Kivalina at last!

I am here! It was a LONG day of sitting around the airport (a room that is 15 x 40) waiting to fly out. There was rain and for in Kivalina, so we were grounded in Kotzebue for a while. There is no TSA to deal with at the airport. There is a local lady who sells bake goods in the airport waiting lounge. 20.00 for a loaf of banana nut bread. I passed on it. Several people were having food delivered to the airport while they were waiting for their flights. Once the weather cleared, we loaded up into a Cessna Caravan 10 passanger plane. (it is one of the larger ones) the cargo/bags are carried in a pod under the plane. Any weight over 50# is .90/lb, it can add up quickly. I was 30# over, plus I had some frozen food to bring to Kivalina. The store selection of food in Kivalina is hit and miss. We were flying to Noatak, Ak first, we had 4 people to drop of there, it was about a 25 minute flight. The landing strip is a gravel strip. As soon as the plane is on the ground, pick-up trucks and quads pull up to the plane and the have the cargo/baggage off in minutes. Very efficent operation. We sent less than 10 minutes on the ground and headed off to Kivalina, it was about 20 minutes in the air. The scenery below was awesome. mostly flatland, with streams/rivers and tundra. Some trees but everything was so green. It was a bit foggy coming into Kivalina, but

no problems. We were met by a few people with quads and trailers, our luggage went on and off we went to our homes. There were 4 of us on the last leg of the flight, 3 new teachers like me and 1 returning teacher. Our homes are at the south end of the penninsula, I am about 30 second walk from the school. I do have a flush toliet/running water and a shower,(thank God) but other than the school and the teachers, most people do not have either or any of the above services.

After unpacking and getting something to eat, the 3 new teachers went for a walk around the village. There are about 400 people here, and around 100 k-12 kids. The kids found out we were new teachers and we were swarmed. 32 million questions later we made it back to our homes. I looked at my watch and it was 11:30. Really weird having the sun still out at that time of day. It was setting and was gone around midnight. The villagers are very nice and receptive. Everyone came by and said hello, I have had people stopping all day today (Sunday) to welcome me to the village. I head back to Kotzebue tomorrow for 4 days of in-service training along with the rest of the teachers from the district. A majority of the teachers have to be flown in by bush plane, it is the only way to get around. We will be staying at the school, we get air mattresses and a sleeping bag, I prefer my own sleeping bag. I will have room to load up on some more food supplies, get supplies every time you can.

Kotzebue, Alaska

I flew out of Anchorage Thursday morning, stopped in Nome, Alaska then flew into Kotzebue, AK

It is interesting being on a plane (I was actually on a 737-400 Alaskan Airlines) due to you actually taxi on the main runway, spin around at the end then take-off. Not the normal procedure for flight in many places. The airport is a 30 x 20 room, which also includes the baggage claim. Gets a bit crowded. Spent the night at the school, along with all the other new teachers. Air mattresses and sleeping bag. We have been eating well, the school district has been taking very good care of us. Tomorrow we fly out to Kivalina, it is about 80 miles north, bush plane is the only way in. Gonna be an interesting flight.

Anchorage

We (Brenda and I) arrived in Anchorage very early Tuesday morning (12:30 a.m.) We headed to the hotel and enjoyed the comfort of the room. Tuesday after having breakfast we were out and about. it was almost 60 degrees out and light rain. That did not stop us at all. We walked all over downtown Anchorage. We needed to find some winter boots, which after visiting several stores we finally succeeded in finding a pair rated at -58 F. That should work. We enjoyed walking around all day. After we returned to the hotel, we hit the hot tub and relaxed the rest of the evening. It was very strange having the sun go down at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday we were out and about again in Anchorage, armed with the camera we took a trolley tour of the city and surrounding area. We saw 2 moose along the side of the road. They were in the brush, pictures did not show them very clearly. We had lunch at a place called Humpy's. we both had the halibut taco, it was very good along with a beavertail blondie beer. (Brenda had cherry wheat beer). Brenda heads back bright and early tomorrow, I fly out later in the morning for Kotzebue (via Nome). See you later.

Last days in the lower 48

I am down to 4 1/2 days left before I depart. I feel like I need to do something to get ready, but everything has been shipped (some of the boxes have arrived). My teacher certification has been done, all my paperwork filled out and mailed. The weather has been in the mid 40's. Not very warm by our heatwave standards. I did notice that sunrise is about 5:30 a.m. and sunset at around 12:30 a.m. 19 hrs of daylight, but it is quickly becoming less. I am looking forward to spending a couple of days in Anchorage before I head north. I will post Anchorage pictures next week. I do not know how long it will take to get internet set up once I arrive in Kivalina.

Getting ready for Kivalina, Alaska

All my boxes have been packed and mailed, parcel post - much cheaper, hope to see them at the other end. Two weeks to go and I will be on my way. I am excited to go, sad to leave my family and friends. I guess this means I will not make it to The Clubhouse anytime soon. I am looking forward to the adventure of living 120 miles north of the Arctic Circle. It wil bring a new meaning to the words bitter cold. It will take a couple weeks to get the internet established, once I get situated. Brenda is flying to Anchorage with me, we will spend a few days there before I head north and she returns home. I need to be at the school district office in Kotzebue by 8 a.m. on the 12th of August. I will fly to my village (Kivalina) the afternoon of the 13th. I will have just 1 day to settle in before we start teacher training on Monday, we fly back to Kotzebue for a few days of training. Going to be a busy week upon arrival. For now, I get to enjoy my last days at home and take care of the things around the house that need my attention, eat good and relax.