Inservice

The time at home was much too short but inservice was upon me and I had to be back in King Salmon, AK in time for it.  Flying home on my birthday wasn't really my idea of fun but it allowed me the most time with my loved ones.  Flying back into Alaska provided me with some wonderful views of the mountains from my single seat and I enjoyed the scenery even while my thoughts were of home and of those that I had left behind.  Turning those thoughts around to what lie ahead; inservice, friends that I had made but not seen for almost 3 months and a bed that was not a SAVEC but at what would prove to be a beautiful lodge!  The water however would prove to be something of a different story.

Bear Trail Lodge reminded me of home.   One glance at the windows from the back area at night and I'm sure those of you who know Mom's house can see why.  The crisp blue sky and the warm glow from the inside show the lodge in some of it's glory.  What you see here is the main portion of the lodge. On the right is the kitchen area, the center is the main gathering room and to the left is the dining area.  Down below are some rooms (mine) and I am standing on the hot tub deck that over looks the water.

My room that I shared with 3 other ladies was named the Wolf Den.  I was already missing my puppies and I thought it was kinda funny that I got a canine inspired room!

During my time there I spent quite some time watching Bald Eagles fly but only got one opportunity during the daylight to get a picture.  Of course it was a bit blurry and by the time I got the camera stable, it was gone, but the picture is still here as it's the closest I've ever been to a wild one!  The wingspans are just insane and it does make you humble as you watch them fly.

The water out the back deck of Bear Trail Lodge

Accommodations at the lodge were great.  The food was wonderful and the company was wonderful.  The water however was a bit stinky.  Not drinkable as they were having issues but they did provide us with bottled water.  Showering in it was weird but you do what you gotta do right?  Getting to know the staff in the district is nice and through the inservice times I'm finally starting to feel like I know some people's names!  I think that is one part of working in such rural sites where you don't move around that I really miss, getting to know more people and the interaction with others.  It's alright though, it's still nice to come back and have my solitude too.

Part of inservice was a memorial run/walk for a teacher in the district who passed while experiencing her own adventure in Alaska.  Near the start line, all bundled up as we headed down to the beach for the 3K+ beach walk I couldn't help but have my photo taken by the perfectly-named boat!  Oh, it was cold, by the end of it I think my legs were purple from the wind but I was warm from the blood flow!




Once inservice was over and I had gotten some good comments about my iMovie presentation, it was time to head home.  A very frosty morning greeted us on at Pen-Air.  As Arimie and I sat in the plane they de-iced it.  It was pretty cool to watch the chemicals just melt it away as if it had never been there and we were ready to go.  De-icing at the airport should never slow things down.  Well, at least for small planes.  The big ones probably take some time!!  I guess it comes out of the trucks at like 140°, or so I was told.

Frosty plane-Heavy frost!

My how things can change

A trip home starts with a little tiny flight.  A flight you wait for in the village.  Be ready by 9:30 they say but we all know that the plane doesn't normally come until about noon.  It's ok, I could have been ready by 8am for a flight at 5pm if that's what they wanted.  I was stoked!  Pen-Air is the only place that does the flights around here and so we wait (patiently) for them to arrive.  Folks around here have a pet name for them, "when-air", whenever they get here - air.  That's pretty much the way it goes though they try to be on time.

9:30.....are you ready?  Yes.    Ok, I'll call you at 10:30 and we'll see where we are at.   

10:30....are you ready?  Yes, all ready to go.  Just call me when you know the plane is coming.

11:40...Dick is headed your way.  Ok, I'll be outside waiting!

11:45...Dick shows up, I'm outside waiting, toss my cargo into the van and we go to pick up the other travelers.  (6 of us flying out that day!)

12:05....on the plane headed out of town.  PHEW

Pen-Air in King Salmon

First stop...King Salmon, AK   Layover....7 hours....extended by an hour to 8 hours but it's ok I got one heck of a story out of a hunting guide.  He was working out in the area and his two co-workers left to retrieve something.  He walked along this ridge right into a bears bed area.  Opps!  Attacked.  Survivied with the scars to prove it.  He still wears the same watch from the 15 years or so ago with the teeth marks.  Pretty cool story, I won't go into much detail, it's much better if you saw the scars and I didn't take pictures of the guy.  Kinda figured that would be rude.  He did show me pictures from his most recent guides though and there were some fantastic looking bears.  The other gal sitting there with me just got the #2 in the books Dahl Sheep and it was day number 60 of drying time!  She was pretty stoked!

Second Stop.....Anchorage, AK.  Layover about 3.5 hours.  I was super excited for this one as I had not been in Anchorage since the beginning of August and I wanted to see some pretty mountains.  They were fabulous and though I only saw them from the air and from the windows of the airport, it's amazing how much things can change in the span of a few months!  The other part to this layover was that I got to see a dear friend of mine, Jaci.  We spent some time just chatting, catching up, learning about past guys, new guys, and new jobs.  As the evening hours slipped away, I checked in for my flight and she checked out for the evening.  I'll be back though, Christmas time will allow us a few days for some more friend time...and maybe some ice-skating!!!  Maybe we should do that AFTER the shopping trips so I don't kill myself before having to shop for the last 4 months up here.

Last stop......PDX  Portland, OR.....Home  (close enough to it that as soon as you see the lights, the city and hit the runway, you know you are home)  The red-eye flight was a bit to handle.  I was excited but oh so tired.  I think I got about half hour or so of sleep.  The exit row doesn't recline but I like the extra leg room.  I'm not sure even with a reclining seat it would have helped honestly.  First class might though....

Ah, then a nice hug and a car ride the rest of the way home.   Surprises begin.....with the next blog post!