Point Barrow, AK Ivan and Shirley Yurtin Rig #12 July 6, 2010
We decided to sign up for a trip to Point Barrow, AK. Our dear friend, Hal Miller served on a naval vessel called, McKinley back in 1949 which sparked Ivan’s interest in flying to Point Barrow. We were able to make reservations w/Alaskan Airlines. So off we went!! As we approached Barrow from the air, we first noticed that the lakes were frozen. As we descended the next significant thing we noticed was that there were no trees or shrubs as far as you could see….it was only flat tundra.
The airport terminal was an old, blue metal commercial building that looked like a factory. The shuttle driver picked us up and drove us to the Top of The World Hotel. It was a long two story building that had simple rooms. We had dinner at Pepe’s Restaurant next door that was run by 81 yr old Fran.
Fran has lived in Point Barrow for over 40 years. She had a restaurant in her home for years, but now manages Pepe’s. She does not cook but employs good people. She also leads tourists down to the ocean at 5:30pm each day for a dunk in the Arctic. In order to qualify you must submerge completely in the frigid Arctic. For doing so, you must pay $10 and will receive a patch and certificate from the Polar Bear Club. Fran has made the plunge many times and tried to get 80 of her friends to join her last year for her 80th birthday. She was only able to convince 67 brave souls to do it with her.
The Mexican meal of Enchiladas was good. Afterwards we roamed the immediate area for photos—including those along the ice buildup in the ocean. We noticed that parking spaces for workers at the bank, police dept and other businesses had electrical cords in each space to plug in engine heaters. None of the roads in town are paved---they consist of powdered dust that billows every time a car passes. Four wheeler ATV’s are also a common form of transportation.
Our tour guide, Bana, was a native Inupiat Eskimo. He said that the population of the whole area is 4500 and one fourth of the population is under the age of 18 years. The village hunts whale for food and harvests about 34 whales each year to feed the village. The Inupiat are not allowed to harvest whales to sell….only to feed the village. The whale harvest is in the early spring and late fall. The whale is harpooned behind the eye, which is the most vulnerable area, and at that time a bell is sounded. Then most of the villagers come on the ice to help tow the whale from the water onto the ice so it can be butchered. The blubber and bones and waste items are placed in a pile so that the polar bears will come in and eat. The whale meat is either eaten boiled or frozen raw. Ivan had a chance to eat some of the raw whale meat. It tasted a little fishy.They only get about 13” of snow and 8” of rain a year, but it is a very cold and dry environment. It is very cloudy most of the summer with only 5 days of sunshine. The temperature during our visit ranged from 30 – 36 degrees F and it was cold and windy. The Inupiat Eskimo Corporations control most of the utilities and government offices. A contractor we met that had been working in Barrow for the past 9 months said that Barrow was very political and the government controlled most of the utilities and schools (which was where most of the jobs could be found). The city had several gas wells that supplied the heating for the village. The village had one fairly large grocery store and one gasoline station. Gasoline is delivered to Barrow once a year in August. In our visit to the grocery store the price for a gallon of milk was $10 and the price of a dozen eggs was $8.
On our tour we didn’t get to see a polar bear but we saw a Snow Owl and the Tundra Swans. We got to visit the Inupiat Heritage Center where the local Eskimos performed their native dances for us. We were then invited to join them in their local dances, which we did. It was very enjoyable. There were enough people so we all joined in for the Blanket Toss. A large blanket made of whale skin is woven with rope around the outer edge for handles. About 25-30 people hold the perimeter of the blanket while a person is in the middle of it. The blanket is pulled outward and the person in the blanket is propelled upward and can reach heights of 20-30 feet. This is used to be able to see whales and game at far distances, since there are no trees on the Tundra.
We were able to visit the old Navy base that my friend, Hal Miller, delivered supplies to in the early 50’s. His ship, the McKinley, was only able to get into the Barrow port in mid-July with ice beakers assistance. The Navy base was later converted to a Navy Research facility and more recently donated to Barrow for a university. However, all the old corrugated metal Quonset huts are still standing. There is also an Air Force Radar and Communications facility near the old Navy station that one local person said was kept pretty quiet as far as people coming & going. It’s assumed that this is an Air Force Radar Defense Command Center.
No comments:
Post a Comment