Everyday is an Adventure here in Alaska!!

So today was interesting...but I'll get to that in a moment. First, I want to start with my story from yesterday (I tried posting it last night, but I couldn't get pictures to upload):

I was bored yesterday, so I jumped in "The Swamp Donkey" (that's what I named my car) and I went for a drive. There is a little town called Circle about 150 miles NE of Fairbanks, so I decided to take a little road trip. Just to warn you...every time I grab a camera, the rain clouds show up. This time, however, I think the dramatic sky adds to the shots!

Enjoy (I know these are a little bigger, I hope they fit on your screen. This website still will not let me upload photos, so I had to use a different hosting site...I hope it works):


This was taken on top of a mountain. I didn't come across too many tall ones on this drive (no snow.) This was at about 3000ft. It's kinds cool that once you reach a certain elevation, trees stop growing.



This one is of an old road. I thought is was a cool sight and the picture turned out very well in my opinion.



I usually HATE pictures of myself, but since I am thousands of miles from friends and families, I thought I'd post a few self portraits from time to time. I don't want all of you who are living "Outside" to forget my purdy face (Outside is apparently what Alaskans call the lower 48)



Here is another shot from atop the mountains. I am starting to teach myself about HDRI photography. It is VERY neat. Here is a link for more information on HDRI if you are interested. LINK



Here is a shot with a little green =)


So, I make it up to Circle and I found out first hand what the Alaskans mean by "The Bush." To my understanding, "The Bush" are very small towns in the middle of nowhere...places that are their own little worlds. There was a gas station/grocery store, a post office, and an airport with small 2-4 passenger propeller planes in town...THAT'S IT. I went inside to pay for my gas and the lady asked me, "How much?" I didn't realize that they do not have the equipment to access that information, so I went outside and checked. Talk about a trusting community! I guess that in a town of less than 40 people, you know where everyone lives. After filling up "The Swamp Donkey", I needed a sandwich...there was NOTHING in Circle, so I went driving back (oh yeah, gas was $5.30 a gallon here. Ahhh...the joys of supply and demand!!!) There was another very small "Bush" town about 35 miles back the way I came and I remembered a grocery store/gas station/bar there. I REALLY hoped they had food because the next town was about 110 miles away and I was getting very hungry.

So I get to the grocery/gas station/bar in Central, AK and I find out they serve food. I sit down for a hot sandwich and out of nowhere it starts raining....HARD!! The roads for the next 80 miles or so were going to be dirt and I did not want to drive on un-paved roads through the mountains in a torrential down pour, so I sat and people-watched for an hour or so. What an experience! I have been in small towns before, but it is somehow different up here. There were a few kids in the bar (I'd guess high school aged) and several older people. Everyone knows everyone. I over-heard a conversation about school starting...they have 11 students this year attending the school in Central; not in their grade...in their SCHOOL!!! I guess two students are coming down from Circle to attend this year and I do not know if they were counted in the total of 11 or not. Well, the rains died down enough to the point where I felt safe to drive, so I hit the road back to Fairbanks. Nice drive, I highly recommend doing it...once.

So about today:
I'll make this part short and sweet because I realize this post is getting quite long. I'll try not to ramble too much to cater to the needs of my ADHD readers.

Today was new student orientation. I was excited to meet some of my students, so I woke up early to get a fresh start on the day. I get to my car, turn the key...and nothing happened. I found out that I left my lights on the day before (I am a GENIUS!) I had my lights on during the day since I was driving through rain and I wanted to be safe (and follow common traffic laws.) What do you do when you are 3000+ miles from anyone you know and your car won't start...you start walking. I grabbed my laptop and started the 3+ mile hike at 7 in the morning. I thought to myself, there is no way I am making this walk without some food and a cup of joe, so I stopped at a local coffee shop. I walk in the door and who do I see, the teacher who is in the classroom right next to me!! Since we were obviously going to the same place, she offered to give me a ride.

The rest of the day went very well. I met some students, talked with a few parents, and got my classroom a little more organized for the 20th. After school, one of my co-teachers (I like the sound of that better than co-workers) was able to give me a ride to my hotel and jump my car. "The Swamp Donkey" is back and kicking =)

Tomorrow is a work day, so I am excited to get everything set up for Wed.

Have a great night everyone!!
~Bobb