Carlo flew out to the village of Ambler April 19th until the 22nd to do school screenings. Ambler has a population of approximately 350 people and lies about 100 miles inland from Kotzebue. It sits on the banks of the Kobuk river. On the flight out the plane flew over Kobuk Sand Dunes National Park. Spring is coming to the Arctic and contrary to the imaginations of those who have not seen it, the Arctic is not a stark, white, barren landscape. It is a land of contrasts with mountains, rivers, trees, and even wildlife. On the way out the plane flew over a herd of around 300 caribou trotting down the frozen Kobuk river.
I returned to Ambler in late May. The summer is almost here with the tundra, rivers, and waterways mostly free of ice with a few exceptions. The Arctic knows the time before the return of the snows is brief and everywhere vegetation is taking advantage of the 24 hours of daylight and the warmer climate. It was good to smell the vegetation and listen to the returning birds.
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carlo@samsicles.net
Last updated:
08/29/05
/100_2721.JPG "Betty on the flight out.")
/100_2722.JPG "The inside of the plane.")
/100_2723.JPG "The back lagoon is melting as we leave Kotzebue.")
/100_2727.JPG "This is the other side of the peninsula looking down on a hugh pressure ridge-a crack in the ice with water visible.")
/100_2731.JPG "The Kobuk river near where it empties into Kotzebue Sound. A number of villages lie on the banks of this river.")
/100_2732.JPG "The interior of the Arctic.")
/100_2733.JPG "Kobuk Sand Dunes National Park.")
/100_2736.JPG "Another view.")
/100_2737.JPG "That's right, a desert in the Arctic.")
/100_2739.JPG "The plane on the ground in Ambler with our taxi next to it.")
/100_2740.JPG "The taxi ride in-me on the back of a snowmachine and Betty in the sled.")
/100_2742.JPG "The Ambler school.")
/100_2745.JPG "Ambler clinic with the ambulance beside it.")
/100_2748.JPG "The view around town.")
/100_2749.JPG "The grocery.")
/100_2750.JPG "The Kobuk inn where we ate each night.")
/100_2753.JPG "A view from town over the Kobuk river towards the mountains.")
/100_2755.JPG "The mountains are visible from three sides of the village.")
/100_2758.JPG "Another view.")
/100_2759.JPG "My sleeping quarters at the clinic.")
/100_2760.JPG "Betty after work in the lounge/kitchen watching tv.")
/100_2763.JPG "The telemed setup in the trauma room.")
/100_2772.JPG "It snowed heavily while I was there, the flakes resembling cotton balls.")
/100_2774.JPG "Betty calling parents telling them to bring in the kids for vaccinations.")
/100_2776.JPG "After the snow.")
/100_2781.JPG "The new school is in the process of being built. This is the gym with all the computer equipment ready for installation.")
/100_2783.JPG "The entrance.")
/100_2786.JPG "A typical classroom-each has a bathroom, sink with water fountain and in most, a refrigerator.")
/100_2790.JPG "All signs are in english and Inupaq.")
/100_2792.JPG "The hall in the old school.")
/100_2800.JPG "The office in the old school.")
/100_2802.JPG "The ride home.")
/100_2804.JPG "Going to another village.")
/100_2809.JPG "The pilot entered and exited the plane through this small window.")
/100_2813.JPG "ALASKA! Few get to see this.")
/100_2815.JPG "The interior.")
/100_2819.JPG "The town of Kobuk on the banks of the Kobuk river.")
/100_2823.JPG "Landing in Kotzebue. This is the same runway the Alaska Air jet uses; short huh?")
/100_2987.JPG "Flying low over Kotzebue on takeoff. I work in the big building to the right middle of the picture.")
/100_2989.JPG "The edge of town with a fringe of ice along the shore and another line of loose ice in the sound.")
/100_2994.JPG "The now rapidly thawing Arctic.")
/100_2999.JPG "The Kobuk river and a pond still partially encased in ice.")
/100_3004.JPG "Flying just above the clouds.")
/100_3009.JPG "The Arctic in spring.")
/100_3012.JPG "What can I say?")
/100_3023.JPG "A church in the village of Ambler. It is a log cabin.")
/100_3039.JPG "The village from the airfield.")
/100_3040.JPG "The inside of the plane with cargo visable to the left.")
/100_3052.JPG "Again no description necessary.")
/100_3058.JPG "Kobuk sand dunes.")
/100_3060.JPG "The tundra just ends and the sand begins.")
/100_3064.JPG "Good habitat for moose.")
/100_3066.JPG "Flying lower than the surrounding mountains as the pilot follows the Kobuk river.")
/100_3068.JPG "The Kobuk river.")
/100_3074.JPG "I believe this is the town of Kobuk. There are a number of our villages along this river.")
/100_3092.JPG "The edge of the ice in Kobuk lake.")
/100_3095.JPG "Almost home.")