Windy City of the North

I left Fairbanks and Anchorage uneventfully on Sunday night but had to leave with Virginia and Tim, my in-laws still visiting. In Bethel, after a cab ride with a rude man (he stacked his boxes in the back with me and another woman and rode up front in comfort) I had a quiet uneventful night in Bethel.

Atmautluak was beautiful (see the photos above- the sunrise at the Bethel airport and the village of Atmautluak in the sunlight). Everyone was friendly and Owen Pavilla gave me a ride from the airstrip on his snowmachine. Jerry and I spent a busy day working on practice assessments, organizing reading groups, and doing our other collaborative work. We had dinner together at his house- I brought the fixin's for enchiladas. The snow had almost drifted over his porch and the snowdrift nearby was well above the porch rail. The water went out so there was no flushing, washing or otherwise getting wet. Fortunately Jerry had an emergency trashcan of water, so I could use his bathroom and flush with a bucket.

I woke up the next day to blowing snow and sunshine. It was about -40 windchill with the snow sandblasting my face. You guessed it- weathered in. I spent the day in and out of Jerry's room, assisting students, taking pictures, and more. At lunchtime, I helped Lilian Pavilla serve lunch and cleanup. She made corn, peaches, rice and teriyaki chicken strips. I forgot to pay, so I'll mail that back to Larry who is too nice to remind me.

I called to check on the plane and the agent in Bethel told me it was taxiing down the runway for takeoff. I suited up and waited by the window. Melvin took me to the strip and I jumped in between gusts. The pilot thought we might not go to Nunapitchuk due the high winds, so I might end up in Bethel. When we landed in Nunap, the plane only took about 50 feet to land into the wind. The pilot said to jump out right there. No ride in sight. Two fellow passengers helped schlep my bags about 1/4 mile to the hangar where someone from the school picked us up with a sled.

I've already put in about 3 hours of conversation (something I love even off the job), had a hot shower, blew up my mattress and downloaded my photos. I'll sleep well tonight. My whole schedule is delayed, but I think I'll get back on by Saturday and still see everyone for some meaningful work.