Letters to grandchildren

I visited the school here in Supai this morning.  How would you like to have recess with a view like this?  This is their playground with the equipment for climbing easily seen, but past that is a play court with basketball hoops.  School starts here at 7:45 and goes to 4:00 Monday through Thursday and then half day on Friday.  They get about 40 minutes a day for recess.  they serve breakfast and lunch at school.  

There are 8 grades plus kindergarten, about 80 students in all.  There are only 4 classrooms with shared grades 1-2, 3-4, 5-6 and 7-8. There are 6 students in the 8th grade.   You have to go outside the valley to go to High School.  

Oh, boy!  I get to see you on Saturday.  I am leaving the canyon tomorrow by helicopter, which is a great ride, but it would be fun to ride out on a horse.

This is what I see in the mornings outside my house: a group of pack horses ready to go up the 8 mile trail to the top of the Grand Canyon and bring supplies down to the town here in Supai.  Every day the mail also comes down by horses since a mailman in a vehicle could not come down the path.

Here is the air ambulance helicopter ready to take someone to the hospital.  It takes an hour and a half for them to come after I call for them and about 45 minutes to get to the hospital.  What do you think of our ambulance?  That is the 6 wheeler by the dog that transports patients.  The nurse I work with is driving it.  In this case the patient was able to ride in the seat, but if you look closely you can see a space in the back where a person could lie down if they needed;  not very comfortable, but it works.

Hiking......which way?

The weekend afforded Jon an opportunity to do a little hiking.

Protocol is for the doctor to leave a note on the door of his house, telling the police where he has gone so they can come get him if needed.  They don't want him going too far, like 'up and away' out of the canyon, or over the falls with the ladders, etc.  Guess they don't want to go that far.

 Campgrounds along the Havasu River require diligence in case of flooding. . . like, LEAVE!

Mooney Falls........
See the campers in their tents at the top of the falls?  Wouldn't want to sleepwalk!

This trail leads to the Beaver Falls, I believe...the one with ladders, etc.

A Trail Walk

The clinic is closed on weekends.  I alert the police of my wanderings so they can come find me should an emergency arise.  So this morning I walked a couple miles north up the trail from Supai towards Hilltop.  That’s the 8 mile trek that some 200-300 hikers travel daily to see the beauty in this isolated crevice of the Grand Canyon. 

 Sounds carry far as they bounce off the canyon walls:  crows arguing, birds singing, the plodding crunch of hikers’ footsteps or their conversations—often a foreign language, the laughter of a stream as it tumbles over the limestone slabs, the steady clip-clop of the hooves of packers’ horses preparing to bring down camper’s gear or community supplies on their return.

It was kind of an Emmaus walk with a bit of photography thrown in.  Unfortunately,  even with the amplification of the narrow canyon walls, Jesus’ voice is not necessarily louder.  So it seemed a bit of a one sided conversation.  The topic was suggested out of the book by Chris Webb, The Fire of the Word; Meeting God on Holy Ground.  Ponder the paradox of John12:24-25:  life comes through death.  The one who loves his life will lose it; the one who hates his life will keep it.  I continue to process that and wait for new insight.

One thing is reassuring, it seems to me that Jesus struggled with the concept as well (“Now my heart is troubled..” and later, “My soul is overwhelmed…” ).  When my friends and colleagues were gunned down last year,  I asked, (shared my complaint with) Ken Robinson, “What is there about this dying business that is supposed to bring good?”   He was troubled, too.  So, I guess I am in fine company with the pondering.  But it was good to consider we walked together, even in the silence.

From Alaska to Arizona

 FROM SEATTLE TO LAS VEGAS...........not in a helicopter, of course.  Jon was picked up by a Indian Health Service driver and taken to Kingman, AZ. where he bought all of his food and supplies for two weeks in the Grand Canyon.  They then went to Peach Springs.  His 3-hour  orientation was scheduled between a 2-night stay in the local hotel situated beside the railroad tracks.  Trains passed by every 15 minutes during the night.






With lots of free time, Jon walked the town and visited with folk. That included the school and teacher, the senior center, etc.   Friday morning he boarded the heli with his groceries and luggage and 'voila', 10 minutes he was in Supai!  Hiking or riding the mules would be 5-6 hours.

 Supai is the village of the Havasupai Indians in the west end of the Grand Canyon.  It is the most remote community in the lower 48 states with a population of 200+.  It is the only place in the US where mail is still carried out by mules.




Below is the house provided for the Drs. ...the first one on the right.  The helicopter landing is across the path.  Hence, sand seems to infiltrate everything.  Jon spent his spare time cleaning the house.

Havasu Falls is a short hike.
Turquoise color of the water is due to lime suspension.

Devastating floods came thru the canyon in 2008 and 2010 which altered some of the other falls.  The Little Niagara is no longer 200 feet tall.






This is not a doll.
 She is a real, live little girl.

Week 3

Before the rains started in earnest, we had a trip northeast to Grizzly Lake.  We have made the trip every time we've come to Glennallen.  The proprietors, Jim and Kathy, are involved with the board of Crossroad Medical Clinic.  When gassing up at the Hub, Jon talked to some hunters who were sporting their moose antlers.  Notice the muddy ATVs and ice-chests containing the parts of the huge moose.  These antlers were 55" across, which is nearing the huge category.  I dare say they were pleased with themselves!

 Crossroad has a country clinic at Grizzly Lake, where a Nurse Practitioner has held forth for many years.  One drives hours to get medical help in this part of Alaska, as in most parts.

Jim and Kathy own the lake as well, catering to the hunting crowd in the summer and fall.  Moose season closes this weekend.  Then the big guys can come out of hiding again:)

 Kathy is the one that helped me pick the wild blueberries on their property two years ago.  It is cranberry season this time....I passed. 

On the opposite side of the lake they have a dirt runway which serves quite a few pilots.  They have a floatplane as well.  Plane is really the best way to get anywhere fast.  Their Pyranees 'puppy' (3 yrs. old) is name Sweetness.  HE followed us everywhere.  

  

Fall is at it's peak and snow is creeping down the mts. and will be on the ground soon.  The warm season is short here.  

Across the lake we viewed the Trumpeter Swan couple and their five signets.  Eventually they moved closer to us and Jon could get a better shot of them.  Kathy said the parents have been trying to get them to fly, but they are resistant.  Guess it takes the parents leaving them to get the message across!

 We say good-bye to Sweetness and head out for home.  We intended (on Labor Day) to stop at the Grizzley for pizza, but they had sawhorses across the road....not open.  We returned a day or two later with Joel, Karen and their daughter who was visiting from the 'lower 48.'  Had reindeer sausage pizza.....spicy!  But good.

This will probably be the last entry for this trip.  Jon has been on call often here, laying his clothes on the floor, in order of dressing, so he can slip them on without putting on the light and waking me!  Isn't that nice?

We're trying to eat up the odds and ends in the fridge and starting to pack.  We arrive Sat. night.    Jon flies Wed. to Arizona to be doc to the Havisupai Indians in the bottom of the Grand Canyon.  I will post here if he sends me the info.  Or maybe he will learn how to blog!!

Week Two

This is a beautiful time of year in Central Alaska!  Fall is well underway.  Colors are abating, the yellow of aspens backdropped with the black spruce and the orange and rusts of the shrubs, among them the low-lying blueberries.  The other vibrant red color is the last mutation of the state flower, the Fireweed....it starts out in the spring as a lovely maroonish leaf with a pink flower, lining the highways and anywhere the wind blows it.  As summer wears on the flowers vanish and the 'fluff' left fades until in the fall you see here the bright red leaves.

The Wrangell Mountains are visible from Glennallen to the east.  They lie on the edge of  the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the  third, and latest of the national parks in Alaska. Mt. Drum on the left is actually the shortest of the four, but it is closest, so looks taller.  This photo is taken from Willow Lake to the south of us, so Mt. Sanford, the one covered by clouds a bit, is 4,000 ft taller, but farther away.  The one on the right, Mt. Wrangell is 3rd tallest, at 14,163 Ft(still an active volcano)A.  And the tallest one is out of view to the right......16,390 ft.  Whether we travel north or south on the Richardson Hwy., these mts. are our touchstone, though changing appearance as we go.  We are told this lake is shallow enough for a moose to stand in the middle.  I keep looking for the moose.
      Entertainment is in the eye of the beholder here.  With no TV, sports teams, concert venues, etc.
we make our own 'fun.'  Jon is on call most of the time he's here as that is what helps the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant who do all the doctoring.  They need time off to do their own appointments (usually in Anchorage) and R&R.  So, the other night after work, Jon and I drove west and parked facing the highway and watched the traffic.....hunters and fishermen pulling their  trailers and some moose, local folks.....all kinds of dirty cars and trucks.  Then Jon found a photo op. (top picture) and here.....
      
     Sometimes we eat out, just us, or with others from the clinic. The touristy place, the Fireweed Cafe, is just across Hwy 1 in full view from our kitchen window. There your order is always in doubt. They may advertise what's available on their menu, but we have found that it depends.....try Copper River salmon, or if they are out of that, reindeer sausage pizza, or if they are out of that spaghetti, or if they are out of that, hamburgers, or if they are out of that, salad.  Our favorite place is the Tok Thai van on the Hub of Alaska parking lot at the Glenn/Richardson junction with fine view of Mt Drum. Then we can sit down for dessert at the Freeze just south on the Glenn Hwy from the Old Paths Baptist Church (hopefully they will still be open-the owner needs to go bring her husband home, but says the kids will keep it going another 2 weeks before closing for the season- the Freeze, that is, not the church)   If Jon is on call, pizza at the Grizzly Road House  at mile post 92.8 near Willow Lake on the way to the Worthington Glacier and Valdez is too far away for an adequate response at the clinic.  It’s moose season, could get some fresh moose burgers if we are lucky.
We were blessed with two meals of Copper River Salmon last week as a new couple here invited us over for dinner, then gave us some to take home.  It's so common here (salmon) and free from the fish wheel that it loses it's intrigue to locals.  They'd prefer beef!






     Jon has been busy, as I mentioned.  He medivac-ed two patients to Anchorage last weekend...one of the leaders of the Ahtna Athabascan people.  He attends the Gulkana Village church we attend when we're here and always closes the service in prayer.

     Monday was the first of Jon's two days off so we drove to Valdez.  The day was a blue-sky day and perfect for photos.  Beginning in October the snow will start to fall and these colorful mts. will turn white.  Valdez is a little port town surrounded by the tallest coastal mountains in N. America, rising from sea level to an elevation of 7,000 feet.   The Chugach Mountains here get the most snow of any in Alaska......record of 560.7 inches in Valdez in 1989-90. The average annual is 325.6 inches. Thompson Pass boasts between 600-900 inches.   

  We stopped at two glaciers that one can 'touch.'  Worthington Glacier and Valdez Glacier both head into lakes created by their runoff.  Jon even retrieved a chunk of glacial ice.....

How clear it is!

Then it was back home to Glennallen.  Couldn't stop at the Grizzly for Pizza as they were having a special function.....sawhorses in the entry.  Shucks.

Back to Central Alaska

Back in Alaska.......Glennallen sits at the crossroads of the Glenn Highway (first highway built in Alaska) and the Richardson Hwy.  The Wrangell Mts. loom large ahead of us and the Copper River courses it's winding way thru the lower plain.  Scrubby black spruce trees thickly cover most of the land.  

Jon and I arrived here Saturday night, Aug. 29th.  We had, previous to that, been touring with two of our granddaughters, Ava (14) and Emma (11).  One day we cruised in Prince William Sound to view glaciers and sea life. 

The next day we boarded The Alaska Train and leisurely made our way up to Denali National Park.  The girls enjoyed the freedom of roaming between about three cars.....the diner shown here, our assigned railcar and the dome car.  Since it took 6 hours to arrive, we all managed to rotate around.  We did manage to see one moose standing in a lake....at a distance.

Thursday was our big day to take a shuttle bus 53 miles into the park to look for animals.

The big mountain itself was covered with clouds and we knew we had scant chance of seeing it (only visible 30% of the year).  But, rain turned to snow and wind .....Rodney, our driver (of the green park bus shown in photo) kept wiping the exterior of the windows at every rest stop....otherwise we could not even attempt to see.

Lo, the animals were scarce.  Caribou were the hardy souls who ventured out, for which we were glad.  Saw a couple of herds. A lonely red tail fox meandered toward us on the road and a grizzly was sighted high on a far away hill....I couldn't see it.  Then a few Dall Sheep on a high hill.  That was it....

We enjoyed our little log cabin and the meals in their PREY restaurant.  Then it was back to Anchorage and the airport the next morning for the girls.  I teased the girls about coming on an old-folks trip.....riding on planes, trains, automobile, buses and boat.  We covered the gamut.  They were both so appreciative and co-operative.  We enjoyed our time with them....miss them.

Joel and Karen from Crossroads Medical Center picked us up at the airport and we decided to DO the Alaska state fair in Palmer!  This fair majors in large vegetables....how do they manage in a short growing season a 138 lb. cabbage?  This one is only 40+.  And pumpkins that are 1200 lbs.?  The BIG ones had not arrived yet this year.

We had our favorite fair food, strolled the quaint booths, and all the rest before shopping at Fred Meyer for 3 weeks of groceries(cheaper to get than in Glennallen).  Then the 3+ hours left to travel.

We are living in a large house this time, which has lots of sunshine and windows for Jon.  He felt a bit claustrophobic with the basement apt. we've had before.  I liked my cave and it was fully furnished and homey....and we could use the neighbors internet!  Here we have not much of anything....bare bones on furniture and little in kitchen utensils.  My only seasoning is salt and pepper.  I need a traveling spice box.   I'm reminded to look at what we DO have, not what we don't have.
And folks here' don't see the need for all the conveniences I'm used to.

Jon is resurrecting the memory needed for this particular medical record system as the days go by.  Some people we recognize and some are new to the clinic since we were here 16 months ago.  Fall is definitely in the air and won't last long....winter is close behind.
We may see snow before we leave Sept. 19.