More Alaska

I have to admit, one of the motivations I have in going to villages in Alaska is to see, more Alaska. Alaska is such a large state and I have seen relatively little of it. Most of what I have seen is "on the road system" which as a system, is pretty basic. I have lived in Alaska about 37 years or so of my 52 and have yet to see so many places of what this state is all about.
Last year, in flying out to St. Michael, I had the great delight to be able to land in a small handful of new places on the way. I was able to see Napakiak, Akiachiak, Bethel, Hooper Bay and then St. Michael. Now, "seeing" them is a bit of a embellishment as we flew over them and then landed at their landing strip. Once you are on the ground in southwest Alaska, you can't actually see much. The topography is pretty flat and if the bushes are taller than you can see over, which is pretty much the case, you can't see anything beyond where you are standing. And with air schedules, it prohibits one from moseying into "town" which is usually a mile or more from the airstrip. Town is in quotes as there really is no town or town center to speak of. Most villages are an odd collection of houses setting in every direction in all kinds of places. Like someone might have a handful of dice, shake them up and spill them out on the table. No real rhyme or reason as to how most of the villages are laid out. And, in a lot of ways, one looks pretty much like the other. But it is a great adventure to be able to see a new portion of our state and to experience the people and the challenges they face in living where they do.
Unfortunately, I can't always take pictures of what I want and when I want. So, I don't have a lot to share. The picture at the beginning of this post is in Aniak. Aniak is a "hub" community in the Kuskoquim region. In other words, all the smaller villages use Aniak as a way to access the larger communities by having to fly there first before they can go somewhere else. So, Aniak is an important location for that reason. We are standing under the wing of the Casa because it is raining pretty hard and you cannot stay inside the aircraft while it is being refueled. The mosquitoes were pretty aggressive too.
Another community we were able to see was Unalakleet on our return trip home.

We had to pick up some fuel there as well. Unalakleet was a great surprise to me. It is a very beautiful place. Not that the other places are not beautiful, but they are so flat that you can't see very far. Easily Unalakleet would qualify as million dollar real estate if it was in a more accessible and warmer place. Beautiful rolling hills that end right at the Bering Sea. Very scenic and pleasing to the eye. You may not see it from my pictures, but taking pictures while the rain is beating down on you and the wind is howling isn't the greatest way to see the potential in a place. Unalakleet the town is a little different as it looks like it was laid out on a grid, the buildings are for the most part in good repair and it has a nice feel about it. It must be spectacular on a sunny day. The Bering Sea was raging while we were refueling and it was impressive.
One of the things I saw here and in Emmonak was wind turbine generators. What a stroke of genius for these villages. One renewable resource that is abundant in these southwest Alaska villages is wind. It blows all the time, usually with great force. If they can use wind power for electricity instead of diesel fuel at $8 per gallon, they could save a substantial amount of money. I hope it is an idea that works.
So, I am really enjoying the opportunity to see more of this great state through these mission trips. I hope we'll be able to keep coming and making a difference for our missionaries who live out in these remote places so they can do their work better, longer and with less difficulty.