Snowmobiling

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

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

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

The 800 building (our apartment complex) in the background

Bethel, and the frozen Kuskokwim River

Welcome to Bethel, Alaska

Walking to the post office from our apartment building

Bethel, and the frozen Kuskokwim River

Nome, Alaska

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!

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....