Log&Photos

The week of Thanksgiving and we are still going strong! This week I am honored to escort Deb Vanasse, a famous Alaskan Author, with me as I travel first to BABS (Bethel Alternative Boarding School) and then to Nightmute on Monday where we overnight in the school. While there we were greeted by Starr Jensen at the airport with a "six-wheeler". That's right! Now this was an awesome rig! (Bummer, I do not have a picture!) It got us to and from the airport without worry. It would have been a long walk for the road to the village is over a mile in length! One had to hold onto your hat or else the wind would carry it away! The students were eager to learn and the teachers were wonderful to work with! The webpage will tell you more. I must add a bit of information from Starr before we go on: The name Nightmute means pushed down or as I like to call it knock down. So Nightmute means the land of the Knock Down People! Now tha is what you call a wind!
Our short week was finished with a day at BRHS (Bethel Regional High School) where Deb spent the day talking with the students in Don Rearden's English, Journalism, and Language Arts classes.
Let's see Deb with BABS !

Let's see Deb in Nightmute !

Let's see Deb with BRHS (Junior High) !

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The week following Thanksgiving took off to a great start traveling first to Newtok and then to Chevak.

After working with the older students in Newtok I was airborn with ERA once again. This time it was to be for quite a while for I had to fly back to Bethel to connect with an evening flight out to Chevak. It was getting dark when we landed and school had been out for a couple of hours or more. Luck had it for I asked around to find out that the secretary that had been helping with arrangements prior to my arrival lived right by the airport. She welcomed me into her home where I was able to stay warm until folks arrived that could get me set up in the school for the night. Great folks and great accommodations.
As wonderful as my entire trip went out there I must say it was really great to see a young man, whom I did not recognize at first, standing taller than me with a deep voice, that once was a mere 7 years old and one of my second grade students from years gone by, PJ! I hope he enjoyed the jerkey I gave him as he helped me pack for my return to Bethel.

Another famous Alaskan author, Margaret Nicolai, wrote the beautiful book entitled Kitaq Goes Ice Fishing. Her story is based on a true story of her husband's first ice fishing trip with his grandfather when he was a little boy growing up in the village of Kwethluk, Alaska. Margaret gave her husband this special story as a Christmas gift and after encouragement from her husband, Mathew, four years later it became a children's book.

Our first school visit was at Kilbuck Elementary and the Immersion Program. Her 32 page story and bookmark / postcard gifts were welcomed by all!

The second trip was a charter flight with Yukon Aviation to her husband's home village of Kwethluk where we hosted a parent's night and had an overwhelming turnout to honor Margaret in addition to our usual school visit! I also did a presentation on using the internet. We were joined by Suzette Bell, one of our District's ILLs, and Danielle Wolfe, one of our new Tundra Drums staff.

After overnighting and returning from Kwethluk, we promptly jump on the next morning flight this time heading for Tununak, Alaska. Tununak, like some of the other coastal villages, has been scheduled for a site visit prior to now, but due to "Master Weather", had to be rescheduled. Let's just say that three is the charm! They got Margaret as a bonus for having to wait for so long!

In addition to our school visit, we hosted another parent's night that once again included Margaret's presentation as well as computer skills, mostly Internet information, for adults. Alexander Hooper, one of the village elders that happens to be a friend of mine as well, was able to join us for the evening with the computers. It touched my heart deeply when he arrived and I was honored to help him manover around the Internet for his first time for he had never worked on a computer before.

Once there, "Master Weather" let us know who was boss once again for we were weatherd in for an extra night due to high winds. That was no problem for us for we had the chance to enjoy great Eskimo Dancing that night in honoring loved ones that had passed away in a plane crash only one year ago that day. We felt honored to be invited to join them! I have added an extra page just on the dancing from that night!

Ray greets me with an enthusiastic smile and the fun continued the entire visit! Patricia welcomed me into her home after our busy school day was over. It was so nice to have a place to crash that was elevated up off the floor! A real bed for that matter... and my own room! What a great way to start off the new year and next round of travel adventures. Since we both happen to be married to mushers, we hit it off really well from the get go. So everyone wish Andrew Leash the best of luck as he prepares to compete in this year's Yukon Quest!

Talk about the "ROYAL TREATMENT"? As ERA Aviation's twin otter landed on the frozen airstrip in Kwigillingok, I was greeted with warm handshakes, friendly smiles, and words that spoke "We shall treat you like the First Lady, only we are missing the red carpet". Believe me, the treatment while I was there was so wonderful that the red carpet was not needed! Although there was wonderful learning that took place during the day, I must say that one of the highlights of this trip was when a young lady offered to take me out to where folks were ice fishing after school. We took pictures to share so we hope you'll enjoy them! When it was time to return to Bethel, I almost didn't make it home that night to feed our dog team but Tanana Air offered me a ride back to Bethel with all of my computer gear in a Cherokee 6.

This family owned operation knows when to fly. And when it's time to go - you are there! Thanks !!!

A day that started out with grounded planes due to weather conditions turned into a beautiful day for flying as I landed in Nunapitchuk with Craig Air in a 207 single engine airplane. I hosted an adult night to inform folks about computers and answer any questions and they were super enthused about everything! Technology in the bush is growing in popularity!!! As always, my trip out to Nunap was too short .

What an adventure I was just on....... I am supposed to be in Oscarville today (my 5th attempt). I was traveling with one of LKSD's maintenance men, Don McCormick, who needed to do some work to the school's generator. We loaded up the truck with the usual, computers, projector, ect. and off we went to find the ice road of the Kuskokwim River. FYO: If Don didn't go.... I didn't go!

It was tricky to get on to the river for there is always overflow and chopped up ice mixed with water between the bank of the river and the ice on top of the river. We started off just fine. Once we were on the river the Ice road was quite smooth and easygoing. I noticed that the ice kept changing in color. It would be streaked in shades of frozen ice that were light then dark then light again, it was as if you could see the river's currant underneath the ice that we were actually driving on. Scary? Not yet.

We were cruzin' down the ice road when we started to hit some spots where drifts had formed and because of the warmer temperatures, they became quite slushy and a challenge to drive through. Don floored the truck so we wouldn't get stuck and we continued on down through the icy muck. Okay, now conditions improved, so we thought.

We could see the lights of Oscarville in the early morning sunrise. As we passed fishcamps along the right side of the river, it looked as though folks were in the cabins but it was actually the sun reflecting of the glass windows. To the front of us is Oscarville. To the left of us is more river and to look at it with the reflection from the morning sun, it looked like open water (probably just water on top).

Right in the middle of our conversation boom.... we hit water and we were hydroplaning across the ice road. Overflow? Tide? Hopefully not a break in the ice! Whatever the cause may be it was enough to.... well.... it was not a good situation. Actually, it was kinda cool in that water was spraying fishtails on either side of the truck. As my heart now raced so fast as to keep up with the speed of the truck, Don floored it once again so we would keep moving. Sometimes sideways rather than forward, but we kept moving and Don kept us from getting stuck! He said it would probably only get worse for he has been through this before and did get stuck. We decided to turn around - that was scary, like doing a donut! Well, here I am back at my computer sharing my adventure!!!! YIPPIE! Hang in there Kip, I will get out there sometime this year!

I made it!!!! All by myself with a cell phone thanks Ross Boring, I ventured on the ice road to Oscarville and had a wonderful day! Kip met me at the turn in off the river. I was blessed by having both a traveler in front of me as well as behind me so I was able to relax. I actually sipped on a cup of coffee along the way, that is how smooth it was - the ice road that is!