Ketchikan and British Victoria

After leaving Glacier Bay National Park we set our course for Ketchikan Alaska.  We were only in Ketchikan for a little over 4 hours, which I hadn't realized when I signed us all up for a 4 hour excursion.  Needless to say we didn't have any time to just explore the "salmon capital of the world".

We began our time in Ketchikan at Totem Bight State Park.  The totem poles were amazing.  Some were so tall I couldn't fit the whole pole in one picture no matter how far back I stood.  Each totem pole told a different story, a different legend of the native people.  I thought the totem poles were very interesting... Luke and Gianna didn't quite agree.  While the tour guide tried to tell each pole's story to the attentive group, Luke and Gianna were intent on seeing how far they could push our patience.  Finally, we gave up trying to hear the stories of the poles and fell back away from the group to let the kids run around.

Following the totem poles we moved onto the Lumberjack show.  Gianna fell blissfully asleep on the way there and stayed that way through most of the show.  Luke was in seventh heaven when we gave him his own bag of popcorn.  The show was neat, a little corny at times, but Luke enjoyed it and that's why we went.  Immediately following the show we had to race to the ship or risk being left behind.  No time for pictures, no time for shopping.

The next evening we arrived at our last port of call, Victoria, British Columbia.  This stop was another 4 hour call.  Since we didn't arrive until 7:30 PM, Mark and I decided not to sign up for any excursions.  Instead, we ate dinner on the ship and then took a double decker bus (a huge hit with Luke) into town.  We spent the next hour and a half just wandering the town.  Victoria is a beautiful, wealthy town.  Ultimately we spent more money at this port than any other port.

The cruise overall was a lot of fun.  Would I do it again with 2 toddlers... probably not.  But I'm still glad we tried it.  It was so good seeing so many family members.  After the cruise, mom and Alisha came back to Bethel with us for a week.  It was nice to have them here, I just wish the weather would have cooperated a little more.  I think the sun finally came out the day they left!

Skagway and Glacier Bay National Park

"The Golden Staircase" - Chilkoot Trail

Following Juneau we headed to Skagway, Alaska.  Skagway is THE picturesque Alaskan town, with the water on one side and the White Mountains on the other.  Interestingly enough Skagway is actually on the road system.  Not even our capital can boast that!  For all intensive purposes, Skagway exists today because the Klondike Gold Rush existed.  Although inhabited by the Tlingit people prior to the Gold Rush, few natives still live in the area.  Skagway sort of served as the base camp for gold rushers going to the Yukon.  Two trails worked their way through the White Mountains into Canada, the White Pass and the Chilkoot.  The White Pass became known as Dead Horse Trail as more than 3,000 horses lost their lives to the heavy loads, inexperienced travelers and rough terrain.  Today the Chilkoot trail is still actively hiked by backpackers and has definitely been added to Mark and I's bucket list!    
Skagway was the only port 
that our whole group took the same excursion.  We started out on a tour bus and drove into the mountains.  Our guide filled our heads with all kinds of facts about the gold rush and the two trails.  We made several picture stops along the way before arriving in Carcross, Yukon.  Carcross was by far the highlight of the excursion for the kids.  There was a little petting zoo and both Luke and Gianna thought the goats and puppies were there just for them.  As for me, Carcross was some of the most beautiful scenery.  The mouth of the Yukon river, the same Yukon river that runs near Bethel, begins in Carcross between two gorgeous mountains.  

The next part of our excursion was the return to Skagway trip on the White Pass & Yukon Route railroad.  Although we were essentially returning the same way we came up, we were away from the road enough that we got a whole new perspective of the White Mountains.

Mouth of the Yukon River

Once back in Skagway, Mark and I enjoyed a beer at the Skagway brewing company, did a bit of shopping then returned to the ship for dinner. 
The following day was spent on the cruise ship touring Glacier Bay National Park.  Praise God the weather was beautiful!  The ship moved slowly through the park and sat for a while in front of each of the glaciers.  Park rangers boarded the ship early and were there for most of the day to answer peoples questions.  Margerie Glacier was my favorite.  Not only was it beautiful, but we got to see several small ice calves.  
At the end of our time in Glacier Bay National Park we saw more sea life than on any other part of our trip.  We saw otters, sea lions and lots and lots of whales!  We saw whales eating and even saw 2 whales breach!!  They were pretty far in the distance, but close enough to see with the naked eye that a giant animal just jumped clear out of the water.   
I loved the time we spent in Glacier Bay, but it was frustrating at the same time.  For some reason Luke and Gianna just weren't very interested in glaciers...   
 

Cruise - All Aboard!

July has been a busy month with a fair amount of time spent outside of Bethel, but not outside of Alaska.  Just before the 4th we set off to meet with my family for an Alaskan cruise, something I have always wanted to do, just never thought I would do it while living in Alaska.  The cruise set off from Seattle... that's right, we flew from Alaska to Seattle to get on a boat and come back to Alaska...  We met up with my parents, sister and several of my aunts and uncles.  It was great seeing everyone!  Some I had not seen in years!  We were however, the only crazies in the group to bring two children under the age of 4.
After setting off Saturday afternoon from Seattle we spent the whole next day at sea.  "Great!" we thought, "We'll take the kids swimming" (Swimming is a luxury for our kids.  There are no pools in Bethel, so the only chances they get to swim is when we stay in a hotel or, in this case, go on a cruise.)  Luke and Gianna loved every minute of the few that they got to spend in the pool.  It was only a few minutes, because not long after they got in and really got playing, the pool police told us Gianna wasn't allowed to be in the water on account of her still being in diapers.  They didn't care that she had a diaper on specifically made for swimming.  So sad to have access to so many pools for a whole week and not be able to let them go in.

Our first port of call was Juneau.  I was so excited about this port because Mark and I had an excursion set up for just the two of us.  My parents were going to take the kids and go to a salmon bake while Mark and I went whale watching and to Mendenhall Glacier.  Our excursion was specifically geared toward amateur photographers.  Our tour guide was a professional photographer who had been shooting in the Juneau area for almost 30 years.   I had my camera ready with fully charged batteries, extra memory cards and all my lenses.  The weather called for beautiful partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the low 70s.  Then we disembarked and my heart sank as we stepped out into rain and a heavy fog.  I tried not to let it get me down too much.  I live in Alaska, I know first hand how fickle the weather here is.

Bald eagle

True to Alaska the weather did improve, only to get bad again, only to improve.  I guess the whales must have known that the weather was crummy because they weren't doing much of anything other than coming up for air.  We did get impressively close however to a mother and her calf, but no matter how much I willed the whales to leap out of the water, none did.

Our first view of the glacier... no really... it's there,
look close at the left side of the photo

By the time we got off the boat it was absolutely pouring.  We drove out to Mendenhall where we were then supposed to take a trail that would bring us to the glacier.  It was still pouring rain.  Even though Mark and I both came prepared with out rain coats we still grabbed one of the ponchos the guide offered us.  The ponchos over our rain jackets did well to keep my camera and top half dry, but from our knees down we were soaked.  I couldn't have been more wet if I had waded through knee deep water.  
After a very cold and wet hike we finally made it to our first view of the glacier.  Only problem was you couldn't see the glacier through the fog!!  We hiked on to the visitor's center and slowly the rain started to subside and the fog started to lift.  The beautiful blues of the glacier ice started to show themselves.  I was just starting to think about all the nice pictures I was going to take on the trail as we hiked back to the bus when the tour guide said we would meet at the parking lot around the corner in 5 minutes.  I just stared at him.  We hiked in the pouring, freezing rain for 30 minutes when we could have driven straight to the glacier!
Once the excursion was finally over Mark and I went back to the ship to change and warm up.  We did get out and about in downtown Juneau for roughly an hour, had a couple of drinks at the Red Dog Saloon and stopped in a couple of shops.  Juneau is beautiful.  Maybe next time we will fly straight there and spend a long weekend traveling at our own pace.

Year 1

Summer River

We have officially been living in Bethel, Alaska for 1 year now, or as Alaskans say, we've lived here for 1 winter.  From dog sled races, to trips to villages, to salmon fishing, we have gotten to experience many new things this past year.  It's crazy how quickly it passed.  It hasn't all been easy, but it's amazing how quickly you get used to the price of a gallon of milk being $8, or a gallon of gas $7.06.  One thing I have learned is that people here don't refer to the time of year in terms of weather seasons.  Rather, the reference is made to whatever is "in season".  For example I don't tell patients they need to follow up in the Spring; I tell them they need to follow up after the king salmon run.  Or "make sure you get your blood pressure checked after you get a moose".      

Fall River

As a quick update and for those who just recently started reading this blog, we made this move in large part to get my massive amount of student loans paid off.  I unfortunately missed the application deadline for the National Health Service Corp last year, but have reapplied this year.  My application was accepted, so now I just anxiously await for them to show me the MONEY!!  

Winter River

I have made a position change at the hospital here.  I know longer work primarily in outpatient clinic.  At the beginning of June I moved over to the ER side of the hospital working their fast track.  I still see the same type of patients and problems, it's just on more of an urgent care, walk in basis.  I made the switch for various reasons, and so far I haven't regretted it.  I work 2nd shift, so I have more time during the day to spend with the kids and for that alone I am grateful.  The switch does mean no more village travel for me which is unfortunate for I did really enjoy going to the villages.  

Spring River

Year two has some exciting plans.  We hope to see more of the state this year and get the full Alaskan experience! One year completed, one year left on my contract, and then who knows...

Fishing

Orphanage

Looking out 2nd floor window

     

        


                                  

Now that we have lived here for 1 year we can legally subsistence hunt and fish.  Mark was quick to get his license and this past weekend we all got to go on a fantastic fishing trip.  Saturday we went up river toward Kwethluk.  Since it was Mark and I's first time out on the river, our friends took us "touring" before the fishing began.  We stopped at a pretty spooky abandoned orphanage about 3 miles up river from Kwethluk.  The orphanage was built in 1925 by the Moravian church in response to the number of children orphaned by the tuberculosis outbreak.  It was in operation until 1971.  It seemed to me that whatever the reason in 1971 that the orphanage closed people just up and left everything.  There were books scattered throughout the property, a couple rusty tricycles, a pair of ice skates, desks...  I don't think the Moravian church took anything with them when they left.  The whole place just felt eerie.  We didn't stay long, but if there was ever a place that could be haunted this had to be it!

First Catch

Just before the boys were ready to throw the net in and catch some fish Luke announced he had to poop.  In his words exactly "Poop is coming! It's coming!"  We all looked at each other trying to think of the best option as Luke made it clear this was a time sensitive issue.  Our friend found the clearest spot on the closest bank to pull the boat up to.  Shovel in hand Mark jumped off the bow and landed in knee deep mud!  With every move he sank just a little deeper, and poor Luke was standing on the boat shaking.  Mark grabbed Luke and pushed him as high up on the bank as he could reach trying to get him past the mud.  No luck. Luke sank in, although not as deep as Mark.  Probably 30 minutes later Mark and Luke were finally at the top of the bank, out of the mud and Luke tells him his poop is gone.  God love toddlers!

Roasting hot dogs while the dads
clean the fish

Saturday yielded one 23 pound king salmon.  We were all proud of the catch.  It motivated us to go out again on Sunday, and thank God we did.  Sunday we caught 6 kings (the smallest one probably about 20 pounds), 1 red, and 1 chum!  I never realized how many different types of salmon there are till we moved here.  The kings are the biggest and for many the most desirable to get.  They also only run for a short couple of weeks after the river breaks up.  The chums are the least desirable, they are what is sold as sockeye salmon in the lower 48.  Our first fishing adventure ended in an assembly line cutting the fish and readying it for our freezers.  Each of the 3 families that fished this weekend left with a very heavy bag full of fish!  We are addicted now and can't wait till our next fishing trip!

Good thing he likes mud

 

2 biggest fish from day 2

The boys and their catch from day 2

Bringing 'em in

Breakup

As the snow melts and the temperatures begin to warm up people here begin to get anxious.  The ducks and geese have returned to the area, and just like everything else the land provides, people here love hunting birds.  But the birds are not the reason for the increased tensions around town.  The reason for the tension is the river.  For a few weeks between winter and spring travel to and from Bethel is strictly by plane.  The ice road is no longer safe to drive even a snowmachine on, but is still covered in ice also eliminating boating as a means of travel.  People flock daily to the river to keep vigil in anticipation of the ice breakup.  One longtime Bethel resident even told me that tradition mandates you should not make any major life decisions within 3 days of the river's breakup.  The longer breakup takes to occur, the more anxiety there is around town.  Some people have literally spent hours just watching the ice, listening to it pop and crack, waiting.  
Every year for I don't know how long, a town wide bet attempts to predict the exact date and time the river will breakup.  This year's pot was over $12,000!  A tripod marker is positioned in the ice.  When the marker moves the bet is over and the breakup has officially begun.  This year breakup was later than most years past.  It officially began May 28th at 7:42 PM.  The following day the town hosted its annual Breakup Bash, a party on the river bank complete with live music and free hot dogs.  We aren't big crowd people (and the Breakup Bash usually draws a big crowd), so rather than joining the party I decided to wait till later that night to go check out the river.  Mark had driven past just before the Bash started and reported there was still plenty of stationary ice.  The river may have moved enough to break the marker, but by all intensive purposes was at a stand still.

After getting the kids to bed I grabbed my camera and headed for the river.  The sun isn't setting until about midnight, so I knew I had plenty of light remaining.  I also knew if I didn't go that night I might not get another chance to take pictures of breakup until next year.  Once the ice starts moving the river is usually cleared in less than 2 days.  

When I first got to the river, I thought I had read the official breakup time wrong, because the river I was looking at was not moving at all and was still covered in ice.  There were even some people out on the ice, chipping it away and loading it into their truck beds.  There were several other people down there too, just watching and waiting for the ice to clear.  I had been snapping pictures for probably about 20 minutes when I was ready to leave.  As I packed up my stuff however I noticed that the popping of the ice suddenly seemed louder and more frenzied.  When I looked out at the river I also noticed that there was water splashing up between the cracks in the ice.  Then, quite suddenly, the whole river surged forward.  Chunks of ice, tree limbs and debris rushed past all of us.  People started cheering and clapping, I think I even saw one lady start crying.  The noise was incredible.  
I didn't stay too long; it was late, and I had to work the next day.  But I am really glad I went when I did.  Most people, even people who have lived in Bethel for years, don't ever get to see anything like that.  By the next day, most of the ice had cleared out.  By the day after that people were putting their boats back in the water.