Sapuraanga

One of the many planes grounded for 5 days.

Sapuraanga -- "I am weathered in"

We flew in to Akhiok Tuesday morning battling 30 - 40 knot winds and freezing rain. The dispatcher for the air service said that we should call him as soon as we were ready to leave so that he could arrange for a flight to pick us up. We called at 1:30 and the dispatcher said that his planes were on a weather hold. We called again at 3:30 and got the answering machine -- everyone at the office had gone home for the day. Needless to say we weren't going home until the next day. So we found a spot on the school floor and crawled into our sleeping bags.

The next morning we awoke to howling winds that made the school walls creak and moan. The rain was heavy and the forecast called for 40 knot winds across the island. We started making dinner plans for the night and rescheduling appointments for the day.

On the third day the weather looked promising. During a morning walk through the village we noticed that the clouds seemed to be lifting -- the wind was certainly more calm than days prior. After the walk we called three air services in Kodiak to find out if anyone would pick us up that afternoon. The fog in Kodiak was too low and noone was flying. So we ate lunch and joined in the badmitton unit during PE. After chasing the birdie we learned that a plane had made it to Old Harbor but could not leave due to fog. Again, we began thinking of dinner plans for the third night.

Day four offered much the same as day three. Low clouds in Akhiok and light rain. The dispatcher at the air service said that the Kodiak airport, shrouded in fog, didn't see a plane land or take off all morning. Meghan's birthday present traveling via UPS Second Day Air -- for an extra $16 -- did not make it to Kodiak either. At the Akhiok school we found another book, settled in, and periodically checked the weather cameras. Needless to say, the fog did not lift. In the late afternoon, around 3:30, we took a walk to the end of the road. The end of the road in Akhiok leads to the southern end of Kodiak Island. For a few minutes the sky opened to reveal a brilliant blue sky and a bright 1st Quarter moon. At the water's edge we scattered two large eagles and ravens from an empty deer carcass. Then, as quickly as it opened, the ceiling closed and darkness fell. We noticed bear tracks near the end of the landing strip and hustled back to the school. Bedding down for the fourth night, I was optimistic for a break in the weather. Perhaps Mother Nature and Brother Wind might rest on the weekend.

Without really looking I knew that the weather on day five was not promising. A grey fog sat over Village in Akhiok. On the camera Kodiak's weather, 90 miles to the North, looked just as bleak.

On the morning of the sixth day, the view from the school was spectactular. A bright orange ribbon of sun laced the horizon over the bay south of the village. The sky remained clear throughout the morning and we were picked up at 11:40 ending our extended stay in the village of Akhiok.

The village of Akhiok from the air; The village school in Akhiok

First Tracks and Pie

We celebrated a birthday up here on the island. Meghan and I took a sunny, snowy birthday hike on Saturday. And then she baked a pecan pie for me. Pecan became my favorite pie after a visit to Meghan's Grandparents in Arkansas a few years ago. We ate the pie for dessert after feasting on caribou lasagna at a friend's house. The next day I put on the skis for the first turns of year on Pyramid Mountain near town. The snow was soft on top over a layer of crust. It felt good to get the kinks out.

Kodiak Garden Phase I

This Sunday we prepared our garden for winter. The bed was covered with weeds, grass and many tiny carrots. Digging beneath the surface revealed several inches of dark rich soil. We first removed as many weeds as possible and then turned over the soil with pick and shovel.

We then went to the beach to collect kelp that had washed ashore -- six containers full. Meghan watched over my shoulder for bears as I filled the containers with the potent organic fertilizer. In the waters near shore we watched two seals as they fished, surfaced, and dove again. Up the tributary among the trees bald eagles perched on barren branches.

We will continue to add kelp, leaves, coffee grounds and other organic matter to the garden throughout the winter. The 14 lbs. chocolate dachshund who lives with us will administer pest control.

Palinized

I don't know how to explain it. We didn't see one person who intentionally wore a costume that resembled Alaska Governor and Republican Vice Presidential Candidate Sarah Palin.

The Snows of Kodiak Island

We've had several days of snow here on the island. The roads are getting slick (we saw three trucks in the ditch today) and the peaks are showing a bit of accumulation. Haven't put the skins on yet, but I sure am feeling the itch. We snapped these photos this afternoon while spotting a few potential tour routes. The three peaks shown here are known as the Three Sisters. They are visable from several spots in town. Every clear day there they sit, glistening white, each of them taunting me with their unique topography. Click the photos to get a closer look. Ski them all in one day? The countdown has begun.

They know a bit about Mavericity 'donare' in the 'Burgh'

Sam Franklin, Kenyon Lord, at his all time best status. Looks like he's working hard to get out the vote in the "swingin'" state of Pennsylvania. Enjoy.

Shelley Visits Kodiak & Hilarity Ensues

Guest Blog: Shelley Sanderman

Clockwise from top left: Here I am, opening my "welcome" gift. My lovely hosts provided me with Alaskan beer, Alaska magazine, Alaska sticker, postcard and mug. Best of all...Alaska socks! Photo right: My triumph over Pyramid Mountain. Meghan showed me the amazing views of the ocean, mountains, and volcanoes. It looked very pirate's cove-esque.

Next: Enjoying reindeer sausage at King's Diner. Impulse item. Last picture: Reconnaissance. I was able to thwart the local seabirds' activities by building my own nest in the Kodiak grasses. Although my wildlife viewing skills have vastly improved, the Kodiak bear remains elusive. We seem to visit all the same locations, but he leaves shortly before I arrive. I am hoping to have better luck finding him if I wear my new socks tomorrow...

New Bike + Hungry Bears = Kodiak Excitement

The bears on Kodiak are in the final stages of hyperphagia. Although most have of the bears around town have fattened up, they are still looking for a few thousand more calories before heading to the hills for winter. Their preferred food sources, salmon and berries, are becoming less available and we have had numerous reports of bears picking through trash cans. The local experts say that we will see bears in and around town for the rest of the month. That said, we are on high alert for hungry bears. I was on high alert for big brown bears on my mountain bike ride yesterday. Sure enough, near the end of my ride at Boy Scout Lake, a forested state recreation site, I rounded a turn as a very fat dark brown bear was making his way down the hillside toward a stream. I skidded to a stop and caught the attention of the bear. He started to move back up the hillside, stopped, and looked over his shoulder to figure out what I was. A large tree blocked our direct eye contact as both of us waited for the other to make a move. After catching my breath and relieved to see that he was not moving any closer I used the most confident voice I could muster and told the bear to "go on, go on." Once he realized that I was just a nonthreatening human he began to walk down the hillside, keeping one eye on me as he made his way down to the stream. After that I headed for home, on the paved well-traveled main road. October bear count = 2.

Viszla Puppies!

Okay, actually there is only one puppy in these photos, but "viszla puppies" is more of an attention-grabbing headline. Our landlord and friend, Stan, who lives upstairs owns a 2-year-old male viszla named Gusto. This week he brought home a 6-week-old female who he named Ingot. Her mouth is full of teeth and her body is all leg. As you can see she is already starting to point.

"Personally, I Give Us One Chance In Three."

Warning! предупреждение!

To understand some of this post's content one must view
"The Hunt for Red October" at least five times.

Maybe it's a publicity stunt for a film sequel starring Shia Leboeuf as the wayward son of a rogue Russian nuclear submarine captain who is attempting to defect to the U.S. Or maybe Vlad Putin is trying to rev up tensions between the two old Cold War foes -- The Yankees and The Ruskies. Whatever the case, I don't think that the Sydney Morning Herald would be the rag of choice to leak a conspiracy involving Russian submarines launching rockets in the North Pacific and Bering Sea (Uh, Alaska's backyard). So I've got to take the Aussies at their word when they report that Russian submarines are launching rockets in the North Pacific and Bering Sea! Combine this news with reports that Hugo Chavez has invited "Lilly Putin"* to conduct joint naval maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea and it seems that we have a possible situation on our hands. Perhaps Putin is pushing back after watching Cheney and his goons ring Russia with missile defenses aimed at Iran, but placed in countries basically bordering Russia.
Or perhaps the whole thing won't lead to actual war, but a really awesome full-scale 3D HD Action Movie Experience Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer starring Nic Cage as an operative with a common man's vernacular who follows the trail of dollar bills to find The Red October skulking in the North Pacific only to get a better Sirius satellite signal so the crew can listen to "the Americans' Rock 'n' Roll" and not to "perform missile drills." In any case we're nuking the popcorn 'cause we've got the best seat in the house up here.

*This is a very clever pun pronounced by the Georgian President Mikhail Sakashvilli in reference to Putin's diminutive stature. In Jonathan Swift's satire Gulliver's Travels a group of smaller individuals are named Lilliputians.

Kennicott whaling sans harpoons

To complete the final leg of our journey to Kodiak we boarded the M/V Kennicott, an Alaska Marine Highway System ferry. The Kennicott is the newest vessel in Alaska's fleet and will carry nearly 500 passangers. On our voyage we had lots of room to spread out as only 19 passengers were aboard.


After sleeping on the aft sun deck I awoke to cloudy skies and calm seas. Meghan continued to sleep. The air was crisp and inviting so I stepped out to the starboard rail. I watched the sea roll past and scanned the horizon. A few minutes past as my eyes adjusted to the vast new space in the distance. The grey sea was bound by mountains to the north and west. The first movement that I noticed was what I was sure to be the bright white sail of sailboat. I thought to myself, "this is a long way out for a sailboat." But then, suddenly, the sail seemed to vaporize and disappear. Before I could think another thought a second 'sail' appeared and disappeared. "Spouts of a whale," I said aloud to no one in particular. For the rest of the trip I searched the horizon for more.


About an hour later off the starboard and much closer to the Kennicott another pod of whales appeared. These whales were close enough to be identified as humpbacks. Although the fins of humpbacks might look like the dorsal fins of killer whales, this "finning" behavior is one way to identify humpbacks. Before the end of our voyage I spied at least three different pods of whales.

Alaskan Natives and the Governor

A Dismal Record

Palin and Alaskan Natives and Tribes

By LLOYD MILLER

Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.

Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights.

Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State of Alaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158-HRH (D. Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law's law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot).

The goal of Palin's law suit is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations the federal government has issued to date to protect Native fishing, and to force the courts instead to take over the roll of setting subsistence regulations. Palin's law suit seeks to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing.

In May 2007, the federal court rejected the State's main challenge, holding that Congress in 1980 had expressly granted the U.S. Interior and Agriculture Departments the authority to regulate and protect Native and rural subsistence fishing activities in Alaska. (Decision entered May 15, 2007 (Dkt. No. 110).)

Notwithstanding this ruling, Palin continues to argue in the litigation that the federal subsistence protections are too broad, and should be narrowed to exclude vast areas from subsistence fishing, in favor of sport and commercial fishing. Palin opposes subsistence protections in marine waters, on many of the lands that Natives selected under their 1971 land claims settlement with the state and federal governments, and in many of the rivers where Alaska Natives customarily fish. (Alaska Complaint at 15-18.) Palin also opposes subsistence fishing protections on Alaska Native federal allotments that were deeded to individuals purposely to foster Native subsistence activities. All these issues are now pending before the federal district court.

2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting

Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.

Palin's attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina. Although the federal district court has rejected Palin's challenge, she has carried on an appeal that was argued in August 2008. State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).)

In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policies initiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting and fishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order to enhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin's lawsuits are a direct attack on the core way of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.

3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal Sovereignty

Governor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.

Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Native villages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribes have no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.

So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes from exercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004 legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exists (except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).

Both the state courts and the federal courts have struck down Palin's policy of refusing to recognize the sovereign authority of Alaska Tribes to address issues involving Alaska Native children. Native Village of Tanana v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-12194 CI (judgment entered Aug. 26, 2008) (Ak. Super. Ct.); Native Kaltag Tribal Council v. DHHS, No. 3:06-cv-00211-TMB (D. Ak.), pending on appeal No 08-35343 (9th Cir.)). Nonetheless, Palin's policy of refusing to recognize Alaska tribal sovereignty remains unchanged.

4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Languages

Palin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters by refusing to provide language assistance to Yup'ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result, Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various forms of voter assistance to Yup'ik voters residing in southwest Alaska. Nick v. Bethel, No. 3:07-cv-0098-TMB (D. Ak.) (Order entered July 30, 2008). Citing years of State neglect, Palin was ordered to provide trained poll workers who are bilingual in English and Yup'ik; sample ballots in written Yup'ik; a written Yup'ik glossary of election terms; consultation with local Tribes to ensure the accuracy of Yup'ik translations; a Yup'ik language coordinator; and pre-election and post-election reports to the court to track the State's efforts.

In sum, measured against some the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes - the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights - Palin's record is a failure.

Lloyd Miller is a native rights lawyer in Anchorage.

Hind Quarters

The new Alaska state quarters are slowly finding their way into the hands of those who can afford them.

Picasa Su Casa

I Can't stop playing with the new features on Picasa 3. I'm doctoring more pics than the National Enquirer - can you tell?

Crabs Attack Kodiak! A fearless brown guard dog warded off the attacking crabs until help arrived.

Beluga Don't Surf

Monday August 25, 2008 10:30 am
Kodiak is an island. To get to Kodiak one must either board a plane or a boat. To get our vehicle and belongings to Kodiak Meghan and I took the ferry from Homer to Kodiak. Before boarding the ferry Meghan and I drove down the Kenai Penninsula from Anchorage to Homer. Soon after leaving Anchorage we found a pod of beluga whales near Beluga Point.These belugas are a population unique to the Turnagain Arm near Anchorage. In the images you will see a mother (white) and her calf (grey) surfacing together. We had visited Beluga Point two days earlier with our friends Ian and Sam to watch a tidal bore.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (Photos)

"I'd buy you a kabob."

The view from our "idyllic" campsite.

Our dinner guest at a safe enough distance to be photographed (rump only).

Meghan -- shaken, not stirred.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Thursday August 14, 2008 7:00 pm.

Cave Mountain National Forest Campground

(near Glacier National Park, MT)

After our second day of driving from Denver, CO to Kodiak, AK Meghan and decided to camp at the foot of the Montana Rocky Mountains in the Lewis & Clark National Forest. The campground sits on the banks of the North Fork of the Teton River. We arrived at the campground late in the evening and had our choice of several campsites. After browsing the available sites Meghan and I chose a beautiful site with lots of privacy at the end of the campground. I remember wondering to myself why such a idyllic site was vacant even though there were several other parties at the campground. I soon shook off the worries and thought that we must have lucked into the spot. Meghan went to the pay station while I set up the cook stove to prepare our dinner -- shish-kabobs and beans -- Rebel (our dachshund) stood guard near the site's picnic table. Meghan returned from the register station and said that another group of campers had told her that there was a bear in the area. "They said that a group that was tent camping for the last few days didn't have any trouble, though" Meghan related to me. "Oh okay I said, sounds good."

After cooking our shish-kabobs and sitting down for a long-awaited protein-rich dinner we began to relax. I remember reaching for my second Big Sky beer and the bottle opener when Meghan gasped, "Oh God there's a bear." Sure enough a larger sow grizzly was watching us from the hillside above our site. "What should we do?" asked Meghan. From the table we watched the grizzly slowly pace above our site. Then the bear seemed to realize that her appearance did not scare us away from our delicious protein-rich dinner. Perhaps out of frustration the large bear, in a display of power, stomped and scratched at the ground -- looking very menacing. Well the display scared me and definitely frightened Meghan - "Oh God!" Meghan gasped and began hurriedly packing up our half-eaten long-awaited meal. I stepped on to the table top and faced the bear with a very odd sense of confidence. I am sure, however, that had the bear taken one or two more steps in our direction the feeling confidence would have drained out of me as quickly as the color from my face. While Meghan packed up dinner, the stove, the tent, and our (silent) guard dog Rebel I stood on the table two, bear spray cans at the ready, and watched the bear circle our site until it disappeared into a thick stand of trees.
We moved to another site across the campground. I was excited about the encounter while Meghan was very shaken up.