A few things I noticed on day one were float planes, bush planes, deceptive terrain, minimalist approach to living, fuel prices, food prices and weather.
Float and bush planes were something I’ve seen on television my whole life. I had never seen one in person before today. Within 5 minutes of looking out the window at the Anchorage airport I had seen three. I saw more before leaving Anchorage but that was the first thing that made me feel like I was somewhere different. Airports are airports but when you see something in person for the first time, no matter how old you are it makes you feel something that only a new experience can make you feel. After being in Bethel for a few hours I noticed that I wasn’t seeing float planes anymore but I was seeing a number of bush planes taking off and landing. They’re small like float planes but don’t have the ability to make a water landing.
After resting at the bed and breakfast for a bit I headed out to find a place to eat or a grocery store. It’s Sunday afternoon and the store was closed but within a ten minute walk I found a place that tripled as an American/Chinese/Italian restaurant. First of all, food is expensive here, second it’s not exactly what you would expect so don’t assume that if you order a hamburger it’s going to be exactly like the hamburger you get at your local restaurant. Also, they don’t have fountain drinks. If you order a soft drink it’s going to be in a can and you will get a glass of ice on the side. They ship those drinks in so they’re not cheap and a refill costs just like the first drink. I recommend that you nurse that drink through your meal. That’s going to be a big change for me. I usually go through a couple of glasses before my meal makes it to the table.
I spent some time talking to my hostess at the B&B. She explained the rules of the house, which were few. The rules all pertained to minimalist living. For example, don’t wash the dishes yourself because they must conserve water. The houses in this area are not equipped with running water the way you and I think of running water. They are equipped with water storage tanks. When the tanks are low the residents must either haul the water themselves or pay someone to do it for them. During the winter months that means chopping ice or getting snow to melt to provide water. Stacks of firewood are prominent in the community. I noticed that anything that will burn is kept and not discarded. I’m sure it cuts down on landfill needs. The B&B property also has a version of a greenhouse to allow for an extended growing season and sled dog teams. This B&B is in a log house that was built 45 years ago by the man that still lives here. It’s warm and cozy and has a peaceful feel to it.
Keeping in mind that Alaska has huge oil reserves, you might make the mistake thinking that fuel prices might not be too bad here. The cheap gasoline here is $6.73 per gallon. Every yard has at least one snowmobile but not every yard has an automobile. Most yards have a boat because commercial fishing is very important in the community. I would guess that the fuel prices would be higher if more people did drive cars and trucks.
The terrain is deceptive. From the air you can see hundreds of lakes. It looks flat and green. From the ground at low level it still appears flat but you can see more ponds and lakes. These are covered by tundra grasses that hide the water. From an elevated position you can see that the terrain is undulating.
The high today was 58 degrees with a breeze that made it feel cooler. The skies were cloudy all day and I was unable to see to mountain peaks. Not bad but not what I’m accustomed to for July 31st.
I’ll be in Bethel most of this week and will go out to the village site later in the week. I did meet one of the new teachers today we flew into Bethel on the same flight and she seemed excited to be here. I’m glad she feels that way because she will be on the frontline doing her best to help children.
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