An Arctic Adventure

We spent Labour Day weekend in Barrow, Alaska. Barrow is the northernmost community in the United States.  It is right on the Arctic Ocean and lies 320 miles above the Arctic Circle. There are no roads that lead from the rest of Alaska to Barrow. To get there you either have to fly or take a boat. Or you could wait until winter and drive across the tundra, but that sounds frightening and dangerous (and I admit kind of cool). The town has a population of around 4000 people.The roads in town can't be paved because of the permafrost. There are absolutely no trees or bushes growing in Barrow. I apologize in advance for the barrage of pictures, but this was a once in a lifetime trip and I wanted to capture as much as possible. 

Our flight took us over the mountains. They were beautiful, as you can see from this picture of Denali. I will never get tired of seeing mountains 

 We had a quick layover in Prudhoe Bay. Sadly we weren't allowed off the plane. 

After checking into our hotel, we headed straight for the Ocean. Husband's goal was to touch it. 

My goal was to step in it. It was SOOOO cold! 

In front of the Arctic Ocean.

We took a tour with Windows to the World tours. The guide has lived in Barrow for 43 years and knows everything there is to know about the place. He took us all over and told us about living in Barrow. We enjoyed the tour and learned a lot about living above the Arctic Circle. 

Inside a whale head!

The high school football field. This thing lays directly on top of tundra and there is absolutely no give to the ground. I can't even imagine how much it hurts when someone gets tackled. 

A whale bone garden. 

At Point Barrow, the northernmost spot in the United States. At 3:37 PM Alaska Time, on Sunday September 5th 2016, we were farther north than anyone else in the United States.

I wasn't satisfied with my previous stepping in the ocean experience, so I had to do it again. I still don't have feeling back in my feet! 

There are whale bones all over the place. People sometimes use them to decorate their yards.

The Whale Bone Arch. It is made from the ribs of a bowhead whale. It is the symbolic gateway to the Arctic Ocean.

Husband on the cliffs above the ocean. 

I wanted to stop in at the only grocery store in town to check out the prices. WOWZERS! I thought prices were high where I live in Alaska. After seeing these prices, I guess I can't complain too much. 

Just so you know, that price is for 30 rolls.

Just some random shots from around town:

Barrow "trees": wooden poles with baleen leaves.

We were too early for the ice to be close to the shore, but we still saw a few icebergs in the distance. 

Tundra grass is beautiful during the fall: red, yellow, and a purplish-blue colour.

A road in Barrow. I have no idea how they keep their houses clean with all this dirt and gravel. I would be sweeping and mopping my floors all the time! 

Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Barrow is the honey bucket. Despite its name, it does not hold honey. About 4% of the houses in Barrow do not have running water. In order to have running water your house must be raised up on stilts. Otherwise, the heat from your home will cause the permafrost to melt and your house will literally start to sink. So, if your house isn't on stills and you don't have running water, you use a bucket lined with a plastic bag to do your bathroom business. Once the bag in the bucket is full, you set it outside. Someone in a truck comes by, collects the waste and then puts the bucket back, upside down, to signify that it has been emptied.

 Every seaside town I've been to has its share of brightly coloured houses. Barrow was no exception. This was one of my favourites.

Tundra grass up close.

We stopped in at a general store that sold everything from candy to fabric to school supplies to animal furs. We felt furs from rabbits, beaver, muskrats, and wolverines. 

Our plane for our flight out of Barrow was Hawaiian themed. Also, it started snowing as we were leaving. It was an interesting paradox. Also, I think the airline might have been taunting the citizens of Barrow.

**If you go:

We flew from Fairbanks to Barrow on Alaska Airlines. We had a layover in Anchorage, which ended up being an overnight stay because our flight got canceled due to fog in Barrow. Plan for delays and cancellations due to weather, as apparently they happen frequently.

We stayed at the Airport Inn. It is within walking distance from the airport. The hotel was good. The rooms were clean and comfortable. They provided breakfast. The owners were very friendly and full of good ideas regarding what to do in the town.

We took a tour with Mike through Windows to the World Photo Adventures. You can find his contact information on the Airport Inn website under the FAQ tab. The tour was fantastic. A tour is the only way you can be taken to Point Barrow as it is on tribal land and requires a permit. 

We planned for a two night stay, but since our flight got canceled, it was only one night. That was plenty of time to see and do everything in the area.  

The Northern Lights

Last night I was checking Facebook right before bed (who doesn't?) and I noticed a few people posting that the Northern Lights were out. I know they have been out the past couple of nights, but I always found out the next morning. So, I jumped out of bed and starting looking out our windows to try to find them. Sure enough, there they were. We quickly got dressed and went outside. Growing up in Canada, I have had the chance to view the lights a few times, but not like this! Oh my goodness! When they say the northern lights dance, they really mean it. They move across the sky like crazy. And the colours! Wow! It was absolutely beautiful. I can't believe we get to live here. What an amazing place. 

PS These pictures don't even begin to come close to capturing the beauty. 

Anchorage

Husband had a work conference in Anchorage last week so we headed to the big city. Be still my civilized heart! They have Target, and Olive Garden, and Red Robin, and Kohls, and... well you get the idea! While husband was in his meetings, I shopped. We were there for 5 days and I think I went into Target 6 times! I may have a slight problem. Anchorage is beautiful. It is completely surrounded by mountains and despite the rainy weather pretty much all week, we were able to enjoy gorgeous views.

The weather did hamper our plans a bit. We wanted to rent bikes and bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Instead, we waited for a break in the rain and we took a nice stroll along the trail.

Husband watching a train go by next to the trail.

We stumbled across a huge pile of driftwood.

Look at that gorgeous sky!

The rain stopped by the end of the week and the weather was perfect for glacier viewing. We headed about an hour out of Anchorage to Portage Glacier.  We drove along Turnagian Arm (a waterway that connects to the Gulf of Alaska). Talk about a gorgeous drive! Wow. I don't have any pictures because none of the pictures I took from the car window could do it justice. Once we arrived at Portage Glacier, we took a ferry for an up close view of the glacier. We even got to taste ice from the glacier. For the record, it tastes just like normal ice. No surprise there. After the ferry ride, we hiked to Byron Glacier. 

The view that greeted us as we turned onto Portage Glacier Road. 

 Husband in front of Portage Glacier

Portage Glacier

Portage Glacier

Our first glacier

The glacier

Look at my crazy hair! I'm Alfalfa! It was a bit windy.

The hike to Byron Glacier

After the glaciers, we went to the Alaska Wildlife Conversation Center. The center takes in displaced wild animals and gives them care. Often these animals would not survive in the wild. They have a three legged porcupine who lost his leg when it got caught in a trap. They have a 3 month old bear (so cute!) who was found abandoned. They have a beautiful lynx that was rescued from a wildfire. We enjoyed seeing the different animals. Oh and in case you were curious, porcupines smell really, really bad!

Baby moose! 

The bear cub. It was just about the cutest thing I have ever seen! I wanted to take it home with me, but Husband said no. Boo. 

The three legged porcupine. He uses his tail as a leg. 

We also got to see Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley). 

Perhaps the best part of the entire trip (yes even better than Target!) was the stop we made along the Seward Highway. Our guidebook said we might be able to see beluga whales swimming at a couple of scenic viewpoints. We decided to try our luck and stop. Much to our surprise,we were able to watch 5 or 6 whales swimming in the water! They were pretty far away, but if you look closely at this picture, you can see the white of one whale. It was the perfect way to end our trip.

Stay tuned for a post about our next adventure: Barrow, Alaska where we will swim in the Arctic Ocean. Okay, maybe not swim, but at least dip a toe or two in!

So long summer

They say summer is over here in the Alaska interior. I don't believe them, mostly because the calendar says it is the middle of August. August means it is still summer. However, all I have to do is walk outside and I realize they are right. The daytime temperatures are still around 70*F (around 20*C), but the air feels different, fall-like. There is a crispness to it. The leaves are turning yellow. The geese honk as they fly overhead, heading south to warmer weather. The days are getting shorter. It actually gets dark at night now.  We are losing seven minutes of daylight each day. A week ago, sunset was at 10:34 pm. Tonight the sun will set at 10:01 pm.

I am told that autumn doesn't last long here and I should expect the first snowfall sometime around the middle of September. I knew winter would arrive early this far north, but I did not expect it to arrive in September. Fall is my favourite time of year (anyone who has lived in New England for any amount of time during the autumn can't help but fall in love with fall!). I am sad it will be short-lived here. I don't want to think about the impending winter, with it's -40*F temperatures and very little sunlight. Instead, I plan to soak up the last few days of warmth and sunshine before it's too late.

Road Trip!

We spent the last week traveling to Virginia Beach and Philadelphia. It was the perfect time to go to the beach. The weather was still nice enough to get in the water, but the beach wasn't very crowded because it's September. We have been to Philadelphia before, so this trip I wanted to do some of the things we didn't get to last time. I have to say taking a trip a week after being diagnosed with celiac disease was a challenge but we made it work. When I travel I LOVE to eat (who am I kidding? Anyone who knows me knows I love to eat any time, traveling or not!). I really enjoy trying new restaurants, especially if they are local to the area we are visiting or ones that we don't have here in Central Virginia. It was difficult for me to walk past restaurants and realize that I could not eat the food. I came close to having a meltdown in Virgina Beach on the boardwalk, but I held it together (barely). The saddest day of this trip was when we walked through Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia and I saw all this food I could no longer eat. Thankfully, we were able to find some great gluten-free food. Shout out to Zero's Subs in Virginia Beach for their delicious gluten-free bread, and their delicious subs! Also, kudos to The Race Street Cafe in Philadelphia for the gluten-free bun for their yummy burger. Being gluten-free is turning out to be a good thing. This is the first road trip we've been on where I actually lost weight!

The beach. It never gets old.

We went to the top of the Cape Henry Lighthouse. Scary stairs, amazing views! 

Look at that view!

There are actually two lighthouses. The one on the left is still in operation. We went to the top of the one on the right.

 On our way to Philadelphia, we took the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. There are two tunnels that go under the Bay, which is pretty much the ocean. So I'm crossing "drive under the ocean" off of my bucket list.

The view from our hotel room in Philadelphia. Kind of creepy - I made Husband sleep closest to the window! This is the Christ Church Burial Grounds. Benjamin Franklin is buried here. We could almost see his grave from our room, but there was a tree in the way.

Elfreth's Alley, America's oldest continuously inhabited residential street. I want to live here!

In front of the Friendship Gate in Chinatown

We didn't visit Rocky on our last trip, so we made sure to do it this time! I tried to convince Husband to run the stairs, but he said "No!" Boo on him! He knew better than to try and get me to run them! Definitely not on my bucket list.

Husband on the "Rocky Steps" with downtown Philadelphia in the background. If you look closely, you can see preparations for the Pope's visit are in full swing. The city is already closing roads to prepare. We weren't aware of this, and let's just say it led to a rather adventurous drive to get to Rocky!

We also toured the US Mint. If you are ever in Philadelphia, put this on your must-see list! It was pretty cool to watch the coins being made. You're not allowed to take pictures inside, so this is all you get.

Ten years...

Ten years ago today my dad passed away. One of my siblings thought it would be a good idea to make a little book of memories and letters to mark the day. This was my contribution:

I can’t believe it has been ten years since you passed away. It seems like only yesterday, and yet at the same time, it seems like it has been forever. They (whoever “they” are) say that the grief that comes with the death of a loved one gets better with time. I disagree: it never gets better. It just changes. There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of you. Some days, my heart aches so much from the hurt that I can’t contain my sorrow. Most days, however, my thoughts are little memories, almost fleeting. Little things will trigger them, although I never know what exactly and I am often caught off guard when it happens.


I think of you when I am at the farmer’s market. The peas remind me of all the hours spent shelling peas each summer. You would get so frustrated with me because more peas would end up in my mouth than in the bowl. That’s your own fault, you know. You were the one who taught me how to shell peas and introduced me to the joy of eating them straight from the pod.


I think of you when a seed I plant doesn’t grow. I wish I could call you up and ask you what I am doing wrong. Your flowerbeds were always full of beautiful flowers. Mine are full of obnoxious weeds. It’s pretty obvious I did not inherit your green thumb. But I did inherit your determination because I still try to plant things, even though I know they won’t grow.


I think of you when I eat watermelon, remembering the time Mom swallowed a watermelon seed. You said that she was going to grow a watermelon in her tummy because of it. Then it turned out her stomach did start getting bigger because she was pregnant, but you had me convinced she was growing a watermelon. Imagine my surprise when the watermelon turned out to be a baby sister!


I think of you when I need to accomplish a task of some sort. I hear you saying to me “If you do it right the first time, you only have to do it once.” You taught me to work hard, and do the best job I could possibly do. It was always work first, then play. As much as I hated that philosophy when I was younger, it turns out that it has served me well as an adult. I guess you were right after all.


I think of you when I hear the song How Great Thou Art. That song still brings me to tears, even ten years later. I think of singing it as the closing hymn at your funeral. I think of sitting there with my siblings, arms wrapped around each other and holding hands, with tears streaming down our faces, as we sang the words praising God for His greatness, even during one of the most difficult times of our lives: “Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art!” You taught me that no matter how tough life is, God is always greater.


It’s been ten years. It’s been one hundred and twenty months. It’s been five hundred and twenty weeks. It’s been three thousand six hundred and fifty days. It doesn’t matter how I mark the time; it is still adds up to another moment without you. And that is something I think about every single day.

Shelling peas with my dad. This picture was taken in August 2004, almost exactly one year before he passed away.