And another one . . .
Feelings thus far: I have greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to write about anything and everything I want. I left my last writing session feeling great and, in a weird way, at peace. I will start where I left off last time, following my suggestions for future writing.
Fishing. You have never experienced real fishing until you have fished in Alaska. I have fished in Minnesota, Michigan, Texas in lakes and streams, out in the Gulf of Mexico off of Texas, and out off the coast of Virginia for marlins and I would say hands down the fishing in Alaska surpasses all else . . . especially during Salmon spawning time. These huge King Salmon are everywhere, literally jumping out of the water. They are beautiful creatures. When they spawn they begin to turn a beautiful pinkish-red color and are very easily spotted in the water. My favorite fish of all time is Smoked Alaskan Salmon. If you ever get a chance to enjoy this – do it! It is delicious! These Salmon runs occur during the summer months, but the fishing during the winter months is fun, as well. The quick pace of summer fishing is lost during winter months. At this time of the year, all the water within Alaska has a frozen covering which can be so thick that big Trucks can drive on top of it, several at a time. Alaskans build small dwellings called “Ice Shanties” that they use to keep them out of the cold while fishing. They take an ogger and cut through the thick ice. They then use a small spoon to pull all the small chunks of ice out of the water. I distinctly remember a time that I was “helping” by scooping ice from a hole and I dropped the spoon down into the depths of the lake we were on. Dad was not happy. I never got to spoon out the ice again, unless the spoon was tied to a bucket.
Once they break all the way through the ice, they move their Shanty over the hole and drop their lines. You’d be amazed at the different contraptions that fisherman use. Some used regular rod and reel, though this was not popular, while others used a lever system where they had a crank rod with fishing line attached to it. Once they got a bite they would crank the lever until the fish came up out of the hole. Another tool that they would use were “tip-ups”. I believe that these are now illegal, but back when I was a child, we used them all the time. For a kid they were really neat because when you caught a fish a flag would pop up and we would go and pull it out. It was pretty cool, I thought. We didn’t use anything fancy for bait, just . . . corn. Yep, corn. Still to this day when I smell corn I feel the cold sensations and think back to ice fishing. I absolutely loved my dad’s ice shanty and loved everything about fishing, except for the cleaning of fish. When it came time to clean the fish, I was gone slipping and sliding over the ice. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I could really help out with the cleaning of fish without getting grossed out.
The natives of Alaska have several customs and traditions that only occur during the winter months of ice and snow. One such tradition is the Nenana IceClassic where Alaskans place their vote to the exact date and time when the ice of the Tanana River will first crack. I remember my dad got down to the date and hour one year and we were so excited. He didn’t win anything but he got really close. Winners will split the pot, taking away a good chunk of money. Ice carvings are another big thing and people come from all over the world to be a part of the ice carvings. In Fairbanks, were I lived, there was a competition every winter. These ice carvings were colossal. They were so big that they were taller than buildings. Some individuals made smaller ones that we could play on with slides and tunnels. They were pretty cool. I remember my favorites were always the ones of dragons. At night they would put lights to them and they would look almost magical. Finally, something else of great value to the culture of Alaska is the Iditarod. I don’t remember much about the actual race growing up but I do remember having some opportunities to ride in a dog sled. That’s right – some opportunities. The “normal” people of Alaska just drive around and vehicles, just like us in the lower-48. I always love answering those questions about Alaska: “Did you live in an igloo?” or “Did you ride in a dog sled to school?”. I guess it doesn’t get much better now being in Texas: “Did you ride a horse to school?” or “Did you wear spurs and cowboy hats?”. People make me laugh.
Another thing that I love to think back on is the moose of Alaska. These monstrous creatures are HUGE and powerful beings. Back when I lived in Alaska, moose were everywhere. You could see them on the side of the road almost daily. One time when my grandma came to visit in the winter we were driving into town for some dinner at the “Royal Fork”, which is sadly no longer there, when a family of moose came out of the forest and surrounded our car. That’s right, surrounded our car! This may sound all cute to you if you think about a moose being like a deer, but they are nothing like a deer. Think about a bison and think bigger. These creatures are very protective, too, so if you cross them beware. So when this family came out of the forest and surrounded our car we were not really overly excited about it but rather scared. I felt as though time had stopped, even just for a moment. There we drove at about 5 mph with 4 moose, one on each side. I’m not sure how long this lasted. All I know was that looking back it was a truly magical experience. It’s definitely one that my grandma loves to talk about when we start talking about Alaska.
Another thing about Alaska is this: it is wild. There are many dangers to Alaska. These dangers make it interesting. I had my many share of dangers in Alaska and one dealt with a mother moose and her baby.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that while my dad was at work we stayed with a babysitter. Before I started school we went to a lady’s house that I remember to be nested in the forest. She had some huskies that we played with. They would pull us around in the winter months on sleds, our hick-style of mushing, if you will. One day one of her dogs was pulling me through the trees in their back yard when we heard a loud, unmistakable noise. A moose call. Not just any moose, a baby moose. Within seconds I felt the earth begin to shake beneath me and the sled and, luckily, I was holding on to the sled tightly because that dog started to sprint for the house. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I held on for dear life until that dog had taken me clear into the house. I hadn’t realized it until I came through the door but the babysitter and all the kids were inside, as well, in a rush of panic. I remember my babysitter just starting at me in disbelief. At this point I wasn’t 100% sure what had happened. I looked back through the doorway to see a HUGE mother moose staring at me through the screen door. Yes, I was chased by a moose and not just any moose, a defensive mother moose. Looking back, we must have gotten too close to that baby moose, though I don’t even remember seeing it. She must have thought that we were tantalizing her child and she came charging in full mommy-mode. Talk about a near death experience. Despite being chased by a moose, I still find them fascinating and love seeing them every chance I get. We had a family tradition growing up that we would always see a moose on my birthday. We called them my “birthday moose”. I loved driving out with my dad, looking for my birthday moose. And what was really cool was that we always found one. It really made my birthday special.
Another dangerous time, or so I thought, happened when I was “helping” my dad with some beaver trapping. Yes, beaver trapping. I only remember going with him one time and I will definitely never forget it. You know growing up how you learn to appreciate your parents more for what they did for you? Well, this is an instance when I realized how much I appreciated my dad for putting up with a somewhat-stubborn child like myself. When you go beaver trapping you use that ogger machine that I spoke of before. You know, the one you use when you go ice fishing. Well we had returned to a site after a few days of waiting for the traps to set and I was “helping” my dad move the traps. A few days before my dad had found an initial spot to put the trap, drilled the hole, and then realized that he didn’t like that spot. So he left it and drilled a hole a distance away and set the trap there, leaving the other hole to refreeze over. Well, when we returned to the trap site I initially remembered the hole that dad had drilled and not used so I went over to inspect it, to see if it really had frozen over again like dad said it would. I remember him telling me not to get too close to it because I would fall in. Sure, I thought, I’ll fall in, yeah right. He’s just trying to mess with me. So I got close to the hole, about a good 3 feet or so and sure enough, dad was right, the hole had frozen back over. But, it looked a little different than the ice around it. I couldn’t figure out why it looked so different. I crept closer and closer to the refrozen hole and just sat there staring at it, as if the reasoning would just come to me well. Well . . . it did. As I got closer and closer to the hole . . . I fell through. The ice cracked and I one of my feet fell through the ice into the frigid waters below. I remember screaming and holding onto the ice for dear life, propping my weight up with one leg. My dad and his friend were a good 20 feet away. I remember holding on to that ice for an eternity before my dad came to the rescue. He picked me up out of that water and ran me to the truck where he wrapped me and wrapped me in blankets. I remember tears running down his face – I really scared him. Once he knew I was alright, he ripped me a new one I never got to go beaver trapping with him again. That was alright with me. I was done trapping beavers. About a year ago we were reminiscing on stories from Alaska when I started telling my husband about this incident. We were at my dad’s house in Michigan and he started laughing as I told my story about almost losing my life in the frigid waters. I looked at my dad in disbelief. How could he laugh at something as serious as this! Turns out, the part of the lake that I had fallen into was no more than 3 feet deep. If my other leg would have given out, I would have been standing on the bottom of the lake. I felt like a total dork. Oh well, I still get scared when I think about it and I probably won’t go beaver trapping for a while – if ever.
Now that I have written all about those crazy experiences, I need to try to calm my heart down to a normal rhythm. Another thing that I remember about Alaska was playing the board game “North to Alaska”. I actually found it online back when my husband and I first got married and now we have the game, as well. It really isn’t anything special but it means a whole lot to me. My sister, dad, and I used to play it all the time. It takes you from Seattle, Washington all the way up to Anchorage, Alaska all along the way “driving” up the Alaskan highway, a highway that I have experienced for myself when we moved away from Alaska to California when I was nine. In the game, all along the route you experience things only native to the north such as being chased by a bear, being attacked by mosquitoes, and finding gold with Yukon Sam. Near the end of your journey you can spin the spinner and become rich or lose it all. I’m not sure why I thought about sharing some about this game. All I do know is that every time I play it with Karl, my husband, it brings a smile to my face.
I can’t believe I have already written for an hour. The time has been very enjoyable and has seemed to fly right before my eyes.
In future writing times I would like to share about: my school, ice cream, knotty pine, Alaska Land [Pioneer Park], gold mining, rabbits, hunting, bush planes, caribou migrations, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and earthquakes.
Feelings thus far: I have greatly enjoyed having the opportunity to write about anything and everything I want. I left my last writing session feeling great and, in a weird way, at peace. I will start where I left off last time, following my suggestions for future writing.
Fishing. You have never experienced real fishing until you have fished in Alaska. I have fished in Minnesota, Michigan, Texas in lakes and streams, out in the Gulf of Mexico off of Texas, and out off the coast of Virginia for marlins and I would say hands down the fishing in Alaska surpasses all else . . . especially during Salmon spawning time. These huge King Salmon are everywhere, literally jumping out of the water. They are beautiful creatures. When they spawn they begin to turn a beautiful pinkish-red color and are very easily spotted in the water. My favorite fish of all time is Smoked Alaskan Salmon. If you ever get a chance to enjoy this – do it! It is delicious! These Salmon runs occur during the summer months, but the fishing during the winter months is fun, as well. The quick pace of summer fishing is lost during winter months. At this time of the year, all the water within Alaska has a frozen covering which can be so thick that big Trucks can drive on top of it, several at a time. Alaskans build small dwellings called “Ice Shanties” that they use to keep them out of the cold while fishing. They take an ogger and cut through the thick ice. They then use a small spoon to pull all the small chunks of ice out of the water. I distinctly remember a time that I was “helping” by scooping ice from a hole and I dropped the spoon down into the depths of the lake we were on. Dad was not happy. I never got to spoon out the ice again, unless the spoon was tied to a bucket.
Once they break all the way through the ice, they move their Shanty over the hole and drop their lines. You’d be amazed at the different contraptions that fisherman use. Some used regular rod and reel, though this was not popular, while others used a lever system where they had a crank rod with fishing line attached to it. Once they got a bite they would crank the lever until the fish came up out of the hole. Another tool that they would use were “tip-ups”. I believe that these are now illegal, but back when I was a child, we used them all the time. For a kid they were really neat because when you caught a fish a flag would pop up and we would go and pull it out. It was pretty cool, I thought. We didn’t use anything fancy for bait, just . . . corn. Yep, corn. Still to this day when I smell corn I feel the cold sensations and think back to ice fishing. I absolutely loved my dad’s ice shanty and loved everything about fishing, except for the cleaning of fish. When it came time to clean the fish, I was gone slipping and sliding over the ice. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I could really help out with the cleaning of fish without getting grossed out.
The natives of Alaska have several customs and traditions that only occur during the winter months of ice and snow. One such tradition is the Nenana IceClassic where Alaskans place their vote to the exact date and time when the ice of the Tanana River will first crack. I remember my dad got down to the date and hour one year and we were so excited. He didn’t win anything but he got really close. Winners will split the pot, taking away a good chunk of money. Ice carvings are another big thing and people come from all over the world to be a part of the ice carvings. In Fairbanks, were I lived, there was a competition every winter. These ice carvings were colossal. They were so big that they were taller than buildings. Some individuals made smaller ones that we could play on with slides and tunnels. They were pretty cool. I remember my favorites were always the ones of dragons. At night they would put lights to them and they would look almost magical. Finally, something else of great value to the culture of Alaska is the Iditarod. I don’t remember much about the actual race growing up but I do remember having some opportunities to ride in a dog sled. That’s right – some opportunities. The “normal” people of Alaska just drive around and vehicles, just like us in the lower-48. I always love answering those questions about Alaska: “Did you live in an igloo?” or “Did you ride in a dog sled to school?”. I guess it doesn’t get much better now being in Texas: “Did you ride a horse to school?” or “Did you wear spurs and cowboy hats?”. People make me laugh.
Another thing that I love to think back on is the moose of Alaska. These monstrous creatures are HUGE and powerful beings. Back when I lived in Alaska, moose were everywhere. You could see them on the side of the road almost daily. One time when my grandma came to visit in the winter we were driving into town for some dinner at the “Royal Fork”, which is sadly no longer there, when a family of moose came out of the forest and surrounded our car. That’s right, surrounded our car! This may sound all cute to you if you think about a moose being like a deer, but they are nothing like a deer. Think about a bison and think bigger. These creatures are very protective, too, so if you cross them beware. So when this family came out of the forest and surrounded our car we were not really overly excited about it but rather scared. I felt as though time had stopped, even just for a moment. There we drove at about 5 mph with 4 moose, one on each side. I’m not sure how long this lasted. All I know was that looking back it was a truly magical experience. It’s definitely one that my grandma loves to talk about when we start talking about Alaska.
Another thing about Alaska is this: it is wild. There are many dangers to Alaska. These dangers make it interesting. I had my many share of dangers in Alaska and one dealt with a mother moose and her baby.
One thing I haven’t mentioned yet is that while my dad was at work we stayed with a babysitter. Before I started school we went to a lady’s house that I remember to be nested in the forest. She had some huskies that we played with. They would pull us around in the winter months on sleds, our hick-style of mushing, if you will. One day one of her dogs was pulling me through the trees in their back yard when we heard a loud, unmistakable noise. A moose call. Not just any moose, a baby moose. Within seconds I felt the earth begin to shake beneath me and the sled and, luckily, I was holding on to the sled tightly because that dog started to sprint for the house. I wasn’t sure what was going on but I held on for dear life until that dog had taken me clear into the house. I hadn’t realized it until I came through the door but the babysitter and all the kids were inside, as well, in a rush of panic. I remember my babysitter just starting at me in disbelief. At this point I wasn’t 100% sure what had happened. I looked back through the doorway to see a HUGE mother moose staring at me through the screen door. Yes, I was chased by a moose and not just any moose, a defensive mother moose. Looking back, we must have gotten too close to that baby moose, though I don’t even remember seeing it. She must have thought that we were tantalizing her child and she came charging in full mommy-mode. Talk about a near death experience. Despite being chased by a moose, I still find them fascinating and love seeing them every chance I get. We had a family tradition growing up that we would always see a moose on my birthday. We called them my “birthday moose”. I loved driving out with my dad, looking for my birthday moose. And what was really cool was that we always found one. It really made my birthday special.
Another dangerous time, or so I thought, happened when I was “helping” my dad with some beaver trapping. Yes, beaver trapping. I only remember going with him one time and I will definitely never forget it. You know growing up how you learn to appreciate your parents more for what they did for you? Well, this is an instance when I realized how much I appreciated my dad for putting up with a somewhat-stubborn child like myself. When you go beaver trapping you use that ogger machine that I spoke of before. You know, the one you use when you go ice fishing. Well we had returned to a site after a few days of waiting for the traps to set and I was “helping” my dad move the traps. A few days before my dad had found an initial spot to put the trap, drilled the hole, and then realized that he didn’t like that spot. So he left it and drilled a hole a distance away and set the trap there, leaving the other hole to refreeze over. Well, when we returned to the trap site I initially remembered the hole that dad had drilled and not used so I went over to inspect it, to see if it really had frozen over again like dad said it would. I remember him telling me not to get too close to it because I would fall in. Sure, I thought, I’ll fall in, yeah right. He’s just trying to mess with me. So I got close to the hole, about a good 3 feet or so and sure enough, dad was right, the hole had frozen back over. But, it looked a little different than the ice around it. I couldn’t figure out why it looked so different. I crept closer and closer to the refrozen hole and just sat there staring at it, as if the reasoning would just come to me well. Well . . . it did. As I got closer and closer to the hole . . . I fell through. The ice cracked and I one of my feet fell through the ice into the frigid waters below. I remember screaming and holding onto the ice for dear life, propping my weight up with one leg. My dad and his friend were a good 20 feet away. I remember holding on to that ice for an eternity before my dad came to the rescue. He picked me up out of that water and ran me to the truck where he wrapped me and wrapped me in blankets. I remember tears running down his face – I really scared him. Once he knew I was alright, he ripped me a new one I never got to go beaver trapping with him again. That was alright with me. I was done trapping beavers. About a year ago we were reminiscing on stories from Alaska when I started telling my husband about this incident. We were at my dad’s house in Michigan and he started laughing as I told my story about almost losing my life in the frigid waters. I looked at my dad in disbelief. How could he laugh at something as serious as this! Turns out, the part of the lake that I had fallen into was no more than 3 feet deep. If my other leg would have given out, I would have been standing on the bottom of the lake. I felt like a total dork. Oh well, I still get scared when I think about it and I probably won’t go beaver trapping for a while – if ever.
Now that I have written all about those crazy experiences, I need to try to calm my heart down to a normal rhythm. Another thing that I remember about Alaska was playing the board game “North to Alaska”. I actually found it online back when my husband and I first got married and now we have the game, as well. It really isn’t anything special but it means a whole lot to me. My sister, dad, and I used to play it all the time. It takes you from Seattle, Washington all the way up to Anchorage, Alaska all along the way “driving” up the Alaskan highway, a highway that I have experienced for myself when we moved away from Alaska to California when I was nine. In the game, all along the route you experience things only native to the north such as being chased by a bear, being attacked by mosquitoes, and finding gold with Yukon Sam. Near the end of your journey you can spin the spinner and become rich or lose it all. I’m not sure why I thought about sharing some about this game. All I do know is that every time I play it with Karl, my husband, it brings a smile to my face.
I can’t believe I have already written for an hour. The time has been very enjoyable and has seemed to fly right before my eyes.
In future writing times I would like to share about: my school, ice cream, knotty pine, Alaska Land [Pioneer Park], gold mining, rabbits, hunting, bush planes, caribou migrations, Sarah Palin’s Alaska, and earthquakes.
Comments
Post a Comment