Barrow, Alaska
2000-2001
In October 2016, a city referendum renamed the city from Barrow to its traditional Iñupiaq name, Utqiaġvik.
The non-sunset in July, 2000. The sun just went around in a circle in the sky. This was around midnight. The ripple in the water in the foreground is a baby whale.
Coast Guard cutter in the background
Polar bear cage used for old movie prop, somewhere out on the tundra west of Barrow.
I made my parka - northern opossum liner with wolf ruff and trim, denim cover.
Bowhead whale butchering by local Inupiaq Eskimo
The bones and scraps were all taken out to the point, away from town so the polar bears would gather there, away from the people.
Dogsled ride on the Arctic Ocean, May 28th, 2001
Point Barrow, May 2001
From the adventures of Frank & Fern
Wow! What an adventure for the two of you! Thank you for sharing with us...AND right about now I feel like I am living somewhere in Alaska. It is March 3rd and my phone says it is -8...buurrr! CWfromIowa
ReplyDeleteCW, for this location, it's cold too, 17*F this morning with strong north winds. We are ready for spring and planting the garden. Hope it warms up there soon.
DeleteAlaska was a great adventure for us. We loved it. We'll share some pictures from the other locations as time goes on. We lived in five different locations, all remote, out in the 'bush' as it is called there.
Stay warm. Fern
Looks like an CG icebreaker in the background. I spent three years aboard a CG cutter that spent three years, off and on, patrolling the Bering Sea. Also spent three years in Kodiak, also courtesy of the USCG...
ReplyDeleteI loved Alaska...
Hi, Pete. Thank you for your service.
DeleteYes, in the background is a Coast Guard cutter. There was water on the shore, a layer of ice, then open water. As you know it depends on which way the wind is blowing as to where the leads are. That was probably late August or early September. I listened to them on a marine band radio and they identified themselves as a cutter.
Pete, I loved Alaska, too, but I'm sure glad to be where I am right now.
By the way, that cutter is due north of Barrow in the Chukchi Sea. They were leaving the Beaufort Sea up around Dead Horse. Green Peace was protesting in the area. You probably know this, but when on water, and someone is arrested, they cannot handcuff them behind their backs, only in front, in case they need to swim. One of the few things I learned while I was up there. Not from experience, though.
We were farther south in Dillingham when 9/11 occurred. There was no air traffic, period, for a number of days. You were where you were. No life flight, or anything. It dawned on me then that I did not want to be in Alaska if there was a shut down or collapse. Alaska is way, way too dependent on jet, small plane and barge traffic. That's why we are here where we are in southeastern Oklahoma.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane. Frank