Eric and Karen's Alaskan Adventure

Baby Charlie!!

2008-12-10T15:29:00.000-09:00

Mama Dree with Charlie

This kid is going to be spoiled...... Uncle Lee and Charlie

Lee helping "new Mom"

Aunt Karen with Charlie

Adrianne, my sister, had Charlie today at 12:02 pm. He was 6 pounds 8 ounces. Dree looked great, and made it look pretty easy. (Yeah right, I'm sure). He sure is a cutie! He just snoozed the entire time we visited. I must say, I'm very poud of my little sis, she is already breastfeeding! I look forward to spending more time with my little nephew! He is just so fun to hold.

Go Utes!

2008-11-22T15:48:00.000-09:00

Dree, Lee and me

I thought this was a funny picture!

Tonight, we watched a HUGE game between BYU (sucks) and the UofU. The town was seriously divided over this matchup. We all went over to Lee's place to watch the game. We enjoyed pizza and lots of yummy snacks. Of course the Utes won! 48-24

Adrianne's baby shower

2008-11-22T15:45:00.002-09:00

One of Adrianne's friends hosted a baby shower for her at the Dodo restaurant in Sugarhouse Park, Utah. It was a nice relaxing get together. I am amazed at how great my sister looks. She doesn't even wear maternity clothes! She is due in a few weeks. We are all very excited about the new addition to our family.

Birthing class

2008-11-19T15:39:00.001-09:00

Dree and I at her breastfeeding class.

Views from our house

2008-11-09T17:47:00.004-09:00

Sunrise from my bedroom window

Corn field behind my house. No neighbors!

Our new house

2008-10-30T17:39:00.000-08:00

Here is our new place in Utah. Eric is in the village flying, so I'm trying to get all move in by myself. He is still going to fly in Alaska for 2 weeks, then will return to Utah for his 2 weeks off. There is a lot to be done in a new place, so we will work on it bit by bit. I need blinds! I taped construction paper to the bathroom window. Classy! I thought about aluminum foil, since that's what Alaskan's do, but decided against it.

It is crazy being back in Utah. I just tell everybody I am from Alaska, and act like I don't understand the Utah culture. It is better that way. I still cry a lot....

See you later Anchorage

2008-10-16T17:09:00.001-08:00

Good-bye Anchorage

My Alaska airlines flight to Seattle

Janna and I at the airport

This sign always made me smile. Anchorage - my home.

Today was a very, very sad day. Eric and I decided to move back to Utah. I have been staying with my friend Janna for the past 2 weeks. I have cried my self to sleep every night. I finally felt that I had found my true happiness in Alaska. I loved who I had become, and I am dreading moving back to Utah. It's hard to write how I feel, but I know that I have changed because I moved to Alaska. I am not looking forward to starting a life in Utah. Utah is nice, but is very boring. People there don't really understand how to survive. They are more worried about what kind of car they drive, or if they have the newest jeans. It's very disgusting. What's worse, is that I am moving to Utah County. That is because people are so worried about keeping up with the jones's, instead of being happy with who they are.

I have so many friends in Alaska, and I have no one in Utah...... I don't want to go.... I tried to be strong in front of my friends, but as soon as I got on the plane, the tears just would not stop. I never thought I would find myself in Alaska, and now a part of me has died. I don't know if I will ever feel how I did in Alaska. I am just grateful for all of my experiences in Alaska and my amazing friends. They taught me how to be happy with myself, and accepted me for who I am, flaws and all.

Pottery with Janna

2008-10-12T17:54:00.000-08:00

Janna had a great idea to paint some pottery at color me mine. She made a very funky mug, and mine was a tribute to Alaska. It looks much better now that it's finished. I promise!

Last night with the girls

2008-10-11T17:03:00.002-08:00

Erin, Ila, Me and Brandi

My RD gals when out for one last time tonight, since I am heading back to Utah. We had dinner at the Bear's Tooth (my fav), then hit a cool bar called Subzero for some martini's. It was a fun night, and I am really going to miss my friends!!!!

The end of the Alaska Highway

2008-09-23T17:56:00.004-08:00

No caption needed......

Here we are in Dawson's Creek, British Columbia. Truck, boat, boat trailer, trailer, and 2 dogs. It was a LONG 3,000 miles. Eric said the dogs did better than I did. I just complained the whole time about moving back......

On the road

2008-09-21T18:06:00.000-08:00

We don't want to move!

2008-09-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Jake and Katie don't want to move either!

2008-09-08T18:36:00.000-08:00

Near Arctic Valley

Chugach Mountains near Eagle River

"Suicide Hill" into Eagle River - gets slippery in winter

This is my view from Anchorage to Eagle River. It is a beautiful drive as you can see.

Berry Picking

2008-09-06T15:05:00.000-08:00

Trail Head for Bear Mountain

Look how high we've climbed!

Far above Eagle River

Taking a break for lunch

Wasilla and Palmer in the background

Eklutna Peak

Pioneer Peak

Arctic Tundra

Brandi and I - Denali is in the background

Fall Colors

Alaskan wild blueberries

Anyone lose a goat???

Emily, Brandi and I decided to go berry picking today. It was a beautiful sunny Alaskan morning, so we figured we'd better go - the weather changes in a second. Emily is quite the hiker, so she took us to one of her favorite hikes in Eagle River. I did not realize we had to climb so high to reach the blueberries, but it was worth it!

We picked berries as we hiked along, enjoying the warm fall day. When we reached the top of Bear Mountain -what a view! Denali was visible. You could see Anchorage, Wasilla, Palmer and Eagle River. So amazing up there. I love the smell of the tundra. There is something very magical about berry picking in Alaska. The fresh air, the sweet berries, digging in the tundra. It brings you back to your childhood.

We had purple stains all over our hands and pants - but it's all worth it. Bear Mountain is an excellent berry picking spot. Amazing scenery, and very remote. Not many people hike up there, as it is difficult. What a great Saturday!

Dinner at Orso's

2008-09-04T21:22:00.002-08:00

From left to right: Mandi, Tammy, Me, Janna, Jessica

Some of the "Bethel gals" got together for dinner tonight at Orso's. Mandi still lives in Bethel (poor thing), Tammy is moving to Fairbanks, and the rest of us live in town. It was great to get together, eat an enjoyable dinner and catch up.

Saturday Market

2008-08-30T22:27:00.001-08:00

This woman's shirt cracked me up. "Got Seal Oil?" Only those who have spent time in an Alaskan village would get this. I quickly snapped a picture while Eric stood there.

Flying to Kotzebue

2008-08-29T16:51:00.022-08:00

Eric fueling the caravan in Palmer, Alaska

Mountains near Palmer, Alaska

Smile

The Alaska Range
I thought this was cool

Hurricane gulch - along the Parks Highway

Glacier among the mountains

This may be Moose's Tooth mountain

I can't believe I ate those - gross!

Look at me, I'm flying!

Selawik Lake

Kotzebue is on the spit along the Bering Sea

Kotzebue, Alaska

Caribou antlers

Hageland hanger in Kotzebue

Eric's pre-flight check

I got the amazing opportunity to fly with Eric from Palmer to Kotzebue and back. He had to fly a caravan to Kotzebue and pick up another caravan. This was a 1,000 mile round trip, that took us through some unbelievable Alaskan terrain.

The weather was sunny - a rarity here, so we flew through a canyon near Palmer. I took video of that, and will try to upload it on this blog. I felt like I could touch the mountains. So cool. After we passed the mountain range, it becomes arctic tundra. Fairly flat with some rolling hills. We looked for caribou and moose. We did see 4 black bears running together.

Kotzebue is a bush village north of the Arctic Circle on the Bering Sea. I can't imagine how cold it must get here. I had never been north of the Arctic Circle before, so this was very exciting. Even though there is not a line in the tundra, just the thought was enough for me.

We arrived in Kotzebue around 10:00 pm. The sun had not set yet, but it would soon. What a sunset. As we flew back in the darkness, we watched the Northern Lights dance overhead. You've never seen such bright stars. This state is so incredibly large and breathtaking. It was a late return trip, but I was glad I was able to travel with Eric. This is something I will never get to do again.

Hiking South Fork Canyon

2008-08-24T11:31:00.002-08:00

South Fork overlook into Anchorage

Eric with the dogs

Hiland Road Eagle River, AK

It was a nice evening, so we took the dogs to South Fork Canyon, about 7 miles up Hiland Rd. in Eagle River. We saw a black bear when we were here on Thursday night. It was about 50 feet from us! We decided to bring along the bear spray, and I put bear bells on the dog leash. We did see some bear skat along the trail. I still get pretty nervous up in the mountains.

The trail overlooks the Anchorage bowl - which is pretty neat. If we hiked down the other side of the mountain, we would be at Arctic Valley Ski resort.

No bears tonight -just some moose, and that's fine with me!

Fun at the Alaska State Fair

2008-08-23T21:22:00.001-08:00

Enjoying a nice evening at the fair
Karen and Janna - waiting for the concert to start

Tracy Lawerance- notice his Alaska shirt :)

Karen and Janna trying to hoola hoop

SMILE!

Janna, Doug, Eric and I went to the Alaska State Fair tonight. It was a bit rainy when we arrived, but ended up being a nice evening. We ate TONS of fair food, then went to see Tracy Lawerence. I love going to concerts at the fair. It's a outdoor theater, and the views of the mountains are just amazing.

After the concert, we watched a fireworks display. It's hard to see fireworks in Alaska - since we have so much sun, we can't have them on the 4th like in the lower 48. Now, the days are getting shorter, so by 1o:30 the sky is pretty dark.

Humpy's Half Marathon

2008-08-17T18:09:00.012-08:00

Me, Brandi and some random dude.

Runners waiting to start

Here we go!

Here we come!
Look at that stride

Our time 2:12

Humpy's alehouse, Skinny Raven Sports, and Snow city cafe sponsored various races today. My friend and I ran the Skinny Raven 1/2 marathon (formerly Humpy's 1/2 - just to confuse everyone). It was a typical overcast Alaska day - which is perfect for running. The course was flat and fast. This was my 3rd 1/2 marathon this summer, and I must admit, my least favorite. It's an out and back loop course. The race followed the Coastal Trail, which is a great trail, but very narrow. It was hard trying to get your spot along the course with hundreds of other runners trying to do the same. Then it got tricky - as we were going out, half marathoners had turned around, and were coming back. You gotta pay attention, or someone could crash into you.

We had a really fast pace for the first 8 miles, and then we got extremely light headed and dizzy. That slowed us down big time. Even with Gu and water, we had trouble. I must admit, we had not trained as well for this race, but we still finished in a fairly decent time at 2 hours and 12 minutes. We did not beat our Mayor's time, but that's okay.

I really enjoy Alaska races because so many of my friends and co-workers are runners, and I love seeing everybody on the course.

Keep on runnin'!

http://www.anchoragerunningclub.org/bwlr/

Kenai dip net fishing

2008-07-27T21:18:00.001-08:00

The "Kenai shuffle". Boats dip netting along the river.

Standing by the boat at the mouth of the Kenai River

After halibut fishing, the boys wanted to go dip netting in Kenai. Only Alaska residents are allowed to dip net. Eric was pretty successful about 1 week ago -got 20 fish in 2 hours.

We did not have the right dip nets to use in our boat, so we only got one sliver salmon. We were all pretty tired and ready to drive home.

Off to Deep Creek again

2008-07-27T20:55:00.001-08:00

Preparing dinner in the rain.

This thing is HEAVY!

Boats in the Cook Inlet - about 30 were out today at the "sweet fishing hole"

Karen and Roger reeling in the fish.

That's a lot of halibut!

How big is it? This one weighed about 40 pounds.

A very successful fishing trip - who needs a guided charter?

We took our friends down to Ninilchik for some more halibut fishing. It's been soooo rainy in Alaska this summer, but you can't let that stop the fun. We went to our favorite spot at Deep Creek on Saturday evening, but the tractor operators wouldn't put any more boats in. I guess the water is really bad, and 2 boats took on water. We were told Sunday was going to be nice. So, we went back to camp and made some dinner. It was pouring rain, so we got in the boat and had a "picnic". Oh man, I hope our tents are dry! - They were, thankfully.

On Sunday, we got up and headed down to Deep Creek again. It was CROWDED - about 20 or so boat were waiting for a tractor to put them in the water. Since it was high tide, we only had to go out around 12 miles to our fishing hole. It was a bit of a crazy fishing day. We actually lost a fishing pole to the bottom of the Cook Inlet. We had 4 poles in the water and a halibut snapped the rod holder and everything went into the water. It was a bit upsetting, but crap happens. So, we were now down to 3 poles and 4 people. Once slack tide hit, the fish were on the line like crazy! In about 2 hours we had limited out.

We have so much fish that we bought a chest freezer just for the halibut and salmon!

Weekend trip to Kenai and Deep Creek

2008-07-20T22:07:00.009-08:00

Alaskan dip netters along the Kenai river
More dip netters

Eric, my hero!

Cook Inlet

This is where we camp almost every weekend.

More of the campground.

Halibut fishing with the boys

2008-07-16T21:40:00.001-08:00

Ron and Art with fish on!
Nice fish Art!

Eric and his dad

Eric and Art

Eric's dad came up from Salt Lake to do some halibut fishing. His dad had a great time. We sent him home with almost 100 pounds of halibut. Art is one of Eric's friends from the village of St. Mary's.

Seward Highway

2008-06-26T18:45:00.002-08:00

Eric and I were headed down the Seward Highway to go fishing. During this stretch of the drive, you can always see mountain goats. I usually don't see one this close, so I snapped a picture as we drove by.

Halibut Fishing

2008-06-23T21:19:00.014-08:00

This huge tractor is towing our boat/trailer out to the water.

A huge group of eagles on the beach eating fish remains

The first halibut - on the line after only 15 minutes.

A bit small, but we'll keep it!

FISH ON!

Nice "but" boys!

The tractor awaits to pull us to land -our boat trailer is in the water

Mount Iliamna Mt. Redoubt

Our view from the campground

After my half marathon, I quickly showered, grabbed a sandwich and piled in the truck for a fishing trip. Eric and I took our friends Erin and Roger along for the trip. We headed for
Ninilchik, which is 3 hours south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula. Eric read that the halibut fishing was hot! Eric took a halibut charter the other day out of Seward, so he learned the tricks. We were all excited to try our hand at halibut fishing.

We drove to Deep Creek Campground. This is a beautiful, clean campsite that overlooks the inlet.

Mayor's Midnight Sun Half-Marathon

2008-06-21T20:15:00.002-08:00

Rainy start......

Can't catch us! Mile 10

All smiles

2 hours and 10 minutes - our fastest time

The Anchorage Moose!

Brandi and I ran in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Half-marathon. It was pouring rain, but we were pumped! We stood at the start ready to run a good race. Now that we are getting older :) we want to keep beating our time. Yes, running half marathons are a blast, but now it's about the time. How hard can you push it?

We cruised along the miles faster than we planned. We wanted to be careful, so that we had energy at the end. This race is popular for out-of-staters, so we met all sorts of people. As we were headed into the trail portion, we met a guy from Massachusetts. We asked him if he had his bear bells. He had no idea what we were talking about. In Alaska, you carry bear spray and bear bells at all times - the bells are to let the bears know you are around, so you don't spook them. We told the runner that bears are everywhere in Anchorage (the marathoners saw a sow with 2 cubs). Anyway, we told him to have a good time in the woods! We freaked him out. It was hysterical!

The trail part was the best. We cruised through those miles. As we went back on the pavement, Brandi had a saying - every time we went down hill it was "down hill fun time!" So, we would pick up the pace as we went down hill and on the flat stretches.

I knew there was a HUGE hill at mile 12.5. We had ran the entire way, but by the time I got to the hill - every part of my body ached. Brandi pushed me on and told me we are on target to beat our time. I will admit, I start to poop out around mile 11 - this is something I need to work on.

We entered West High School's track and I realized we were going to beat our time, so I pushed as hard as I could so that I would finish strong. Our time was 2 hours and 10 minutes. That was extactly the time we were pushing for.

Next half marathon is Humpy's in August. We are going for a 2 hour time......

Keep on running!

Running Bird Ridge

2008-06-12T13:45:00.006-08:00

Bird Ridge

Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm

Beautiful view of the Turnagain Arm

Who's idea was this?

My friend and I decided we needed more hill training as we are preparing for the Mayor's Half Marathon. She suggested the Bird Ridge Trail - it's along the Seward highway, and has killer hills. Okay, bad idea. It was a beautiful night, but this sucker was tough. Anchorage has a trail running club, and Bird Ridge is one of the races - it's actually on Sunday June 15. No thanks.

It was an awesome workout, but we were exhausted. We went about half way up, and decided to head back. Runners were flying down the path. They must be half mountain goat or something.

http://www.akhs.atfreeweb.com/Hikes/BirdRidge.htm

All in all it was a great way to spend an Alaska summer evening.

the DAVE rowing challenge

2008-06-08T19:33:00.002-08:00

Who's ready to row?

The DAVE rowing challenge participants

So serious

Trying to get it together

So close! We lost by a stroke.

A little pre-game, or should I say pre-row warm up

A rowing team in Alaska????? Yes, it's true. I participated in the DAVE rowing challenge with a group of my co-workers over the weekend. This event was sponsored by the Thorsness family, who was the first to bring crew to Alaska. Groups of 8 learned how to row on Friday night, and raced on Sunday. It was a blast! I have never been so tired. I loved gliding along the water in the skinny shell (boat).

My team was made up of doctors, med students and dietitians from work. We did pretty well at the practice, but had a bit of trouble keeping it together on race day. My friend came to take some pictures and said it looked pretty easy - it's not! This event raises money for the charity of the group's choice, and teaches the group the importance of teamwork.

Birthday Girls!

2008-06-02T18:13:00.002-08:00

Janna and I celebrated our birthday together today. We met for lunch at Peter's Sushi Spot (YUM!), then went for pedicures. I laugh because I am a decade older than Janna!

Memorial Day at Goose Lake

2008-05-26T18:17:00.001-08:00

Janna, me, Laura and Jela

Will "cutting" the watermellon

A group of us celebrated Memorial Day with a BBQ at Goose Lake Park in Anchorage. It was a beautiful, sunny - pretty warm day.

More Hilton Head pictures

2008-05-23T20:23:00.001-08:00

Lee needed a "snack"

I'd like a quarter pounder, fries, coke no ice and a sunday - how can he eat like that?

Beautiful sunrise

A little lizzard

The football went into the fountain - Those no climbing signs were put up 2 years ago because of us!

Dinner at Steamer's
Leaving the island life.......

Hilton Head, South Carolina

2008-05-21T20:40:00.000-08:00

Biker Women

2008-05-04T21:58:00.006-08:00

Brandi, Erin and I (team RD) participated in the 2008 Bike for Women. It was a 9 mile bike race in Chugiak, AK. The weather was a bit cool, but we had a great day.

Spring Fever

2008-04-20T18:04:00.010-08:00

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

2008-04-11T18:56:00.004-08:00

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

2008-04-11T17:23:00.002-08:00

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/

Spring Camping

2008-03-22T21:21:00.009-08:00

Karen with the dogs - Katie and Jake

Karen and Katie on Crow's pass trail - Eagle River

Karen and Katie heading up the trail

Beautiful Alaskan afternoon

This is going to be cold!

What's for dinner Eric?

2 dogs and Eric in a 2 man tent.....

Filtering drinking water on the Eagle River

Eric and I decided to go hiking into the backcountry this weekend and do some camping. This was the first time we had ever done this, so I was a bit nervous. The bears have not come out of hibernation yet, so this was a good time to go. We have all of the gear, so packed everything in our backpacks, and went out there.

We drove up to the Eagle River Nature Center, which is only 10 miles from our house. There is a great place to start a hike. We went out on the Crow's pass trail, which is 24 miles to Girdwood. We would like to hike the entire trail this summer - but not this weekend! The day was nice and sunny. Temps were around 30 - which feels pretty good. We leased up the dogs, and headed up the mountain.

The trail had quite a bit of ice, and I wished we brought our ice cleats. Luckily the dogs are pretty well behaved, and did not pull on their leashes. When I started to slide, I told Katie to slow down, and she did.

We hiked for about 6 miles, and stopped at a small clearing by the Eagle River. I was pretty tired from carrying about 30 pounds on my back. That is going to take some training! We brought freeze dried dinners to eat, and a small backpacking stove. We ate Mexican chicken and rice by the campfire. A few hikers walked by, but we were pretty much alone in the wilderness.

The dogs were beat, so they quickly laid down in the tent. Eric and I ate, and talked, then decided to call it a night.

I could not sleep very well - it was really cold, and I was scared of the animals. Eric had a gun, and we packed some pepper spray. The dogs were pretty cold, and kept moving around the tent. We finally got them settled down - Jake slept in Eric's sleeping bag, and Katie in mine.

I must have been dreaming because I started to talk in my sleep. I thought I saw a moose, and asked Eric if he shot the moose. He was confused, so I asked again if he got the moose. He figured out I was just talking in my sleep, and told me that he got the moose. It was a long night......

We ate freeze dried ham and eggs in the morning, and I was still starving after we ate. I decided to gather some water from the river by using our water filter. That helped for a while. We enjoyed the camp fire for a while, then decided to head home.

Those 6 miles were the longest ever! I was so exhausted and hungry! I was really glad we decided to go camping. I'm proud of myself for getting out there. I think we are going to go camping again next weekend......

Arches National Park

2008-03-08T22:03:00.005-09:00

So, after Lee and I ran a half marathon, we decided to complete the 3 mile hike up to delicate arch. Lots of runners were up there, and it was fun learning where everyone was from, as well as their time. Lee and I did well on the 3 miles up, but the 3 miles back down was another story. Going downhill is much harder on your joints, and we were both in pain! I could not believe how bad my quads hurt.

It's a beautiful hike - but a bit chilly this year. I was hoping for some 80 degree temps - but had to settle for 50. This was a great weekend in Moab.

Canyonlands Half Marathon 2008

2008-03-08T20:29:00.009-09:00

Lee and I at the bus pick up area

Planning our race strategy

On the bus - going to the starting line

Here we come!

Strong finish -our chip time was 2:17:26

Lee and I enjoying a sugar cookie

I headed down to the lower 48 to run the 33rd annual Canyonlands Half marathon in Moab. Eric had been training as well, but was not able to come with me. He was in Bethel.......

Lee decided to run for Eric, and broke all of the running rules. He ate McDonald's for his meal the night before, wore brand new running shoes, and barely trained. Meanwhile, I had trained hard in Alaska. Lee did say that I had gotten pretty fast. I've been training really well this go around, and felt this was going to be my best race - and it was.

Lee is much taller than I am, so I set the pace. We were about a 10:10 minute mile for the first mile until we could get away from the crowds, then I just took off. We were running at 9:17-9:30, which was my fastest time. I pulled my IT band last year at this race, so I did not want to go out too fast. I don't know what it was, but I felt great.

Our chip time was 2:17:26 - which was my fastest half marathon. I shaved 22 minutes off of my time from last year. I was sore, but my knees felt fine. I think the combination of good running, and my semi-vegetarian diet made all the difference!

Eric's 2 sisters ran as well. This was their first half marathon, and I was very proud of them. I'm hoping they got the running bug and will continue long distance running.

I was sad that Eric was not able to be with me, but I really enjoyed running with my brother. This was his first half marathon, and I was glad I could share it with him.

Keep on running!

Iditarod 2008

2008-03-02T20:33:00.004-09:00

Brandi, Emily, Andy and I went to watch the start of the 2008 Iditarod on Sunday. We drove to Wasilla, then boarded a school bus for a 30 minute drive to the small town of Willow. The ceremonial start was yesterday, with the re-start today. The race use to start in Anchorage, but due to poor snow conditions, the race now starts on Willow Lake.

This year 96 mushers started. The race follows the Northern route on even years, and the Southern route on odd years. This is because the tiny villages can't handle all of the activity year after year.

It was an overcast day, but pretty warm (30 degrees) which was nice. We watched about half of the mushers start up the trail. The iditarod is known as the "last great race", and these mushers are pretty tough.

None of us had ever been to the Iditarod start, and it was the place to be. People brought all sorts of food, grills, etc out on the ice. It puts tail-gating to shame. People even built fire pits on the ice. It was a very fun afternoon.

Our bus driver was retired military, and he talked the whole way about the buses in Alaska. I guess they are different than lower 48 buses, because of the cold temperatures. The 4 of us could hardly control our laughter, as he went on and on about these buses. We all learned more than we wanted to know.

As we were waiting for the bus to take us back to Wasilla, wouldn't you know it, we got the same bus driver. He told the exact same stories. We figured he was trying out for the Denali bus driver position. So, on the way back, the traffic was really backed up, so the bus driver decided to take a "short cut." Let's just say, it was a scenic wandering through the middle of nowhere. So, the 30 minute bus ride turned into over 1 1/2 hours.

All and all, a very fun day.

Running of the Reindeer

2008-02-24T21:04:00.001-09:00

For 2-3 weeks before the Iditarod start, Anchorage hosts it's winter carnival, Fur Rondy. The carnival was not doing very well, so a local radio station came up with the idea to have the "running of the reindeer" - similar to the running of the bulls in Spain.

1,000 runners ran down 4th avenue dressed in various costumes, as a dozen or so reindeer "chased" them. It was hysterical. Reindeer are very domesticated animals, so most people thought the reindeer would just stand there. Oh, no - they ran.

So, the wacky Alaskans have come up with a new event - you'll have to check out the videos. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MBj_L67__Y

Snowshoeing at Girdwood

2008-02-10T20:59:00.001-09:00

We've had tons of snow, so Brandi and I decided to go snowshoeing at Girdwood. As you can see from the picture, it was a beautiful day. The temperatures were pretty mild, and we worked up a sweat hiking through the snow. We should have packed a picnic lunch! Getting out and doing things in the winter is how you survive Alaska winters. They are long, dark and cold. People who hate Alaska don't get out there. I love exploring around - because you realize how amazing this place is.

Brandi and I saw lots of moose on our hike. You don't want to get too close to them, or spook them - so we kept our distance, and changed course. After a few hours of hiking, we decided to call it a day and grab some pizza at a local restaurant.

Polar Bear Swim

2008-01-19T08:42:00.000-09:00

Today was the annual Polar Bear Swim in Seward. This event is to raise money for the American Cancer Society. Crazy Alaskans dress up in various costumes, and dive into the icy waters. It was pretty cold there, so I'm sure those swimmers were freezing! There were so many people down at the docks that is was tough to get a good picture.

Seward is a fun town in the summer. Lots of boating, fishing, etc. happen down here. In the winter, not much is going on. It was a bit strange to see everything boarded up for the winter. Seward is 2 hours south of Anchorage, so when it's not tourist season, it's a ghost town.

Dietitian's Night Out

2008-01-18T20:35:00.001-09:00

Left side: Erin, me
Right Side: Ila, Elize, Brandi

This is the dietitian group from where I work. We decided to go out tonight to mark our last day together as a group in the Health Education Department. We were separated into different departments so that we can be better utilized in the clinics. Erin and I are off to the Pediatric department, while the other 3 are headed for Family Medicine. We are a tight nit group, and are sad to be apart. Not only do we work together, but we do things outside of work like snowshoeing and running.

We went out for dinner at Simon & Seafort's in downtown Anchorage. I had never been there, so that was a treat. This restaurant is busy with tourists in the summer, but in the winter, it's packed with Anchorage locals meeting together after work.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T08:00:00.000-09:00

Happy New Year 2008! Eric and I headed up to Hatcher's Pass for some snowshoeing. We decided to take along the dogs as well. It was around 20 degrees, and the sun was shining. The winters are so dark here, so it was nice so see some sunshine. Lots of people were out either cross country skiing, snowshoeing or just sledding down the hill. The snow was pretty deep, and the dogs were sinking down to their chest. It was pretty funny to watch.

It always feels good getting out of the house to do things. Lots of people just hunker down for the winter, but that's when you can experience another wonderful part of Alaska. The air is so crisp and clean.

On the way home, we watched the sun set. There is nothing quite like an Alaska sunrise or sunset. Since the air is so cold, the sun creates the most amazing colors. We stopped along the road so that I could snap some pictures of it. This was a great way to start the new year!

Here we go Aces!

2007-12-29T19:34:00.000-09:00

We went to our first Alaska Aces hockey game. The Aces played the Utah Grizzlies, and unfortunately the Aces lost. It was a fun game. The Grizzlies tied it at the end, so it went to overtime. The score was 5 to 4 Grizzlies.

Cross country skiing

2007-12-27T08:14:00.000-09:00

Last night, Eric and I went to Kincaid park after work. I love Anchorage in the fact that there are hundreds of miles of trails right in town. You don't have to travel up the mountain to get to skiing or mountain biking. It's all right here. Kincaid park like many Anchorage parks has lighted paths for night skiing. The parking lot was packed with people and families. It was around 10-15 degrees with a light wind. It's cold at first, but once you get going, you start to sweat. It's not at all like downhill skiing. This is a wonderful way to get some aerobic exercise.

It's easy to hunker down in Anchorage during the dark months, but now we have a fun activity. We just keep our skis and gear in the car at all times, so whenever we feel like it, we can go. It does not cost anything to use the parks in Anchorage ( I guess that's why property taxes are so high!). So, it's a cheap date night. I'm so glad Eric and I picked up some cheap skis at garage sales, because we are having a blast!

Christmas break

2007-12-25T09:29:00.000-09:00

Eric and I enjoyed a nice 4 day Christmas weekend. I had to work at my part time gig, but other than that, we just relaxed. I've been dying to go cross country skiing for a few years now, so on Saturday we went to Kincaid park. Eric and I bought some cheap skis on Craig's list... So we were ready. We decided not to take our dogs, since we had no idea what we were doing. I am a good alpine skier, but this is different. Our snow has not been very good yet, so lots of rocks and tree roots were still showing. Kincaid park is an amazing place. There are lots of groomed trails for the skiing enthusiasts. They even have lighted trails for some night skiing.
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/activity/skiing/cros_top11.htm
http://alaska.org/maps/kincaid-park-anchorage-map.htm

Alaskans are SERIOUS cross country skiers. It was obvious that we had no clue what we were doing. I guess that there are directions that skiers must travel, and we were headed in the wrong direction. We were getting some dirty looks from seasoned skiers. We were also dressed like alpine skiers, with our heavy coats and all.

Eric and I did pretty well for our first go. I fell really hard on my butt, and was sore for days! If you don't fall, you don't learn right? Eric read in the paper that the Parks and Rec department offers skiing lessons starting in January. I think I'll start those!

On Christmas Eve, we headed up to the Eagle River Nature Trail. It was starting to lightly snow, which made it very beautiful. Quite a few people were hiking to various public use cabins or to yurts that are along the trail. Our dogs had a great time playing in the snow. Living in Anchorage, we have learned that you must carry a gun at all times when traveling to the backcountry. There are bears, and wolves to watch out for.

The dogs were off their leashes and were doing well at following us along the trail. They went off into the woods for a bit, and we had went down a hill. I called for Katie, and saw her quickly run off into the opposite direction. I panicked as ran after her. It took us almost 10 minutes to find her. Thankfully she was smart enough to sit down on the trail and wait for us to catch up to her. I think she got scared too. Anchorage does not have much snow, which is causing a problem with the wolves. With no snow, the moose can get away faster, and the wolves are running out of food. The wolves are now heading into the city limits and stalking people walking their dogs. About 10-20 dogs have been killed this winter by these wolves. So, that was another reason why I was so worried about losing Katie.

We hiked to Echo Bend, which is 4 or so miles up the trail. It was so quiet and peaceful out there. By the end of the hike we were all exhausted!

Merry Christmas from Alaska

2007-12-25T09:10:00.000-09:00

Alaska had not received much snow, but that all changed today. Anchorage received almost 1 foot of snow over Christmas. Everyone was getting pretty worried about it. What's Alaska without snow? We had a relaxing day at home opening presents, talking to family and eating good food. My dad sent the dogs a toy ball, and as you can see Jake loved it!

Ready, Aim, Fire!

2007-12-20T15:55:00.000-09:00

We took a drive up north, and ended up in the Mat-su river valley. It looks much different in the winter. We need to work on some target practice, since we have bears! I have no idea what kind of gun that was, but it was fun. We did not stay out too long because it was freezing!

Our Anniversary

2007-10-20T08:59:00.000-08:00

Today, we celebrated out 6th anniversary hiking in the Chugach Mountains. We stayed at The Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. That's Alaska's big ski resort. We are hiking around Hope, AK which is a tiny community on the Turnagain Arm. Not many people live in Hope, and I heard they are going to shut down the school since there are less than 10 students attending. The day was crisp and cool, but it was nice to be out enjoying the scenery.

Watch out for bears!

2007-08-29T19:58:00.000-08:00

Moose by the road

Trail closure due to bear activity. Eagle River, AK (You are fined if you go back there!)

A bear proof food storage container located at the public use cabin. Eagle River, AK

Eric and I went hiking at the Eagle River Nature center which is 12 miles from our house. The salmon are runnin' and so the bears are out in full force feeding on them. Some of the trails were blocked because of bear activity.

We hiked up to the public use cabin, and saw the food storage container. All food must be placed in bear proof containers, or you can expect an unwanted guest!

Biking along Seward Highway

2007-08-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

Eric was in Bethel working, so I decided to pack up my mountain bike and head for the Seward Highway. It was another beautiful day, and 75 degrees. Alaska is a biking bonanza. There are trails everywhere. I took the trail that follows the Seward Highway and overlooks the Turnagain Arm. This shot was so awesome, I even impressed myself. The purple flowers are called fireweed. I biked for a few hours enjoying the sun and scenery. I even got a sunburn!

Our first boat outing

2007-07-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

At the toll booth out side Whittier, AK

Eric, our rig and our new boat!

A beautiful day in Alaska!

Waiting in line to go through the tunnel to Whittier.

Eric did not have to twist my arm for this thing. Talk about living the Alaskan dream. We bought a 21 foot Hewscraft boat, and couldn't be more excited. Everyone here has a boat and/or motor home. We hooked up our boat to the truck, and headed for the port town of Whittier. It was a beautiful day. Whittier is about 60 miles south of Anchorage and is at then end of a long tunnel. The tunnel is only one lane, so everyone must wait until traffic flows in your direction.

We unloaded out boat at Whittier, and I waited until Eric parked the truck. Whittier is filled with serious fishermen, and I was a bit nervous. I noticed that the boat looked kind of funny in the water, but thought nothing of it. I got in after about 10 minutes or so, and realized the boat was filled with water!!!!! We quickly tried to get the boat out, and were totally embarrassed. Eric had not put the boat plugs in, and it filled with water! We were very upset with ourselves, and went home. We are now the joke of our friends! Great........

Salmon Fishing

2007-07-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

This is the dip net.

Eric trying his hand at dip netting at the mouth of the Kenai River.

Karen displaying her fillet of red salmon. Eric catches them, and I cut em!

Eric is fishing for silvers in Bird Creek, about 20 miles south of Anchorage.

Here are some picures of our fishing adventures. Eric and I went to Bird Creek to fish for silvers. There were lots of people out, as well as brown bears. The brown bears hang out just up the creek, but usually stay away from the fishermen.

There is a technique to fishing, and we were trying to learn as much as we could. One guy helped us learn how to correctly cast among so many fishermen, so that was helpful. He was getting a bit cocky though, as he "caught" a young girl in the ear. Not many girls are out on the creek, so I was talking to another female fisherman, and as we chatted, the guy's hook caught her right in the ear! She ended up going to the ER to get the hook removed. I've heard that the ER is full of people with hooks stuck in various body parts during the summer months!

We then headed down to Kenai to try dip netting. This is only for Alaska Residents. You take a large dip net to the mouth of the Kenai, and scoop reds out of the water. It was a blast. A family is allowed 50 fish per year. The beach had thousands of fish heads along the shore. This is one of the largest salmon runs in Alaska. More than 1 million fish swim through those waters during the summer. It's amazing!

It took Eric an hour or so to get the hang of dip netting, but once he got it down, he was nailing them. We ended up with a cooler full of fresh salmon. YUM! Thousands of people set up "fish camp" along the shores. The dip netting season is very short, so people camp out. We had a great time, and can't wait to do it again next summer.

Hiking Flattop Mountain

2007-06-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Today, was a beautiful Alaska day. We decided to take mom and Aunt Kathy for a hike to flattop mountain. This was something we always wanted to do, but since grocery shopping was always a priority, we never were able to take advantage of these types of activities.

It's hard to believe, that just a few days ago, we were living in Bethel. It feels like Bethel is a million miles away. I still get a tear in my eye when I see the Chugach Mountains. I've wanted to live in Anchorage for so long, it's still hard to think we live here now.

Flattop is a popular local hike. The first few miles were pretty easy, but we quickly realized, the hike to the top would be a bit of a challenge. Eric and I were impressed at how well mom and Kathy did. We did not realize how strenuous it would be, and were not really prepared. The last 1/2 mile or so was up a rock cliff, which was pretty steep and slippery. I was sucking wind, but the trip was worth it. The view from the top was truly breath taking. You could see the entire Anchorage bowl. Amazing! Kathy decided not to attempt the rock wall, but mom made it to the top. Eric and I had gone ahead, and we could hear her at the base of the rock wall. She followed some teenagers up the mountain. They had to pretty much pull her to the top, but she made it!

The trip down was a bit treacherous. The rocks were pretty slick, so I did a lot of sliding on my butt, so I wouldn't fall. It was a good time, and everyone was beat by the end.

Movin out of Bethel!

2007-06-22T18:29:00.001-08:00

See ya later YK delta!

Alaska Airlines flight 46 .

On Friday, June 22, I left Bethel for the last time. I worked until 5 pm, then hopped on the 8 pm jet for Anchorage, where Eric was waiting. It was a tough day with alot of emotions. I cried as I boarded the plane, but was ready to start our new life in Anchorage.

People don't really understand our decision to live in the Bush, and that is just fine. I did not do this for them, I did it for us and I will forever be grateful for the lessons I learned while in Bethel. For me, moving to Alaska was the best thing I ever did. Bethel taught me to accept people for who they really are and to enjoy our differences. That is completely different than my life in Utah, where I was taught if you don't fit the Utah mold - then you are not accepted. I finally feel that I fit in, and I can just be me - and people like me for who I am. I knew there was more to life out there, and I'm grateful I found it in Alaska.

I had to admit, that I was ready to leave the Bush, but I'm not ready to leave Alaska. Everyone thinks that Eric was the reason why we are still here, which is completely untrue. We love Alaska, and I can't imagine living back in the cookie-cutter life of Utah. People are a tough breed up here, which is refreshing.

I'm excited to have this time to explore more of Alaska, but am sad to leave behind the toughest thing I have ever done.

My Birthday!

2007-06-02T15:31:00.001-08:00

Good food and fun at the bonfire.

We love Smores!
Janna and I celebrated our birthday on June 2, Bethel Style! We had all of our friends over for a bonfire BBQ. It was a great time. We ate, laughed, and enjoyed each other's company. It's hard to believe that in just a few days, I will leave all of my great friends.

Girl's Night

2007-06-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

The Girls

Playing pit

At midnight, the girls sang "happy birthday" to Janna and I. Yes, we have the same birthday! On May 31, some of the girls who moved away came back to Bethel for a visit. The entire weekend was filled with food, laughing, and fun. Friday night, we all played "pit" for hours - no boys allowed! We were so loud, that we could be heard all throughout the complex!

At midnight, Janna and I were presented with our birthday crowns - which we were told we must wear at our birthday BBQ.

Breakup 2007

2007-05-05T11:04:00.000-08:00

Breakup 2007

Everyone gathering down by the river for the breakup bash.

Everyone lining up for free hotdogs on the grill.

A local band getting ready

On Thursday evening, the Kuskokwim River officially broke. This means winter is over, and fishing can begin. Friday night Janna and I headed down to the breakup bash - an annual event that celebrates the return of summer. We ate free hotdogs, talked with friends, and listened to some music.

Getting ready for breakup

2007-05-01T08:06:00.000-08:00

The river by Bethel - gettin' ready for breakup!

These are some pictures I took of the Kuskokwim River. Breakup is a HUGE deal here. It means winter is FINALLY over, and subsistence fishing can begin. Just about everyone on the YK delta is connected via e-mail, and each day lots of people post what is happening with the river. Eric has told me that up river, people already have their boats in the water. That's crazy because there are still huge chunks of ice floating in the river.

The tripod with the Alaska flag is hooked to a digital clock. As soon as the tripod moves 200 feet, the clock stops, and that marks the official time for breakup. It should happen pretty soon. Our temps are in the high 40ies, low 50ies, and we are not dipping below freezing at night anymore. The sun is up at 6-7 am and does not set until after 11 pm. I love the midnight sun!

I'm sure I'll be posting more on the breakup later.....

Our view from the apartment

2007-04-30T20:01:00.000-08:00

This is our view from the windows in our apartment. To the left of this is a huge generator for the town. The generator is so loud, that we can't hear each other when we are in separate rooms.

The pipes in the picture are the water and sewer pipes. The pipes are above ground because Bethel is tundra country - this area is all perma frost. That means the ground never totally thaws out. If you dig 2-3 feet down, you will hit frozen ground. It's pretty crazy. Since this area never thaws, the pipes must be above ground or they will freeze and crack.

Things to do in Bethel

2007-04-21T22:17:00.000-08:00

This is the "fancy" restaurant in town.....
So, what is there to do in Bethel you ask? Well, take a look at this pictures. We've got restaurants, and a cultural center! When Eric and I first moved here, we asked people where to go and eat. We were enthusiastically told "Dimitris!" It is the "fancy" place in town. As you can see, it looks like it should be condemned, but they have great meatball subs. They place is pretty scary inside too, and don't even get me started on how the food is prepared in the back. (Sometimes I hate knowing all I do about food service!) Since all of you know me, you know how picky I am about food prep, but this is Bethel, and I've had to change. The food is pretty decent, I have not received a food borne illness, so I call it a victory!

Another decent place in town is Sho-gun. They have Chinese, Mexican, and hamburgers. Eric and I really like their burgers. For 20 bucks, Eric and I can get a cheeseburger, fries and a soda. That's pretty cheap for Bethel. Again, I have not had a food borne illness from here - so this place has my vote!

Let me tell you about some of the other places in Bethel. Most of Bethel is not on running water. So, how do people get water? Well, about 1 or 2 times a week, the water truck delivers water to people's homes and businesses. Most people in Bethel have a huge water tank either inside their home or by the side of their house. The water comes from a well in town. Bethel is trying to get everyone on piped water, but that is EXPENSIVE to construct. Since this is tundra country, all of the water pipes must be above ground or they will freeze. So, if the water truck doesn't come, no water for you..... That happens alot around here, so the word to the wise is.... Eat out at the beginning of the month when the restaurants have water, because by the end of the month..... Alot of places are runnin' out of water, but still stay open..... Blah!!

Moving on...

The first picture is Bethel's cultural center. It is home to our little library, museum, and event center. Most of the big events are held here. I've been to all sorts of events from the K-300 banquet, Saturday market, health fairs, and musical events. On Saturdays in the summer, they show movies - not new releases of course!

So - that concludes "things to do in Bethel!"

Kids playing in the Delta

2007-04-19T13:42:00.000-08:00

I thought this was interesting to share. The diabetes program provides funding to village schools for exercise equipment. Here is how some of that money was spent in the village of Nunapitchuk. They are called kicksleds, and I've seen them around Bethel but until now, I had no idea what they were. A child can sit in the front while another kid stands on the back pushing the sled around. Since there is snow here for 6 months a year, people must be creative with their outdoor activities.

Speaking of snow, I thought we would be all finished with winter, but I was wrong. The delta has experienced huge snow storms all week, and temperatures are around 15-20 degrees. It is still much milder than last month, so I guess I should not complain.

Camai Dance Festival

2007-03-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

On March 31, 2007 my friend and I volunteered at the Cama-i (pronounced Cha-my) Dance Festival held in Bethel. Dancing is very important in the Alaska Native culture, and their dances are how they tell stories. Dancing groups came from all over the delta to perform. We even had some groups from outside Alaska. The tops you see everyone wear are called quaspaks. Those are worn by most Yup'ik women and children. I even own one, and must admit, they are quite comfortable.

Another event that occurs at the dance festival is the huge craft fair. These Native crafts are quite amazing. When the hunters bring back their catch, everything is used. Most of the crafts are made from animal fur which are turned into hats, mittens, or boots. Not only are these items beautiful, they are very warm. The temperatures in this part of Alaska can fall to 50 below, and will stay frigid for months. Since Natives rely on animals for food, their hides offer protection from the bitter cold. Coastal villages use walrus tusks to make beautiful ivory bracelets and earrings. Another popular craft here are beads. Women make bracelets, earrings, barrettes, necklaces and so on. I enjoy talking to the elders about their crafts and what they used to make them.

Canyonlands Half Marathon

2007-03-17T17:51:00.000-08:00

On March 14, 2007 I flew to Salt Lake City Utah. Bethel was extremely cold (temps down to 30 below), and when I landed in Anchorage I was shocked at how cold it was there. I believe the temperature was 20 below zero, which is unusual that time of the year. Let's just say, I was more than excited to head down to some warmer temperatures.

Eric and I had been training for this half marathon since November, but Eric was not able to make the trip. About 3 weeks before our trip, Eric was told he needed to be in Anchorage for some flight training. Flight training is mandatory for pilots, and must be done yearly. So I was pretty bummed that Eric was not able to come, but I needed to do this run!

Training to run long distances in Bethel is pretty difficult since the wind blows constantly here. In the summer the dust is so thick that you just eat dust, and in the winter you never know when you may get caught in a blizzard. The other problem is the temperatures. From November through March temperatures stay below zero, and it is very tough to breathe. Even my eyelashes freeze. It is a very strange feeling. I do see 1 or 2 people running in the winter on occasion, but I have no desire to undergo that kind of torture. A very unique problem here are the dogs. In Bethel there are lots of stray dogs, and many of them have rabies. Yes, we have rabies here because dogs get bit by the fox. Anyway, last year I was running outside and a dog bit me on the leg. It was pretty scary, and I had to get the rabies vaccine because it was a stray. That was no fun. I have not run outside since then......

So, I train on a treadmill. Thankfully, the hospital has a small "wellness center" for it's employees. It costs 22 dollars a month for 2 treadmills, a bike, 2 elliptical machines, and a weight machine. It is expensive, but it's all Bethel has to offer which is pretty sad. I would spend hours running on the treadmill pretending I was running somewhere else. I would try to visualize my old running routes in Utah. Running is also a crucial way for me to stay sane in the winters. With daylight only lasting 6 hours or so, and extreme temperatures, it was the only way I could keep going. Just as a side note, did you know that Western Alaska has the highest suicide rate in the nation? It is very sad.

Well, as I said, I was so excited to get to Utah for the race. I use to run long distance races regularly before moving to Bethel, so this was a huge deal for me. Eric's mom Reva drove with me to Moab and kept me company. When I arrived in Moab on Friday, the town was buzzing with excitement. I had not been around that many people in a long time, so I finally felt alive! The temperature was in the 70ies, which felt wonderful! I was so happy to be wearing short sleeves and flip flops! Reva and I made our way to the runners expo to pick up my bib number, shirt and so on. I was so happy to be among hundreds of runners - you could just feel the adrenaline. After the expo, Reva and I headed to the pasta dinner held at the Moab Arts and Rec Center. Everything was homemade, and was delicious! They even had fresh organic greens from their own gardens. I almost cried, because I don't get to see fresh produce like that anymore..... I was proud to be "representing" Alaska, and told everyone where I was from. People were shocked to hear I just left 30 below zero temperatures. After dinner, we walked around town some, then headed to the grocery store so I could grab some fruit for the morning. I decided to go to bed early, so I was ready in the morning!

I hardly slept a wink, since I was so excited and nervous about race day. At around 6 am, I got out of bed, showered, ate a small breakfast (an orange), and took my Advil. By 7 am I was ready to head over to the buses. Reva said I looked like a runner, which made me feel good. It had been a long time since I've laced up my shoes for a race. It was a bit chilly in the morning - around 40, so I threw on an extra layer. Reva dropped me off at the bus drop and wished me luck. I started to tear up as I saw thousands of runners boarding the buses. This was a very overwhelming experience for me. I wished Eric was with me to share this excitement, but I was so thrilled to be there doing what I love to do most... Running...

The school buses took the runners up the canyon and dropped us off at the starting line. The most important thing I have learned over the years doing races is that when you get to the starting line... GET IN LINE FOR THE PORT-A-POTTIES! After you go, go again, and again. It doesn't matter how many times you use the port-a-potties, you will pee. Believe me..... I don't know if its nerves, or all the water and Gatorade you drink before a race. You gotta go! I laughed as people were shaking in the "cold". I will admit, in the canyon temps were a bit chilly, but I was not cold at all. (The benefit of living in frozen Alaska). I had shed my layers and was in a tank top and shorts and felt fine - seriously!

The race was about to start, so all the runners had to make their way up a 1/4 mile to the actual starting line. The sea of runners making their way up the hill was amazing. This many people to run is very cool. As I past the starting line, I made my way to the correct pace mark. Runners line up in accordance to their running pace. You don't want the slow runners in front of fast runners, so there are signs that help everyone line up properly. I went to the 10:20 minute group, which is slower than my normal pace, but since Moab is 4,000 feet elevation, temps are to hit 80, and I have been at sea level, and freezing - I better not push it. As I waited, I saw a woman with an Alaska shirt on! She noticed my Alaska shirt as well. We chatted, and she was from Anchorage and came to run the race. She turned 40 2 years ago and decided to start running races. Anyway, the race was about to start, so everyone got ready. The gun went off, and down the canyon we went! As my new Alaskan friend and I crossed the starting line, she yelled "GO TEAM ALASKA!" It was awesome! We chatted for about 2 miles, then fell into our race pace.

After about 2 miles, the sun came over the canyon, and hit my face and arms. What an amazing feeling. I had forgotten how good the sun feels on your skin. When I run races I don't do it for time or to win, but just to enjoy the feeling of running. I did not even start my stop watch, because I figured I would be so slow, but my pace was pretty good. I hit 3 miles, and was going pretty well. Then 4, 5, 6, and 7 miles. I had not even slowed down yet. I had great music, great scenery, and sun - life was good!

At mile 10.5, I came out of the canyon and on to the main highway. That is when the temperature hit me like a ton of bricks. In the canyon it was around 70-75, but on the main road it was over 80. I thought I was going to melt! I had not walked much until that point, but with the heat I had a to walk more.

By mile 12, I was close and I was surrounded by spectators. People had garden hoses and would spray runners down as they came by. I felt like a little kid again playing in the sprinklers. I rounded the corner, and could see the finish line in the distance. I knew my brother Lee had driven down from Salt Lake, so I was on the look out for him. Then, I saw Reva, Lee and his girlfriend searching the runners for me. I shouted out Lee's name, and waved. I had just about entered the shoot, so Lee ran along taking pictures. I crossed the finish line with a time of 2 hours and 39 minutes and a huge smile on my face. I was totally impressed with my time.

Eric called later to hear about how I did. He was surprised at how well I did. I was so determined to run that I did not even think about how the elevation, heat, and running outside would effect me. I realized that I am the happiest when I am running, and have missed it so much.

So, on Monday I boarded a plane and headed back to Anchorage. I was pretty sore, but happy and that's all that matters.......

Winter Fishing

2007-03-04T17:49:00.000-09:00

Today, my friend Janna and I were invited to go ice fishing with our friend Fredrica. Fred grew up here, and was more than happy to take us out for the day. We all packed into the car, and drove on the frozen Kuskokwim River for more than 30 minutes, to the Johnson River. It was a nice Sunday afternoon. Not to windy, or cold. It was 10 below zero, with light winds. Fred kept trying to scare Janna by saying she did not know where she was going. I just laughed because I know the people here know the river like the back of their hand.

When we reached the Johnson, it was still early, so there were not many people out yet. Most of the holes have already been started, we just had to cut through a thin layer of ice since everything freezes almost instantly here in the winter. Fred handed Janna and I a large ice pick to start working on the holes. I work out, but let me tell you, picking at the ice is tough!

After the holes are ready, we bait our hooks. Ice fishing does not require any special equipment. The "rod" is a wooden stick or dowel about 2 feet long, with rope tied around it. The bait is black fish, which is a small fish about 3 times the size of a sardine. We had to tear a piece of the black fish, place it on the hook then drop the line into the hole. Oh yeah, there were some weights on the line to keep it in the water. Anyway, all you do is jig off the bottom of the river, and wait for a bite. Once you feel a bite, just pull! You will have a nice pike fish on the end of your line. Fred just laughed as Janna and I took pictures of each other with our first pike fish.

Janna and I were getting pretty good at this ice fishing, and after an hour or so, we had a nice pile. Since it was so cold, the pike would freeze almost instantly. It was pretty cool. Janna and I would get cold, so every hour we would hop back into the car to warm up. I have learned a lot from the Natives here, and the thing I have been most impressed with, is how much the share with one another. Fred had prepared a huge lunch for all of us. We had sandwiches and dried salmon strips. It was so tasty. Janna and I did not drink anything the entire time we were out there because there are of course no bathrooms on the river, and Janna and I were not about to "drop trou" in the freezing wind. Another thing I learned is that many elders do not hunt or fish, and rely on family and the community to take care of them. So, Fred would not let us leave until we had enough fish to share with her parents. And we still had to fillet them before she would give them to her parents. I was amazed.

After a full day fishing, it was back to Fred's house to fillet the fish. In the Native communities, women do all of the fish cutting. Men will not help with this task. So, we had 185 pike fish we had to get through. Since Janna and I were new to this, Fred showed us how to properly cut the fish so they can be hung outside to dry. You must first wipe all the slime off (that was pretty gross, I will admit), then cut down the back, remove the outsides without cutting the fish in half, then cut a hole near the tail for it to hang. Fred quickly cut through the fish, as we struggled. It is a ton of work. The last picture is what the fillet fish look like as they are hung outside to dry. They will stay outside to dry for a few weeks, until they are ready. Fred said we could come over for some dried pike in a few weeks. I'm excited to try it.

After a long day ice fishing, I was ready to go home and take a long shower. I wonder how long my hands will smell like fish......

Date night on the Delta

2007-02-16T18:36:00.000-09:00

Eric is a bush pilot in Western Alaska. Bush planes are the life line to the villages. This is how villagers receive everything from mail to food. That trip, Eric's plane was full of soda pop. No diet pop to my dismay! Bush planes also carry villagers to and from places. That is one of the only ways villagers can get where they need to go. Remember, there are no roads here, and there are very few cars in the villages. Most villagers get around by 4 wheeler, or snowmobile. In the summer time, villagers will travel to and from by boat, since all of the villages are on the river. The Kuskokwim and Yukon Rivers are the lifeblood of this area since most villagers live a subsistence lifestyle. That means they hunt, fish and gather for food. It is really quite amazing.

I enjoying flying around with Eric. It's a great way to see the vastness of this area. It is also a great way to meet interesting people. On this trip, I met a woman who drove her snowmachine from Marshall (where we are) to Bethel. They traveled the 150 mile journey during the winter and temperatures dipped down to 30 below zero. She also said they know this area so well, that they don't use a GPS. The journey took almost 12 hours. She said it was a bit cold, but not too bad. I am amazed at how tough the people are here. You have to be, or you will not survive.

Bush flying is not for the faint at heart. It can be very dangerous and the weather can change in an instant. Eric only has me fly on nice weather days, so that I will continue flying with him.

Winter Flying

2007-02-16T16:58:00.000-09:00

Here is what the YK delta looks like in the winter. I went flying with Eric as he made his rounds delivering mail, food, and passengers around the delta. The date was February 16, and the weather was pretty mild. I believe it was around zero to 10 below, but with no wind, that feels pretty balmy during that time of the year.

Eric dropped off over 1,500 pounds of soda pop to the village of Kongiginak. The entire plane was full of soda. The town was excited since they were out.... The most popular soda flavors are Pepsi, Orange Crush, and Mountain Dew. Since there is no running water in most of the villages, children and adults go crazy for soda. So how do people get water you ask? Well, most villages have a "washeteria" which holds washing machines, and it also has a water tank for people to bring buckets to fill. A lot of people just gather rain water in garbage buckets and use as needed. Many go to the ponds for their water.

As you can see, the runways are very short, and gravel (or snow covered for the winter). Some runways have lights, and some do not. The runways are not maintained, so Eric must be very careful when he lands. A few weeks ago he was flying, and since it is "spring" here, everything has turned to mud. Eric got stuck in the mud, so he told his passengers to get out of the plane and push it out of the mud. You just can't get this experiences in the lower 48!

Another thing Eric and I did that day was fly a girl's basketball team from one village to another. Since there are no roads out here, planes are the "cars". In order for teams to play against each other, they must be flown from one place to the next. To me it is pretty crazy!

Since it is so cold here in the winter, Eric must cover the prop every time he lands in a village. Even if he only stops for 15-20 minutes to unload his plane, he must put blankets on the prop, or it will freeze, and that is a very bad thing. At the end of each night, the plane must be plugged in so the engine doesn't freeze, and wing covers must put on. Eric said when it's 50 below, and blowing like crazy, it is very painful to stand out there to put the plane away for the night.

K-300

2007-01-21T11:09:00.000-09:00

The winner of the 2007 K-300 Martin Bouser.

Karen with the sled dogs.

Eric at the start/finish line of the K-300.

Here is our truck parked on the frozen river. This is the "highway" between villages.

This is a fish camp. Families spend most of their summer gathering salmon for the winter.

Eric and I waiting for mushers to pass by.

Janna and I checking mushers in at the K-300.

This year the K-300 started on January 19, 2007. Hundreds of people gathered on the river to watch the mushers take off. Mushers traveled 300 miles - taking them to Aniak and back. Last year the race was postponed for a few weeks because temperatures dipped down to 60-70 below zero! Yeah, that was cold.....

This year was much more mild at 10 below zero with light winds. I walked down to the river, then carefully navigated my way on to the ice. It was a bit slippery, but I survived. About 20 teams participated in the race which is a qualifier for the Iditarod. In the world of dog mushing, the Iditarod is the super bowl, so the K-300 draws big names.

Janna, Eric and I decided to volunteer this year - which was a blast. Yes, it was cold, but we had hot chocolate and a warm car to run back to. I kept track of the mushers finishing time, while Janna and Eric tended to the mushers and their dog teams. We were out there for about 4 hours, and saw 5 teams cross the finish line.

What's for lunch?

2006-10-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

Our lunch menu - notice the "geese soup"

Ptarmigan (bird) soup. This is a very common food here.

This is a view of the hospital's kitchen.

When the planes don't fly, due to weather (which happens a lot), we run out of food.

Produce in the kitchen's cooler.
It can be a real challenge preparing meals for the hospital patients. During the winter months, the weather can be so bad that planes can't/won't come to Bethel. This can last for days, which results in food shortages. In the summer, we suffer from fires and fog - so again planes sometimes don't come in.

I don't order the food for the kitchen, but I do plan the menus for the inpatients. We must get pretty creative when we are running low on food. The other problem is the quality of the food. It is very difficult to get produce here, and you can see from the picture how poor the quality is.

This hospital serves the YK delta, and the diet is of course very different. People live off what they hunt and gather. The large portion of the diet comes from animal meat - such as seal, walrus, whale, moose, caribou, beaver, muskrat, and muskox. Fish is also very important here. People eat dried fish, and fish strips every day.

I recently wrote the "subsistence food donations" policy for the hospital. What that means is that people can donate certain subsistence foods to be used for hospital inpatient meals. We have received donations of birds, fish, and caribou to be used for meals. The patients really appreciate it, and I am a big believer that foods can be healing. I'm hoping more and more people will donate as we move from season to season.

Bethel Airport

2006-09-18T15:30:00.000-08:00

The Bethel terminal

Waiting for luggage in Bethel (Eric has the backpack)

The Bethel Airport
Here are pictures of the Bethel Municipal Airport. The only way in or out of Bethel is on Alaska Airlines, and everybody knows the schedule. Unlike large airports, cars can park right in front of the airport and not get ticketed or towed.

Summer Flying

2006-08-20T16:56:00.000-08:00

Eric is removing his tie down straps on his plane.

Eric inspecting his plane.

Eric going through his pre-flight.

Food and supplies that need to go to the villages.

Eric loading food and supplies in his plane.

The supplies are loaded in Eric's 207

Aerial view of Atmautluak, Alaska

Gettin' ready to land in Chefornak. That brown line in the distance is the "runway", and the village is on the right.

People flocking to Eric's plane to pick up mail, food, etc.

Eric unloading his supplies. Everyone comes out when the plane arrive.

This woman waits for the planes every day. She saw me taking pictures, and posed for me. Eric learned that she is mentally disabled, and years ago her parents were killed in a small plane accident. This woman is waiting for them to come home......

Village of Kasigluk

Western Alaska in the summer

Berry Picking

2006-08-14T20:32:00.000-08:00

Eric berry picking on the tundra

Blueberries on the tundra

Eric enjoying a nice day of berry picking

Karen and her bucket of blueberries

A rainbow in Bethel

Eric and I went berry picking on the tundra. Berries are an important part of the Native diet. These berries are used to make agutak or "Eskimo ice cream." This concoction is made of berries, crisco, sugar, and sometimes white fish. We use the berries for pancakes or for cereal.
The tundra is very spongy and wet, so we must wear boots which are called break up boots. Basically they are just rain boots. It had just rained, so the mosquitoes were not too bad. That's the other problem in the summer.... Lots of bugs!

Marshall Trip

2006-07-24T09:55:00.001-08:00

The foothills around Marshall

Dried beaver, a popular traditional food.

Salmon strips drying on racks. These are a main staple of the Native diet, and are delicious!

These girls live in the house pictured. They followed us around town.

Salmonberries - these are used to make "agutak" a popular Native dessert.

City office in Marshall

Marshall, Alaska

Waiting room at the health clinic - I slept on the couch during my stay.

The Yukon River

Marshall health clinic - this is where I was working.

The community park

The school in Marshall - they board the windows in the summer so that kids don't break the windows, since there is nothing to do here to keep the kids out of trouble.

Eric has arrived to take me back to Bethel! Eric and his 207 Aerial view of the village Russian Mission, another village on the Yukon River
On July 24, I had the unique opportunity to travel to the village of Marshall and provide diabetes education to patients. One of the Bethel nurse practitioners was there, and wanted a dietitian to go along with her and educate patients. Well, I think I was the one who walked away with an education. This experience made a huge impact at how I view this area (and my life).

You'd think working for the hospital I would get to travel to the villages on a regular basis, well that is not the case. My budget is not set for that, and my boss was not supportive in allowing me travel. I was shocked - how do you get to know the people you serve? Don't get me started...

Anyhow, the diabetes program is a grant with lots of money, and not enough staff. They asked me to travel to the village of Marshall for 2 days. They gave me the list of diabetic patients I needed to see, and sent me off with a box full of education materials, and diabetic supplies.

I had called the village clinic about 2 weeks before my trip and asked them to schedule the patients during my 2 day stay. Village clinics don't usually schedule patients when doctors come in because the flights are so crazy. The weather is always bad, and it you can not predict when or if you will make it to a village. So, I was pretty surprised this clinic was willing to schedule patients for me - we'll see what happens.

I flew out on Grant Aviation, another bush company. It is about a 1 hour flight to Marshall. The weather was bad, and the clouds were low. I was nervous flying with someone I did not know, but for some reason I was scheduled to fly on another airline. Oh well. I tried not to look nervous, but you could not see through the clouds, and I was praying that I would make it alive. We landed in Marshall, and the village agent, Bruce, was there to pick me up.

Bruce, like most Natives, was not very talkative - especially to a white female. I asked all sorts of questions about Marshall, and he started to open up. He told me that the "airport" - which is nothing more than a gravel runway and a shack, is 3 miles from town. He told me not to walk out of the village too far, because there are black bears - and sometimes they attack people. Good tip....

He dropped me off at the village clinic, and I paid him 2 dollars for the trip. He was much more friendly now, so I asked him to please not forget to pick me up tomorrow. My pilot is coming back tomorrow afternoon - and the way it works in the bush is if you are not at the air strip when the plane arrives, they will leave you. I did not want to get stuck!

When I walked into the clinic, things were in full swing. The nurse practitioner showed me around, and introduced me to the staff. They had a list of patients for me to see, so I just jumped in. As I waited in-between patients, I would talk with other people in the clinic. It was interesting to see their reaction to a white person. The kids were very curious - most of them had never seen light skin and blonde hair before, so they would stare at me. Adults would usually look away. They were much more shy around me. It was very obvious, so I tried to be sensitive to that.

Nothing is confidential in the village. Most people don't have phones, but everyone has a marine radio. The clinic had a radio, and when I needed to see a patient, the health aid would get on the radio and announce "Wassile, you need to come to the clinic to see the dietitian about your diabetes." It was hysterical. Wassile would respond, "Okay, I'll be there." Sure enough, the patient would arrive.

I can't believe what I learned about the Native diet. I thought I was pretty knowledgeable since I'd been out here for about a year, but I had no clue. The people here are very poor, and make due with so little, it's amazing. They must hunt and fish for survival. I learned about how food was prepared, and how it is used for medicinal purposes. Let me tell you, I've learned to really get back to basics in my approach to teaching nutrition. People here have no idea what a carbohydrate is, and I think that is pretty true for most of the world. Most of the people I saw over those 2 days were shocked that a blue eyed, blonde haired girl from the lower 48, was promoting their Native ways. Some people had a bit more knowledge about food and nutrition and would ask me about the nutritional content of things like beaver, marrow, and so on. I was stumped on some of those foods, and told them I would get back to them. Just as a side note, the USDA website has information on Alaska Native foods - I love that site and downloaded it to my PDA......

What blew me away was how people here have persevered in this type of environment. Those who have stayed active by fishing, cutting wood, and dog mushing and practiced their traditional diet were much better from a medical stand point than those who eat more store bought foods and were less active. I was not surprised at all.

Suicide is very common in these rural villages. Part of my diabetes screening is to check for depression. I met one woman who had lost her 4th child last month to suicide. It was gut wrenching to hear her stories. With the influence of TV and Internet, these teens are faced with such an identity crisis - I can't even imagine. They see how life is on the outside, but are proud of their heritage. The 2 sides collide with dire consequences. These kids have no outlet in the villages, nothing to keep them out of trouble. The elders in the villages are no longer the role models as these teens want to be like the kids they see on MTV - so they drink, and they drink until they kill themselves.... The elders in the villages outlawed alcohol years ago, but unintentional death is the 3rd leading cause of death in Western Alaska.

After my first day in the clinic, the nurse practitioner and I walked around the village. We drew a lot of attention around town, and everybody knew what we were there for. We had such a long day in the clinic, that the town store was already closed. I was disappointed because I wanted to see what the food prices were, and what was available.

That night, I slept on the couch in the waiting room. Thankfully this clinic had running water, so I could use a real toilet. Most of the village still uses honey buckets, so I felt lucky to be able to wash my hands and flush the toilet. I had brought along my own food and water. You don't want to drink the water in the village - especially where I'm not use to it. Anyway, the couch was very uncomfortable, but I was so exhausted that I fell right asleep.

The next day was just as busy as the day before. I reviewed patients' blood sugar readings, and made recommendations. I was scheduled to head out on the 4 pm flight, and by 2:30 I had not been able to get a hold of Bruce, the village agent. I was getting nervous because I wanted to get home tonight. I kept trying to radio Bruce, and finally he answered. Yes, he would get me at around 3:30. I was packing up my supplies to go home, and I heard Eric's voice over the radio. "Karen, 7-2". The health aids were impressed that my husband was a pilot. In this area, pilots are like movie stars. Seriously.... Anyway, I had never worked a radio before, and the health aids just laughed at me. They told me to change the channel to 7-2, so that I could talk to Eric. Eric was on his way to Marshall, and if he gets there before Grant, he'll take me back to Bethel. I was so excited!

Bruce picked me up at 3:30, and I said good-bye to the health aids. A few minutes later, Eric was landing in Marshall. I was so glad to see him. He unloaded the mail, and loaded up my bags. Then we blasted out of there. He had to stop in Russian Mission first to drop off some passengers. I fell asleep on the way home, and was happy to see Bethel!

I was very grateful for this experience because it really opened my eyes to life in the villages. Bethel is remote, but is nothing like the villages. I think this will really help me be a better dietitian as I continue to work here.

Grocery shopping bush style!

2006-07-15T10:40:00.000-08:00

Janna with all of our stuff from Wal-mart.

Eric and Janna with all of our food from Costco.

I love Costco!

We shipped over 800 pounds of food and supplies to Bethel.
Janna, Eric and I were in town together - so we met up for some serious grocery shopping. Grocery shopping is very challenging now that we live in the bush. There are grocery stores in Bethel, but the food is so expensive and the quality is terrible. Eric and I only buy milk and eggs in Bethel. (And that costs 12 dollars!) Everything else we buy when we go to Anchorage. This takes a lot of discipline. I'm so use to buying anything when ever I need to. Now, I must wait for about 2 months between shopping trips. It was really hard to adjust to at first, but now I just have to deal with it. I get pretty stressed out when I go to town. I'm fine for the first few days, but as the trip winds down, I get sad that I'm heading back, and I start to panic about leaving the city behind. It's hard to explain, but believe me - living in the bush is not for wimps.

Janna and I had our lists for Wal-mart and Costco. We each filled a cart at Wal-mart, then headed to Costco. Eric and I decided to make a big food/supply purchase, so we filled 2 carts. Now for the crazy part - getting everything ready to ship to the bush. Luckily, Eric gets a discount on Northern Air Cargo (NAC). This has been a godsend. We ship anything and everything. We first must put all of the frozen food into boxes. I freeze everything - yogurt, butter, meat, cheese, veggies, fruits, etc. We then put all of the dry items in totes or boxes. NAC puts all the boxes on pallets, we pay, and a few days later - it's like Christmas. We have all sorts of goodies. I love having a full pantry and freezer!

I have to laugh at the white truck we were driving. Janna was in town for some training, and since she works for the troopers, that was the car they gave her. I guess a few weeks ago, the troopers did a drug bust, and this was the truck they seized from that bust. It was a low-rider, and we were freaking out that we would get noticed with that thing. It was hysterical.

Drift net fishing on the Kuskokwim

2006-06-23T09:59:00.001-08:00

Drift net on the Kuskokwim River

Our catch from the drift net.

Yes, those fish are on the kitchen floor. Don't worry, we cleaned up.....

Holding a nice King salmon from the Kuskokwim River.
Tonight, the Doug, Janna, Kelly, Tammy and I went out on the river for some dutch oven cooking, and fishing. Eric was in St. Mary's, so he missed out on the fun. We packed up our dutch ovens, and camp chairs and took the boat up river. It was a bit windy out, which was nice since wind keeps the mosquitoes down. Kelly and Tammy just bought their boat, so they were excited to take us out on the river. Kelly found a nice spot for us to have dinner, so the boys dropped the girls off to make dinner while they tried out the drift net.

The boys were gone for a little over an hour, so we got the coals going and started cooking dinner. Tammy made some chicken, and I made biscuits and a dessert. The boys came back after a while, and had no luck using the drift net. After a yummy dinner, we packed everything back on the boat and went back out to try the net again.

Since we are Alaska residents and live in the bush, we can participate in subsistence fishing. That means, we can drift net as well as rod and reel. Using a drift net is pretty tricky. One person must steer the boat, while another person feeds the net out into the water. The person steering the boat, must keep it straight so the boat doesn't get caught in the net. While the net is in the water, fish (hopefully) swim through it, and their gills get caught in the holes. The net will bob up in down in the water when we have fish, then 2 people pull the net in. Kelly and I pulled the net in, and killed the fish that were in the net. We tried this for a few hours and only came up with 6 king salmon and 2 silvers. Not very good. It was still fun trying.

We came back to Bethel, cleaned up the boat and headed over to the Kelly's to clean the fish. Tammy was freaking out that we were going to put the dead fish on her kitchen floor, but we all promised we would clean up. After a few hours filleting the fish, we were all covered in blood and fish guts. Yummy! There is a right way to fillet a fish, and I'm getting the handle of it. It helps to have a nice sharp fillet knife. We then divided up the fish, and cleaned up our mess. By the time I drove home it was almost 3 am, and the sun was still out on the horizon. I love the summer sun.

Quick trip from St. Mary's

2006-06-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

Crew unloading Eric's plane
Eric has been in St. Mary's for about 2 weeks. St. Mary's is on the Yukon River, and takes about 1 hour to fly there. (in a small plane) Eric is training in the 207, and will be based in Bethel. He's been in Nome for over 6 months, so I'm happy to have him home on a regular basis.

Eric flew down to Bethel today to drop off passengers, so we were only able to chat for a few minutes. I grabbed him something to eat, and sent him off with a care package of goodies. It is hard being separated all of the time, but this is just what we have to do to get him flying. Luckily I have a lot of great friends to keep me busy - I'm also pretty independent, so that helps too. Eric should be back to Bethel by July.

Vegetable Garden

2006-06-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

Planting our first garden in Bethel.

Bethel's green house
Janna, Tammy and I decided to plant a garden this year (or try to). We were amazed to learn that Bethel has a green house, and we could buy plants. We bought tomatoes, squash, peas, and broccoli.

The three of us spent the afternoon planting all of our vegetables, and are excited to see if anything will grow.

Around town in Bethel

2006-05-04T13:53:00.000-08:00

The video store. We don't have a movie theater here, so we must wait for movies to come out on DVD. You can rent a movie for 3 bucks.

A view of the AC parking lot in May.

Another parking lot view. This is why break-up boots are a must have in the bush.

Banana prices in Bethel. I remember when they were $.39/pound in the lower 48.....

The cereal and cracker isle at AC.

Pilot crackers, a popular food in the bush. They taste like stale saltines to me.

Milk prices in Bethel.....

Mouthwash is kept behind the counter in the bush. It contains alcohol, and people drink it.

Bethel's grocery store - AC .

This is our "main street" in down town Bethel.

Here's our truck

This is the 800 Building - the apartment complex for YK employees.

Springtime??? The Kuskokwim River is still frozen and it's May 4th..... I'm off to warmer temps.
I decided to take some pictures around downtown Bethel. As you can see, we have a variety of activities to choose from.... The grocery prices blow me away. Many of the villagers buy their food in Bethel since it is so much cheaper than in the village store. That's scary.

This is spring time in Bethel. It means lots of mud. There are no car washes in Bethel, and water is too expensive to waste on washing cars. I have to be careful getting in and out of my truck so that I don't get mud all over my pants. I also wear break up boots or shoes I don't mind getting dirty around town. You don't want to wear nice shoes here - they will get all gunked up.

I love the picture of the mouth wash behind the counter. Bethel is a damp community. What that means is that you can buy alcohol in Anchorage and ship it here, but you can not buy it in Bethel. The law here also regulates how much alcohol a person can ship in per month. And let me tell you, they keep track of it. My friend Janna checks what is shipped in every day - she works for the troopers, and that is her job. People here are so hard up for alcohol, that they will drink almost everything from hairspray to mouth wash. It's pretty sad. The AC grocery store is the local hangout, and I always get a contact high just from walking in. There are so many drunk people congregating in front of the AC, and they always hit people up for money. All I can do is laugh. The AC is also where "deals" go down. Eric and I have witnessed people buying alcohol by the side of the store. That is illegal here, but it is tough to catch. Alcohol is banned from the villages, but just about everyone knows how to make "home brew."

Anyway, I'm off to Anchorage today, then to Utah for Lee's USU graduation. I hope to experience some warmer temperatures! Eric is in Nome, and won't be able to come with me. We are going to meet in Anchorage when I get back.

Winter Fun

2006-04-09T14:48:00.000-08:00

The girls - Jessica, Lisa, Courtney, Me, Janna, and Carolina. Napakiak, Alaska

Here we are in Napakiak, Alaska Today, the girls decided to have a girls day out (Eric was allowed to come). We took our snowmobiles out on the frozen river to some of the surrounding villages. Everyone looked at us, as we "drove" into the villages. I know they were thinking "crazy white people!" It was a great time. The weather was much warmer that usual - at 20 degrees. That felt like a heat wave compared to sub zero temps.

I don't know how to drive the snowmobile very well, so I was glad Eric was here. Our machine is made for the powder of Utah, but it has worked pretty well in Bethel. I guess Bethel had more snow than usual, so we could ride our machine.

We stopped at the trading post in Napakiak, which is just like a 7-11, but with no gasoline. You can buy groceries and other small items. The prices were unbelievably high, but I was amazed at how much they had. I also noticed a box of these mushroom/fungus looking things. I learned that was called punk to make iqmik - which is a type of chew. Just about every man, woman, and yes even children use iqmik. They burn the punk, and add it to Copenhagen chew. It's pretty gross. As I said, everybody chews here. People are constantly spitting around town - and it's totally gross.

After the trading post, we had to find a bathroom which is not easy in a village. Villages do not have running water, and most homes still use a "honey bucket". A honey bucket is a plastic bucket with a seat attached. When the bucket is filled with waste, it must be dumped out. Each village has a place to dump the human waste, but most people just dump it outside. We decided to go to the washiteria to find a restroom. I could not believe at the price to do a load of laundry - it will cost you over 10 dollars to do one load! You can imagine the stares we received as a group of rowdy white girls tromp to the bathroom. Once we were finished, we all got back on our snowmobiles and headed home.

Snowmobiling

2006-03-24T15:12:00.000-09:00

Eric trying to ice fish on the Johnson River

Trying to ice fish

A Russian Orthodox church

Basketball court

The village store

Pike drying outside a house in Napaskiak

The school in Napaskiak

A steam house in Napaskiak, Alaska

Eric and I went snowmobiling today. We rode out to the village of Napaskiak which is 5 miles down river. The village store did not have much food to choose from. They did not have any fresh produce, milk, cheese or eggs. They had some frozen vegetables, and lots of canned stuff. They also had lots of frozen pizzas, burritos, hotdogs, etc. In the village milk is either powdered or canned. Most of the food was expired, and was priced 10 times at what you pay in the lower 48.

I am standing by a steam bath house. Steams are a big part of the culture here. Since water is scarce, this is how most people cleanse themselves. From a medical standpoint, they are a cesspool of bacteria. The steambaths are made of wood, they are not cleaned or disinfected, and people go in there in the nude - with no barrier. People here suffer from boils like you would not believe. Many of the hospital inpatients are there for treatment of an infection that resulted from a boil.

Eric and I decided to try out ice fishing for pike. We did not have any equipment, but that does not matter. All you need is a stick, some rope and a hook. We gave it a try for about an hour, but we did not catch anything. It was pretty cold, and I was ready to head back. The temps were hovering around 10 below zero, which wasn't too bad since the wind wasn't blowing.

Walrus in Nome

2006-03-10T15:43:00.000-09:00

Walrus on the sea ice

Bering Sea

A view from the air - outside of Nome. These are some pictures Eric took while he was in Nome. People eat walrus and use their tusks to make jewelry. I'm sure they use the skin for something - as nothing is wasted. Whenever Eric lands in one of the villages, people come up and ask him if he wants to buy any ivory. It is illegal for a Non-Alaskan Native to have a walrus tusk in their possession. However, an Alaska Native can sign a tusk and sell it to a Non-Native. They cost anywhere from $1,500 - $2,000 per tusk. I have told Eric to be on the lookout for an ivory bracelet. I think that would be a neat thing to have from here.

Flying in Nome

2006-01-23T11:25:00.000-09:00

A view from the cockpit.

Eric delivering bales of straw to the Iditarod mushers.

The 1900 in Nome, Alaska

Passengers boarding the plane in Savoonga, Alaska.

Passenger waiting for the plane in Savoonga. This is what 50 below zero looks like. Eric works in Nome, Alaska every 16-31st of the month. He has been traveling up there since October. He lives in a pilot house with other Hageland guys for 2 weeks. I must admit, I'm having a hard time being alone all the time. It is our first winter in Alaska, and it's brutal. The temperatures dip to 50 below with the wind chill, and the sun is out for only 4-5 hours. I try to stay busy at night running on the treadmill, but I'm pretty limited to what is available here.

Eric has taken some great pictures of the Norton Sound area. The villages here are more spread out than they are in Bethel, so they must fly the 1900. The weather there is crazy, since these villages are in the Bering Sea. Eric tells me how cold it is with the wind. Luckily, the plane is heated so he keeps pretty warm. He also said that he can see Russia from one of the villages. I guess he is only 40 or so miles from Russia. They have to be careful not to cross into international air space.

Welcome to Bethel, AK

2005-11-26T20:51:00.001-09:00

The 800 building (our apartment complex) in the background

Bethel, and the frozen Kuskokwim River

Welcome to Bethel, Alaska

2005-11-26T20:51:00.000-09:00

Walking to the post office from our apartment building

Bethel, and the frozen Kuskokwim River

Nome, Alaska

2005-11-20T16:34:00.000-09:00

Welcome to Nome! The Nome Hageland pilot houseBering sea

Nome has a movie theater - They only show one movie, but that's better than Bethel!

Front Street - Nome Front street and the Bering Sea

Unloading the 1900

Eric just finished his first shift in Nome, and he was very happy to be home. Nome is about 400 miles north of Anchorage, only accessible by commercial airline (just like Bethel). Eric said the main difference between Nome and Bethel are the bars. Bethel is a damp community, so we don't have bars. Nome does have tourism unlike Bethel, so that brings in money. Nome is in the bush just like Bethel, but in Nome you can drive a few hundred miles to different villages. In Bethel, you can't drive anywhere - as we only have 10 miles of road. Eric and I talk each night on the phone. I will admit, I'm having a hard time here. There is nothing to do, and it is so dark and cold every day. I've got to hang in there because Eric is doing really well with his flying. This will be a great opportunity for us, I just have to grow up. The feeling of desperation is like nothing I've ever experienced before. It's really hard to explain to people who are on the outside. I sometimes can't watch TV because I see everything that is going on in the world, and I'm just stuck here. I have to be strong so that Eric can continue with his flying career.

Anyway, Eric really likes the flying, and has seen a lot of amazing stuff. I'd like to come up there sometime and see what it's like.

Happy Halloween!

2005-10-31T16:34:00.000-09:00

This is our first Halloween in Bethel. We've already had lots of snow (which is unusual, I've been told). It's been cold and windy, but today was sunny. We decided to head down to the river and take some pictures.

We did not have any trick-or-treaters this year. Our apartment complex is locked, which makes it hard for visitors. I'm not sure how popular Halloween is here - I can't imagine people getting into it here.

Eric leaves for Nome today and starts his 2 week shift tomorrow. Hageland pilots work 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off. Which is great, but this is our first Alaska winter, and I'm not sure how this is going to go. We shall see....

Yukon Kuskokwim Delta Regional Hospital

2005-06-19T18:04:00.000-08:00

This is the hospital where I work as the clinical dietitian. The hospital is a 30 bed facility which serves patients in the YK delta. The YK delta is the size of Oregon, and has 55 Native villages. (More on the villages later). Our services are pretty impressive for an area as remote as Bethel, but we are quite limited as you can imagine. The hospital has an emergency room, obstetrics unit, pediatric unit (9 beds), inpatient unit, and outpatient clinics. We do not have an Intensive care unit. If someone is very ill, they are flown to Anchorage.

As I said, Bethel serves about 55 villages. These villages each have a small village clinic where health aids provide medical care. These health aids receive training in Bethel and do everything from birthing babies to giving immunizations. When a sick patient arrives at the village clinic, the health aid must follow a manual to identify the patent's problem. The health aids then call the doctors in Bethel if needed. Alaska is the only state that has these health aids.

Bethel, Alaska

2005-06-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

This is the first time we saw Bethel back in June, 2005. Bethel is located 400 miles west of Anchorage on the Kuskokwim river. No roads lead in or out of Bethel, so the only way out is by a jet plane. About 6,000 people live here and most of the people are Yup'ik Eskimos. Eric and I wanted to move to Alaska, and Bethel was the best place for both of our careers. Eric was a new pilot and was able to get on with a bush flying service right away, and I landed a job that paid for the move.

I must admit that moving to this area from the lower 48 was tough. We learned as much as we could before we moved to Bethel, but we moved without seeing it first. Eric and I just jumped out there and did it. Many people don't understand how or why we could do it. That is just fine with us. Eric and I had wanted to move to Alaska for a long time, and we are very glad we did it. Alaska is very proud of it's culture, and traditions and by living in this remote part of the world, we have developed such a sense of respect for this land and it's people. It is truly amazing. The people and their lifestyle are something we will never forget. We have met some of the most interesting, real people and have experienced truly unique experiences. I have decided to start this blog to share our pictures and stories with family and friends.