31 May 1998

Day 1: From Barrow to Nome

Today was the day of the departure -- mostly consisting of things I have seen before... The usual plague of clouds, cramped quarters, and airplane food... I guess I shouldn't complain, for Alaska Airlines provides better food than any other airline. Whale skull in BarrowI was somewhat saddened watching my brother Ian, and a parent or two staring out the window at the airplane which was to whisk me off for a month to an exciting, but intimidating lifestyle. I was surpassed at my lack of home-sickness though, for I knew that I truly wanted to head out for this adventure.

I was disappointed in the cloud cover over the Brooks Mountain Range. I was looking forward to seeing the vast expanse of rugged peaks that I had only a glimpse of before -- when the midnight sun was a ways off. So, finally seeing a little ground when nearing Fairbanks, I was surprised to see green everywhere! Having adapted to the climates of Barrow, I had completely forgotten that most of the planet in May and June tends to be flourishing with non-dormant vegetation. It was quite a shock to arrive in Fairbanks with intensely hot weather (relative to Barrow), and green trees everywhere. My last experience in Fairbanks was when I was on the move to Barrow with my brother and father. It was not nearly as hospitable in November, thus not meeting my expectations on the way back.

The flight to Anchorage was short, but I was privileged to experience a sight few get to see. The pilot then, over the intercom, introduced me to a sight that was a nice contrast to the blanket of clouds that obscured the land -- the peaks of Mt. McKinley and Foraker. We flew right between the top massive peaks, getting incredible views of the highest mountains in North America. We were able to see a string of climbers approaching the summit -- signifying the incredible amount of detail the generous pilot allowed us to see. That was an incredible sight, and it was a very nice "touch of Alaska," possibly an omen for things to come. This will obviously be an incredible adventure.

In Anchorage, Mr. Buckley and I made use of our layover, and ran around the city in search for things to complete the required list of belongings that we were supposed to take on the cruise. I bought a very decent camera with a zoom lens, hoping that I will find a walrus or Polar Bear photogenic enough to capture up close. We went back to the airport, and the flight to Nome was delayed, and the weather in Nome was marginal. Not surprising. Before we left to board the plane, Mr. Buckley recognized some folks that were heading to Polar Sea as well. I am not sure of most of their names as of yet, but I know the lady who was heading up that group of grad students/researchers was a lady named "Tish." Mr. Buckley says that she is really into Carbon, and its importance in just about everything.

From Anchorage we flew to Kotzebue where we were told to stay on the plane, due to the short layover time. I was disappointed, but I think I saw most of Kotzebue from the air. It is like Barrow, only smaller. It is right on the end of a spit out into the Bearing Sea, literally surrounded entirely by water. Looks to me like it won't be there in twenty years, due to the elevation in which it sits.

Took off from Kotzebue, and landed in Nome about a half hour later to find out that the ice-breaker Polar Sea had already pulled in yesterday, and the crew had land-liberty. We checked into a Hotel called "the Nugget Inn," which is centered around the gold-mining motif. Nome was a huge gold-mining town when the Yukon was mined-out, and became a huge town, population around 100,000 in its prime. It is now not much more populated than Barrow, though. I guess it's main industries are tourism (as are a lot of the Arctic towns), fishing, and I suppose crabbing too

Got dinner at a place called "Fat Freddy's," which is an offshoot of the Nugget inn. The food isn't great, but it has great windows that display the rough ocean and the icebreaker looming off in the distance. I am anxious to board and start working.


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