Next step

I am very happy to visit many villages by snowmachine last three springs. I decide to stop now. What am I planing next?? I would like to tell you little bit about my plan:

I will be in Kotzebue to clean up and finalise spring traverse, and drilling Point Hope  this week. During state wide test, next week, Paul Overduin (from Germany) and I will go to Barrow to drill and install sub sea, sub lake monitoring stations. This is big challenge, because water, soft sand, sea ice… Stay tune this page. I will write progress report!

After subsea drilling, I will back to school system. We are using Cessna 206 to travel around villages, expecilly 1.south (no snow area), 2. island 3, very remote…

You will see very beautiful but different part of Alaska toward of end of the April!

Again, stay tune, we are full of interesting schedule until fall!

Tide

When we traveling snow machine at coastal area, tide is not much problem. because the deference of high and low tide in Arctic Ocean is very small (around 1′). Wind may more problem to build up ice ridges. But traveling YK delta is little bit different story. Tide difference would have 5′-10′, could have overflow…

Wind

Wind, Wind controls many things in Alaska. strong wind makes extremely difficult to travel snow machine. There is not really solution for this. I like this moment because I feel human is just same as  one of the other creatures on Earth. 

Since yesterday, my life was back in Fairbanks! I do not need worried about weather so much.

 

 

problems of snow machine (snow mobile) traverse in Alaska

I would like to continue snow machine trip more. But schools is going to have test next week. So we will stop now…

It was so great to meet many people, to see country. We really enjoy last three years over 3500 miles travel around state. We did have several severe problems every year. For this year, I should mentioned two things:

1. steering bolt loose and broken: This supposed not happen. But it’s happen this spring. Since Kong, we noticed bolt was loose, we kept tighten but there was limit without plastic washer and some unique tool. Finally, rough surface (between Newtok-Kasigluk), all parts a part. 

2. sled joint warned out: There was different materials between J-hook and eye-bolt (sled). once we across the bumpy country, joint were slide many times. So softer materials warned out! It is interesting that we watched this since last year, it took long time to warned out half of the thickness, but once over the half way. The warned out rate accerate dramatically! We fixed at Unalakleeet using stainless hard weld rods. Then now, J-hook was softer part! It start slim.

I should mention good things too! We have a many many good system here. For example, high wind shield!

This is great for long distance with not high speed traveller. Only the problem was shield could not hold when it was high wind! 40-60MPH head wind with driving another 20-30MPH makes 60-90MPH relative speed!!

Sleds was great! We ask to make deep one and cover one. Both sleds were greatly functional for our purpose!

We will report more later!

 

Kotzebue

It looks beautiful day! We left Buckland 9:30am with morning sunshine.

When we cross at Buckland River, wind start picking up. We throught another windy day?! but not!

When we hit peninsula, no wind, smooth surface, a lot of caribou crossing in front of us.

We made to Kotzebue this afternoon. We stop High school, Elementary and Fish and wildlife office.
Henry, who rescue Emmonak datalogger from Yukon flooding last spring, should be here at 5th grade. Henry’s family move from Emmonak to Kotzebue last year. So I am very exciting to see them!
We stay in bunk house at FWS.

In the evening, we had dinner with Schidbach family. I mentioned Henry is smart kid and rescuing logger at Emmonak. Father Bill was principal at school at that time. It was very nice to see a year later at Kotzebue! This is one of the best things for this project. I could meet many nice people in the remote side of Alaska.

Buckland



We try to across Seward Peninsula today. It extreamly windy cold first half day. We try to find Granit Mountain hot spring the way go up to Buckland. But we missed within 0.2miles. Because poor visubility by the strong wind. We could not see especially near ground. Once we gave up hot spring, we keep driving toward Buckland.
after 5 and 1/2 hours of head wind driving, we made it in Buckland.
We had a great time with Tim (he help me drilling last spring.), Matthew (he participant STEP, UAF last summer), Johney… This is nice warm village for us!

Shaktoolik, Koyuk

It’s unusual morning, after waking up at school, we packed up to leave Unalakleet. before then we stop by Ming’s house for full breakfast. Very very nice fresh Unalakleet River trout! with soup. I could eat all bones in the soup! Thanks Ming!

When I back to the trail. It’s surprising about no snow! more snow we could see in town but not outside.

When it became closer to Shaktoolik, I was afraid for wind! We did have amazing wind stream at Shaktoolik last year. We stop on beautiful methane bubble lake to prepare wind proof, face mask, etc!

We also stop by borehole site replace our datalogger.

Amazing!! no wind at all in Shaktoolik!

Also amazing, no bumpy at all…nice trail at crossing Norton Bay!
Less than 2 hours, we made it to Koyuk. Principal Kim told us trail to Granite mountain.

We were looking for holes against deep snow at Koyuk! We would like to re-drill here for deeper hole!

Unalakleet

It’s another beautiful weather! After the gas station opening, we filled tank full and head to the Ocean! We run across Kaltag Portage Trail today. First 10 miles were terrible bumpy trail. Big stress of sled joint! Just before Old Woman Cabin, one of our sled joint finally warned out! But good things, still weather is our side.


After temporary fixing “Eye ring” for sled joint, I stop many times to fix it again and try to keep same speed.
We arrived Unalakleet little pass 5 pm. Middle school science teacher Ming waiting for us. Ming called welder to fix eye ring. BSSD maintenance Brian came to fix for us!!! We could be on schedule.

Ming download our permafrost monitoring hole.

The end of the day, Unalakleet is alway best place in Alaska. You can see sunset to the ice horizen same like we saw last year.

Anvik, Grayling, Kaltag

We start joining Anvik school classrooms first things in this morning. At first, I met Julie’s k-k3 class

then Jolene’s older class. Jolene support our program since she was in Fairbanks. She is Globe certify teacher, easy and great to work with her!


Once we arrived Grayling, we met Mathew’s science class and eat lunch!

Skip told us best spot for frost tube!

Then we are on River again…

We finally made Kaltag 6:45pm still day light! about 140miles trip.
We eat frozen “white Castle chese burger” with catchup. 140miles of susturgi surface made super fine bread cram coated deep fly looking food!! Honestly, It really nice, delicious! We should make this even at home, Kaji an me agree this recipe.