Day at Salmon Lake

Yesterday was a great day! I went with my friends, Kim and Corey, their four children, and Corey's parents, to Salmon Lake, which is approximately 30 miles outside of Nome. They put out the net to catch some salmon (Red's). It is the end of the run for the red's. Did catch several of them though. Corey is going to smoke them, that should be very good! Can't wait to try them out. Also went driving further up the road, almost to mile 70! Saw lots of musk oxen. Then, on the drive back we saw three baby fox and their mother. They were playing in the road when we first saw them. We drove up to them very slowly. They finally went off the road and into the willows. Then, one little baby peeked out of the brush and came back out on the road right next to my truck. It looked at us for a bit, then turned and went back into the brush. Experiences like this is what makes me love rural Alaska so much! It was a wonderful day!

Summertime!

I made it back to Nome from Indiana. I really enjoyed visiting with my family and friends while I was home. The four weeks went by way too fast! After arriving back in Nome, I worked as a camp counselor for DAWN (Drugs Aren't Wanted in Nome) Camp. We had nine youngsters from grades 6-8. Camp was five days. We made rockets and launched them, painted rocks, made face masks, made greeting cards, went to Pilgrim Hot Springs for a day, as well as many other activities. It was a lot of fun, but I was ready to start sleeping in my own bed at night, instead of freezing in a tent. This past Tuesday evening, I went with some friends out on their fishing boat. We netted salmon, fished rock and reek with no luck, and just enjoyed the beautiful evening. The sun was shining, the water was calm, it was awesome! That was my first time out in a boat on the Bering Sea. Then, Friday and Saturday, I went with a friend of mine to Anchorage and Talkeetna. She is looking at possibly moving there, about two hours north of Anchorage. Wow, the tourists are everywhere! You can definitely tell it is summer! It has been a fantastic summer thus far!

Happy Summer!

I am so excited, summer break is officially here! We had a great group of students and they flew back to their villages this morning. It has been an awesome school year and it went by so fast! I am planning to leave on the 9:30am flight this Sunday, spend the day in Anchorage with a friend, and then head towards Indiana at around midnight Sunday. Should arrive in Indiana on Monday afternoon. I will be there until July 17, which is when I head back towards Nome for a few weeks of fishing, camping, and enjoying the midnight sun. Right now the days are about 22 hours from sunrise to sunset, which means it never gets completely dark! It has turned cold here in Nome. The beginning of the week was so nice, sun shining, 60 degrees... But, the last three days have been chilly. It is currently 42 degrees, breezy, and spitting rain. I was hoping to do some fishing this afternoon and tomorrow, but not in this weather. Although I should actually be grateful for 42 degrees, much warmer than it is throughout the winter time! Had lunch today at Fat Freddies with my co-workers, not the greatest place to eat at, but it is a piece of Nome's history. There is a great view of the Bering Sea out the window there. Didn't see any sea life today, the waves were too big. When I was there a couple weeks ago, I saw three seals playing in the water. Someone saw a polar bear Thursday, June 7, at mile 17 south of Nome, towards Safety. Here are the pictures of it from the Nome Nugget. Photos by George Feldham NOME VISITOR — (top photo) A polar bear strolled along the beach at Mile 17 near Safety on Thursday, June 7. (center photo) As soon as the bear spotted humans, he made a flying leap into the Bering Sea. (bottom photo) After his escaping from civilization, the bear may try to catch up with the arctic ice pack.

Anchorage Trip

I arrived back in Nome Saturday night after spending the last week in Anchorage. Not living on the road system makes it very strange going into the city. So many people, cars, buildings, etc. It is a lot to get used to. The tourists are everywhere this time of year! I definitely prefer living in rural Alaska, off the road system. While in Anchorage, I took two classes, worth 6 graduate credit hours total. There was a culture class and a history class. I have had a temporary Alaska teaching certificate and in order for me to renew it, I had to take these two courses. Very interesting classes, only problem now is I have to write several papers to finish out the class, but it shouldn't be too bad I guess. As for shopping, I didn't make it to Wal-mart, but I went to one of the malls a few times and also to Fred Myer (kind of like Wal-mart). I also went to Cold Stone Creamery, yum yum! Anyway, I am back in Nome, will work for one week, then head to Indiana on June 17 for 4 weeks. Summer is off to a great start!

Kougarok Road

Friday afternoon, after I got off work, some friends and I drove about 60 miles up Kougarok Road. We stopped and fished a few times along the way, unfortunately I didn't catch anything. There is still a lot of snow on the north side of the mountains. We saw lots of wildlife, a herd of musk oxen, several reindeer, a mama moose with her baby, lots of different birds, and best of all... a mama grizzly with two cubs! The bears were fairly close to the road so we stopped and watched them walking and then running away. Mama bear even stood up to look at us. I wouldn't want to be close to her! Of course I forgot to take my camera along, but one of my friends had a camera, so when I get the picture I will post it here.