This is the day I left.

It snowed the night before I left.  We got 3 inches and ice and it was 2 degrees when I left.  In order to get to the plane I had to ride on the back of a 4-wheeler.  COLD!!!!

My new friends...Carla and Carlos.  Aren't they cute?

The plane I went out on!

A look at the village in the morning after an overnight snowfall and ice storm.

Inside the plane at take-off.

Not sure if you can see this but this is the cemetery for the village.  I took this as we were taxing to take-off.

Sunrise out of the plane on my way out of Kivalina and on my way into Kotzebue, Alaska.









Living Quarters

We were fortunate that we did not have to stay in the school on the floor.  They had an empty staff apartment that we were put up in.  Enjoy the pics of "my apartment in Kivalina!"

This is the outside of our apartment.

The entrance to the apartment.

My bedroom





More pictures of Kivalina, Alaska

This is the "retention" wall at the village.

Me at the retention wall, directly across from the rear of the school.  I am wearing my winter parka, snow pants, gloves and boots.  The tep. was 10 degrees!!!

This is the river side of the village.  you can see the ice and snow.  brrrr!

Sunset in Kivalina over the Bering Sea~Beautiful!



Pictures of Kivalina, Alaska

This is Kivalina, Alaska.  Located on the Bering Sea and 72 miles from Russia.  I spent 3 nights and 4 days in this villasge.  They have built a sea wall to try to stop the village from falling into the sea.  The village is called a "spit."  1.5 miles long and a few hundred feet wide.  It took me 3 minutes to walk from the sea side to the river and lagoon side.  Enjoy the pictures!  Leaving Wed. for another village.

This is a picture of the spit from the airplane.

This is a view of the runway in Kivalina!

A picture of the village of Kivalina

This is the front ot the PK-12 grade school.

This is the back of the school with sand bags.  The sea is less than 50 feet from the back of the school!

Huslia, Alaska

This was my first trip into a "real" Alaskan Native Village.  Slept on the floor in the school, no showers and had to pack in our food and water.  A FABULOUS experience.  80 degrees in the school and 19 degrees outside.  The plane is the one we flew in on; had to share it with sled dogs.  The villagers are bringing their sled dogs into the villages in preparation of the Iditarod. Huslia is on the Iditarod course and 4 of the mushers live in the village and are Native Alaskans from Huslia.  The village has 79 students K-12 and about 250 people total.  No phones, television,etc.  Enjoy the pictures.  The picture out the plane window is what we saw until we were 10 miles out from Huslia...NOTHING!  Completely fogged in.  Going back there Nov. 11 and 12 and Dec. 9 and 10.

The Snow is Getting Thicker and Lower

Tonight off our balcony!



Pictures

I tried to download the pictures of the planes and the Native Alaskan Dancers from my cell phone.  I guess it did not work, although they were on last night.  I will load them on the computer tonight and then download them again.  Sorry!!!

More of the Same

Just as beautiful as Naples sunsets.  I was FREEZING!  It was beautiful but cold...brrrrrr!

Sunset in Anchorage

Sunset at the Cook Inlet in downtown Anchorage. This is a finger of the Gulf of Alaska.  Funny, we live off the Gulf of Mexico in Florida and the Gulf of Alaska in Alaska!!!!