The Top of the World

For quite some time, Nicole has wanted to visit the far north and the state of Alaska. But not just anywhere in Alaska . . . specifically Barrow, the northern-most point in the state. Unsurprisingly, it requires a bit of effort to reach this point and we had some difficulty in getting there despite our flight privileges. We were delayed leaving LAX and found ourselves running through the Seattle airport trying to make our connection. While we miraculously arrived at the gate before they closed the door, they were ironically waiting for a family of four to arrive. No room for us. Fortunately we only had to wait for an hour and a half for the next flight to Anchorage, but we nervously watched the amount of seats go from two down to -6, and back up to 12.

I haven't the faintest idea how these things happen, but we got on. We overnighted in Anchorage at a small b&b near the airport and even at this latitude in southern Alaska, the sun's light made itself known at midnight from just beyond the horizon. The next day I ran into another oversold situation going to Prudhoe Bay. Evidently it is a popular destination. Nicole had a confirmed seat, and for the first time in months I asked for the jumpseat. In the end, this wasn't terrible. I had good views of Mt  McKinley  Denali, something that was obscured during my last visit to Alaska, over six years ago.

From Prudhoe Bay, the plane continued on for a short flight to Barrow. Touching down more than 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, I could see ice out the windows of the aircraft. The average high temperatures here in June are around 42. Nicole and I put on our jackets and set out to explore the town. The one semi-iconic image of Barrow is that of some old whale bones planted on the beach. We located this after about a ten minute walk. The whole town looks a bit run down and dilapidated, but outdoor projects must be challenging when it's 30 below.

We walked down the beach a ways with nobody in sight. Of course, this wasn't exactly a typical beach getaway. The wind was blowing pretty strong, which brought the temps down another 15 degrees. We didn't encounter any other people during our beach stroll or really anywhere else in town. Every once in a while some kid on an ATV would go flying by or we'd encounter a taxi driving past. For being such a small town, there are lots of taxis. We got lunch at one of eight places to eat in the town. It was called Sam & Lee's, which is like a Korean/Chinese/American buffet restaurant that looks like something from the 1970s. I had an $18 omelette with reindeer sausage and cheese. The cheese was essentially Kraft singles. Now one might think an $18 omelette with Kraft is an unforgivable crime, but keep in mind we are really far from . . . everything. The shipping costs must be astronomical. In fact we stopped by a grocery store to browse. A birthday cake was $25, a box of cereal was over $10, and even instant ramen was approaching $1. And crime of the century, look at the price of these twinkies!

There is an odd feeling around town. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it is almost unsettling --like being stalked by a polar bear. Of course, if we knew we were being stalked by a polar bear, we could buy overpriced cokes and offer them to the bear as a token of peace. Everyone knows polar bears like Coke. People keep saying today is the best weather they've seen in Barrow in a long time. Some people were out wearing t-shirts. Keep in mind it's barely 40. The highest temperature recorded here EVER was 79. In LA, last week that record was shattered everyday by 10 degrees or more. What is it like to be born and grow up here? I mean if all you know is cold. What if you went to Death Valley? Would your body shut down from shock? So many questions.