Kake (pronounced cake), Alaska! A beautiful Tlingit Community

This was my third visit to Kake this school year.  I went in Sept. (29-30) to work on some community engagement work as well as do a workshop with their school board.  It was my first visit to Kake and I really loved the community.  Over the years when I worked at the University in Juneau (UAS), I have had a lot of students that were from Kake.  They were always very proud of their community and continuously invited me down there to visit Kake and meet their families,  I finally made it.

As per most Tlingit communities in SE Alaska Kake is set in a beautiful location.  It is tucked into island such that the weather doesn’t beat on the community.  The sun shines (a lot more than it was in Juneau as I left) often and it gets less rain than most of SE.  The Tlingit people have lived in the area for thousands of years and were known as being strong and powerful individuals and indeed they are.

Kake has a totem pole that is 128-foot tall.  At one time it was the largest, carved totem in the world, though there is now one larger.  It was carved in 1967.  (see photo).

There is a High School/Middle School building and an elementary school building.  They are near each other so it is easy to go back and forth between the buildings.  The community has a health center, a senior center, fire station, cannery, hatchery, grocery store and more!  The Alaska Marine Highway ferry system goes to Kake a few times a month, so many people bring a vehicle to Juneau, fill it with goods and take it back home!  Shopping at its best!

This spring during my 2 visits I helped them find a new superintendent, which means I will have one more trip there this fall, hopefully in Aug. I would love to get here in July when they do their Dog Salmon Festival where the community shares and celebrates their long history with fishing!

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oh look a bear… a black bear fishes in the river near the hatchery

elementary school

small planes we fly in from JNU, takes about 45 minutes

funny near the airport

looking North into town

the high school

here is the hatchery where we saw a bear

one of the largest totem poles in the world

flying into Kake

the health clinic

smoking salmon… YUMMY

again the bear

the courthouse in town

Organized Village of Kake (OVK) office

the bear

map of where Kake is on the SE Panhandle

the harbor in kake

Sitka by the Sea, what a beautiful community

I have been to Sitka several times since moving to Alaska in 1996, and even lived there from Jan-May 1997 working for the University of AK Southeast~Sitka for those months.  Sitka has a wonderful history and it shines through even today.  Sitka sits out on the open coast and is typically 5-10 degrees warmer than Juneau, so spring was really in the air when I was there April 10 and 11 to work with Pacific High School, the alternative HS in town.

The City and Borough of Sitka is located on the west side of Baranof Island and the southern half of Chichagof Island in the Alexander Archipelago of the Pacific Ocean (part of the Alaska Panhandle. There are about 8000 people that live there, and it is one of Alaska’s bigger cities! The borough is the second largest incorporated city by area in the U.S., with a total area of 4,811.5 square miles (12,461.7 km²), with 2,874.0 square miles!

Sitka is a beautiful community on the sea.  They have an amazing arts program each summer for youth, the beautiful Totem Park to explore native totems, a raptor center that takes in birds (eagles mostly) that are ill or physically unable to care for themselves, and a large population of fisherman who love the land where they live!  Both the US Park Service, US Forest Service, and Coast Guard are in town as well as the UAS campus.  Along with the school district, South East Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC) is the biggest employers.

One other noteworthy institution in Sitka is Mt. Edgecumbe High School.  I worked with staff at MEHS for 6 years and love the school.  It is a PUBLIC, statewide, boarding HS and up to 400 youth attend each year.  Students come from all across the state to attend the school and the graduates of MEHS (mostly Alaskan Native) go on to many of our states leaders in every imaginable profession!  It is a great school.  I even got to do the commencement speech there one year!

Some interesting history on Sitka:

The name Sitka comes from the Tlingit word meaning “People on the outside of Shee” and Shee was what the Tlingit’s called Baranof Island.

The Tlingit people have been in the area now known as Sitka for over 10,000 years.  However in 1799 Aleandr Baranov the governor of Russia America made this area a colonial trading area.  Battles ensued between the Tlingit’s and the Russians in 1802 and many Russians were killed or taken as slaves.  I found this about the next attack in 1827:

“The new Russian palisade atop “Castle Hill” that surrounded the Governor’s Residence had three watchtowers, armed with 32 cannons, for defense against Tlingit attacks.  Baranov returned to Sitka in 1804 with a large contingent of Russians and Aleuts with the Russian warship Neva. The ship bombarded the Tlingit fort but was not able to cause significant damage. The Russians then launched an attack on the fort and were repelled by Tlingit fighters and marksmen. However, the Tlingit gunpowder reserves had been lost before the Russian assault and the Tlingit were forced to leave the fort.

Following their victory at the Battle of Sitka the Russians established a permanent settlement in the form of a fort, named Novoarkhangelsk (Новоархангельск), or New Archangel, a reference to Arkhangelsk, the largest city in the region where Baranov was born. The Tlingit re-established a fort on the Chatham Strait side of Peril Strait to enforce a trade embargo with the Russian establishment. In 1808, with Baranov still governor, Sitka was designated the capital of Russian America.

Sitka was the site of the ceremony in which the Russian flag was lowered and the United States flag raised after Alaska was purchased by the United States in 1867 after the sea otter pelt trade died out. The flag lowering and raising ceremony is re-enacted in Sitka every October 18, known locally as Alaska Day.   Alaska’s first newspaper following the Alaska Purchase, The Sitka Times, was published by Barney O. Ragan on September 19, 1868. Only four issues were published that year, as Ragan cited a lack of resources available at the time. The paper resumed publishing the following year as the Alaska Times. In 1870, it moved to Seattle, where the year following it was renamed the Seattle Times (not to be confused with the modern-day newspaper of the same name). Sitka served as the capital of the Alaska Territory until 1906, when the seat of government was relocated north to Juneau.”

Russian Orthodox Church sits right in the middle of town, and you put your life on the line to stand in the road and take a picture of it!

The Russian Blockhouse is a fun but somewhat flawed replica (the chainsaw scars are a dead giveaway that 19th century Russians were not involved). The structure does stand on the site of an original blockhouse, however, which was incorporated into a stockade wall surrounding the landward side of Sitka.

Pioneer Home is the home to many elderly in Sitka as well as other communities in the state. One year some of the women at MEHS had to live here b/c their residence halls were being renovated!

Herring season fishing, combat at best !!!

The bridge that goes from town to the airport, the Coast Guard Base, Mt. Edgecume HS, UAS and SEARCH

in the pan handle of Alaska

In front of the Pioneer Home

bigger map of where Sitka is located

Totem park run by USFS is a great place to spend a few hours exploring

Mt. Edgecumbe about 3200 feet above sea level at the top

Park Service

Showing the year the Pioneer home was built

The Bishop’s House, right on the main street across from the Harbor

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Craig, Alaska on the 3rd largest island in the United States!

March 3&4, 2012

Craig, Alaska is on Prince of Wales Island, the 3^rd biggest island in the United States and the 2^nd biggest in Alaska.  (#1 is the big Island of Hawaii and #2 is Kodiak Island in Alaska).  The island is 135 miles, 45 miles wide and has an area of 2,577 sq mi slightly larger than the state of Delaware.  Approximately 6,000 people live on the island.  Craig is the largest town on the island and about 56 miles (40 minute flight) from Ketchikan and 220 miles south of Juneau.  I took Alaska Air to Ketchikan and on the way landed in Sitka. Once I was in Ketchikan I took a small flight to Craig.  I left Juneau around 10 a.m. and got to Craig about 1:45.  It was really, really windy flying from Ketchikan to Craig and I was actually happy I had not eaten lunch!

The plane lands in the community of Klawock where I rode with the superintendent (who was also on my plane) to Craig.  About an 8 mile drive.  As we landed in Klawock you could see some of the clear-cut areas and the mill, which processes the wood.  Craig also relies on the timber industry.  Fishing and fish processing are the major industry of Craig.  There are about 1400 people that live there year round and many are involved in the fishing industry at some level.

I ran to the Dreamcatcher B & B and checked into my beautiful room then to the school where I met up with the board.  We did our workshop and I got back to my place about 8 p.m. where I did a quick walk, even though it was raining a bit. (hence the pictures are dingy).

I got up at 5:30 a.m. so I could catch the 7 a.m. flight to Ketchikan (about 25 minute flight going this way) and then the 8 a.m. flight from Ketchikan to Juneau.  There were 2 stops on that flight, Wrangell and Petersburg (with an 11 minute flight between the 2 stops), finally getting to Juneau around noon on Wed.

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the Marina downtown Craig

as you fly into Craig

the beach on which I took a walk in the rain, look at all the beach wood, that would never last in Juneau

as we landed in Ketchikan you can see one of the AK Marine Highway Ferries, this one has been in dry dock for some work.

the fishermen are getting ready for a big season ahead, see the net set to catch the fish?

my B and B, the Dreamcatcher

thought this was a funny sign to hang in trees. It was so cold I can imagine swimming here much at all

landing in Klawock to drive to Craig

my B and B is the first one you see NOT the green roofed place

Southeast, Alaska is the home to many wonderful small communities.

looking back on Klawock as we took off on Wed. morn

can you see how much the wind was blowing, I can’t believe 1 out of all the shots I took did not have my hair in my mouth.

This is the area that Alaskan’s call the Pan Handle. What you can’t see here is that Canada is right beside this area.

there is the road to Craig

Working with 70 amazing youth and adults at RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership)

March 29/30

After a week at home (which included our June Nelson Scholarship selection day and our Fly-In where board members come to Juneau to talk to their legislators), I was off and running again.  This trip was to Kenai where I would have the honor of working with some amazing young leaders in this state!  I have helped with the Rotary Youth Leadership 7 out of the last 9 years, missing one when Harry and I were out of the country on our Panama Canal Cruise and the other last year when I tore my ACL.

This years group was one of the best ever!  I had a great time with them AND I was so exhausted when I arrived home on Friday night that Saturday was almost a bust… but I have recovered and am enjoying a beautiful spring day here.

Kenai/Soldotna are about a 3.5 hour drive south of Anchorage and about a 20 minute flight, I opted for the flight.  RYLA was held at a camp in the woods right off the main highway, but if felt like we were hours away from civilization.  On Thursday we started off with hours of getting to know each to know one another activities.  Within no time the youth and adult volunteers were laughing, talking and having a great time.

Friday was full of more content workshops on personality styles, diversity, ethical decision making and defining a leader.  The pictures I have posted are from the activity on Building a Leader.

Though both days were in the high 40′s there is still a lot of snow as you can see in the pics.

A good time was had by all.

Cordova once again~sunshine, snow and Eyak the killer whale skelton!

March 18-20,2012

Returned to Cordova on a BEAUTIFUL day with the candidates for the superintendency.  We were so fortunate for the sun filled day on Sunday, then a more true look at Cordova as we woke up to snow on Monday, and lastly, another beautiful day on Tuesday, I did not even need my coat!

The most interesting thing I can share with you this blog is about our  visit to the Ilanka Cultural Center where I had a chance to see the huge skeleton of Eyak, one of the three preserved Killer Whale skeletons in the world. Prince William Sound Science Center (which was built with $ form the Valdez oil spill) and others  in Corodova, including youth, did an amazingly job to preserve this whale, Eyak.

I found some history on Eyak on line:

On July 11, 2000, an orca whale beached and then died in Hartney Bay, five miles southwest of Cordova. The whale was later identified as Eyak, a member of the transient AT1 group, also referred to as the Prince William Sound transients.

In the days preceding his death, Eyak and/or another orca were spotted by various witnesses in the area, displaying peculiar behavior. It was first reported on the 9th, that a whale was beached on Mummy Island, but this whale was able to get back into the water that evening. On the morning of the 11th, Eyak was seen swimming very slowly near Orca Cannery, three miles north of Cordova. Later that morning, another observer saw Eyak feeding near Hartney Bay just before he beached himself.
When news of the stranded whale reached the Science Center and the Forest Service, everyone went out there to help him through the tide cycle. Wet blankets were draped over his back throughout the afternoon. Despite everyone’s efforts, he passed away around 4:30 that day. Blubber samples were collected for researchers at the North Gulf Oceanic Society, for analysis of contaminant levels and genetic research. A year later, an article in the Anchorage Daily News, revealed probable causes of Eyak’s death.
It was quickly decided that the skeleton of the whale should be salvaged and re-articulated for educational purposes. In a collaborative effort of the PWSSC, the Native Village of Eyak, and the USDA Forest Service, this project has been underway ever since. There has been a great effort by all involved to collect and clean the bones. The Eyak’s skeleton is now on display in the Native Village of Eyak’s arts center.

for more information read:

http://peninsulaclarion.com/stories/072201/ala_072201ala001pm0001.shtml

this is how snow is supposed to come off of roofs!

alternate view of harbor

harbor seals playing in the water

a panoramic view of the mountains near Cordova

this bus actually plans to open up soon for the summer guests!

a panoramic view of the mountains near Cordova

the snow remains high enough to cover signs, this one to the ferry terminal.

still shoveling snow off of roofs

moving the snow is a full time job right now

a panoramic view of the mountains near Cordova

a panoramic view of the mountains near Cordova

this killer whale skeleton I wrote about in blog

one of the buildings that had its roof cave in b/c of snow load

a panoramic view of the mountains near Cordova

this little guy was just loving playing in the water and showing off for the guests that were watching

the harbor

up close to the seals

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Cordova, Alaska~ March 12 and 13, still a lot of snow!

I returned to Cordova, AK 2 months after they made national news for snow fall, and they still have a lot of snow!  I got out and about this time, so more pics of the beautiful location!  I also got to shop at “Copper River Fleece” and the “Ilanka Cultural Center & Gift Gallery (Museum)“.  I spent a little too much $ but what’s a girl to do when she can buy handmade seal skin earrings?

Not a lot more exciting to share about this trip, but the pictures are worth 1000 words!

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looking out over the harbor

street and stop sign still buried from the snow

scanning the horizon from water to mountain

last shot looking over the water!

the Sr. Citizen home in Cordova, ironically there still are handicapped parking signs though still no real room to park.

mid shot of the scan from mountain to water

UPDATE: The Superintendent of Cordova Schools just sent this picture to me. He said that a company had called him wanting to know if the district wanted to do some playground resurfacing! HAHAHA

this was looking outside of my hotel window towards the mountains. the ice cycles in the front were HUGE

amazing day in Cordova

another shot out my window

Touring the Largest Crab Processing Plant in the World, St. Paul Island

Friday, March 9, 2012

This entry is written backwards from the last day to the first, because the last day was the most fun and interesting, starting off with watching the moon set over the Bering Sea (see picture) followed by lots of activities, including a tour of the Largest Crab Processing Plant in the World, Trident on St. Paul Island.

The film crew from “Deadliest Catch” was on site the same day filming the Wizzard as it came into off load crab.  Here are some of the facts of this plant:

• Crab are off loaded alive because if they die, they must be frozen within 60 minutes or they go bad.
• During this, the high season for crab, they will process 50,000 to 500,000 pounds of crab in one day (up to a 16 hour shift).
• To start off the crab are lifted from the boat in big barrel looking tubs and,
• 7-8 workers in the ‘hole’ putting the crab into the ‘braibers’ and then into the hoppers, there are 6 hoppers with 2 conveyor belts on each side of the door where live crab are placed.
• As the live crab move on the conveyor belt they are killed, these machines do 40 crab a minute
• After this they are “butchered”, where core body shells are blown leaving the legs and other edible parts to continue with.
• Once the pieces are separated by grade (low, medium and high quality by size), they are placed in metal containers that hold about 45 pounds.
• Each container is lowered into boiling water and cooked for 18.5 minutes for tanner/snow crab.  (if it were king crab that needs to cook for 25 minutes).
• After it is cooked it is first dropped into salt water.
• After the salt water it is then placed in ½ salt ½ fresh water,
• Finally, it is lowered into water that is -3 degrees  and b/c salt is in water will not freeze!
• It is then moved on another belt to a location where the 45#’s are placed in blue plastic bags and ultimately in a box.
• The boxes are stacked and put in huge freezer.
•  6000-8000, 45# boxes are done in one day.
• To do all of this work they need 320 staff, most of them are from foreign countries as there is not a lot of luck recruiting people in the states.
• Workers live and eat on site, (they have dorm like living quarters and cafeteria style eating).
• The workers pay for their housing and food in advance of arriving to the job, BUT if they remain during the entire season they get all that money back.

All of these steps are highlighted  in the pictures.

I have a video of the Wizzard trying to get into the harbor, it tried for over an hour but had to pull back out eventually due to the current, tide and amount of ice in the harbor.  It made me sea sick just watching the boat as the water was causing the boat to rock so badly.

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Thursday March 8, 2012

Though the weather on Wed. was great, the weather today was terrible, a blizzard hit the island and 55+ MPH winds were blowing and there was a total white out.  School was called off and we had to wait until Mac, the district go to guy could come pick us up and take us to the school.

Interviews went most of the day, lunch was ‘fish pie’ a local favorite, halibut, rice, corn, bacon, all in a crust.  YUMMY.

As the day progressed, the weather improved and we were invited to have dinner at the Trident plant cafeteria (where the workers eat).  Since there is no ‘restaurant’ in town, this was about the closest we could get and it was a nice dinner.

The best part of the day was the sunset, which there are photos of!  Sunset around 8:15 p.m.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

In the morning I met up with the three candidates for the superintendents position at the ANC airport.  My supervisor was flying in from Fairbanks with 2 candidates that had interviewed the day before in a district up north.  The 3rd candidate flew in the day before from MT.

At 11:45 our flight was a ‘go’ and we were all headed to the boarding area, UNTIL the announcement came over the system: St. Paul flight is on hold currently, we will update you at 12:30, as currently we don’t have a crew  WHAT????!!!! So, Tasky Timi grabbed my phone and emailed my new contact at Pen Air asking him, how once again there was not a crew for a scheduled flight, indicating I would like a call.  Within 3 minutes the ‘mucky muck, big wig’ called and said he could not believe it and he would get back to me within 10 minutes.  He did and informed me that the crew was on its way in and we would be off the ground by 12:30.  Well, we were boarding around 12:30 and off by 12:50, but at least we go the ball rolling.  I reminded him how URGENT the flight on Friday would be because of the company that was joining me… candidates for a job that only 1 would be offered.!  He said he would call me on Friday and keep in touch as to the status of the flight!  He will regret the day he gave me his # and email

We stopped in Dillingham for fuel and then took off for St. Paul.  As we landed it was a PERFECT March day here! Sunshine, blue sky etc.  We of course all joked that it was like this all the time here (not!).

Dinner with the board and candidates was a Costco based meal, and all loved it.  I brought fresh veggies, lettuce, tomatoes, etc for a salad… big hit!  Then after dinner was a community forum for all and anyone to attend and meet the candidates, it too was successful.

Funniest parts of the day:

1. using a district vehicle  I was headed to my place (teacher housing, VERY nice), and I could NOT make it up a hill.  I had to go in reserve down the hill, and tried again with no luck.  Tried an alternative road and same luck, I could not get the 150 truck up the hill.  Came into the school with my head hung low until we realized that the right front tire was almost flat!

2. at the end of the evening I took the same truck with a newly filled tire and headed home, with the female candidate who was also staying at the housing unit with me.  However we could NOT find the house, we drove around and around and around, drove by the superintendents home 4 times until I finally stopped to ask for help. How do I mange to travel the world and not get lost but on an island of 400 + people I can’t find my house! craziness!

on our museum tour there was a display of skulls, this is a walrus skull. They are no longer on the island because they were all killed off.

many containers lowered into the boiling water to be cooked

moon setting over the Bering Sea about 8:00 a.m.

ready to cap the containers

it is bagged into these blue bags, about 45 #’s a bag

the Wizzard trying to get into the harbor

each pile cooks for 18.5 minutes (king crab 25 minutes)

each 45 # bag is put into a box

more offloading of the crab

lastly it is put into freezing (-3 degree) water, which does not turn to ice because it has some salt in it.

here are the crab as they fall into the plant

tug boat trying to clear the ice so that the Wizzard could make it into the harbor and to the dock.

once cooked crab enters salt water

as we walked through the plant we could see workers sorting the crab

There are 6 entry areas with 2 belts to each, for a total of 12 belts carrying the crabs to their death

crab being removed from the boats

The Trident Plant in St. Paul, Alaska

after bath in salt water it is moved to 1/2 salt, 1/2 fresh water mixture

more sorting

salt is added to the water constantly to keep the right amount for the processing of the crab meat

last seconds of life

In order to tour the plant we had to put on hair nets!

amazing moon setting over the Bering Sea

the truck I got to drive, the one I could not get up the hill in the first night!

As day break was coming the moon turned this beautiful color (about 8:15 a.m.)

more sorting

crabs are placed into these containers to be cooked.

This is where the live crab are placed onto the belt that will carry them to their death

the boxes that they are shipped in

sunset over the Bering Sea about 8:30 p.m.

The crab are entering the plant

crab moving along the process

boxes stored in the large freezer

Bonus Points if You Know Where the Pribilof Islands are Located?

typical wear of the Russian Orthodox Priests

wow, on sale from $19.99

as you fly into town

Now you can see where St. Paul and St. George Island,

the youth and community try to keep the beaches clean and do collections often, all these items are from a clean up. The worry is what these items do to birds or seal.

another shot of town

the Bering Sea

this shipwreck has been in the waters for years.

St. Paul Ball Field!

Russian Orthodox Church

when I visited SPI in 2003 I stayed in this hotel, it has since been closed.

most of rural AK has an AC store, here is the one on SPI

the first day in town it was snowy and cold, thankfully it got nicer!

Russian Orthodox church

a map of the 43 Sq. Miles of the Island

12 pack on sale for $11.99

produce of any kind is really expensive, fresh fruit is even worse

sunset around 8:00 p.m.

It was Dr. Seuss Day at school

Tridex Processing Plant for Halibut and Crab

a few weeks ago a fire took down this storage building. The community was so thankful that it was not windy on the day of the fire, or it could have been much worse

Sunrise about 8:30 a.m.

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If you watch Deadliest Catch (I have never watched it) you may have heard of St. Paul Island, where I find myself tonight after many, many hours of traveling. One of the first people I was shown in the airport was one of the captains, leaving the island for a bit, however, I did not recognize him b/c again, I don’t watch the show.

Started off the morning with a 1.5 hour flight from Juneau to ANC, followed by a lot of wait time in ANC.  Once in the boarding area for my flight to St. Paul (Pen Air) I was almost sure I wasn’t going to make it in,  A HUGE winter storm was heading towards the island but I was wrong as here now as I sit in the school.    Winds are blowing over 50 MPH and it is cold.  We had such a strong head wind flying out here; we had to stop in Dillingham (see earlier blog on that community) and refuel.  It took over 3.5 flying hours to get out here!  How far would you be across the country if you flew 3.5 hours?  I am 880 miles west of Anchorage and only 500 miles east of Siberia, Russia (less to the waterways of Russia) while I write this!

I landed and they were in such a hurry to get the plane off the ground and headed back to ANC that it took almost 1 hour for the 12 of us that flew here to get our luggage, but mine all made it!  As Mack, the man that took me to the school (along with Dan a teacher and John a refrigerator sales man) drove we were all blinded by the TOTAL white out caused by the winds and the blowing snow.  (I now am wondering why a refrigerator repairman is needed as it is sooooo cold here I can’t see the need now J).

Dan is a 2^nd year teacher here, he and his wife (also a teacher) are originally from Michigan, huge MI State Spartan fans and most ironically, Amanda his wife went to Aquinas College, 4 years after I worked there, but still… that is pretty ‘small world’ if you ask me.

I went immediately to my meeting with the board and did not get a chance to even use the restroom; however, now it is 3.5 hours after we started the meeting and we are not even close to being done!  That is how tough it can be to select a new superintendent!    UPDATE, it ended almost 5 hours after we started.  WOW.

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Because there are no planes that fly on Thursday I must stay until tomorrow and that flight does not leave til 4:15 p.m.  I will get a lot of work done since so far I have Internet and it is quiet in the School District apartment.  Though at 5 this a.m. as I was coming out of the rest room I ran into the guy staying in one of the other rooms.  This is how we roll in rural AK.  He’s here working at the radio station, AND no one told him to bring food.  Hence he spent $70+ on items over at the AC store, enough for a few days.  See my pictures for the cost of some common day items.

Spent most of the day calling potential candidates for the superintendent job, arranging their flights and working on stuff I need to get to them, so the windy and cold weather didn’t bother me too much as I sat inside.  I eventually took a walk but it was still windy and cold and it indeed was cold.  The blizzard was to subside around 5 so hope tomorrow is better when I want to fly. There is a common saying on the islands: “This is the only place in the world where you can experience all four seasons in one hour.”

A little bit of information about St. Paul Island:

• No fewer than 248 species of birds have been spotted on the island. In spring, (May?) many rare birds are seen on the island.
• Other interesting sites on the island are the fur seal rookeries, the males stake their spot our in late May and wait for the females to come!  If I were here after May 31 I would not be allowed to go to the rookeries, but rather only view the action from some blinds that have been built for viewing.
• There are no dogs allowed on the island… mostly b/c of the birds.
• However, there are grey fox that are rather pesky at times getting into garbage and leftovers at the processing plant.
• Saint Paul is the largest of the Pribilof Islands and lies the furthest north.,
• It is just over 7.6 miles wide at its widest axis and 13.5 miles and has a total area of 43 square miles.
• The island was created by a volcano and so there are many cinder cones and volcanic craters on the island, the highest is Rush Hill about 650 feet above sea level.

Friday, March 2, 2012

I was to fly out at 4:15 p.m. but around 10 a.m. I found out that Pen Air had canceled the flight, NOT due to weather but because they did not have a crew, or as I was told later because of a mechanical.  I sent an email stating my concerns and received this from the Chief Operating Officer!  We spoke, but I still don’t have high hopes.

Timi,
Scott Bloomquist asked me to try to contact you, I don’t see a cell number in your email. Please email or call me back and I’d like to see what we can do to make amends to you for screwing up your trip.

So I walked (slid) around town a bit, school, museum, etc, took some pictures and enjoyed the sunshine even if it wasn’t that warm yet.  I went to the school board meeting in the evening and spent the night back at the apt. reading and talking to Harry on the phone.  Thank goodness the apartment has a phone and internet.

Saturday,  March 3, 2012

At 7:30 p.m. I finally left the island and got to Anchorage at 10:30… I will got home Sunday morning, but will turn around and head back to St. Paul on Wed.  Hope the traveling goes better that time!

Hoonah! A location I can fly to and from in ONE Day!!!

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What a beautiful day to fly to Hoonah.  Hoonah is 35 miles from Juneau but of course only accessible by boat or plane, so in these days I travel mostly by plane!  It was a BEAUTIFUL blue-skied day and I wish it had been a longer flight actually!

Hoonah is on Chichagof Island, one of the ABC Islands near Juneau, (Admiralty, Baranof, Chichagof).  It is the third largest island in Alaska and the 5^th largest in the U.S.  Almost 900 residents live here. Hoonah is also the largest Tlingit (pronounced  ”KLIN-kit”) village in Alaska.  The Huna tribe has lived in this area since prehistoric times.  Legend says that the first inhabitants were in Glacier Bay but were destroyed as the glaciers advanced.  Hoonah translates in Tlingit to “where the north wind doesn’t blow.”

Hoonah is a great fishing port and there is the Hoonah Packing Co. in town.  However, in the past few years the town has become a bit more of a tourist destination as Icy Strait Point opened and highlights the culture of the area to cruise ship visitors.

I knew the school board would not be too excited to work inside all day, but they were all good sports and got to work.  At one point we had to take a break to allow them to go to City Hall as both their State Senator and Legislator were in town to talk about a proposed new dock in town.  It allowed me to take a nice walk through town and take some pictures!  What fun as it was a beautiful day.

We finished the workshop and the board was really happy with their accomplishment that day, and I was happy to get them moving along on their goals for improving their school for their students.

me during my walk of town

Hoonah School

cannery

cemetary

me near the harbor

totem looking out to harbor

looking into the town of Hoonah from the main street

so pretty on that day!

busy store in town

flying, I actually got a Text while flying home from my cousin! I forgot to put phone on airplane mode

flying

the other church

store in town; very typical of Tlingit artwork

one of the churches in town, this did not burn down in the 1944 fire!

flying home into Juneau

totem in town

flying into JNU, the Mendenhall Glacier in the distance

the town had a terrible fire on June 14, 1944 where they lost a majority of the townfront.

one of my board members dogs!

flying

flying

view from their dock

this is Lena Point and we live on this point! (not a water view)

I love maps like this that not only show you were in AK the place is BUT how big AK is compared to the rest of the US

waterfront

these are the Juneau peaks as I drove to the airport in the morn… so beautiful

Flying home was almost better than flying there… and I have posted a lot of pictures from that trip.  Enjoy and watch for my next trip to the Pribilof Islands, St. Paul and St. George, out in the Bering Sea!

Gustavus, Alaska, home of Glacier Bay!

all antique gas pumps work

as we begin our landing towards Gustavus

the 3 areas in this shot are ‘clear cut areas’ where the timber has been cut and sold… it is visible and an eyesore in these beautiful areas

from summer 2005 (?) as we got into Pt. Aldophus

think about it… ALL mail must be flown into most communties in Alaska on little planes!

my tour guide told me that one day some local goof balls traded out the letter to ready Perverse!

summer 2005, we came on small boat in foreground, but look at huge cruise ship about to go into view the glacier

fund raising effort marks milestone ammounts with a strawberry in the ground. hopefully this will be home to a future city center

summer 2005 whales, whales, whales!

the gas station/antique store draws a lot of attention from visitors

my plane home! I was the only passenger with a few packages being sent ‘into town’ as the locals call Juneau

local clinic

the slough (area of soft, muddy ground) that leads out to the ocean. Boats are brought up here for winter grounding

Gustavus is 48 air miles west of Juneau, and is the “gateway” to Glacier Bay National Park.  Gustavus was created because receding glaciers and is surrounded by the mountains and icefields of Glacier Bay National Park on three sides and the ocean on the other. However, it is almost all flat, as it spreads across a large plain left behind by the glaciers. Year round there are less than 500 people in Gustavus and in turn it has as much wildlife as people! Wolves, moose, bear, whales and many other wildlife fill the area.   As I flew in it seemed a bit odd to me how ‘far’ away the mountains seemed, not typical of other places here in SE Alaska.  It was an interesting perspective to fly in as the other visits I have made here have been by boat.

Point Adolphus, could be seen from the air as we flew into Gustavus, however there wasn’t much whale activity as there is in the summer when the area is known as a great humpback whale feeding area.  The pictures of that here on the blog were from a boat trip I took there several summers ago.

Again the area that Gustavus sits on was formed when the glaciers receded and left a nice flat area for people to call home.  The town itself is less than one hundred years old. Homesteaders began arriving in 1917 to an area they dubbed Strawberry Point. In 1925 the name became Gustavus, when the U.S. Post Office required a change for its new post office, although locals continued calling it Strawberry Point and it should not be surprising that strawberries are still a big commodity in Gustavus.

At the Homestead B and B where I stayed with Sally and Tom I actually had strawberries for breakfast that Sally had picked from her garden in the summer.  She also served me rhubarb jam that was also quite tasty.   The richness of the community is shared by all that live here.  It is a very close community and everyone waves to everyone else as you drive down the roads.

My host gave me a wonderful 1.5 hour tour of the area so I feel like I saw every nook and cranny, as it is not that big of an area.  I can’t wait to take my mom here on an upcoming visit.  She would love the history and all the quirks of this community.