The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 15 - Feeling Alaskan

 The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 15 - Feeling Alaskan

I don't know how it happens sometimes, but I will take a quick look at the calendar and realize that over a month or two has gone by and I can't even grasp where that time went. I'm starting to feel that despite how subtly and quickly the days pass, I'm okay with it. I'm trying to put less and less stock into time and being a slave to it and honestly, it's really helped the days to be so much less stressful and obligatory. I have my responsibilities with school and teaching, but spontaneity has become welcomed company. I try hard not to make plans and just let the phone and the day run its course.

Fall obviously came and went and with it has come some new opportunities for me. Not that they're so much new, as they were renewed opportunities that I just wasn't ready for a year ago. I've had the chance to go bird hunting (goose, duck, swan and other) and that was a lot of fun. First time I ever shot a shotgun in my life. We never had guns growing up as my mom and dad never really advocated for hunting. Despite having a humble, summer cottage in northern Wisconsin, hunting was never an activity for my brothers and I. There was never a gun in our house in my eighteen years living there and now I own two and it's a staple possession here in the village. The guys 'and' women here could tell you everything you would want to know or learn about firearms and hunting tips. Stories and curiosities about hunting and catching are regular conversation.

Having been here a year now, I'm was in a position to catch my first moose. Culturally and traditionally you don't talk about going out to look for moose, hunt them or make plans to go out moose hunting. You 'go for a ride' and if nature offers opportunities, you take them gratefully. The results are obvious. You don't really have an appreciation for how magnificent an animal the moose really is until you have a chance to see them up close swimming in the water or standing on shore from a boat. Even more humbling is the unbelievable size they garner when you have to throw a 100-200 pound (or more) moose leg or body part over your shoulder and carry or drag it 25 yards or more through thick brush, sometimes 1-2 feet of water or other obstacles. Now I'm sure some of my more seasoned hunting friends would give me a hard time and say, "Well, just drop it on the beach or shore next time and you won't have to work so hard". I know, I know. Definitely easier said than done. Not to mention also the humbling experience when a moose leg or rack of ribs is taking up your entire kitchen table to be cut and processed. It's surreal, it truly is. And it's an absolutely delicious meat. People in the village have been very fortunate this fall and there has been plenty of meat to be passed around for the elders, those in need and those wanting some fresh moose to fill winter freezers. Traditionally when you catch your first moose, you give the entire animal away, and I did. Respectfully you are able to keep the antlers and I was very proud to hang onto the 45-inch rack that my bull carried around.

And if I had to take a moment to touch on the actual moose itself, holy cow! Again, you cannot begin to appreciate the sheer size and strength these creatures possess. They are huge from afar, but when you get up next to them after catching, they are like standing next to a horse. Funny I should mention that too, because a friend here posted a picture on Facebook of a guy holding up the head of a horse laying on the ground and the caption said, "My first moose". My friend eluded to the fact that, that would be me, holding up the horse I mistakenly caught, instead of a real moose. I did good though, I caught the right one, lol. When you dress out the moose (cut up) in the woods, you simply cannot believe the size of the muscles and skeletal structure that makes up a moose. They have these amazingly strong legs and necks. If you had a chance to see how thick some of the trees and brush are and to know that these animals are carrying incredible weight in their antlers, moving in and out of these trees is truly mind-blowing. And I have seen some bulls run through the forest with the speed of a horse and again, they are carrying these tremendous antlers in and out of the brush with little to no effort. Equally impressive are their leg muscles to where I've seen a moose jump up a steep, 15-foot embankment with little to no effort after jumping out of the water. I could go on and on about different parts of their body structure, but I will simply say it is a truly, amazing animal to experience.

The fall also gave me an opportunity to explore more of the Yukon, down river. That was so much fun for me too, because it took me back to the days of being 'up north' in Northern Wisconsin. That's what we called it growing up. My parents had a small, humble lot that we first started camping on. Over time they slowly built a basement that eventually became our cottage and their retirement home. I treasured those days and weeks we spent at the cottage and miss them terribly. What we called our cottage, here they call 'fish camps' and most people have one to go to. If you get a chance to go down river, what you find is 'nothing' and that is what I absolutely love. When I say nothing, I simply mean it's just you and nature and nothing else. The peace of the woods, the water and the animals you're lucky to see. I found a quiet place I liked going to in one of the sloughs down river and spent a lot of time there. A slough is a tributary of the river that flows into the larger Yukon. They are usually smaller, shallower and so, so peaceful. One night I floated for 45 minutes and there was not an animal or a bird in sight and there was no sound anywhere. I couldn't even hear the water. Lol, maybe because I'm starting to go deaf, but it was one of the most peaceful experiences I have ever had. I dozed off a couple times as the water of the slough just carried me along in silence. My hope next summer is to find a place to put up a tent on a more permanent basis and start having some of my own getaways. Certainly something peaceful to look forward to.

The last few weeks have also offered a new set of experiences that I didn't have last year. I bought my first little boat this summer and had to have that brought up from the river. Similar to getting a boat out of the water back in Wisconsin, only here, you could just pull the boat out of the water and leave it on the beach above the ice and flow of the river. Some people do choose to do that, but I wanted to have it a little closer to my place to fix up in the spring. I had three friends who threw mine on their trailer and helped me to get it up to my apartment. I cannot say enough how good the people are here for helping one another out. Trading favors is what it turns out to be and it is just a way of life here. That's one of the things I absolutely love about the people here. As I was saying, there were some new experiences that were pretty cool. As neat as it was to talk about and see the 'breaking of the ice' in the spring, where people anxiously anticipate the first breaking of the ice, the same enthusiasm is garnered for the 'coming of the ice'. Villagers talk about word they hear from upriver, in the interior where the river first starts to freeze over. People talk about how the ice is making its way down river from village to village and predictions are made as to when it will reach Mountain. Then it comes. You look down and go down to the river to see the huge masses of ice that start to flow past our village. Then as the weather grows more consistently colder, you can see the river 'slow down' and the ice begins to grow solid and the river comes to a stop. Amazingly, you still have those few brave (or goofy, lol) souls who keep their boats in the water to gather logs or check for the coming of the eels. They have been known to find themselves stuck behind ice-islands, requiring a rescue, but for the most part make for some good stories and fun adventures.

As I mentioned above the coming of the eels is another event I hadn't experienced before. There is a huge migration of eels that makes its way up river and people love to use dip nets to catch on the edge of the ice. Some days they bring in hundreds and it's an incredible site. From what I'm told they are a very rich tasting creature, and much loved here as a meal in the village. You also see a big migration of the Grayline. It is a fish in the salmon family and we usually see them in late fall and throughout the winter. I had a chance to ice-fish for some two weeks ago with a group of people and it was a lot of fun. It's a 30-minute ride on four-wheelers through the tundra and over some smaller streams and sloughs to the 'hot spot'. I didn't catch that day, but my friends did and it was a blast. I tell people and swear to it, that I could be on the water or ice, lol for hours, not catch anything and still be just as content, having a good time. The same love of fishing I had back in Wisconsin since I was a kid growing up. If the fish weren't biting, I was just happy to be on the water, hanging out with my dad or brothers.

I guess I have to at least speak a little to the new normal we're going through here in the village. Obviously, the Covid-19 Pandemic has changed our world and it is no different here in Mountain. We unfortunately don't have the medical facilities we would have in a bigger city. We have our clinic, but no hospital. The nearest hospital is an hour away by plane or helicopter and it is unlikely that they would be flying us out unless it is an emergency. So the concern is a little higher and taken more seriously here in the village. Especially since we have a large number of elders in the community who would really struggle if they were to contract the virus. As of the weekend, we now have 7 confirmed cases in the village and they are expecting more. The village is on lockdown and there is a 5 pm curfew where you need to be in your home for the safety of everyone. School also sadly has been closed and we are limited to passing out learning packets and calling students twice a week to make sure they are doing well and if they need help. It saddens me greatly. I would much rather be in my classroom with my students learning, laughing and having fun, the way it was meant to be. Simply put, this new normal sucks and I miss the way of old. I truly hope we can get back to where things are more normal, like they used to be.

My final addition to the winter was a new member to my household. Yukon, a half-husky, half-labrador who is my new buddy and companion. I had been thinking about it for a long time, but just wasn't ready to make the jump. Obviously, it's a big responsibility and I thought, "Alright...let's do this!" So I did. I was stuck on what to name him and first posted and introduced him as my new puppy, 'no name'. It was so much fun then to see the flood of name suggestions from people and Yukon was coincidentally the most recommended. When I did some playing on the floor, he responded time after time to Yukon...so Yukon it was and it has been a perfect fit. He has been amazing and I look forward to having a camping and boat buddy next summer when I start exploring the river in the summer again. Can't honestly say that three hour blocks of sleep are my favorite thing right now, but as soon as Yukon and I are fully potty trained, lol, we'll be good to go on more sleep. Looking forward to sharing of his adventures much more as well.

That's all for now. Until next time...stay tuned!

 

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 14 - One Year and Counting

                             

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 14 - One Year and Counting

A little more than a month has gone by and yet again, so much has been packed into what feels like such a short amount of time. This has honestly been one of the best summers of my life. I was just talking to my older brother Tom today and was sharing some of my recent activities and adventures. He told me he could not remember for a very long time, hearing me as upbeat, content and sounding like I was definitely in the right place, as I shared stories with him. Tom said, "Sounds like it's time to write that book." Maybe he's right. I've been very fortunate to have a lot of wonderful experiences in the last twenty years of my life, and have spent so many wonderful and special times with family, friends and in wonderful relationships. But I have to say that this is the first time in many, many years that I finally feel like the round peg that goes into the round hole. For those of you reading and scoring at home, the round hole means here in Mountain Village, Alaska.

I don't know if I mentioned it in a previous blog, but I had a very good friend share an interesting thought with me last year. He said that he believed when we meet and interact with anyone in our lives, we need to think about their 'age and stage'. Thinking to ourselves: How old are they? What stage are they at in their life right now? What experiences have shaped their attitudes, behaviors and actions? How are their age and stage different from mine? I thought it was a really great perspective and when I gave it some serious thought, so many characteristics of people I do and have had interactions with, have become much more clear and now make much more sense. Simply put, I found a good fit for what is best for the age and stage in my life right now. And when I look back on friendships and relationships from my past, I have a lot more empathy and understanding that many of those people were at a much different age and/or stage in their lives, and it just wasn't a fit for mine. No one's fault or blame, just different paths in life, different ages and stages. Food for thought.

Speaking of food for thought...moose! August 1st was the opening of moose hunting season. And having been here one year now, I am excited to legally be able to catch my first moose. And just to clarify if you are not familiar. Here in Alaska, it is traditional and culturally appropriate to say you are going to 'catch' a moose or 'caught' a moose. You don't say I shot a moose. I learned last year at this time from my friends in the village that catching a moose is being respectful to nature and the land, and what it provides for you. The moose provides food and at one time clothing, to each of the families. It is a term of respect for the Yupik culture and people here honor it very seriously. So I am very excited to have the opportunity to catch my first moose this fall. In talking with several of the guys I have gotten to know and become friends with, the majority have felt that it is better to wait until September to start hunting the moose. The warmer weather of August can allow the meat to get warm too quickly, creating a greater possibility for the meat to go bad. In addition, there are more bugs around which also presents a problem in the fur and with potential meat. From what I am told, the Mountain Village area, as well as up and down the Yukon River Delta, offer a plethora of opportunities to find and catch moose, and September will be a prime time to do so. I can't wait.

Another big event that I was able to experience for the first time was the start and height of the berry picking season. Everyone gets very excited and really looks forward to the berries turning and being ready for harvesting. It's funny to hear people talk. The eager berry pickers are out as soon as they can be, yet are very hesitant to give away their secret spots, or where they are finding their first picks. After a while they are everywhere and talk turns to the excitement of boat trips to far off tundra, where in some places you can't even begin to make a dent in the berries, because there are so many. Some villagers will travel as far as an hour-to-two-hours or more to some of their favorite places. Kotlik is one of the favorites to travel to for many villagers. Some refer to the trips as going to Berry Camp, where they pick berries and camp for one or several nights. The first berries of the season are the Cloud Berries, also referred to as Salmon Berries. They start out as a deep-orange and turn to a light orange and become very soft. They have a sweet, unique taste that I can't even compare to anything else. Next in line are Blueberries and Raspberries, and finally the Black Berries as you get further into August. Most people here refer to their picking in terms of gallons, so the more gallons you have, you've done some 'serious' berry picking. And keep in mind how small most of these berries are and you can begin to appreciate the sheer commitment they have to gathering. Most of the berries are used to make the traditional akutuq, Eskimo Ice-Cream and it is delicious, and like nothing you've ever tasted. You won't find a family gathering, event or celebration here that doesn't have a large bowl of akutaq included with the meal.

I did spend a lot of time on my own this summer too. I really liked that flexibility to go where I wanted to go, when I wanted to go and do whatever moved me at that moment. If someone called to ask me to go do something, I never said no. I dropped everything and took advantage of those experiences and opportunities. Age and stage again. I know not everyone can say they can do that, so not for one second do I take it for granted that I had those opportunities. That freedom could be taken away in a heartbeat and I will always be grateful. What were my 'alone time' activities? They became some of my favorite things to do. Hopping on my four-wheeler and going anywhere; up the mountain, down to the docks, miles along the tundra, over to the gravel pits, or simply driving around town seeing who was out and about. I also found a comfortable patio chair and a small stool to put my feet up on and spent hours and hours sitting on my tiny porch, with a Pepsi in hand, watching people zoom by on the dirt road, super-highway that hugs the side of my house facing the mountain. I'd also retreat on many nights to what we call The Tracks. It's a stretch of trees and open field under water until summer, along the Yukon River and the edge of Mountain. That's where I made a little campfire spot for anyone to enjoy. Although I never saw signs of anyone else taking advantage of it, I spent many nights enjoying the warmth of the fire, peanuts and Pepsi and the soft, rolling waters of the river. It's also the spot where I met up with my first and hopefully last bear and now my trips are not complete without the addition of my gun and a can of bear spray. Knock on wood, no more bears. (The campfire site I told about is in the picture above.)

I talked about it a little before, but I can't help but think how lucky I got in this first year with friendships and getting to know people in the village. Even though I enjoyed my alone time, I still looked forward to the friendships I had made. The unique part of it though is that I not only made friendships with other guys, but I made many quality and genuine friendships with both the women and families in the village. People you could stop and talk to on your four-wheeler for fifteen minutes or more, just sharing stories and laughs about life. Or going down to the docks or shore to manuq and striking up a conversation, that before you know it lasts for a couple hours. Families took me in for meals, took me camping on the coast of the Bering Sea, for boat rides, fishing at one of the village's, favorite hot spots - Clearwater, I was a part of three family funerals, drift netting for King Salmon, invited to bingo, and was offered help in so many ways. I am very grateful for all of that. I didn't know what to expect for the summer, sadly knowing I wouldn't be able to get back to Wisconsin to see my son and daughter, my grandkids and my other family and friends. But...I wouldn't have changed a thing. I couldn't have asked for a better first summer (and year) in Mountain.   

That's all for now...stay tuned!

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 13 - Forging Friendships & New Firsts

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 13 - Forging Friendships and New Firsts

I kick myself sometimes, because I wish that I would post more frequently when there are so many things going on here and they might be more interesting happening in real time. It's okay though. The events are all still very exciting and they're a great addition to the adventure. As the title expresses, the last seven weeks have allowed me a lot of growth in the village with both friendships and opportunities to do things for the first time.

Probably the most exciting addition was my purchase of a four-wheeler. Almost considered a must if you are going to live in the village permanently. It not only allows you the convenience of getting around a lot easier, but the opportunities to travel outside the village and around the mountain are endless. There were many places around the village that I had never ventured to on foot. Before the ice broke on the river, I had the good fortune to go up river on the rock-trails that ran along the beach of the river and see some of the fish camps that are frequented during the summer and fishing seasons. Then there were the trails up the mountain, trails around the village, trails along the old airport and the list goes on. One convenience I really appreciated was being able to go to the local store and have the four-wheeler to carry my box of food back home. It was usually a decent walk up the steady incline of the road back to my apartment.

I have to say that the best part of the new, four-wheeler was what it did for allowing me to get to know the villagers better. I mentioned that I was forging friendships and it has truly been a great opportunity to really get to know people on a much more personal level. The best part is that it's not just with a couple of guys. It's with not only a lot of guys, but with women, with couples and with whole families. Imagine driving around your neighborhood and when you see someone, you pull up next to them roll down your window (no windows on the Honda's, lol), and you strike up a conversation. It could be at the AC Store, down by any one of the three docks (no docks, open gravel to the water), by the spring, at the dump, by the post office, on the road to the new airport, or even in the middle of the road. Today a friend pulled up on the road, we shut off our four-wheelers and after a short while, another friend pulled up and we were three Hondas deep talking about hunting and catching moose in the fall. Sometimes my friends with kids will pull up with their family of four and we'll 'chew the fat' (talk) for a good fifteen, twenty minutes. And you wouldn't believe it, but the kids no matter how big or small, will sit as quietly or patiently as ever, or are active, enjoyable participants in the conversations. It's amazing and so comforting at the same time. I was brought up in a family where my mom and dad would walk to the surrounding yards of our neighbors and strike up conversations for an hour at a time. I don't believe I could have been put in a better place to carry on that tradition. And I have to say that even if you're not stopping to visit, people will always smile or give a wave to say a respectful hello. I love it. There are good people everywhere and Mountain has its own share of people with issues and struggles. But I just pause and shrug, not knowing what to say sometimes about how grateful I am to be where I am and have the people around me that I do.

May was sad, because it brought a bittersweet and official end to the already unusual, school year we had. I've shared with a lot of people that what made the year exceptionally sad was that I was fortunate enough to have one of the very best group of kids in my twenty-one years of teaching and was having possibly one of the best school years I have ever had. Each school year always allowed the opportunity to have a nice goodbye with a fun end-of-the-year celebration. The fear of the Corona Virus took that away from us this year. A final phone call, or in some cases just a text, is all that I got with each student before saying goodby for the summer. Hard to put into words. The upside of the coming summer was that I was going to be able to see all my students around the village throughout the summer. Not something I ever had the opportunity to have happen during my teaching back in Wisconsin. It's a pretty neat feeling when you're anywhere around the village and you hear kids from every grade shouting out or giving a friendly, "Hi Mr. Matt, or Hey Mr. Matt."

May also allowed for some of those firsts that I mentioned. Since I arrived in August, each new event becomes an exciting first for me. As the weather began to warm the river, the talk of the ice breaking was a big deal in the village. You could first see the ice melting from the shore to about twenty feet to the gargantuan sheet of ice that covered the entire Yukon to the other shore. Everyone was talking about when it would break. Each day we watched, we checked, we watched. Then...one day...it happened. Giant sheets of ice cracked, spun, crunched, 'chingled' and began floating down the river. People talked about huge chunks of the past that would pile up along the shores, creating giant banks of ice that sometimes tore into the shore and landscape. They had not seen that in some time and this year was explained as a moderate year for the ice moving. There were some big buildups near the shore where you would see what would appear as an ice jam, but overall the steady flow of massive sheets of ice made their way down the river. The crunching and crinkling sounds of the ice were like something I had never heard before. The flow was amazing to watch. We never saw it this year, but legends of the past told of people seeing moose and bear floating on sheets of ice where they mistakenly forgot to jump off before the ice broke free. We weren't lucky enough to see that this year.

The breaking of the ice also led way to the river rising. Day to day we saw the shoreline shrink, boat owners dragging boats to higher land to avoid ice damage, waters swallowing the shore that we had just recently traveled up and down river on with our four-wheelers, and our village spring being submerged for an indefinite period of time. Over the course of a few weeks the amount of ice coming from up river was slowly disappearing and bringing the next stage of the spring thaw, logging. Villagers readied their boats and before you knew it, they were out on the water searching out the best logs to be gathered and cut for winter heating. Thousands and thousand of logs made their way down the river. Some were not shy about braving the remaining ice sheets to get some of the first picks from spring logs passing Mountain. And let's be clear here. When I say logs, I'm not talking large sticks. I'm talking about former trees, monstrous trees that had fallen in the river, now mostly limbless, but huge. I was fortunate to be able to go logging a couple of times and it is a fun, but grueling experience. Chainsaws right there on the ice or in the water, roping and dragging the logs behind your boat to the shore, tying the log to a four-wheeler and dragging it back to the respective house for further cutting and splitting. It's a pretty cool process.

The warm weather at the end of May saw the village start to come alive a lot more. While the Covid-19 threat was still in the back of our minds, people here too were itching to get out and live the life they were used to. Things like the thawing river, bird hunting, gathering wild eggs and logging. With the beginning of June I saw the preparation for fishing coming to life. People began preparing their boats, nets and fish camps for the upcoming season. Mountain Village is a big subsistence and commercial fishing village and they are very passionate about what they love to do. And they are very good at it. Early June will bring the movement of the King Salmon up river and a pinnacle time for setting nets and starting the season. As people start catching fish, a common sight will be large quantities of dried fish hanging from outdoor drying racks. Some of the best and most delicious salmon in the world is right in our front yard and nearby Mountain. Soon you will also see people gearing up for berry picking, which is also a staple and popular activity in and around the tundra of Mountain Village. You don't get the amazing and delicious aqutak (Eskimo Ice-Cream) without the delicious salmon, blue and blackberries on the tundra.

Well, June is in full-swing and like I said earlier there are so many things going on it is hard to keep up. June has brought the running of the King Salmon and Chum up river and subsistence fisher-people have been busy checking their 'set' nets and 'drift' nets for hopes of a good catch. I say fisher-people, because there are many talented women as well who have continued long-standing traditions for fishing that have been in their families for years. I had to the opportunity to be a part of harvesting the fish from all aspects (minus drift netting, which I hope to do as the summer subsistence and commercial fishing continues). I can only use the word amazing again as I describe what families do together to work their fish camps. Each camp comes with its own unique share of old stories, traditions and laughter. 50-100 fish are meticulously caught, gutted, fillet, hung on wood beams to dry, taken and dried in smokehouses and packed for winter in a variety of ways. Obviously, much of the fish is prepared for upcoming meals, but each family has its own special traditions of how they like to prepare their fish. And I am also truly impressed by the incredible generosity which people in the village have for taking care of others and making sure everyone - family, friend and neighbor have an opportunity to benefit from each catch. I will also tell you that it is some of the most delicious fish (salmon) that you have 'ever' tasted in your life. I swear that some of the fresh caught King Salmon taste like they've been draped in butter. The oil in their meat absolutely melts in your mouth. Mmmm.

June also brought several deaths to the village and regardless of whether it was old age and a long-life, lived or the tragedy of a young death, it hits deep and resonates throughout the village. We tragically lost a twenty-year-old, young man, another young woman and two very sweet and well-respected, women elders. It was important to me to be a part of those so that I was able to help and honor those who passed, in any way that I could. This village is a part of me now and I want to show my respect in any way that I can. In one passing I was part of a procession for the young man who was one of our honored (VPO) Village Police Officers. I just saw him the day before he passed and it just rips at your heart to realize how quickly life can be taken away. A second funeral I was able to be a part of was for an honored and respected elder in the village. Her life, kindness and how she touched the lives of others in the village was more far reaching than you could imagine. I was very honored to be asked by the family to drive her casket to the church for her service and up the mountain to the cemetery. I was very humbled and grateful to be asked.

Now, I have to tell you that what I have learned and experienced with the funerals in Mountain Village was like nothing I have ever experienced back in Wisconsin in my entire life. Back in Wisconsin I've seen families come together and I've seen how lives were touched by those who had passed. Yet, it is the entire process that is like nothing I have ever seen or heard of before I arrived here, and I have to say it is an absolutely beautiful and touching process. When the news first spreads of a villager's passing, the news is quick and everyone is good to share the heartfelt sadness. As soon as it is possible, the body is brought to the home of the deceased and is peacefully placed in an area of open viewing. The body remains in the home for the community to visit for three or more days depending on the family's wishes. This means the home is open for anyone who wishes to come and pay their respects to the deceased and their family. Tears are shed, stories are shared, laughter is offered when able, food is brought and shared by both visitors and the family, and the community shares in the sorrow and heartfelt respect. One of the local churches also brings their choir each night and sings to the family and guests. It's really nice. The day of the funeral the body is either brought to a local church or the family will have a final celebration of life and goodbyes. From each place, the body is then taken to the cemetery of the family's choice. Some of those who have passed have been taken by boat to cemeteries either up or down river. Many of the villagers who have passed are taken up the mountain to the cemetery that overlooks the village and river. It is at that time that members of the family will say their final goodbyes, place the casket and will fill in the grave themselves. I don't even know what words to use to say how sad, how touching and beautiful the process is as family and friends bury their loved ones and create some of the most beautiful grave sites you have ever seen. I was again very humbled and grateful to be a part of one of the burials and I will remember it for the rest of my life to have been a special part of it.

June also gave me the opportunity to return to the coast and Bering Sea. Last August was a great trip, but this adventure allowed me my first experience to see and watch the catch of Beluga Whales. Depending upon their age the whales are grey, white or a combination of both. We drove for miles in a boat waiting patiently for a whale to show itself. To this day I still cannot believe the incredible skill my friends have acquired over time to simply be able to spot them. This is not out of a page of Moby Dick or whale watching, where the whales will breach the surface and leap out of the water. There is a keen eye needed to watch the waves, as a wave will suddenly reverse its course and reveal a Beluga moving through the water. The driver speeds quickly to the direction of the wave anomaly and the harpooner at the bow of the boat readies his or her harpoon. The driver watches the harpooner and the harpooner carefully watches for the 'footprints', the circular pattern made on the surface from each kick of its tail fin. Good teamwork will allow for the harpoon to be thrown slightly in front of the path of the whale. If the throw is accurate, the whale is speared, the rope unravels to the buoy attached to the end of the spear and the whale is followed. When pursued the whale is shot and brought into the boat. That is what 'would' have happened if we had made it through all of the steps. I was a spotter and obviously not a very good one. My guides had the eyes of an eagle and I couldn't tell a wave from a whale if my life depended upon it. But it was really exciting and I did get to see two whales in the water. Another surprising fact is that we were doing this in 2-4 feet of water, and after 1:00 am in the morning. It never really got dark and we could see clear as the day. The good news for my guides and for the experience was that their cousin had unfortunately caught a small Beluga in his fishing net and was kind enough to offer it to them. So I did get to see one up close and watched another interesting process, seeing the whale cut for food. In a nutshell, they also caught ducks and made several attempts at catching swans and geese as well. The camping was a blast and the Bearing Sea sunsets were breathtaking. The river left no short supply of beautiful smells, sounds and sites as well.

We just had our Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. As I mentioned for the Bering Sea trip, it never really gets dark here. Blackout curtains work wonders, but I have to tell you, the constant light really does something to your mindset. Some nights I'll leave my four-wheeler out and go for a late night ride at 12:00 or 1:00 in the morning. It feels like the day and the weather is so pleasant. You would be surprised how many people are out late enjoying the warm summer nights. I do have to make sure I wear my sunglasses and keep my mouth shut on my rides as the bugs are out in full force. As much as I like my protein, I don't want to be getting it from a mouthful of bugs. I'm sure it's just a joke that they are protein, but you get the picture. I don't know why, but I had the bright idea to do moose calls on a ride not too long ago and had two bugs fly into my mouth at the same time. Needless to say, not a good time to call moose and not a bright idea. Funny at the time, but won't do that again.

There is so much more I could write about, but I'm going to stop there and save some for the end of July. I will say it again, this is one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life. This is home. It feels right, and the adventure will continue.

Until next time...stay tuned!

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 12 - Social Distancing 101

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 12 - Social Distancing 101

Well, it has been over two months since my last post. Ironically, it's two months to the day that I am writing this. Unbelievable how much can happen and change in just two short months. The most surprising of which was the temporary suspension of classes and the closing of school due to the Corona Virus, which is the obvious daily topic around the world. While there was a little more comfort here in the village because of our isolated location to the rest of the world, it was still taken very seriously and the wheels were set in motion to suspend classes, keep students at home and find a way to continue teaching them remotely. The hitch is that our village doesn't have the internet capabilities you might find in some of the bigger cities. Very few families have access to the internet here and are limited to their phones and the data available. 

We decided to put together and send out practice packets that would hopefully help kids maintain their skills or at least encourage them to work on them to stimulate their learning. Once sent out, it was left in the hands of the students and parents to follow through on the practice and learning. It was decided by the district that we would make calls to each student, with the help of our aides, once a week to check in on their progress. It's hard to say what the overall results are. Some parents don't respond to phone calls, some to texts, some are very cooperative but discouraged and some who are very engaging and encouraging. Initial contacts were focused on progress of each student and if they had questions with their work. Further calls revealed students and parents were more inclined to want to talk about how their child was doing personally, and many students were just excited to talk about what they were doing in their free time or what they were doing with their family.

It was really hard for me to end school early for a number of reasons. I can say with out a doubt that this year was the best class 'and' best year that I have had in my 21 years of teaching. I really loved this class, we were having a lot of fun and were having a great school year. Even though the shut down was temporary, I had a bad feeling that it was going to be permanent for the year and I wouldn't have my students back again. The last week before we were going to send the kids home was very sad. I knew that I would be talking to them and would most likely see them around the village again at some point in the spring and summer, but saying goodbye to them was very difficult.

Equally sad was the fact that I was going to be saying an early goodbye to a lot of friends and staff that made the year very special as well. Some were taking an early exit back to the Lower-48, some were retiring and leaving forever and some would go to hide away in their own form of quarantine by themselves or with their families. But I did get to spend some great quality time with a select group of staff for the last month.

A group of paraprofessionals including the kitchen staff, all from the village, stayed behind to help continue serving lunches for the students. I wanted to do my part so I offered to hand out lunches to the kids and parents when they would come to the school doors to pick up. I knew I was taking a risk exposing myself to all the people coming for lunches, but to me it was worth it to see them and help out. I'm really glad I did. I enjoyed seeing the kids and many of the parents who would pick up multiple lunches for their kids. Each day brought more and more regulars and conversations were fun and always enjoyable. Equally as fun was the time spent preparing for lunch in the morning with our group of characters. That group was so much fun and I haven't laughed that hard in a long, long time.

It was decided that the face to face contact should be limited so our district decided to distribute the rest of the food we had available, i.e. dry goods and frozen foods, to the families of the students, Elders and to other families of need in the village. It was an incredible process in separating the food into hundreds of boxes for distribution. Our first two days, parents and adults picked up boxes with their four-wheelers and snow machines and the following week we delivered boxes to the remaining families. And holy crap that kicked my butt. These were boxes of 6-8-10 cans of 102 oz/6.5 lb various foods, plus miscellaneous dry goods, delivered in deep, soft snow, up and down driveways of 17 families. Ironically, I slipped on ice and went ass over tea kettle walking around the truck as we were about to leave. Go figure. I went home the first night exhausted, sore, throbbing headache, got the sweats and chills and slept like poo. It was the work of a strapping young 30-something in the body of a 51-year-old. The second day only involved five deliveries, so it was a lot more manageable.

I'll see the lunch crew around the village as time goes on, but I'm really going to miss the day-to-day fun and laughter with them. They're all good, hardworking people. I have to say they honestly worked their asses off and deserve all the credit and recognition there is to give. So my props to Christine Long (our fearless leader), Ted Landlord, Rose Andrews, Berta Alexi, Lucy Beans, Molly Long, Natalia Long, Crystal Gail Walters, Cora Long, Ester Long, Scott Hess, Michael Attie, Fred Beans, Joel Beans, Nick Long and Morgan Beans. Not only did we have a great time and lots of laughs, but we all became closer friends and I treasured our time together. I'll miss them.

I am excited to say I learned a new local activity in the village. It's a type of fishing they call manaquing and people love it. From what I observed, it seemed to kick in about January and it was all people talked about in February and March. What is manaqing? It's ice-fishing, but Alaskan style. You essentially have a twelve-or-so inch stick or piece of wood, a 15-20 inch piece of solid string tied to the stick and a spoon (lure) with a treble hook on it. Believe it or not the fish will bite on an empty hook, but many people like to put on pieces of blackfish, eyeballs of a fish that was caught or some other miscellaneous bait. The fish they are catching are Yukon Pike. Back in Wisconsin these would be trophy fish caught by experienced anglers. You adjust the depth of your line, gently lift your stick up and down and wait for these little monsters to bite. There are usually 10-15 holes that people have cut out and each one has someone manaquing in it. There are several spots along the river and village where people go to manaq. What I found it to be is basically a fun, social gathering where stories and jokes are told, neighbors catch up on life and families and you pull a bunch of huge fish out of small holes in the ice. I went three times, had three big bites and lost all three. Oh well. Back to bingo when it reopens and I'll try my luck again next year.

I arrived to Mountain Village August 1st, so everything is still new to me as it happens. Right now I'm speaking of spring as the village starts to wake up to the warmer weather. The two-foot base of packed snow and ice has begun to melt and we can begin to see the dirt roads showing again. Rivers of melting ice and snow fill the roads as water makes it's way down the mountain and village to the Yukon. On a walk to the school or down to the grocery store, depending on the day and the weather, you are either sinking in six inches of icy-snow or are walking on and around frozen paths of what you ventured through the day before. I'm also getting used to the longer days as we've come to know them. Longer days mean more light and when I say more light, I mean 'a lot' more light in the day. We are now to a point of light at 6:30 am and things not getting dark until about 11:00 pm. It's pretty wild. You look out your window and see light around 10:45 at night and you have to remember it's almost bedtime. Most people here have blackout curtains, so that alleviates some of the struggle with nighttime light.

A very sad moment I had recently was my attempt to fly my twenty-year-old son Seth out to see me. I had not seen him since the end of July, was missing him a ton and was very excited to finally give him the chance to fly to Mountain Village and see my new home. I had bought all the tickets and everything was set. Three days later the threat of the Corona Virus had become more severe and they were cancelling all flights into and out of the village. I had to cancel his trip and we would have to wait. I was able to get a refund from Delta Airlines, but the local airline Ravn had lost so much money that they were declaring bankruptcy. I ended up losing $1,100 in flights. Crap! Ravn happens to have a monopoly and hold on the Lower Yukon in that they are the only airline that services the area. My hope is that they are so cocky that they will find a way to get bailed out, come back (regrettably), and I will still be able to have my tickets honored. We'll see...stay tuned on that one.

That leads me to deal with my disappointment with summer plans. I'm now proud to call Mountain Village my home, but I had everything mapped out to see my brothers in Colorado and Arizona, and return to Wisconsin to visit friends and family there. Now I don't know if I will even have a chance to go back, especially considering most places expect a fourteen-day quarantine when you arrive. A lot of the things I seemed to take for granted are now just events that I can only hope will happen again one day. Things like taking in a professional baseball game (my Milwaukee Brewers), taking in a live concert or spending time in some of the fun public places I used to love to go to. Bummer.

*Side note wonderful news...I did find out from Seth that I was going to be a grandpa again. He will be having his first child in December. I have two grandchildren with my daughter Laura, and I am so excited to see the newest, beautiful little baby. I'm proud to carry on the title of Grandpa Nick.

My last piece of news is about my new apartment. I was very excited about the move and as they say...location, location, location. My commute to work went from a 90-step, door-to-door walk to a 60-step, door-to-door walk, lol. It also has a beautiful living room view of the Yukon River to the south, and half of the Asa Carsarmiut Mountain to my west. The summer will be auditorily colorful as kids will be playing well into the night on the playground, twenty-five yards from my front door, as well as four-wheeler traffic on the major road for north-south travel, which is ten feet off the steps of my front door. I already hear the steady flow of snow machines (soon to be put away) and four-wheelers, but it has become white noise and I don't mind it at all. Another nice thing that remains is that I am centrally located to all my major needs...school/work - 1-2 minutes, post office and bingo - 5 minutes, and the ANICA or AC Grocery Stores - 5-10 minutes. Home is where you hang your hat.

That's it for now. A lot has happened in two months to say the least, but I am sure there are many new and exciting adventures that will come with spring and summer, like...my first four-wheeler. More on that when the time comes. For now, lots of Facetime with family and friends, getting to know the village in springtime and settling in - or should I say, social distancing into my new place. :)

Until next time...stay tuned!

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 11 - Time Flies - New Adventures

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 11 - Time Flies - New Adventures

Cold, colder and snow. I guess that’s the best way to sum up the start of the new year here. I honestly don’t even know what happened to January or if the month even took place. It went by so fast. Maybe it’s because we’re closer to the North Pole, lol.

January was a new experience in cold, but I knew that it was going to be like that coming here. We had a stretch of 13 days in a row with temperatures with wind chills between 35-50 degrees below zero. Just a short while ago we had a wind chill of -67 degrees below zero. I had to go to the post office, which is the equivalent of about two blocks away. I forgot my goggles that day. It was hard to breathe and my eyelashes and tear ducts were freezing up. Such a weird phenomenon. So needless to say, everyone in the village was laying low and trying to stay warm.

Well, as it does, the weather changed on a dime and we got our next snowstorm. It snowed and snowed for at least four days straight. It was beautiful and amazing. It was the first time in my life that I could actually enjoy it. I didn’t have to shovel or drive anywhere. I was thinking the cold was going to get to me eventually, but honestly, it becomes a part of you. You put on all your warm gear, head out, and you’re fine.

I’ve also come to learn that basketball is a staple of Mountain in the winters. Once it starts...holy cow! If you’ve ever seen Hoosiers the movie, it’s a lot like that. The village rallies around the games and people come out of the woodwork to attend. There are not only the high school teams, but also what they call City League. There are six teams in Mountain, three for the men and three for the women and the rivalries are very intense. Then you have the villages that are in ‘close’ proximity if you can call it that. They travel miles and miles on Hondas and snow machines along the Yukon, just to make it to the games.

And the fans, they’re pretty passionate too...I’ll leave it at that. It’s quite a sight to see too, as the school parking lot is filled with Hondas and snow machines. The city (village) games are a lot of fun to watch and often go until 1:00 o'clock in the morning. The high school games are a lot more mello, but the stands are still packed and the support of the village is really wonderful to see.

My health has taken a little detour over the winter as I have begun the bear hibernation, eating process. I haven't missed or skipped a meal in quite some time and ten new pounds have made their way onto my stomach. My life-long attempts to defeat pop (formerly known to me as soda in the lower-48), continue to this day. I did make it six months last spring and summer, but fell off the pop-wagon right before I moved to Mountain. With one grocery store here you would think that pop would not be that big of a thing, but it's everywhere and I swear someone in the village is sneaking it into the water supply, because I can't do without it. I did make it four days in a row a few weeks ago, and after overcoming the two days of migraine headaches I was doing pretty good and feeling strong. But...at a faculty potluck on an early release day one of my coworkers leaned over my shoulder and whispered, "Hey Matt, look. There's one Pepsi left there. You should go grab it." After a long pause, I snuck over and grabbed it. I protected it like it was one of my own, saying in my head that I would only hold it and not drink it. It sat in front of my meal for a long time. I was doing great! That Pepsi was one of the best I have ever tasted! Back to Popaholics Anonymous. One of these days...

Well even better was a brief run-in with my friend Strep Throat that put me out of work for two days with coughing that could have 'actually' awoken the bears from their hibernation. We have one small, local clinic here that services everyone in the village. If you need more serious care, you are flown to the next available town, Bethel. Anything severe, you are flown out by helicopter to Anchorage. My wonderful clinician Beth also informed me of my high blood pressure of 142 over 102. To sum it up...fat, sore throats and bad blood. Beth was a sweetheart and took very good care of me. I have to say that our clinic nurses are angels for all they do to help the villagers with their health needs.

Sadly, illness hit our whole village 'very' hard this winter. The flu and bad chest colds have spread rapidly and affected both adults and kids. For about a week and a half we had less than 50% of our kids coming to school. I had never seen anything like it in my 20 years of teaching. We had some very sick kiddos and it was really sad. Fortunately, everyone is on the mend and our numbers are pretty much back to normal now.

I'm really excited about March coming, because there are some cool events headed our way. I may have told you previously that I am the advisor for our high school group called, Natural Helpers. It is a group that helps students with the topics of suicide, Yupik traditions, serving the Elders of the village, winter safety, gun safety, bullying and serving the community in general. I'm so proud of my kids for what they do and the hard work they put in to raise money for the group. We just purchased and will be presenting emergency supplies (blankets, hand/foot warmers, socks and mittens) for our Tribal Police Officers who have countless, first responder emergencies to deal with in the village. I'm also excited about two other events. One will be 'An Afternoon With Akutaq' (A-goo-tuck). It's a day with all the middle/high school girls and their moms, aunts, grandmothers and other women from the village to make akutaq (Google it), Eskimo Ice-Cream. It will be a wonderful day to bring families together and pass down this time honored tradition. The other very exciting event will be a Caribbean Night at the Community Hall. After I was fortunate enough to go to Costa Rica for my Christmas break, I came back and thought it would be a lot of fun to have a Caribbean Night. Latin American/Reggae music, giant flags of the Caribbean hanging everywhere, games, raffles, prizes, the limbo, cake walks, food and more fun! I just keep thinking that if I'm living here and calling this my home, I want to help create things that will get people excited about the village and help make it a more fun place to work and live for everyone.

I also wanted to quickly share, what I think is a heartwarming and moving moment with one of my students. It is another one of those stories that tells me in a subtle way, that I was meant to be here. He is a young man who started the year on a very difficult note. He was a runner, leaving class and disappearing often when he was upset, he consistently acted out, disrupted the class and struggled to do little to no work for me. As the year has gone on, he has shown steady improvements and made leaps and bounds in his attitude, behavior and progress. The time getting there wasn't without challenges, but we continued to grow closer and his trust for me began to show more and more. We are studying planets right now. It is one of my favorite units to teach. We were having a quiz on the phases of the moon and he actually wanted to try to do the entire test himself. Usually I modify it a bit for him. That night when I was in my classroom correcting the quizzes, I got to his paper and he did complete the whole thing, which I was very proud of and excited to see. However, answer number 8 of 8 was not related to the phases of the moon. I came to tears. His answer to number 8 was...I love you Matt. (Speechless)

Honestly, I'm just taking this whole experience one day at a time. Sometimes 15-minutes at a time, when it is all I can handle. Day 202 of the Alaskan Adventure as I write this. 

Stay tuned. More to come...

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 10 - Bundle Up

The Alaskan Adventure - Volume 10 - Bundle Up

2020 resolutions are in the book and ready to be manifested. Lol. I don’t know. Maybe. We’ll see. Life has quite a sense of humor. Last year at this time I went through a heart wrenching breakup, moved out, and in a hypomanic state, off my medication, bought a camper in Germantown (Milwaukee), Wisconsin. I parked it on a friend’s empty, four acre lot, no electricity, no heat, no bathroom, and no running water. It was 6-degrees, I was under six blankets and I had the small room’s walls covered and duct taped with silver, survival blankets. My rationale was non-existent and I convinced everyone close to me that this was the right decision and I could make it work. With a candle burning in the corner of the room, I watched my cold breath blow over my eyes that peered out over the blanket. There were no 2019 resolutions running through my head, just thoughts about how it was time to reconsider ending my life. I saw the end of another long-term relationship, I was broke and felt like a terrible failure and example to my 19-year-old son. I fought through the dark thoughts for a week and when the temperature hit zero I broke down emotionally and asked to move back in until I found a place to live. She was an angel to help me out and three weeks later I found a ‘normal’ place to live and began working to get back on my feet. 

Fast forward to January 2020. It’s 3-degrees as I write this, and I’m in Mountain Village, Alaska. It’s a far cry from Wisconsin and a different world. However, this time I’m fortunate to be in an apartment with heat, electricity and running water - most of the time. (I’ll explain later) Anyway, I’m not sure if life is laughing or laughing at me. Either way, there was a wonderful combination of blessings, fortune and good luck that came my way through 2019, which has put me on this incredible adventure and opportunity that I’ve been able to experience and write about. I know not everybody is an advocate of this thought, but I am a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and there are no coincidences in life. I know that Mountain Village is the right place, and the place that I’m supposed to be in my life right now. If I had to be blunt, it is kind of a holy shit moment of realization. One minute I am in single-digit, degree weather thinking about calling it quits on life, and a year later I am in single digit, degree weather thinking about and changing lives for the better. Some days I have to remind myself not to ‘Dr. Phil’ (verb), everything to death and just believe that everything is happening the way it is supposed to.

On to the weather. Well, my indoctrination to Alaska’s harsh winters is almost complete. I was told and knew coming in that it was going to get pretty cold here. The other day we hit the -20’s and one day with a windchill low of -53 degrees. It’s really something to experience. When you first step outside and take your first deep breaths, it makes you cough. You struggle through a few more breaths and then you’re used to it. On some days the cold and winds will make your eyelashes start to freeze either open or shut. It's pretty wild. I bought ski goggles and those have been very helpful on the windier days to keep my eyes in a comfortable place. Then the neat thing is that when degrees get into the teens, being out in the cold feels very comfortable and surprisingly pleasant. The only thing I have yet to experience is a full-blown snowstorm. I'm actually really excited for that. Fun stuff!

I decided this year for the first time ever, not to get together with family for Christmas. My son is back in Wisconsin along with a brother and sister-in-law and I just couldn't see going from one cold climate to another. My son was going to be with his mom for the first half of the break and wanted to be with his girlfriend for the second half and New Years, so after talking we both agreed we'd be okay with a reunion in the summer after school was out. With the exception of a trip to St. Lucia for my honeymoon in 2007, I had never traveled out of the country and felt now was a good a time as any. I booked a trip to Costa Rica and just felt that in fifty-one years of very little travel, I would treat myself to a solo trip.

If I had to describe the trip, I would say it was bittersweet and I learned a lot about myself in the process. My first two days there were in the capital city of San Jose on Christmas Eve and Christmas and I ended up having a meltdown emotionally. I went through terrible regret for going there and missed my son and family terribly. I sent multiple texts back to family and friends that I had made a mistake and felt it was another 'manic' decision that was poorly thought out. I asked myself, "How could I do this again? How many more bad decisions am I going to make in my life that I don't think through?". It was a tough first two nights simply because it was the first time for me to spend the holidays without my son and close friends and family. I wasn't ready for that. Anyway, after feeling sorry for myself and realizing that I was being a whiny little pecker head, I picked myself up and pulled it together. There were people back in Mountain Village struggling to stay warm, many of which didn't have the opportunity to travel as I did, and the simple fact that I was getting a great opportunity to experience another country, told me I needed to pull my head out of my ass and be grateful for what I had.

The following day I was traveling to the coastal town of Jaco (Ha-co). The three-hour ride was absolutely beautiful and as the regret and guilt oozed from my body over my meltdown, I started to find some peace and the appreciation I was lacking in days one and two. The remaining eight days were spent in Jaco and I don't think I have ever experienced a more beautiful and peaceful place, at least in my lifetime. Boy did I feel bad, as I should have. I apologized emphatically to the universe as well as my family and friends for my meltdown and gained some of the most wonderful clarity for how truly lucky I am to have the family, friends and experiences that I have. I met some amazing people in Costa Rica and one of the funnest things was being able to speak Spanish again and learn so much from the people there. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited. I really hope I get to go back again sometime and if you ever get the chance, Costa Rica should definitely be on you bucket list.

I have to admit that despite the peace and comfort I was feeling in Costa Rica, there was a big part of me that missed home and I longed to get back to Mountain Village. I didn't care that it was 80-degrees cooler. I simply missed my friends and new family that were back in the village. It was a good feeling. I will admit that the 10,400 miles I traveled and the 44 hours sitting in airports on layovers wore me down a bit, but again...no complaining aloud. It was a great experience and when I stepped foot on the white tundra after that final flight, it felt so good to be home.

One of the most interesting things I've learned about since I've been here is the power and influence the local airline Ravn has on the lives of people throughout Alaska, and especially those in the bush and outlying areas like Mountain Village. From what I have gathered and learned, Ravn is the only airline company that flies to the outer regions and their 'monopoly' as it's described to me, charges people very high rates. With no competition, they can pretty much charge what they want and run flights how, when and where they want. Now as I write this, it may sound as if I'm disgruntled a little as well, but I'm not. The only frustration I have is the anxiety it causes when you have to fly anywhere, anytime. It seems the biggest struggle people have is the amount of cancellations that take place for most flights. Weather is such a huge factor up here that I can't even find the words to describe what a powerful influence it has on people getting to an from where they have to be. Ravn knows this, loves this and takes full advantage of it as it relates to how they schedule, and cancel their flights. If one-single snowflake were to touch the wing of a plane - cancel the flight. If a single-drop of rain blows sideways two-degrees, too much to the right - cancel the flight. Or you get a lot of cancellations due to mechanical problems as well. Now I obviously joke a little, and it's good that they consider the safety of their passengers, but if you had any idea what it does to affect people on a greater scale, you would be saying, holy crap, that's awful.

A few examples. My principal and his son went to Anchorage for a surgery appointment. They were in mid-flight and had to turn back around to Anchorage because of high winds. They then got another flight to a small village called Bethel (known as the armpit of Alaska - sorry Bethel, only repeating what I've heard from many people), which is closer to Mountain Village and a short trip by small plane. However, upon arrival Tim finds out that there are no flights out until Wednesday, three days later. And if inclement weather should be possible on Wednesday, Ravn would cancel that flight as well. Which to Tim and his son, meant finding more hotels, being away from work and school and not knowing whether they will even be back that week. Another example was my very first trip, moving to Mountain Village. My first flight from Anchorage to St. Mary's (small village airport - the connecting flight to Mountain Village's small airport) was cancelled - meaning an extra night in Anchorage. In my rebooking to Bethel, I made the flight to Bethel, but my connecting flight to Mountain was cancelled - an extra night in Bethel - and only one room left at a shady hotel. And finally, during the Christmas break we arrived for our departing flight from St. Mary's (half-hour drive to the airport on unplowed, snow-covered roads, and the 'only' road we have that leads to another village), to have the flight cancelled and we had to drive back to Mountain Village. There was no guarantee of the same flight the next day, so I booked a backup flight from Mountain Village to Bethel to Anchorage with Alaskan Airlines, $550 non-refundable/with credit if cancelled. I get taken up to our small Mountain Village airport the following morning at 10 am to board the plane to Bethel. They call and say the flight from Mountain to Bethel had been cancelled. I'm dropped off back at home. My friends who I am supposed to fly out with from St. Mary's from the previous day's cancellation have already left for the 1:30 pm flight to Anchorage. I find a ride (nothing less than a miracle), from a friend who was grocery shopping in St. Mary's, who drove the half-hour back from St. Mary's to get me and take me back to the airport in St. Mary's to 'hopefully' get on the 1:30 pm flight. I made the airport in time, but our flight out to Anchorage ended up being delayed until 5:00 pm. But...we did fly out! Had that flight been cancelled, we would not have been able to get a flight out until the following week. Ughhhhhhh! Wow! I have a few more examples, but...I think you probably get it.

If I peel away these outer layers of unfortunates and some sad moments from the blog, I'm back to a very content and happy existence. I say this with all sincerity and humble honesty, I really do love it here and this is the place I'm proud to call home. I'm truly excited for what 2020 will hold for me here 'and' elsewhere and I'm excited to tell you about it. My readership here has gone down quite a bit, so for the two people who are still reading, lol, I look forward to you coming back to hear more about my life that I now call the Alaskan Adventure.

Stay tuned, more to come...