Once again we have returned safely,
We returned from our 10 day trip to Kodiak and Anchorage June 5th at 11pm
that Sunday night. We were scheduled to land in Kotzebue at 7:30pm, but due to
Alaska Air's usual efficiency we were a tad bit late. We did feel much better
after the captain quipped "we'll get you there before dark, I promise". Let's
see, that gave him until sometime in mid July to get us here. Not a bad margin
of error huh?
We spent 6 nights on Kodiak Island which is known in Alaska as the "Emerald
Isle" before flying back to Anchorage (an hour and a half late of course) for
the last three nights of our trip. After arrival on Kodiak it was easy to see
why it is called the Emerald Isle. The Island is the second largest in the
United States and gets a pretty good amount of rain each year. The mountains on
the island were totally covered with Emerald colored growth and reminded me of
the pictures I have seen of Ireland and Scotland. The coast however appeared to
me to be a combination of all the best attributes of the California, Oregon,
Washington state, and Main coasts all rolled into one. The day we flew in most
of the passengers on the jet were folks that had been trying to get to Kodiak
for two days but the flights kept being canceled due to fog and low clouds. Upon
landing a cheer went up from the weary travelers who had been stranded in
Anchorage. When we disembarked we could see the mountains just to the left of
the runway with their peaks completely hidden in the mist. I have to tell you,
I would choose being stranded in Anchorage anytime over chancing a landing next
to those mountains in low visibility.
We rented a fairly new looking Toyota Camry with "only" 50K miles on it. I
did not get into this thing-I put it on like a coat. The drive between the
airport and town is about 5 miles and the roadway passed through a National
Wildlife Management Area with mist shrouded mountains inland and trees towards
the coast. After passing the park the road traveled along the border between the
mountains and the coast. At one point there was a turnout with a view of the
town and port to the left, the sea with jagged rock out croppings sticking up
here and there to the front, and coast line and mountains shrouded in mist to
the right. A salmon netter was cruising in the sound and seagulls along with an
occasional bald eagle soaring in the distance completed the picture perfect
scene. Lending a bit of history to the whole thing, behind us on a cliff sat an
old WWII spotting bunker.
The crab festival had started the Friday we flew in and before heading to
the B&B we found a parking spot and walked through the mostly food booths. It
was raining lightly off and on the day we flew in and it continued for the next
three days of the festival.
That's not so unusual as the island gets a fair amount
of rainfall and some snow every year. The folks there just take it in stride.
Saturday we watched the crab festival parade which was a lot of fun. Being from
New Orleans we are used to the grandeur of Mardi Gras but on this island of
about 13,000 people they did a really good job. The parade was more personal
and had a small town appeal. All the local ethnic groups had floats and folks
in traditional garb from the local Indians, to the Polynesians, to the Asians.
Shoot, they even had all the little leaguers, the girl scouts pulling wagons of
cookies for sale, soap box racers, a full drill team made up of all ages and
sexes each with a push mower or push fertilizer, and even one with a vacuum
cleaner. The coast guard was there with a band and their fire fighting
equipment and there was even a float shaped like a Viking ship representing the
Norwegian presence on the island.
After the parade we picked up something to snack on and found a spot on the
pier to watch the survival suit races. First off a survival suit is a one piece
well insulated outfit made of neoprene or rubber or some other waterproof
material. It covers the person wearing it completely with only the eyes and
nose uncovered. They are designed to keep a person alive for an extended period
in frigid waters which of course describes Alaska waters year round. The race
came about somewhere around 20-30 years ago when the suits were first
introduced. The announcer stated that when the suits first came out, folks
bought them and put them in their boats. The problem was, most did not really
know how to use them. Someone came up the idea of the race as a way of
promoting fishermen to not only carry them on their boats, but to get to know
how to use them as well. There were about 20 teams of 4 and each person brought
their own personal survival suit. The race is designed so the teams of four
have to run 100 yards to get the heart and adrenaline pumping just like in a
real emergency. They then get the suits out of the storage bag and don it as
quickly as possible. There is a race official there to make sure it is zipped
completely before the contestants enter the water or the hapless swimmer will be
doused inside the suit with frigid water. As each contestant is cleared they
must then jump into the harbor and swim to a waiting raft and climb in. The
clock stops when all four are safely aboard. The announcer stated that the very
first year of the race, it saved lives. At least one participant in the race
that year had to use the suit in a real emergency to save his life and he came
back the next year to tell his story.
Kodiak is home to a large fishing fleet even though the crab fishing has
ceased there due to depleted numbers. The Coast Guard consequently has a large
base here and many of the dramatic rescues you see on the Discovery Channel come
from this area. There are a number of fish canneries and fish processors on the
island including one built in and around the hull of an old WWII Victory Ship.
Much of the islands tourism is based on fishing. Offshore fishing is foremost
for the halibut which can reach 400 pounds here, and the King Salmon. However
there are other species that are almost as tasty such as rock fish, cod, ling
cod, greenling, and others. Kings can also be caught from the shore at certain
times of the year. Inshore there are 11 streams that are accessible by the road
system and during the summer months they fill with salmon heading upstream to
spawn. There are numerous lakes that are stocked by the Alaska Department of
Wildlife and Fisheries and are open to the public. Hunting is also a draw as
the island hosts a huge Sitka Blacktail deer population, rabbits, and even elk
for those who like to hunt. Of course it is also home to the Kodiak bear which
can reach up to 1800 pounds. For those who just want to watch nature the island
also hosts multitudes of migrating waterfowl, not to mention puffins and bald
eagles. On some portions of the shoreline colonies of sea lions may be spotted.
Migrating gray and humpback whales can also be spied from the shoreline. If you
are into hiking and kayaking there are plenty of opportunities for that too.
Exploring tide pools and beach combing along the numerous accessible beaches can
also be pleasant pastimes.
While there we drove to the end of all the roads which I guess total to
about 150 miles. They cross the 11 streams I mentioned and wind along the
shoreline between the green mountains and the sea. The island is forested but
most of the hills and mountains are sparse of trees and totally covered in the
emerald green I mentioned. The seaward side ranges from jumbled cliffs rising
from the green water to beaches, some of which are rocky with the tide pools I
mentioned easily accessible at low tide. (Speaking of tides, they can run 12
feet. All the docks are floating affairs attached to fixed pilings by huge metal
U-shaped bands of steel that slide up and down with the tides.) Other beaches
are black sand with views of the jagged cliffs and rocky outcroppings I
mentioned. At some beaches as we walked along in the sand we watched whales
spouting in the distance. Occasionally a huge tail would rise gracefully into
the air, an indicator of the whales decision to make a deep dive. Eagles were a
common sight wherever we went. At one place six of them perched on an
outcropping a few yards from shore eyeing us with curiosity as we explored the
tide pools on a secluded beach. We passed a few small settlements on the road
and at one point we even passed a large herd of wild buffalo, the results of
them being transported to the island years ago. The pictures of bison we are
all used to seeing generally show them out on the western plains. Spying the big
beasts against a backdrop of blue sea and emerald green mountains seemed to me a
bit surreal. At one point we came to an area owned by a private rancher
where we had to use the Toyota to herd cattle off the roadway. It's a good thing
none of them wanted to be ornery as they were more than a match for the matchbox
car we were in.
I have to mention here that one of the activities of the crab festival is a
marathon race. 42 miles these folks run. That's right, 42 miles! I did not
mention that most of the roads once they leave town become gravel affairs with
frequent potholes. On our drive the morning of the race it was raining lightly
and cold. We passed a number of those marathoners running along the lonely, wet
stretches of gravel road. Some had raincoats on but most just ran on seemingly
oblivious of the wet and cold. One other thing I have to say is these roads are
not flat by any means. They are rolling, hilly and in some places go steeply up
then steeply down for miles. There were also bike races on these same
stretches during the fest. I have to say those folks meet my definition of
insanity but at the same time they do have my respect.
Another portion of the island houses a WWII gun emplacement where two large
cannon were set up to guard the straights. The old fort and powder magazines
have been turned into a museum with quite a bit of memorabilia from the war era
on display. The guns were blown up after the war and the remnants still lie
where they landed making for a marked contrast to the beautiful view in front of
the emplacement. We walked a trail around the area gazing not only at remnants
of the guns lying where they were deposited by the explosions in the '40s, but
also at the sea and shorelines and the colorful wildflowers present in
abundance.
Riding out on one leg of the highway we passed the huge Coast Guard base.
On the tarmac waiting a call were large C-130's and blackhawk helicopters each
decked out in the red and white colors of the Coast Guard. Towards the end of
one of the roads is a NASA launch complex where they launch and test small
rockets on occasion.
The town of Kodiak and all the island accessible by road is packed into one
small portion on the north side of the island. I would guess it covers less
than 10% of this immense island which is the second largest in the United
States. The rest of the island consists of a few settlements accessible by air
and sea only and wilderness. The B&B we stayed in was called the Emerald Isle
and we had a view from the sitting room of part of the channel leading to the
sea and the sea itself about a mile in the distance. As we relaxed in the
family room, we were treated to not only the aerial acrobatics of bald eagles
but also float planes gliding by at the level of the window less than two blocks
away as they made their descent for landing on an inland seaplane lake. We did
not hear them though due to I suppose an acoustic shadow, but it was interesting
watching them glide by.
We chartered a fishing boat while there of course. I mean how can you go to
someplace like that and not fish? The rain had stopped by Tuesday but the water
was still a bit rough. Patty and I found the same skipper we had fished with a
few years ago when we came up by cruise ship. On that trip we were the only ones
to catch fish and almost the same thing happened this time. We landed two
respectable king salmon, cod, rockfish, something called greenling, and two
halibut the biggest of which topped 100 pounds. The sea was alive with seabirds
and puffins and here and there among the islands more WWII era bunkers could be
seen. Poor Patty, even though she took her bonine before leaving the house that
morning, she still got seasick. I steadfastly stood by her side with concern as
I pulled in fish after fish while she upchucked providing a good chum slick to
attract even more fish. She asked repeatedly to go home but being the caring and
loving husband I am, I refused to give in to her pleadings. After all, I love
her too much to risk her feeling guilt for the rest of her life by letting a
little thing like seasickness cut short a trip like that. What can I say? I love
the little lady that much! Well, what really occurred is she was a good sport
and refused to go back even though I kept asking. Around 3pm she was asleep and
the captain and helper were playing rummy and nothing was happening so I threw
in the towel and said lets go. Patty woke up and said she felt better and did
not want to leave. Of course as the debate was going on as to whether to leave
or not, the 100lb halibut decided to take the bait.
If you ever go to Kodiak with the intention of fishing I recommend Gunnar's
charters on a boat called the Seabreeze. Gunnar is his name and he's from
Norway. He is really fun to fish with and so far has not disappointed us.
Our trip to Kodiak was to check out whether or not it would be our next
destination after leaving Kotzebue. As I mentioned, it does get a fair amount of
rain and the humidity is higher than here so you do feel the cold more. However
the temperatures rarely get anywhere near zero. For the most part winters are in
the 30's-40's range. Last winter they got snow in March only. There is
competition for Alaska Air in the form of Frontier Air, Northwest, and the
Alaska Ferry, so the fares are more reasonable. There is also a port that is
open all year so groceries are WAY more reasonable.
We visited the hospital there to discuss jobs and of course they would be
glad to have me. Patty looked around a bit and there are a couple of small
sporting goods stores that cater to the local sports of fishing, hunting,
hiking, and kayaking that would be glad to have her. These places also arrange
charters, hunts, and places to stay.
The housing market was a mixed bag of places most in the well over $200,000
range but there were a few there that interested us. Particularly the two story,
five bedroom, four bath B&B we were staying in. The owners were fixing to put it
on the market as he was retired Coast Guard and recovering from a bout with
cancer and the wife is schedule to retire in January at which point they plan to
move closer to family in Washington state. The asking price is steep, but it
will come fully furnished along with all the towels, sheets, name, and the
clientele. We must be nuts but we are seriously considering going for it. As I
recently stated to a couple of family members, "once you go nuts it's easier to
just go with it". What the heck?
So, we came back to Anchorage, spoke to our agent, and the house in
Anchorage is now up for sale with an asking price $75,500 more than we paid for
it one year ago.
The logistics are a bit staggering and we may not be able to pull it all
off but once again, it's the path not the destination right?
We'll keep you posted,
The Sam's
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carlo@samsicles.net
Last updated:
12/28/05