Alaska Week 1

Last Monday began a 4 to 6 week adventure one of the least populated states of the US: Alaska. I am currently stationed at a fish processing facility just outside of a tiny town called Naknek which is along the Naknek River a couple miles inland from the Bristol Bay( or in other words, on the south western coast of Alaska just north of the large peninsula and long chain of islands).
Monday was quite the adventure all in itself. That day alone, I was traveling or waiting to travel for almost 24 hours. At 1 AM we left home and drove to the Boise airport. At 7:00AM I boarded the first of three planes and flew for 1 hour and 20 minutes(most of which I slept), crossing the first of two times zones to arrive in Seattle 20 minutes after takeoff…talk about screwing with my internal clock. My sister and I then stored our luggage at the airport and took the Light Rail to downtown Seattle (30 minute ride) where we spent several hours at the Aquarium and walked through Pike Place Market. I’d have to say that my first time on public transportation was a good one…except that it was a little tricky to find the entrance to get back to the rail. We saw the Space Needle only from a distance from the Light Rail, but we did see it.
We met up with my cousin back in the airport at 2pm, checked in, and waited for our next flight. At 6:30p our second plane took off and we flew for 3 more hours to Anchorage, AK. When we arrived we heard our names among others being called for boarding our next plane and ran to our small gate on the lower level. There we had the fastest layover in my history with that airport. We were there for a total of 30 minutes before taking off in a small 30 passenger plane for King Salmon. It was 10:30pm, rainy, and still light outside when we arrived…typical Alaska. We got on a yellow bus and rode to the facility where we were given room in the simple bunkhouses and settled in. I finally got to sleep around 12:30 am after filling out my paperwork…which back home would be 2:30 am. I only got to sleep for 5 hours before I had to be up again, but that next night I got to go to bed supper early and got a full 10 hours in…it was heavenly.
Though my job up here is not glamorous, I do enjoy the simple wild beauty of the scenery around us. We don’t have any tall mountains in the area, but the tundra is deep green with vegetation, the river ebbs and flows with the tide, if up late enough (about 11pm) you can catch a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset, the air is so clear that the clouds have extra detail you will find few places, and every once in a while you can feel the warmth of the sun warming up the cool earth. Bald eagles and seagulls hang out in the river at low tide, bears wander through the area (no, I haven’t seen one yet), and mosquitos abound when it warms up a little. Alaska is a land all of it’s own, and I enjoy the time I spend here.