Numbers

I've seen in magazines where they'll have a section titled numbers.  The section is exactly what it sounds like, numbers related to the main subject of the issue or numbers from the news of the week.  I thought it might be fun to have a numbers list for our trip from Missouri to Alaska.

4437.1-  miles driven to Anchorage
2 -  lakes of death
2 - cliffs of death
420 - gallons of gas to get to Anchorage
10.56 - average fuel mileage
27 - stops for fuel (we are deliberately not adding up the cost of those fuel stops)
$7.42 - highest fuel cost per gallon
12 - nights in a hotel
1 - night slept in the back of the truck
11 - pillows in our bunk in the back of the truck
5 - duckies embroidered along the trip
2 - trips taken by both the plane and the barge to get our stuff to Nanwalek

And the most important number of all . . .
44 - days without my kitty!!

I didn't think I could describe the duckies very well,
so I thought it best to include a few pictures.  Working
on these little guys kept me from falling asleep on
Mike too much while he drove.

The Evolution of Conversations of Jesus

Anyone who knows me, knows I start each plane ride with a little conversation with Jesus.  A couple weeks ago I had several plane rides to reflect on that little conversation and how it has evolved.  My first travel “conversation” happened on the back of a motorcycle on my first ride.  I did really well on our gravel road, but then we hit the pavement.  All I could think of was just how close that pavement was as it passed by at a rate of 60 miles an hour and “Please, God, don’t let me die today.” was born.  That little conversation carried me through many bumpy flights when we were up here before and every motorcycle ride I’ve ever been on.  Sometimes it became a conversation starter, “Wait, I can’t die today.  I don’t have a will made. . .Later, on another flight, it got even stickier.  “Please, God, don’t let me die. . . But what if we go down and it’s really bad?  I might rather die than live in that state.  So, don’t let me die unless I’ll be in really bad shape.  But where do we draw the line between the two? God, use your judgement, you know what’s best.  But . . . that’s still pretty tough.  Uh . .  . Jesus keep me safe.”  The evolution had begun.

Then, on the back of a motorcycle again, it got a little deep.  We were cruising along at a rate of speed faster than I cared for, but when you’re number two in a line of a dozen bikes, you can’t fall back and do your own thing.  As we sped by a rock face I felt was far too close, “No, really, God, I mean it, don’t let me die today.”  From there we launched into a pretty lengthy discussion about the faith of mustard seeds and whether that was a lesson in faith or if it was really just spiritual blackmail.  So my conversation became simple.  “Jesus, keep me safe.” and that was it.  I have faith so the conversation need be no longer.  Then, my last flight happened.  It was one of only three flights attempted that day because of the weather and one of those went back without trying to land because it was so bad.  As I’m staring at the floor and gripping the seat, all I’m thinking is “Jesus, keep me safe.  Jesus, keep me safe.  Jesus keep me safe. . .”  Obviously, I’m a work in progress and He still has much to do.

Salmonberries

Picked berries or "party in a bowl"

Being a country girl, I have spent plenty of time waging battle with vicious briars and risking the serious discomfort of chiggers for the yummy goodness to be found in blackberries.  I suppose I inherited the satisfaction that comes from bringing home treasures from nature since my dad was actually picking blackberries when I was born.  He simply enjoys the picking part, I on the other hand endure the picking part for the those little black bundles of goodness.  They are yummy in jelly, they are yummy in pie, and they are especially yummy with a little sugar on waffles.  This summer, however, I was a little dejected because I didn't get to pick any blackberries.  I didn't have the time to spare to pick them and was actually a little relieved it was too dry for them to be worth picking.

Little did I know, I had a little surprise waiting for me in Alaska:  salmonberries!  The plants and berries are very similar so they are clearly related to the blackberry.  Blackberries, though, have giant thorns that reach out and grab you, while the salmonberries have small stickers that I didn't really notice.  Salmonberries also come in two varieties with two different colors which can make determining ripeness a little challenging, but that brings the effect one website I ran across described as looking like a "party in a bowl".  You also don't have to worry about running across ticks, or chiggers, or snakes while picking them.  I kept finding myself stepping very slowly and looking in the bushes for snakes as I picked.  Then I would have to remind myself that I am in Alaska.  There are no snakes.  Only bears.  Then a really strong wind came through and stirred the bushes up while I was picking and gave me a moment of panic as I thought a bear might make me dinner.  Since there was not bear, I was able to make the berries my dinner.  They have a hint of a blackberry flavor to them with a mixture of a floral flavor as well making for a very yummy, and festive pie.

Salmonberry pie

And it's still festive

Technological Revolution

We have internet!!!  And telephone!! And TV!! Okay, that’s not really a technological revolution, but it definitely feels like one at this point.  Maybe I can be a little more regular in posting now that I don’t have to go to the school to get online.  Living in a remote location obviously complicates things.  We have to fit into the technicians’ schedules which can be challenging in itself.  Since it takes longer to get here and back, they really have to give an entire day of their schedule to the trip to leave room for unexpected delays.  Since they are losing an entire day to the job and will have to pay a decent chunk of money for transportation, being able to wait until there is more than one job to do while here is also beneficial.  Then, even if everything else has aligned itself perfectly, we still have to contend with the weather.  It doesn’t matter how perfectly everything is arranged if the winds are too sketchy for the planes to fly.  So getting it all in place has taken a little while, but now that it is here, we are celebrating!

Technology has also been the source of a serious internal struggle.  I have always taken a little bit of pleasure in not having a smart phone.  Anyone who knows me, knows I am certainly not glued to my cell phone.  I treasure the freedom to experience and enjoy the moment rather than missing out on something because I’m so busy trying to capture and share it.   To be honest, I may or may not even have my phone with me at any given time and whether or not it has been charged recently or turned back on after charging is equally questionable.  I do not need a smart phone.  I do not want a smart phone. . . I have a smart phone.  Now THAT is a technological revolution.  One I am not happy about, I might add.  I am nothing, if not practical, though, and it ended up being the most practical choice.  While it makes absolutely no sense, the cell plan is actually cheaper with a smart phone than a “basic service phone” (they seem to get a little offended if you call them dumb phones).  On top of that, with WiFi calling, I can use my cell phone in the village.  Apparently WiFi calling’s not a new thing, but I have never heard of this strange voodoo magic.  Who would have thought  living in the bush would force me to join the technology era, but irony has always been the story of my life.  I guess I shouldn’t expect that to change now.

Gardening

Little green bean sprouting!  Can't wait to eat some.

 It's a bit late in the summer anywhere in the northern hemisphere to be putting in a garden, but it is especially so in Alaska.  The sun won’t be rising until 8:00am by mid-September and our first snow came in October the last time we were here so the growing season is obviously a bit shorter.  I, however, will not let time discourage me in my efforts.  First, my houseplants got put in real flower pots with real dirt.  They think they’re something special in their fancy pots with fancy dirt after surviving the trip here planted in shredded paper in plastic cups (Canada is apparently too good for our dirt and won’t allow it to cross the border).  Since arriving, I have also planted 3 tomato plants, a bell pepper plant, chives, and seeds for green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, lettuce, parsley, and mint.  Since my stacking planter arrived yesterday, I will be adding strawberries to the garden today!  If they survive long enough for cooler temperatures and short days to be a problem (and let’s be honest, that will be no small accomplishment with me tending to them) I hope to bring them inside and keep them going through the winter with a grow light.  Then, I can have fresh veggies year round that don’t cost me a kidney and a plane ride to enjoy!  I will post some pictures of my little garden if the plants are still alive by the time the phone people get over here to hook up my phone and Internet.  That could be a blog entry about patience all in itself.  But after already having an entry on flexibility, it might start to sound more like a character ed program. . .

I've turned the baggie my blanket came in
into a mini greenhouse for my lettuce. 
And covered a box in plastic to turn it
into a planter because I ran out.

Strawberries!  Each layer will hold four plants so
I'll have more plants when they start shooting
runners.  I have two more layers to add to the planter
when it starts really going so I can have a total
of 20 plants - if I don't kill them first.

 

 

Flexibility

First, apologies for such a long stretch without any posts.  The last week has been a whirlwind!!

Living in Alaska has and probably always require flexibility, especially when dealing with life in the bush.  I suppose Alaska was afraid we had forgotten that detail and wanted to remind us before we got too comfortable.  We originally planned to barge everything over last Saturday, but got nervous that would leave us no wiggle room for the long drive up so we rescheduled for Monday before we ever left home.  That turned out to be a very wise move.  While we didn’t have any real delays in our trip, we did spend every second of those extra days in Soldotna getting ready and ended up more exhausted at the end of each day than any of our long days driving.

We drove down to Homer on Sunday ready to launch the next morning, or so we thought.  Our first problem ended up being weather.  While it was beautiful outside, the waves in Nanwalek were forecast to be too high to make for a safe boat landing on the beach so we delayed until Tuesday.  Getting a hotel room in Alaska last minute is highly unlikely, but things worked out perfectly and the cabin we were staying in happened to be vacant that night.  (Our neighbors did get a little confused as to which cabin they were staying in that night around 11:30, but the cabin was ours).  I was scheduled to fly over while Mike rode the barge so that I could bring over the more water sensitivite items, so we had even more moving parts to contend with.  Fortunately, the airport was very flexible and rescheduling was no problem.  We then packed up and were ready to go at 5:30 in the morning for the early start our captain wanted to make on Tuesday.  But, when we got to the dock, it was still going to be too rough and, despite the assurances we had there would be plenty of room for all of our stuff, we would have to make two trips whenever the weather did get better.  Grrr!

Despite that frustration, We got to see the helpfulness of others though the process.  The airport was super and kept my flight clear so that we could load as much of our stuff as possible and and even made an extra trip to get more stuff for us.  The maintenance guys in Nanwalek and one of the teachers were also great and helped me get everything in the apartment while Mike was coming over on the barge.  We got the first barge trip unloaded and into the apartment with no difficulty, but the seagulls were very confused.  There were people on the beach carrying totes and no fish scraps were left behind. They are beginning to have some doubts as to the helpfulness of people.  We, however, are most definitely not.  The next morning, the barge brought the rest of our stuff over and made outstanding time.  So much that when we headed down to wait for the boat, it was almost completely unloaded already.  A couple guys from the community had seen the barge and brought their truck down to help out.  So despite the many snags and delays, the process still went very well.  Now, to find a place for everything . . .

Roller Coasters

We arrived in Anchorage yesterday and the last two days of our trip have been like a roller coaster both literally and figuratively.  There are obvious similarities between a roller coaster and the road as it winds through the mountains with its ups and downs and twists and turns.  There are also a few less obvious similarities.  You always hope both are very well and frequently maintained and feel a much rougher ride when they are not well maintained.  Your ride will get shut down and you will get stuck waiting an eternity, sometimes in precarious positions if the road or roller coaster requires maintenance while you’re on it.  Most importantly, I begin each roller coaster ride with my little conversation starter with Jesus,  “Please, God, don’t let me die today.”  This trip has also incurred several conversations with Jesus.

The road is an emotional roller coaster as well.  As we travel through the mountains, I am frequently humbled and overwhelmed by the beauty that surrounds us.  I also find myself horrified by the constant presence of danger.  There seems to be a direct correlation between the intense beauty and the imminent death waiting to pounce it’s unsuspecting prey.  The more beautiful the landscape, the more dangerous the terrain.  Some of my thoughts as we’ve traveled:

“Wow!  That is amazing!”
“Oh my gosh!  That is a really long drop off!”
“That lake is so pretty!”
“How did I get stuck driving along BOTH lakes of death?!”
“How lucky am I to get to experience all of this!”
“Who thought this was a good place to put a road?!”
“God’s creation is incredible!”
“Why is there no guard rail here?!”
“How lucky am I to be a part of His creation when He already had all of this to enjoy!”
“Why does that guard rail not start sooner?  The drop off is right there!  Anyone could drive right off and die!”
“I wish everyone could see how beautiful this land is!”
“Why is that guard rail so small!  They should have a large concrete wall at least 10 ft tall!”
“A guard rail that tall would obstruct this breathtaking view.”
“Who cares!  I won’t be enjoying the view as I plummet to my death!”

I also have a bone to pick with whoever designed a few of the built in “safety features” in our truck. First, the doors will not open when the truck is in motion.  Even with the doors unlocked, they still will not open.  So if one of the many death traps tackles my truck along the way, I can’t open the door to bail out before plunging into oblivion.  It also has lane assist so if I get too close to the edges of my lane it will gently steer me away from the line.  Well, truck, I am fully aware I am hugging the yellow line.  Do you not see that huge lake of death beside the road I am trying to avoid falling into?  Stop pushing me toward it!  I have decided these safety features really need to have a cliff of death and lake of death override.

Our poor truck - and we weren't done adding to the layers
of mud yet.

I don't remember if I intended to get the mountain in his
photo or not.  I was focusing on the road conditions.  This
almost made us miss the mud and gravel.

Glacier!

That's where we're going - who thought it was a good idea to
put a road here! And that's not even the cliff of death!



This is not the cliff of death either (I didn't take pictures of it
because I was too busy talking to Jesus).  Road construction - yay!

And we're on the death side!  Mike was super comforting
saying things like "Look at how long of a drop that is!"

You are not seeing things, his front wheel is no where near
the road and his back wheels are right on the edge.  I'm not
sure if he's crazy or stupid, but I am sure he's underpaid.

Coming into Anchorage

Leaving Anchorage