Farewell, Alaska
Today is my last day here in the north country. As I walk for the last time along Stampede road to the research cabin, I am surprised at how quickly autumn has arrived here. Seems that in the span of the three weeks since my arrival, the midnight sun has been replaced with hours of dark and the tundra has turned from super-charged green to yellow, red and orange.
Tundra Turning Orange with the coming of winter
Rubus leaf turning the tundra red
Midnight sun replaced by hours of twilight
Alaska Life
I cannot say that this land would continue to welcome a southerner like me. The cold and the dark that is coming soon, does not suffer fools. It takes a hardy soul to smile through the many challenges that face a true Alaskan. Water must be hauled, as well-water is not an option here where the land remains frozen. Outhouses replace flush toilets, as septic tanks would freeze. Interior warmth must be supplied by wood - lots and lots of wood, which means chop, chop, chop.
Marguerite Mauritz fills the water tanks at the Community Well
I won't miss stumbling out to the outhouse in the middle of the night!
But there are some here in Alaska that await the winter with thinly disguised patience. Dog-yards here in the back country of Alaska, are filled to the brim with sled dogs, whose howls and whines fill the air at feeding time, and just about anytime they decide it is appropriate. These dogs seem to languish in the summer, waiting until the day when there is enough snow to get hitched up to pull the sled. The intricate and complex business of running a dog sled team, is deeply ingrained in the Alaska culture, and I suspect is the main reason the Alaskan keeps a smile on her face.
Dogs languish in the yard waiting for winter
Good Bye and THANK YOU CiPEHR Team
Last night we had a cook-out behind the cabin. We roasted corn, potatoes and sausage. For desert we ate home-made Rubus ice cream and meringues.
Relaxing with laughter and good food.
I will miss the friends I have made and the laughter that I have shared, and oh, my the food, the blueberries, the light, the mountains, and the miracle of the squishy tundra.
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