Barrow or Bust

 Dad had to travel a few weeks lately.  SAN FRANCISCO for a week.  And BARROW for a week. We (the kids and especially myself) hate him traveling.  It just complicates everything. Let's face it:  I am not good at being a single mom. 

On the flip side:  We are extremely grateful that this is his first time traveling in six months!  Yes this is amazing.  His former jobs at both Coca Cola and Ball required him to travel almost 50% of the time.  Many times we would only see him for two weeks of the month.  This is so much better so we cannot complain. 

                     

This was Dad's first trip to San Francisco.  Unfortunately it was business and busy so he wasn't able to "tour" it much.  However, he did make it down to the pier.  Got to cross the bridge AND actually see it. (I never did see the whole thing when I was there.)  He also made a stop in Ghirardelli square.

The best part of this trip was that he and his co-worker had a lengthy lay over in Seattle.  So they decided to see a PINK FLOYD concert.  They even were able to see/meet Roger Waters as he arrived at the arena for the concert.  Pretty cool!

NOW TO BARROW:  Barrow is located in the Arctic Circle  and as the mileage marker shows....its a long way from cities in the lower 48.   Barrow is even a long way from Anchorage as its on the other side of Alaska.  We live in lower side of the state and Barrow is on the top on the shore of the Beaufort sea. BRRRRR! Its cold even in summer as the temperature peaks at about 35 degrees in the summer.  The sign pictured below explains that Barrow means "The place where we hunt snowy owls". The people that can withstand this harsh climit are amazing in my opinion. 

 The polar bear is in the lobby of the "Top of the World hotel"...a good reminder of some of the local wildlife that might be roaming around. 

The town itself is very small when compared to Anchorage or Eagle River, but Barrow is quit large compared to other villages on the north slope. Visiting Barrow is like stepping back in time a hundred years. The homes and buildings are very simple and there are few luxuries here. The hotel (pictured below) is one of the most modern in town. All of the buildings are elevated to ensure the ground remains frozen in the summer. If the ground thaws things start to sink into the tundra.

The people still hunt animals here for food and fur to make their clothing.  Here is a collection of pelts drying out before being made into clothing or accessories. I cannot imagine how cold it gets here in the winter.  Perhaps Dad will be invited to return to Barrow in the winter and tell us?

This is the one of the only restaurants in Barrow.  Pepe's, a Mexican restaurant.  Again notice the raised simplistic building and it is attached to the hotel pictured above.  Pepe's has been around for a long time in Barrow.

This is what most people see of Barrow in pictures.  It also is used by the people to spot home when it is all covered in snow and the town is barely visible.  A landmark.  Notice the whaling boats - they are hand-made using local resources.  Very impressive, resourceful people.

This is an actual whaling boat.  Most of the whaling is completed for this year.  The people have stocked their supply of whale for the coming winter.

This is the somewhat thawed Arctic Ocean. D says the artic has a harsh beauty unlike anywhere he has ever been. It will thaw a bit more before the ice returns and solidifies.  On that topic---Cars.  The only way to get a car to Barrow is in the winter.  You drive one up to Prudow Bay and then you have to drive it over the frozen ocean and over the Beaufort Sea until you get to Barrow.  You have now put thousands of miles on your new vehicle in some of the harshest conditions imaginable.  Remember, its dark, cold, and windy in the winter. They follow a unmarked trail made in the snow to get home. Instinct is the best gps in these conditions. D talked with the local expert on transporting cars and he was proud to report he got 15 cars last winter.

How do you landscape in such extremely cold temperatures.  They are very creative.  These palm trees are made of driftwood and baleen.  The other "rocks" are whale bones.  Storms are extremely important to the people on the north slope.  Each storm brings in driftwood that is collected and used for building fires during the LONG hard winters.  It's the simple things that we seem to forget about in a land of commerce and plenty.  Praying for a storm to replenish your resources is very humbling.

D was able to attend a celebratory dinner provided by one of the whaling teams for the town.   He was able to try several different foods including: goose soup, Muk Tuk (frozen whale skin and blubber), and  Miki Yuk (whale fermented 10 days in its own blood), and homemade bread.  He was also given a preserved jar of Pickled Muk Tuk to share with the family.  The people were very gracious and friendly to D.

He was also invited by a native to travel to the point where they have the whale graveyard. They take the whale carcasses out to this area away from the village so that the polar bears can come and feed on the carcass without getting too close to the village.  It is very impressive to see this in person. The two men who took D to the graveyard called in a polar bear using a seal call. It did not take long for a bear to respond! Less than 5 minutes after calling a 9 ft bear appeared through the fog and was looking for dinner.

The bear walked back and forth about 150 feet away. He stood up a few times to get a better look at us but ultimetely looked for dinner elsewhere. This was an amazing experience for D.