Many worlds I've come since I first left home

Alas, the time has come. I will be leaving Alaska in a few short weeks. My boyfriend and I are moving to Seattle (aka "South Alaska" or "Alaska Light"), back to the Lower 48, back to America... Seattle is not Portland but it's close enough and has lots to offer, new adventures and lots of ocean time. It's a huge change, very exciting and long-awaited, yet also extremely sad as my time here comes to an end.

As the departure date approaches, everything is happening increasingly fast and I'm starting to feel the cold feet coming on. Mostly because of the immense amount of tasks we have to get done in order to propel ourselves and our house full of stuff southward. It's so incredibly hard to make a big move in general but leaving Alaska has added logistical challenges: escaping before the snow falls (late Sept if we're lucky), carting our stuff and our dog 2,500 miles down the Alaska "highway" (really a backroad by any other state's standard), customs in & out of Canada (need papers for the dog and so much for that wine collection), sigh...

But the hardest part is, I got a little attached to Alaska despite my best efforts...so I am going to miss this crazy place and all the wild people and wild animals I met here.

And, once again I find myself in transition. I guess, of all things, I can't expect that to ever change, eh?

Confession

I admit that it seems I abandoned my blog...the entire summer went by without a word from me. Well, I suppose that's what happens in Alaska in summertime. And the longer you stay away, the harder it is to come back—so many things to write about! But I am hereby making an attempt.

This past summer, I met one of my favorite musicians, decorated a port-a-potty, grew vegetables and berries, hiked to lakes on top of mountains, learned how to curse en Español, won my first championship, rode a motorcycle, hung out with bald eagles and baby beluga whales, went to a Fungus Fair Formal, and visited my favorite ghost town.... Wanna see pictures?

If you've been following my blog, you know that I generally tell stories through photos. So here's a photo album with highlights from summer 2009. Enjoy!

Ready to start planning your own Alaskan adventures for Summer 2010?

Whittier by Plane

In early June, I had a visit from my old friend Michael and his friend Mark, who flew up to Anchorage from Flagstaff on their way up north to shoot photos for a book about climate change in Alaska. Catching up and talking over dinner, I joked that I'd be happy to tag along and help with the plane—they said, hey great, let's go! 20 minutes later, we were off to Whittier for the night.

I haven't seen Michael's photos or heard about the rest of their journey yet, but here are some of my little point-and-shoot pics, on a beautifully rainy and mosquito-y evening flying over the mountains. Click on the picture below to open the album.

Back East

At the end of April, I headed east to visit home.... I hadn't been back since Aimee and Youssef's wedding a year and a half ago, so I was really excited to have some extra time off to see my family and friends. My first morning back in Connecticut, I got out of bed and sleepily opened the blinds and saw—gasp—bright green everywhere! The sight of so much green was actually shocking. When I left Anchorage, there were no buds on the trees and all was brown and gray. It was quite a contrast and felt really good to have sun with some warmth to it for a change.
In my 10 days back at home, I had such a wonderful time hanging out with friends new and old, visiting some of my old stomping grounds,and reconnecting with family.
Check out my album of the whole trip here!

And by the time I got back to Anchorage, the first buds were out!

No Place Like Nome

Yesterday I spent the day in Nome. At first, I was not terribly excited about this trip, but it turned out to be a pleasantly adventurous day. (I've realized it's impossible not to have some kind of adventure in Nome...you may recall my stories from the previous 2 summers.)

I flew out before dawn (and in Anchorage at this time of year, the sun comes up EARLY), attended workshops and presented at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference, saw the Bering Sea frozen over for the first time, and went to a barn dance (!) that evening before flying home after dark (and yes, it gets dark LATE up there this time of year). Click below for the whole photo album:

Life by the Volcano

Well, now I can say I've lived through a volcanic eruption! Or, to be more specific, I've been within 100 miles of an erupting volcano. Nearby Mount Redoubt (see area map here) finally erupted in late March after months of being on "Orange Alert," and a series of eruptions have continued ever since. It may erupt for weeks or even months, according to its historical pattern.

Pictures from National Geographic (click on photos for the full articles):

This is a new level of dramatic, even for Alaska! The airports and air force base shut down, a number of lightning storms initiated by the ash cloud lit up the volcano, and melting snow from the eruption caused mudflows and flash floods to threaten the massive storage tanks at the base of the volcano that hold over 6 million gallons of crude oil (Exxon Valdez Part 2 waiting to happen—right around its 20-year anniversary).
Yesterday, one of the subsequent eruptions finally brought ash fall to Anchorage. I was prepared:
My neighbors' dog even had his own dust mask and protective booties! What a sight.

But, so far Anchorage has only gotten a light dusting. This is how much accumulated on my windshield that day:
I collected a little bit of ash for making pottery glazes, but it was probably not enough for one batch. Maybe I can find more in Homer or Talkeetna, where they got dumped with ash several times so far. Anyway, hopefully Redoubt will simmer down now...stay tuned!

Juneau?

I just got back from a wonderful (though short) trip to Juneau! In my 4 days there, I got to visit Sarah Palin's home and office, meet legislators at the Capitol Building, protest on the Capitol steps, and get to know women's health advocates and feminist activists from all over Alaska, as well as a well-known Lakota tribal leader. After hours, I went cross-country skiing in the backcountry for the first time, tried Juneau's famous Russian dumplings, visited a huge glacier, and found some surprisingly decent bagels (by Alaska standards). Click below for pictures and stories:
Next time I visit, I'll have to stay longer and work less...