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Day 8
March 9, 2002
Unalakleet
Flying into Unalakleet
Hello Everyone!
We flew into Unalakleet late yesterday afternoon, just in time to see a beautiful sunset. Unalakleet is right on the Norton Sound, and is the biggest town (population 714) between Anchorage and Nome. The winds absolutely howl through the town. I got off the tiny plane and thought I might blow away. The wind whipped through me so easily I felt as though I was wearing a summer dress. I'm not sure that I've ever felt as cold so quickly. I was not a happy girl. While waiting to hear where we could park the plane for the night, I hid in the breezeway of a building to stay blocked from the wind. This certainly helped, but I wished I'd had my fur hat and heavier layers with me. They were locked inside the plane. I eventually gave in and raced down to the nearest building to stay warm until our ride arrived. The good news was that it was not a snowmachine, the bad news was that it was still in the back of a truck. It was a relatively short ride though so I survived just fine.
When we awoke this morning I got some bad news. It was too windy to fly, which meant we would be staying in Unalakleet, ahead of the race. I would not be seeing mushers today. I decided to focus on the village instead of the race today. Unalakleet is primarily an Inupiat Eskimo village. Remember that all of the other villages I've been to have been Athabaskan villages, so I was happy to have some time to explore.
One of the things I noticed about the village was that there were fishing boats parked up on shore everywhere I looked.
There were boats everywhere I looked
They were all made out of metal
It sure appears as though fishing is an important part of their lives here in Unalakleet
There were also drying racks for the fish that were caught. It was a very different environment from the Athabaskan villages: free of trees, a huge body of water covered with ice, and wind. The snowdrifts were massive too, as high as maybe twelve feet. I tried hiding from the wind behind one of the drifts but soon learned that the wind was tricky and would blow up and over the drift and back down the other side right onto me. Brrrrrrrrr.
The snowdrifts are unbelievably high!
I started my exploration looking at the buildings and homes. I found the two grocery stores and the post office.
The sunsets are just beautiful here. You can really feel that there is an ocean out there, even though it is frozen over close to the shore.
Yet another pretty shot
A cemetery at sunset
Next I found the checkpoint. I'm not sure I'd be staying here long if I were a musher. Perhaps I'm just not seeing the whole picture though, because all of these other coastal villages may be just as cold. I watched as the bulldozers plowed up piles of snow in long rows. This created long wind blocks that would help shield the dogs from the wind. These dogs are certainly treated with care.
Volunteers built a dog lot that would protect the dogs from the wind
I spoke with the communications people for awhile to hear if there was any more news. Mr. Holmes had told me that Lance Mackey scratched. That's too bad. He was doing beautifully the last time I saw him too.
This is Brown's Lodge, the place I am staying in Unalakleet
When I left the checkpoint I ran right into my teacher friend, Kim Kavanagh. We decided to have lunch together. Mrs. Morgan, another teacher who followed the trail and made a website in 2000, had told me about this great pizza place called Peace on Earth. Kim and I searched for it and were thrilled that we did because the pizza was fabulous. We were so happy to have each other's company, and equally as thrilled to be eating pizza, since we'd been living on moose stew, salmon, and other Alaskan goodies. Oh these are wonderful too, but there was just something especially good about eating a pizza and drinking a Coke! You'll just have to imagine. (Thank you Mrs. Morgan!)
Kim and I are thrilled to share some laughs and a pizza!
I found a friend outside of the pizza place
Kim went home to relax and I set out to find some more photo opportunities while the pretty light was still in the sky. I ran right into the school. How did I know that it was the school even though there were no signs? Here, you make a guess from this photograph.
Many of the kids drive to school
There were so many snowmachines and four-wheelers I assumed it HAD to be it. Sure enough, I asked one of the students and he said that there were two basketball games taking place. I went in and watched part of the game. One game was being played by the boys, and the other by the girls. The two teams alternated quarters so that the court was shared equally.
Basketball is a popular game here too
As I was leaving I saw that a line had been formed all the way down the hall. I asked a couple of students what they were waiting in line for and they said, "Ice cream." When I asked whether they were buying ice cream from a store or homemade ice cream like ogootuk, they said the regular kind from the store. Well now didn't this come as a surprise to me. Charlie Boulding eats the native ice cream, and the natives were eating the kind that you buy in a store! Two of the students brought me to see Mrs. Ried's room but it was locked.
I left the school and ran right into Mrs. Ried. She is the teacher who I've been emailing with and that you (Mrs. Holmes' class) made the videotape for. She was very nice and was riding to a friend's house with her husband for supper. I hope to be able to visit her class on Monday to tell them about maple sugaring or about the foliage. I'll also play the videotape of you for them.
I ran right into Mr. and Mrs. Ried, the teacher I'll be visiting on Monday
I loved seeing the town. There are so many beautiful things to see, even though things are very wind whipped.
Tonight Martin Buser arrived in Unalakleet just after midnight. He was as chipper as always, singing to his dogs and working at a casual pace.
Martin feeds his dogs a bowl of fish stew. Can you see the tiny whole fish in the bowls?
After caring for his dogs he was rewarded $2,500 in gold nuggets and a trophy on which his name will be engraved.
Martin is awarded his prize
He was pretty sleepy so immediately following the dogs dinner, he went inside to undress, ate a go-gurt and a bagel, and then crashed on his bed. I bet he was pretty exhausted.
Martin getting ready for bed
The northern lights were out again tonight. These were very different from the ones I saw in McGrath. These were more like dancing columns instead of streaks across the sky. I still have not seen an arc or any vivid colors. I'm hoping for only light wind tomorrow so we can head back on the trail to track some of the middle mushers perhaps in Kaltag.
I'll talk to you soon,
Mrs. Holmes
Unalakleet, - Sunday, March 10, 2002 at 15:16:15 (EST)
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Mrs. Holmes
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