cabin for the weekend. He is finishing up a few things so he can have his solar panels installed and needed some help. We got there late Saturday and didn't have time to do anything but yesterday we were able to get done what he needed. I dug a 50' ditch for the wiring. What a pain in the rear!! Tree roots everywhere. He used a string as a guide for me to follow and I still managed to dig a crooked ditch! It was hilarious! But I got it done so hopefully he'll have his solar power tomorrow. So today my body is screaming at me for digging the ditch but it's all good. I was glad I could help out.

On the way out to Kirk's cabin I saw a HUGE bull moose. It was just inside the fence of Eielson air force base. I was laughing because it is moose season. There were four hunters on the road just watching the moose and nothing they could do about it. It was on the wrong side of the fence so they couldn't get it! I was laughing!! They weren't tho. The moose was absolutely huge. It didn't have the largest rack I've ever seen but he had a huge body. In pic you can see the fence the moose is behind. To give perspective, the fence is a 6' tall fence! I rolled down the window and took the pics out my window. Clara saw the moose and was growling at it. It was hilarious. She thought she was a tough girl but if I would have opened the door she would have jumped into my arms for protection!

She had a great time out at the cabin. Kirk had Duke with him, his lab. Duke is huge compared to Clara but they usually have fun running around together. He was running everywhere and Clara was trying to follow him. It was to cute. She was so tired last night when we got home. She curled up on the couch and stayed there until we went to bed. Duke tuckered her out.

Friday night I went and saw Missy in a play. It was a Neil Simon play called Rumors and it is a pretty funny play. Missy was HILARIOUS in it. The role she was cast in was perfect for her. As soon as she walked out on stage I busted up laughing. She was wearing this horrid dress that looked like a brides maid dress! She had told Kirk last week that she was nervous about me going to see the play. She was afraid she'd hear me laughing and that would make her laugh. She held it together tho and did a great job.

Ok so last week two funny things happened. I had a break in work and went home for a couple of hours to pack before leaving on my last trip. When I was driving down the dirt road to my cabin, I passed this mini van that was trying to turn around. It was obvious they didn't know where they were going. I had never seen the van before. You don't see random cars on this road either, only those of us who live in the cabins there. I knew they were out of place. Anyway, I was packing and heard the van go by and to my neighbor's cabin. A couple of minutes later I heard it again and it parked in front of my cabin. And then I realized who they were....they were from some church coming out to share their gospel with me. But by the time I realized who they were it was too late. They saw me, they knew I was home. They were coming to the door. I couldn't just ignore them. I have no problem politely thanking them while telling them I'm not interested. Well, when they got out of their van, I realized one of them was about 4 1/2 ft tall and was on crutches. She was hobbling up to my door with the other woman. Sheesh!! This church is good. They think that this will tug on your sympathy strings and you'll relent and let them in and talk to them. Well, they underestimated me! I didn't even open the screen door. I thanked them for stopping by and sent them on their way! Sadly, I have more sympathy for animals then I do people. If they would have showed up with a three legged dog, then I would have listened to them for hours! LMAO

Fast forward a couple of days. Clara and I are hanging out at home one afternoon. I can hear someone waking down the dirt road. I was thinking it might be one of my neighbors even though I have never seen them walking down the road like that. Clara ran to the door to see who they were. When I went to pick her up I realized who they were and by then it was too late. They saw me. It was the Mormon missionaries. They proceeded to introduce themselves to me and about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Have I ever heard of the church? DUH! I politely thanked them and let them know I had my own opinions of their church and I was fine with those opinions. They asked if I'd like to discuss those opinions with them. No thank you, I wouldn't. Then they asked if I needed any help around the cabin. Right. There's the weed eater and the rake. In your slacks and ties, cut down the weeds and rake them up! LOL I sent them on their way. How in the heck did they find me? You don't get to my cabin by accident. The road to it isn't even on a map!

They are Incredibly Unpredictable

I'm home. Just got back yesterday. It was a really good trip, the complete opposite of the trips north. The days are short. The road is good. The bus is nice. It's different kind of scenery and beauty. Not a lot of wildlife. Well, I saw two eagles and saw some Beluga whales. They are kind of creepy. They are a ghastly white in color, almost translucent. Kind of like skim milk. When you see them in the water they look like marshmallows bobbing up and down in the water. Well, incredibly giant marshmallows that it.

I really don't like Denali. The park is awesome, but the village where everyone stays is horrible. It is so over built. There are freaking strip malls there now, albeit rustic looking ones, but strip malls just the same. The hotels are mazes and people are wandering around with glazed over looks on their faces trying to find where they are supposed to be. I feel sorry for them. I don't see how that can be enjoyable. I'm so glad that I've spent most of my summer going north. We are the only bus wherever we go for the most part. No strip malls. No cattle cars, lol. It might be long days on a dirt road but it's a much more enjoyable experience overall. Just my humble opinion but in my life, my opinion is the one that matters, right? hehe

So I'm kind of freaked out. I'm glad that I'm going to be home for a while now but I'm freaking out that I'm unemployed. I do have an offer to drive for a different company this winter. It'll be sporadic at best. But it's money. I'll keep looking for something tho. Something is bound to turn up eventually.

I was able to go for an ATV ride when I was in Denali. Well, the ride wasn't in the park, but while my group was doing their park tour, I was able to go to the town of Healy 15 minutes away for the ATV ride. It was a lot of fun. I grew up riding them. I've wanted to get one and now I really want one!

The pics are from my last trip for the most part. The moose was from this morning. She was at the end of my road. She was there with her twin babies. I didn't have my camera so I went back home and got it. Then I watched her and her babies for about 10 minutes. They are amazing animals. I'd never want to tangle with one tho. They are incredibly unpredictable.

Well, I started out on a roll but I've had several distractions and have lost my train of thought. Oh well. I'll post again soon.

The Pics Do Not Do it Justice

Hey there again. I'm back from the wilds of the north. It was another good trip but 16 days on the road, please, I'm exhausted!! I left on Wednesday to head south and I started getting sick. I felt like the bus had run over me. I couldn't tell if it was a bad cold or the start of the flu. Every mile I was getting worse and the pressure headache I had was horrible. Evert time we stopped for a break, a couple of my passengers kept asking if I was ok. They could tell I was getting sick. When I got to Coldfoot another tour driver gave me some Airborne. I took some that night and the next morning and felt a ton better. I'm fine now. No idea what it was, just glad I'm not sick.

That turned out to be my last trip north for the summer. I was supposed to go again on the 10th but things got switched up and I'm not complaining. I was changed to another trip that is a cakewalk compared to the Prudhoe trip. It will be a good way to end the summer.

The trip north was the best trip I've had all summer, possibly in all time I've been involved in tourism. The group gelled really well, it was as if they all were from the same town and traveled together all the time. There was also a running joke the whole tour and that made it fun. It gave me an energy boost that I definitely needed this late in the season.

It is definitely late fall up north. All the leave have changed, and a lot have already fallen off. It's crazy. Here in Fairbanks there's still a lot of green. It's weird after being up north for two weeks where all is yellow and the temp has been 35 to be here where there's still a lot of green and it was 70 when I got in yesterday! I'm not complaining!!

Even though I'm enjoying the last bit of summer up here I'm looking forward to the winter. I bought season tickets to Nanooks hockey this winter! I'm excited for hockey to start! It's funny, I've never really been in to hockey before. My friend Kirk and I went to see the Vancouver Canucks a couple of times and I had fun but never got into much more than that. Now I'm hooked and can't wait for the season to start.

I suppose that's it for today. I'm just beat. Thankfully I don't work tomorrow. I'm hoping that I don't have to work until my last tour on Tuesday. We'll see.

The pics are from my last trip north. It was amazingly beautiful and the pics do not do it justice.