Western Arctic National Parklands Residency Day 29: Kotzebue, AK

My last day here.  Cassia and her friend flew to Shungnak, a village that's a couple hours' flight east, where Cassia spends half her work week interpreting for a few deaf children at the school.  Tyler was back to work too, so I had the day to myself to say goodbye to this place.  I spent most of the day on my bike, riding everywhere.  I went to the small gallery in town again where I found a couple of unique pieces of jewelry - everything here is made of baleen, walrus tusk, jade, or mammoth ivory.  I went to the little store on the ocean, poked around the Ace Hardware, and biked along the ocean as far as I could and then through the maze of streets.  I watched John Baker and his trainer get dogs set up for training, pulling his truck (in neutral) around town and along the loop road.  I biked up the big hill northeast of town by cemetery hill but on the other side where a housing development was once planned (never happened).  I biked south of town, along the ocean, over the airport runway, to South Tent City for some photographs.  I was all over the town and beyond, biking in the blustery cold, vivid blue day.  It was fantastic.

After Tyler got home, we made dinner and headed out on the four wheeler to explore one last time.  We started in the rocks along the beach just south of the airport and found seal and walrus carcasses and bones.  Then we went further south near South Tent City to a big, old structure that reputedly was used as barracks during WWII.  We drove along the beach and saw the sled dogs again; Paul and Kevin were getting dogs set up to train, pulling the four wheeler.  Tyler took us down the beach a ways so I could watch my last Arctic sunset away from town.  Simply marvelous.

Plaque at the visitors center

Northwest Arctic Heritage Museum.

My view of the visitors center on the walk over from Tyler's house.

John Baker training his dogs.

A display along the ocean front.

View along the ocean front.

The northwest end of town.

Belugas were one of my very favorite animals in elementary school.  I still love them.

Biking through town...

The housing for teachers.  Similar housing nearby for the medical center staff.

View of town from the hill to the east.

Biking back to town.

The liquor store.

My park service bike.

The hotel.

Rotman's Store.

Ocean view with Cape Krusenstern.

Whale rib bone in front of the gallery.

Saw this while biking, loved the snow machine perched for summer storage.

Rotman's again.

Airplane landing, view of the road crossing the runway.

South Tent City.

Fish prepared and hanging to dry.

Closeup of fish drying.

View of the shoreline north to town.

An expired flounder.

The old barracks, reportedly used during WWII.

Inside the old barracks.

Wreckage of a barge.

Looking south along the beach.

Paul and Kevin training dogs.

Looking north along the beach, Cape Krusenstern in the distance.

Taking the loop road back to town.

Last sunset and the barge.