Hey,
One point I forgot to mention in my last letter was the village I went to. The village was Kivalina which has a population of around 400 and lies approximately 100 miles north of Kotzebue, between here and Point Hope.
Patty’s sister Susie and her husband Tim came into town from New York Sunday and left Wednesday on the 11am flight. We picked them up from the airport in the usual fashion using our 4 wheelers. Cathy and Gary also met us at the airport so there was plenty of room for luggage and New Yorkers. They were conveyed safely to our apartment although not in the fashion they were accustomed to I’m sure. We did apologize for not having the crown shaped air fresheners or a Madonna on the dash as the cabbies in the Big Apple invariably do. They have joined the ranks of the small group of intrepid souls that have visited us in this far away land. That band previously only consisted of Hope, a friend of Cathy’s from New Orleans, and our daughter Christy and her roommate.
We brought them to the apartment and did the grand tour showing off all our dead animals and their various parts lining the walls, in our closets, and on top of some of our desktop areas. They were a bit tired (Susie and Tim, not the animals) after traveling across the country for the last day and a half. So, after lunch at one of the restaurants in town (Chinese of course), we graciously granted them time to go to the one hotel here and take a nap. I planned on doing that too but my upstairs neighbor trotted up as we returned from tucking them in, telling me about the fish jumping by the second bridge behind our apartment. So I grabbed my pole and we sat under the bridge for about an hour and a half as fish rolled and struck the surface all around us chasing minnows. John caught two small sheefish on a fly rod and while I had a number of hits, I did not get anything to shore. John and his wife Debbie and I sat and chatted a bit after lying the poles down on this pretty day. It was decided after a bit that it was time for them to continue on their interrupted quest for blueberries and for I to return home. After the foreigners from the southeast aroused from their slumber, we took them on a ride. First we went past the airport where they got to experience looking around for any planes taking off or landing before riding past the two landing strips, then seeing a plane land on the dirt strip thirty yards to the right less than a minute after we passed it. We rode to an overlook where they got to experience not only the view of the sound towards Russia, but the unique smell of the tundra. They got to see, pick, and taste the blueberries and crowberries finding out they literally grow no more than an inch or two off the ground. They also got to see the abundance of cranberries, bright red on one side and pale on the other because they have not fully ripened yet. The general consensus was the crowberries have a bitter flavor and while the blueberries have a tart sweet flavor, they were not worth the expenditure of energy. (Of course for the rest of the trip whenever we were on the tundra, one or more of us could be seen bending and picking a few blueberries then discretely popping them into the mouth.) We then rode down onto the beach and did a ride along the tundra edge in an attempt to see some of the now disappearing flowers. We spent a bit of time close to a camp on Sadie Creek as Tim, who is an avid bird watcher, glassed all around with a small pair of binoculars. The rest of us looked around and bent occasionally for a fresh snack. We then rode about 12 miles out of town and again up onto the tundra where Tim swears he saw cranes and caribou in the distance. He is some type of big shot investment advisor in New York. Cathy worked with him for a couple of summers and swears he is a professional a.. kisser. I believe that but I'm not sure about the cranes or caribou. They did get to experience what it feels like to walk and ride on the tundra which is made up of tussocks that appear absolutely flat when gazed across. We returned home and barbequed some T-bones. Then we played some spades for a while before Susie was pulling at Tim's sleeve and reminding him that even though the sun was shining, it was 10:30 pm. We are having a bit of almost darkness now somewhere around 3am lasting to around 5am. It’s kind of like twilight.
We debated on whether to take a plane or boat tour but as I have had my share of flying and after my recent experience, we all agreed a boat ride might be best. Monday was a bit overcast but after a hasty lunch we met Elmer Goodwin at his boat. This gentleman has lived here all but 12 of his 62 years. Those 12 years he spent in Los Angeles before coming to his senses. For the last five years he has run a kids camp for the school district taking kids out to his camp on the Kobuk River and teaching them Inupiat ways. The six of us loaded into his six passenger Bayliner with inboard/outboard engine. The boat has seen a lot of use but was in good shape and off we went. We traveled across the sound with driftwood logs visible in the distance hung up on shallows. Elmer’s internal GPS kept us on the right course and soon we entered the Kobuk River. It is very wide at the entrance and is green in color now instead of the brown color it was after breakup. We traveled a few miles as Elmer gave a bit of narrative until we passed a net and a camp in the distance he proclaimed was his. He stated they had been seeing muskox every trip lately and we eagerly watched the banks. As the miles melted away behind us the land gradually went from mostly flat and tundra like to rolling and hilly with trees about. As the land increased in height there were camps visible here and there along the shore. Every now and then Elmer would name the person who owned it or tell a story about one from his childhood when he traveled the land by dog sled. Most of the camps were larger and more elaborate than the homes in town and many folks live here year round. The land began to resemble rolling plains with trees in patches here and there and Elmer explained this was where the caribou passed on their migrations and it was a favorite place to hunt. He told of how the bears would know the hunters were there and would move in to feed on the discards just as the hunters were leaving. Gradually there were mountains made up of the same grey rocky piles I have written of in the past. Tim got to see some different birds including king loons and a golden eagle. We traveled about 30 miles up the river passing areas where rocky cliffs rose out of the green water. Sitting atop some of the cliffs were gulls and their hatchlings curiously gazing down on us intruders. We stopped on a huge sandbar I recognized as I have flown over it a couple of times and just walked a bit taking in the surrounding wilds while enjoying the sounds of unspoiled nature. Elmer would interrupt occasionally with another story. He told me this was where he liked to fish for salmon “when they're biting”. I asked how he knows when their biting to which he stated he casts six times and if there’s no salmon, their not biting. I then asked "when" they would be biting. He stated “now”, so off I went at a clip to the boat and my fishing gear. Needless to say my luck holds and after probably 30 casts I had no fish to show.
We began the ride back and by now the sun was making its presence known. Elmer regaled us with a few more stories including one where he pointed to the remains of a camp halfway up a hill. He stated when he was a boy he used to come to this camp by dogsled. He told of how it had to be abandoned because there were so many bears there. After about a 30 minute ride we turned up a tributary and after a few hundred yards came to an opening in the brush that had wooden and dirt steps leading up a small rise. Two dogs greeted us with wagging tails and much enthusiasm but stood on the shore until Elmer gave them the command to “come”, at which point they both leaped as one onto the boat to folks eager to supply the attention they craved. I stayed in the boat a while as I was told this was a good place to catch pike and I did my best not to ruin a perfectly good trip by catching anything. I dejectedly walked up the path to the camp which was a two story affair with a hand made balcony up top. Patty explained that Elmer had stated this spot has been used for hundreds if not thousands of years by the Eskimo. The camps on the river are on land purchased by either the present owner or more likely by their parents or grandparents or possibly even further back than that. Elmer told in a neutral voice of how the land was taken from his ancestors then the parcels were sold back to those who had the money.
In back of the camp was a raised circular area in the middle of which was a sheet of plywood covering an entry standing perhaps four feet. The plywood and entry were his refrigerator dug into the earth to the permafrost. The mound he says was a dwelling area left by ancestors perhaps hundreds of years ago. There were trees and brush around and behind the camp rising probably to six feet or more with some of the trees being very aromatic blue spruce. Elmer stated there were other mounds out there in the brush but there was also a very large bear that frequented the area. Needless to say we did not go out exploring as you would not see the bear until you stepped on it (or more likely it stepped on you).
Elmer made fresh coffee and offered us some salmon his wife had cooked the day before. We sat and chatted about different subjects including the fact that he only does artwork to order and how some of his pieces were made specifically for and are now in museums. He also teaches kids how to do carving at the school as well as hunting, fishing, trapping, and the Inupiat language. He showed us some uncarved walrus tusks he and his sons had harvested and explained what he used the different parts of the tusk to make. After leaving the camp we went to check his net. There were only two salmon in it (my luck was wearing off on him that day). The net had many big holes in it and one of the salmon had most of the head eaten off. This is caused by seals he said. We drifted for a while looking for seals as there was every intent that if there was to be no salmon for dinner, then seals would be the next best thing. He told us more stories of his life and childhood as we drifted making the time pass without us knowing it. We did not see any seals or any big animals that day but I have no complaints or regrets. We got to experience something new that few get to see and had the added bonus of being in the presence of this man who willingly shared his experiences with us. What more can one ask for?
Tuesday I gave them the grand tour around town. They used Patty's 4 wheeler after extensive training lasting about five minutes. Patty had to work and it's probably a good thing she did not get to witness the abuse heaped upon her poor machine. We took in the sights around town such as the post office, the dock, the Department of the Interior building with all it's tourist info, the grocery, the grocery prices, the electric plant.................the list is endless, right? We also took in the view from cemetery hill which gives the best perspective on just how insignificant this town is in comparison with Arctic Alaska. Tim was still in search of birds so we also rode out to the reservoir and up on the tundra again. We stopped at the coffee shop where they got to see some local art and consume city style fancy coffee (I had a vanilla chai latte, la dee da). That night we had salmon for dinner and played some more spades before Susie was once again tugging at Tim's sleeve reminding him of the time.
They flew out the next morning destined for more adventures on the Keni peninsula. We are schedule to meet back up with them in Anchorage Sunday where we will all pile into our truck and travel to Denali National Park We have three nights reserved at the Denali lodge in the heart of the park. We even had to sign waivers relieving them of responsibility if we get eaten by bears. In fact, the paperwork from the lodge states, "Our kitchen staff, drivers, guides, and the lawyers thank you in advance". No, I'm not kidding, how many times do I have to say things are different here? (Guess they have to thank you in advance, it might be kind of difficult thanking you after if you're coming out the south end of a bear.)
Just a couple of more notes of interest and I'll be done. I learned today that there has been a bear with cub sighted hanging around the reservoir and that another bear with two cubs has been spotted where we took them up on the tundra about 12 miles from town. I had heard about bear by the reservoir but not about the cub. The other note is I went to a fellow nurses house this evening. Her cat whom she named lucky has no ears. She used to work in Fairbanks and she found the cat abandoned with frostbitten ears. The animal looked kind of strange but in a cute sort of way. Ya just don't see that sort of thing in New Orleans.
Well enough already. We're looking forward to next week and will write when we get back.
Carlo
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Last updated:
08/29/05