This is the village cemetery.

An awesome morning

3 November, 2014

     Being outside in the freezing predawn sometimes has its' rewards.  This morning's was better than most.  It was so cold the first draw of breath made the inside of my nose sting. The sky was as clear as it ever has been and putting on an amazing show.  On the western horizon a fat, orange moon was hanging low, lighting a reflective path across the icy Yukon.  To the south the star Serius was sparkling brightly in  red, blue, and white, as if being the brightest star in the sky wasn't enough.  But the greatest show was the Aurora Borealis spanning the heavens from horizon to horizon.  Long ribbons of what looked like sirrus clouds were slowly moving back and forth, glowing a soft whitish gray.  Suddenly a ribbon-cloud would flash on and disapear and then the next one and then the next in rapid succession.  It was like a silent lightning show of a soft diffuse light.  A marvelous glowing exhibition hundreds of miles long and miles high played out for those of us brave enough to endure the frigid morning. Very often a clear sky at 5 a.m. turns overcast by 7 when I leave for work.  It's still pitch dark but those late risers rarely get to see the amazing wonders we early ones enjoy.

     The sky was not the only excitement for Hobart and I.  The village fox was out early.  There is a fox that has been roaming the town for the last few weeks.  He's been chased by kids and adults, on foot and four-wheeler and even been shot at but he keeps coming around.  Hobart and I have seen him on several mornings.  A week ago he spotted us on the boardwalk and curiously followed us during our walk, sometimes coming close enough for me to get a good picture if I had my camera.  This morning he followed us again even being so bold as to dart within ten yards of Hobart then scamper away playfully trying to get Hobart to take chase.  He's a beautiful animal with a full, fluffy tail tufted white on the end.  He followed us most of our walk until we crossed in front of the church then he raced away to some other part of town. 

Mornings like this make me glad I came here.

Skating on Yukon Ice

     With a pair of skates wrapped in a towel I step out of the front door into a frosty, bone-chilling cold.  There's a porch light outside my house but I hardly needed its light because the moon reflecting on fresh snow makes it nearly day.  I tuck the bundle under one arm and climb down a snow-covered bank to the frozen river's edge.  The ice here is jagged sheets sticking up in random fashion so the footing is unsteady and sharp corners poke at my shins.  I find a steady chunk of ice to sit on and a place the skates between my feet. 

     Moonlight shines on the blades of my scarred, well-worn Bauer 95 hockey skates.  I bought them in Colorado Springs the day I decided I was going to learn how to play hockey. I was 27 then.  I couldn't have imagined that these same skates would be propelling me down the Yukon river over twenty years later. 

     I take the heavy winter boots off and force my feet into the skates and lace them on tight.  I'm a little unsteady on my feet at first.  It's been a while since my last skate.   Pushing off I start to glide.  The ice on the river's edge is rough and the snow tends to pile up a bit.  Once I get to the center of the channel it's amazingly smooth, better than I thought it would be.  I take long purposeful strokes where it's flat and short choppy steps to skirt around the rough spots.

      Near a bend up ahead are some guys ice fishing.  One is a student of mine with his dad.  They are surprised to see someone on skates.  The father says when he was young, kids were always skating on the river but not so much now.  The fish aren't biting tonight so they figure they will only stay out in the cold for another hour. 

     I push off and head for the main channel to the south.  Increasing my stride I really pick up speed.  Dodging jagged edges that could trip me up I pick my way through the smooth stretches.  A few weeks ago I was confined by mud and water to a narrow strip of boardwalk.  Winter has given me a new freedom to go anywhere I want.  Now my mind cannot even grasp the vastness.  I have the entire Yukon in front of me.

The local Native Store is run by the Native Corporation.  There are two stores here in the village, this one and the Alaska Company store.  Between the two of them we can get most anything we need.

The Yukon delta is a beautiful place in a strange way.  As you fly over you see river channels winding in seemingly haphazard directions.  They twist and turn all over the place. Sometimes they almost look like they are about to cross over themselves but then turn about and head off in another direction.  These are textbook meanders and oxbows.

From the air it looks like someone sprayed popcorn ceiling on the surface of the moon.

I took a walk yesterday and photographed this panorama

To the southeast the Nulato hills are coated with snow.  These hills run from their southern terminus at the Yukon river north across the Eastern end of Norton Sound.  They are the only physiographic relief visible around Kotlik.

Hobart tracks and Raven tracks

Cory caught a pike in his trap.