ARTIC EXPLORERS?
After our wonderful tour of Denali, where the mountain greeted us in all of its glory, Monday was a cold and dreary day, reinforcing our awareness of how fortunate we were to have been blessed with a beautiful tour day.

Tuesday, the 27th, we traveled to Fairbanks. We checked into a lovely RV Park on the rivers edge for our “nesting” space for the week. The temperature was warm when we arrived, which was pleasant after Monday’s dreary day in Denali. We did our usual drive around Tuesday afternoon, visited the Visitors Center, checked out the city and Ken prepared his itinerary for our Fairbanks stay.

Wednesday we enjoyed a river boat trip on a diesel electric sternwheeler with bow thrusters. (A reminder of the past, with modern day technology.) The trip featured a history of the two rivers, the Chena and the glacial-fed Tanana River which, until construction of the Alaskan Railroad, were the primary mode of travel, shipping and commerce into the interior. We were treated to a take off and landing of the modern day Alaskan mode of transportation, a small piper cub which became airborne in the owners backyard (less than 100 foot) and landed in the same short distance. As we cruised the river, small planes sitting in the back yards of the beautiful homes along the river, highlighted the importance of the small plane to the Alaskan lifestyle.

Our boat paused at an Iditarod training facility operated by champion dog team trainer, Susan Butcher and her husband, Bruce, a former chamption of the Iditarod race. The dogs were put through their paces as Bruce gave us a brief review of considerations involved in the breeding, training and diet of the dogs as they are prepared for competition. Some of the traits considered important in choosing a dog for competition is overall intelligence , adaptation to structure and compatibility with other dogs as well as people. Older dogs are used to train the young dogs and training starts from the day the puppies are born by subjecting them to love and attention that will reinforce their trust in man. A final stop at a recreated Athabascan Indian Village portraying Athabascan and Eskimo history rounded out our river adventure. Young native Alaskans gave us a background resume of where they were from, brief family history, college or university in which they are enrolled (all were college students), modeled clothing, explained traditions, lifestyle and culture. They demonstrated skills and/or talents that have permitted their ancestors to survive the harsh Arctic climate for thousands of years.

As we have traveled Northward, we have had a greater opportunity to learn native Alaskan history and tradition. In the Southern part of the State, the emphasis was on the bounty and harvest of the sea in the form of commercial and sports fishing. The role of the native Alaskan is acknowledged but not highlighted. In the Southern part, greater emphasis is placed on the role of the “conquerors”, the Russian fur traders, trappers, hunters, sea explorers and the commercial pursuits related to the conquest of Alaska. Further into the interior, the native Alaskans reliance on natural resources as a means of sustaining their lifestyle is more clearly acknowledged, emphasized and reflected upon.

Thursday, we were up at the break of dawn (4ish) in preparation for our transport to the airport at 630 and 8am flight to Barrow on the Arctic ocean. The natives in Barrow are Inupiaq and the native spellings for Barrow are Ukpiagvik and Utqiagvik, meaning “place to hunt snowy owls”. We enjoyed a smooth flight in spite of overcast and fog but when we stepped off the plane, a stiff wind combined with 40 degree temperature reminded us that we had reached our destination and natures air conditioning was working. We knew that summer temperatures vary greatly and we were prepared. However, for those who may have misjudged “cool”, parkas were supplied by our tour service and on board the bus. The first question posed to our tour guide, Joe, a native Inupiaq, was, “how cold is it?” His tongue in cheek response, “Oh it is just another warm summer day in the 40's”. (Average summer temperature.)

Our first stop of the day was at a small visitor center and a monument memorial to Wiley Post and Will Rogers who were killed in a plane crash en route to the Arctic in 1935. Brochures on Barrow and a map of the town were provided and a few souvenirs were available for purchase. Many of us had our pictures taken in front of the sign post with the distance to various cities, among them Los Angeles at 2,943 miles.

Our second stop was at an “ice pit”, an eight by eight by eight storage room built into the permafrost for storing meat. In the summer months, the permafrost remains frozen two to three foot below the surface, depending on the temperature and provides an outdoor freezer in the custom of ancient times. Only ducks hung in the ice pit that we visited. Some of our group climbed down into the pit to experience the efficiency of the permafrost. Our guide told us each Captain of a Whaling canoe must have an ice pit in which to store the whale meat that is caught. The Bowhead Whale is the center of the Inupiaq culture and a primary source of food. There are 48 licensed whale boat captains and the size of the crew will depend on the size of the captains family. Each season (and there are two seasons) only 12 bonehead whales may be killed or 22 for the year. Whaling is still done by harpoon and float in the tradition of the Inupiaq ancestors. Not every Captain and crew get a whale in a season or year but each family in the village gets a portion of every whale caught with the bulk of the meat going to the successful whale boat crew and Captain. Joe told us that he has been a whaling crew member since he was seven years old.

As we drove through the village, we saw what appeared to be prefabricated houses along with smaller houses of what, to us, appeared more “traditional” construction. Satellite dishes, tilted almost parallel to the ground in order to receive reception so far North, provide cable TV as well as make two way audio and visual conferencing possible. Bare dirt confirmed the non existence of landscaping . There are no trees and no fruits or vegetables can be grown. We saw only Arctic tundra and a few plants of “arctic cotton”. There were some tiny wild flowers but native floral other than tundra was scant. Visually, the lifestyle seemed to reflect what I would term as a combination of poverty and/or a lifestyle lacking in “pride of ownership”. As the day progressed however, I recognized that my preconceived ideas of lifestyle values were both inappropriate and inapplicable. My conscience reminded me that this culture has survived thousands of years and it behooved me to refrain from interjecting my personal expectations into a rare opportunity to understand and be educated in this very special culture. Thus, mentally enlightened, I went with the flow.

Our next stop was at the High School, built in the early 80's at a cost of 70 million dollars. Joe explained that it was very expensive because every construction item had to be shipped in by barge. The Chukchi Sea which flows into the Arctic Ocean freezes over in October and remains frozen until June. We were surprised to learn that ice was less than 30 miles off shore. I understood the time frame in which a barge can come into Barrow to be three to four weeks between August 15 - September 15. Ken thought there were two periods, one in the fall and one in the spring. I think I am right.

The High School sports team is the Barrow Whalers and they, as well as all of Alaskan youth, excel in basketball. The long dark winters provides time to develop proficiency in indoor sports and thus, basketball is the sport of choice. The Whalers basketball team won second place in the State in 2004 and hope to do better in 2005 because they lost only three of their team to graduation. Students from Barrow compete in sports throughout the State. Chartered Alaska Airlines jets provide transportation in lieu of the traditional bus transport in the lower 48. The town of Barrow has a population of 4,500 and, if my memory serves me correctly, 350 High School students, 600 middle school and 350 elementary. About 45 percent of the graduates go on to college and their education is funded by “the corporation” (Arctic Slope Regional Corporation). Students may go to any college to which their grades will gain them admission but they must maintain a minimum grade average that will justify the cost of tuition i.e., if Harvard, Yale or one of the “elite”, as much as $40,000 per year. We were told that virtually 100% of the students who go away to college return to Barrow.

From the educational realm, we drove the short distance to the ocean and the Imaiqsaun Cemetery where remains of ancestors excavated at the many archeological sites around Barrow have been buried. This is the final resting place of the famous “Frozen Family” excavated from Mound 44 (more than 100 such mounds exist in Barrow) in the early 1980's. It is believed that a severe ice storm may have caused a large piece of ice to slam against the mound, thus closing off the house . Also a prehistoric girl excavated from an eroding bluff above the sea rests here. .

As we proceeded through the town we learned that the utilities are buried in pipe s under ground and heated to keep them from freezing. Homes are heated by gas and the village has enough gas to supply them for 150 years. We drove past the Fresh Water Lake, one of the original sources of water for the village, past the police department and jail, painted a bright blue, hence its nickname, “the blue hotel”. We learned that there is crime and that domestic violence ( often as a result of liquor) is the leading offense. Liquor is heavily regulated, available only by special order and the amount that can be obtained is carefully monitored. Ken takes issue with what he says is a presumption on my part that liquor is a problem. He doesn’t think it is. I thought it could be. So went our morning.


It was lunch time and our restaurant was “Pepe’s North of the Border”. The proprietor of the restaurant is also “Mama Bear” of the Polar Bear Club. For those brave souls among us who wished to be initiated into the Polar Bear Club, Mama Bear would be both overseer of the paperwork and Director of Compliance i.e., complete immersion down to the last hair on the top of your head. Ken was disappointed that I did not bring his swimming trunks and thus, he was prevented from experiencing a “dip in the Arctic”. I reminded him that “au naturel” was okay according to the guide but that didn’t go over very well either. Two brave souls of our group planned to take the plunge. We all promised to “cheer them on”, gleeful that we were about to be provided a rare “photo op”.

After lunch we checked into our Top of the World Hotel and left off our personal belongings. At first glance the hotel was disappointing inasmuch as it seemed more like a large square warehouse devoid of luxury furnishings, though there was a television and computer connected to the web in the lobby. A well worn sofa offered proof that we were not staying at the Ritz Carlton of Barrow. Further, it appeared that housekeeping was not a big budget item at this facility. Ken took our bags to the room inasmuch as it was not yet ready for occupancy and returned, without comment. Inasmuch as I did not want to sleep in a pit house in the permafrost or spend a night in “the blue hotel”, I kept my inner most thoughts to myself.

Our afternoon began with a tour of the Value Mart, Barrow’s version of Wal Mart and the towns only shopping source. Ken walked through and comparison shopped, returning to say that, surprisingly, the prices were not much more than what we had seen in Fairbanks. We were then deposited at the Cultural Center and Museum where we were free to examine and purchase artifacts or other hand made creations of the various villages represented. We were then treated to an afternoon of folk dancing, music, singing and Inupiaq history capped off by a demonstration of games played by the natives during the long winter evenings. Our tour guide, Joe, was a participant in the dances and music. He is a member of a local dance group that travels and performs extensively throughout the lower 48 and the world. His group participated in the two Bill Clinton inaugural parades and are scheduled for a performance in Japan within the next few months.

After our Cultural Center experience, we returned to the bus and started for the “end of the road”. Suddenly, the bus lurched to a stop and to everyone’s amusement, we were out of gas. A quick cell phone call to the office brought gas to restart the engine and get us back to the only gas station a short distance away. Fueled and running, we resumed our trip to the end of the road (approximately 2-3 miles) where we were treated to a view of the forest at the top of the world, two tiny palm trees. The trunk of the trees was made from whale bones and the palm fronds, from baleen (the teeth of a whale). As we approached our destination, small buildings dotted the area. To my question, Ken said they were summer homes. As it turned out, he was correct. They were “hunting cabins” where the natives go to shoot ducks and birds for their food supply. While pictures were being taken, a flock of ducks flew overhead prompting everyone to return to the bus, with a sense of urgency for fear that the waiting hunters might shoot at the wrong ducks. However, no shots were fired and our trust in the natives was enhanced.

As we drove back down the road, someone spotted a whale off the beach. Our driver stopped the bus for a “photo op” moment as the whale loitered along the beach, feeding --oblivious to the clicking cameras and excited “ohs and ahs” of our group. A nice addendum to an interesting day.

As departure time approached for those returning to Fairbanks or Anchorage, as the case may be, our attention turned to the “Polar Bear” initiation exercise. We waited on the beach in the 40 degree temperature, for our candidates, Carol and Dan Turk of Colorado Springs, Colorado, to prepare for their “big dip”. Carol took the “plunge” first followed by Dan who treated us to a few strokes of his swimming technique in spite of the freezing cold water. A brave boy, in deed. To roaring applause and approval, the couple returned to the hotel, dressed and rejoined the bus group for the trip to the airport. Those of us who were staying over night waved goodbye to our fellow adventurers for the day and retired to our rooms, to watch the Kerry the speech on television or take a nap as the case may be.

When we went to our room I was happily surprised to find a spotlessly clean room with a 27inch television, telephone and a bathroom with basic amenities i.e., shampoo, lotion and hair dryer. To complete our comfort, the bed proved to be “sleep friendly”. Later, Ken and I discussed my initial concerns about the housekeeping habits in the front lobby and Ken made a logical observation. The lobby gets a lot of foot traffic from the outside and there are no sidewalks, only dirt. The dirt is tracked in and melds into the decorative scheme which presents an unkempt look. I accepted his premise as good logic and “clean dirt” adds a certain decorating motif don’t you think? However, I still wanted to replace the worn out couches with their sagging cushions and escaping cotton stuffing with something a little more “sightly”. Ken reminded me “when in Rome” and I took that as my cue to not try to remake the world in my image but, instead, enjoy that “what is”. Accordingly, our day in the Arctic was a wonderful experience and the memory never to be forgotten after proper “attitude adjustment”.