Changing seasons in Alaska

Seasons in Alaska are different than in the lower 48.  Whereas, in 

Texas, we used to dread the coming of summer with its record-

breaking temperatures and high humidity, we now welcome the

season.  And even though different durations, we still have all 4 

seasons.

This summer (that time from June to August) we visited the 

mainland, or main area of Alaska.  We actually were there during 

August. Temperatures ranged from the 40's to upper 70's.  When

we reached Fairbanks we were amazed at the number of flowers.

They were at businesses as well as homes and were all colors and

types. Each small town seemed to have a farmer's market as well. 

It seems that their growing season is from June to August only. 

But with daylight lasting from 19-23 hours,the plants grow at

tremendous rates. This accounts for the extremely large veget-

ables we saw at the markets.

Now, not all 3 months are considered summer to these 

folks.  Basically, June is designatedas spring with the

temperatures staying above freezing, and August is

autumn since the temperatures are beginning to drop

and the leaves are starting to change color.  So, that

leaves July for summer. The temperatures are comfort-

able, the plants are growing, and everyone is outside.

Kodiak does not have the extreme temperatures that 

are evident in Fairbanks.  As a result our seasons are

more typical. We have to start mowing the lawn in May 

and just finished the end of September.  Temperatures 

are comfortable during these months. It might occasionally

freeze at night but the days warm up to a comfortable

upper 60's or low 70's. We are able to wear our short 

sleeves and shorts and spend quality time outdoors.

Now that October is here, we are seeing the leaves change.

This lasts for a few weeks before they all fall off.  Autumn

is short and with the changing weather comes the time we 

have to consider putting studded tires back on the cars. 

There is some snow on the mountains in the distance.  We

probably won't have any snow until November and even 

then it will not amount to much.  

Winter is an entirely different topic, so I'll write later about

the problems when days are short and people get tired of 

being cooped up.

If you would like to see some photos of our changing scenery,

go to:    http://gallery.me.com/criokodiak#100317

or photos of the Fairbanks flowers during the summer:

        http://gallery.me.com/criokodiak#100302

Progress in Kodiak

In any town there is always some excitement when a new business 

opens or there is a change in the way the city operates. That is especially

evident in the town of Kodiak. Although we boast a population of almost 

10,000, if you count the outlying areas, we are quite supportive of new

businsses. This was particulaly obvious when we had a new eating

establishment open. The turnout on opening day was phenomenal! Even

the owner commented that other openings had not had near this 

enthusiasm. With the grand opening there were cars filling the parking lot

and people in line to order. Yes, Taco Bell had come to Kodiak and

people were excited. In fact, the demand was so great that the wait in

line was up to 2 hours. And someone else reported that they waited 3

hours in the drive-thru lane. The last time I drove past, on Friday evening,

most booths were full inside and there were 7 cars waiting in the drive-

through lane. Where in the lower 48 can you see this much support for

the local economy? Maybe it was the combination with Kentucky Fried 

Chicken that brought the people. We really don't know, but everyone 

agrees thatwe are seeing progress in the town.

This opening does not come close to one a few years earlier. This 

store brought so much community support that their grand opening at 

midnight found cars filling the parking area, people standing in long 

lines at the door, and cars lining the street for over one mile with 

people anxious to see what the store had to offer Kodiak. This support

was for our own mini-Walmart. It's not nearly as large as most, but 

can you imagine if we ever got a Super Walmart what would happen?

New eating establishments aren't the only progress here.  The city

just completed some road rennoavations. This prior intersection had a

flashing red and yellow light. With the completions we now have

our first traffic signal that changes from red to green. Wow! We also 

have a police car nearby to remind citizens that the lights is different 

from the prior one. Now, we have to remember that a few years ago the

city tried to make this change. There were 4 car accidents in one

morning. By the afternoon they were back to the blinking light. We will

have to wait and see what happens this time. The only other intersection

that comes close is the 3-way stop sign near one of the elementary

schools (we have 4).

As the city continues to plan for the future we hope to see more

progress occurring. But as things go now, we wil just have to wait and 

see. If you would like to see a few recent photos of our city, here is a 

gallery of photos:

http://gallery.me.com/criokodiak#100294

Catalog Ordering

I realize that some of the things that happen in Kodiak are due to the fact that we are a small town. Recently, however, living on an island in the state of Alaska has created new difficulties. Yes, shopping is limited. We have a Walmart and a local sporting goods store, Mack's. There are other smaller stores, but these are most frequented. They even have sales every so often. We were notified the other day that Mack's had a 20% coupon and Carlos and I couldn't decided what we needed the most. Was it new waterproof pants or long underwear for winter? We are still undecided, but we have through the weekend.

Other times, the items we want are not available. You have to go online or catalog shop for these things. Now, normally, if you live in the Lower 48 (this is Alaska language), you can get overnight shipping if you are in a hurry. Even 2-3 days shipping is easily attained and frequently even free. Such is not the case here.

I recently found an item in a major department store online catalog. It was exactly what I needed and it stated that shipping was free in the United States.  Well, I really thought that the Alaska Territories became a part of the United States in 1959. Maybe I was mistaken, but shipping was not free to Alaska. In fact, I have since found that many stores will not even ship to Kodiak. This does create somewhat of a problem at times.

What is a little more interesting is the UPS situation in Kodiak.  We recently had an item recalled by the company. They explained that a pre-paid UPS sticker would be send to us and we only needed to have the UPS pick up the item. We know that the UPS truck travels the island. We've received packages. But when you try to schedule a pick-up, the automated telephone person states that there is no such delivery area. This was a problem.

We started asking others in the neighborhood if they had ever encountered this problem. Needless to say, they had. And their solution.....you need to watch for the driver when he is making deliveries and flag him down! I think we've taken a step backwards in this area.

Yes, we finally got a package picked up, but it was only because there were regular deliveries at the hospital and Carlos was able to slip our package with theirs.

From now on, let's hope most deliveries are via FedEx. They have an office.

Attack of the Killer Orcas

Most people don't realize that Orcas (Shamu to many) are really part of the dolphin family. And to think that I used to like dolphins! Recently, Orcas in the Kodiak area have been attacking the baby Humpback whales that have been migrating. Watching the migrating whales is an activity enjoyed by many of the residents, as well as visitors to the island. There are numerous places along the coastline for viewing.

Anyway, with regard to the Orcas, they are not whales due to the presence of teeth. And with these teeth, the Orcas have starting attacking the lower jaws of the infant whales. As a result, we have a small Humpback whale that died and was beached along the state park coastline.

Luckily, most of the pod have been able to continue that migration and have been seen at different areas along our coastline.

BTW, if I get information wrong, please be gentle when you send me corrections. Thanks.

Description of the Island

The island itself, is one of lush landscapes with mountains covering much of the terrain. We have over 70 inches of rain on average each year, leaving us with a rain forest environment. There are numerous hiking paths and trails that give the average person an insight to the beauty the island displays. 

We live only a quarter miles from Abercrombie State Park. This hilly and lush area is home to a variety of ever-changing plant life and the remants of a World War II fort. It is accessible year round and many people hike, job or walk their dogs in the park daily.

With mountains surrounding the town, there are frequent hikes up to the peaks. These range from fairly easy to those that require extremely good fitness levels. I speak from experience. Although I managed one such hike last year, I realize that with age, and a lack of personal fitness, I will have to limit my hikes to those of a more sedate pace.

Of course,with the idea of this being an island, there is plentiful water in which to participate in boating activities. Many people enjoy fishing and although Carlos and I love to eat fish, we haven't really participated in this leisure activity yet. Really, we decided to wait until we've had our driver's licenses for one year since that makes us official residents of the state. So, come September, watch out fish!

Even though we don't fish, Carlos has decided that we should enjoy the water via kayak. Having lived along the Gulf of Mexico most of our lives, we have been used to water temperatures in the 70-80 degree range. This is not the case here. We have recently reached the high temps for the summer. We attained the high temps of 51 degrees. Needless to say, you don't usually plan on spending in the water, only above.

I'll let you learn about wildlife on future posts. There is certainly an abundant amount of various types.

Moving to Kodiak

This is the first of, hopefully, many posts about our life on Kodiak Island. We live southeast of the Aleutian Islands and west of the mainland of Alaska. Since we are an island, all transportation must be by boat or plane. With our continually changing weather, this can be difficult at times. Flights are frequently cancelled due to winds or fog. Ferry rides to the mainland are especially turbulent in the winter months due to high waves. 

Just remember as you read the posts, this is a small town of about 6000 people. There is a large US Coast Guard base just outside the city and they have a population of another 4000. As a result we have been able to support the neighborhood Walmart store and Safeway grocery.

I’ll try to keep you up to date on the sometimes humorous aspects of small town life as well as living in the Alaska bush. Oh, and don’t forget the Kodiak bears. I have much to say about them.

Check back frequently.