Spring Fever

Our first shrimp pot of 2008!

Did we get any shrimp?

Eric cleaning up our "campsite"

Alaska Railroad in Whittier

Whittier with 40 feet of snow!!

Sunrise in Whittier, AK

This weekend, Anchorage FINALLY hit 50 degrees and sunny! Cabin fever is over. Eric and I decided to take our boat out after a looong winter. It's still early, but the shrimping season opened on April 15 in Prince William Sound, as well as the bear hunting. Eric and some of the guys are going to hunt for black bears next weekend, and we wanted to scope out the action.

It sucks having a boat just sit all winter long, but now that the sun is shining, and the snow is melting, it's time to get it out to stretch it's legs. As we drove along the Seward highway, it seemed like everyone from Anchorage was out. Anchorage has lots of paved bike trails along the highways, and we saw hundreds of bikers. It was a gorgeous weekend!

Whittier is the gateway to the Prince Williams Sound - one of the most amazing places I have been able to visit. We had a blast exploring the sound last summer - and can't wait to get out again. Whitter is about 60 miles south of Anchorage. It is really a crazy "town", if you can even call it a town. It has a huge boat dock, and the marine highway stops there. Locals head down there to use the dock for their boats. You have to pay 2o bucks to get through this one lane tunnel which connects Whittier to the rest of the world.

When we arrived in Whittier Saturday afternoon we could not believe how much snow as still there. We were planning on camping, but the snow was still over 10 feet deep! Only one dock was open, but some die-hards wanting to get out on the water were there. I always love going there because I am the only chick there. I say it's because I'm so tough and can handle the water and dealing with the fish, Eric says that the guys like to leave their women folk at home, and just hang with the guys. But whatever the reason, who cares - the water was as calm as glass, and sun was high in the blue sky and I did not want to be anywhere else.

We set our shrimp pots out, and cruised around the sound Saturday afternoon. It's hard to put into words how incredible this area is. On Sunday, we went back out to our shrimp pots. We got a few large shrimp - not great, but a good first try. We were both exhausted from a cold night's sleep, so headed home.

I need to figure out how to download my video camera on my computer because I got some amazing footage. I caught on video two bald eagles swoop down on some unsuspecting seagulls, and grab one out of the water. I'll try to post that on this blog.

So, it's now Sunday night, and I'm exhausted. A very successful weekend in Whittier - we got the boat out and enjoyed some sun.

St. Mary's, Alaska

Eric and his carivan

View from inside Eric's plane

Eric's plane at the St. Mary's airport -still looks like winter to me!

Eric's carivan in St. Mary's, Alaska

Eric took some pictures of the plane he flies in St. Mary's, Alaska. He is now in St. Mary's which is 100 miles north of Bethel -on the Yukon River. Bethel is the bush, but this is REALLY the bush. There is a tiny grocery store that is only open from 10-7. Eric said he went to check out the produce and could not believe how awful it was. First of all, there was nothing there, and what was on the shelf was incredibly expensive and rotten. It's no wonder Natives don't eat fruits and vegetables - they can't get them.

The Yukon River has some of the most amazing king salmon we have ever had. I am hoping Eric will get some fishing in while he is based up there. The king salmon from this area only go the finest of restaurants. You will not find this in your local market. It is very high in omega 3 fatty acids (the RD side of me) - translation, good for the heart and the brain.

So, this is where Eric lives from the first to the fifteenth of every month......

Alaska Rock Gym

I've been talking about learning how to rock climb for months, so one of my friends said she would go with me. Eric is still in Bethel, so I have to stay busy while he is away 2 weeks a month. Anyway, my friend (Ila) and I grabbed our gym clothes and went to the Alaska Rock Gym on Friday night. The rocky gym offers belay certification classes on Monday and Friday nights for 10 bucks. We were a bit nervous as neither of us had done this before. Ila is from Alaska, and her husband comes here all of the time. So, I was pretty surprised she had never gone before.

We got geared up with our harness and climbing shoes. Thank goodness there were no cameras. If anybody reading this blog has ever gone climbing before, you know what I'm talking about. Those harnesses are not the most attractive items I've ever worn - but who cares - I just don't want to fall!!!

We learned to tie the knots, and learned the commands. Then it was time for us to take turns climbing the wall. Ila climbed first, and I was the belayer. My palms still get sweaty thinking about this. Ila did well, and I got her down safely. She tried a few times, climbing higher each time. Then it was my turn. I went up a ways, and did not think it was too bad. So I went to the top of the wall. Oh crap - how the hell do I get down???? I will admit I froze, and could not bring myself to repel down. I got over it, and came down. I wanted to get over my fears, so I went up again - this time I did not get as nervous.

Now that we are certified, we can go to the gym anytime. It's a great workout. I am a runner, but I really felt this in my arms and quads. I told Eric about it, so I think we will try to go when he is home next week.
Here's the link:
http://www.alaskarockgym.com/