Saturday, September 29, 2007

Lonesome Einar's and blueberry pickin'

Einar, a trapper from Norway, passed on in the 1950's (I think.) His other cabin was a 50 mile walk back up the peninsula.


Here's the legend: one day, near his trapping cabin, the one 50 miles yonder, he beheld the sight of a choice driftwood log, and a great one it must have been. Knowing that his axe was here at the cabin, he jogged the 50 miles, grabbed the tool, then retraced his steps to chop and split the find. What he did with it then we can only happily ponder.

As the rest of the pictures show, the Aleutian Isles (and the peninsula) are practically treeless. We did see a sitka spruce in False Pass last week in the lee of the mess hall, but otherwise its all dwarf willows and sitka alders - shrubs and small shrubs. Wind's the cause for the open slopes. These days, the locals get wood, still a useful fuel, by scanning the shores from skiffs usually, peaveying the logs down to the surf, driving into it an iron staple, roping it up and towing the wood back home. We nabbed on the first day here with Buck. I felt better about skipping out in the middle of the Seattle stream season digging that peavey in and prying as hard as I could. we are waiting for another calm day to go fetch another one.







Jen is now a shotgun toting berry harvester. Possibly not news for those who know her well. So far the gun's remained silent, except for basic training purposes - not Inde's favorite sound.



Oval-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium)


Upon our arrival and for about three more weeks, we were blessed with an abundance of blueberries. Stonewall Place is home to two species. The above mentioned and the low-lying blueberry, or bilberry (Vaccinium uliginsum). The sweeter, tastier one being the shrub-like Oval-leaved blueberry, although we happily devour either. We have gathered these delicious fruits numerous times to the north of Einer's cabin and just north of the house. We were sad to see them disappear last week. In order to hold on to their pleasure throughout the winter, we have bagged and frozen 13 quarts and made a gallon of wine.



Oh yeah, since we are surrounded by the Izembeck National Wildlife Refuge its only appropriate to wish everyone a very happy National Public Lands Day!

Friday, September 28, 2007

...Will the fish gods cooperate?

Poor anemone, not funny. Not even a little.




Parker reelin' em home!




The look north through the pass.




Bob gets dissection duty this time. Jen thinks he did pretty good given his vegie background.




Fall is quick in Alaska, thus winter nigh. Word on the dock is last March was a bad one. Will it happen back to back?

Sunday, September 23, 2007

The first few days of the next eight months!

Windy view from the back path looking West across the straight at Unimak, the first Aleutian Island (99% wilderness, 100% wild.)



The Fort


The house is really just as I anticipated. I guess pictures really do help you to conceive of a place. That is not to say I was not happy with what I beheld. All the buildings along the beach…the guest cabin, smokehouse, outhouse, workshop, sauna/mudroom, water-wheel house, battery house and greenhouse. Then it’s a relatively steep climb up to the main house. The front door opens to a mud room and a small cold room, our refrigerator, the laundry and the pantry (which is fully stocked!) off to the left. To the right you walk into the kitchen, to my delight it is painted purple, then the living room. Both of these rooms face out looking over Isonotski Strait and Unimak Island. Behind the living room is the office and bathroom and then stairs up to the loft bedroom (also with a view).




Open this up to view the western tip of the peninsula and the eastern shore of Unimak Island. We are in the center, where the "pass" is narrowest, on the east bank (Stonewall), where the currents gets squeezed.




Stonewall (and the premises of the rest of the stories)

Our Heralded arrival in Alaska

Anchorage International, the 3-8am shift. We found a cozy place to hole up.




Looking out across the airport parking lot in Cold Bay, a place that we would become familiar with.


We were stuck in Cold Bay for two days due to high winds, which is very common out here. They were two slow days spent walking the few gravel streets and the stretch of beach, eating microwaved meals and watching too much TV from too high on the wall. We stayed at The Bear Foot Inn Alaska (I love the name!). Some highlights include walking the beach along the bay, seeing our fist fox, fighting strong winds and hanging at the bar... alone without patrons or a bartender.


Metro Cold Bay, Wind a blowin.

Wind-broken Baranov St. sign. He'd somehow be satisfied.




Disgarded iron works along the beach, part of a larger cemetery of no longer needed devices.




Crossing over to the wild side







The Bear Foot Inn












Center-pivot plowing




Three days later, take-off!


Wednesday morning we took off early aboard a four-seater full of our belongings and the mail, with a pilot from Kansas City. The flight was breathtaking! Miles of green marshy tundra, spotted with pools of water. The ocean. The clouds. We saw two brown bears walking out to the water! My first. The pilot said at lower tides you can usually see 15 to 20 on the flight. I was quite happy with two. I was holding Inde’s paw through the kennel behind me, what a champ she was through all the flying. Buck Laukitis, owner of Stonewall Place, picked us up when the plane landed on a strip of gravel and dirt. After loading all our gear and our pallet from Coastal Transport, we crossed the water.



Aerial entre veu, the village of False Pass




Final bank south, approaching Fasle Pass field

Tuesday, September 18, 2007