Salmon Fishing

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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.....