Catch Up

Well, I went to Anchorage from December 26th to the 29th and it was an icy blast. I flew out on a cherokee, but we had to go up to the airport three times before we could get out and even then we landed in a blizzard in Cold Bay- the last plane to get in or out for the next four days. Here is a short video of my flight into Cold Bay- we could actually see it snowing out on the sea, very pretty.


When I got to Anchorage- after waiting in Cold Bay for 7 hours and then flying on the most death defying flight of my life I rented a Ford Focus (it was cheap) and then proceeded to feel like a hockey puck on the roads- they were frozen solid and the city of Anchorage does not put down gravel or salt on their roads- they just let them be icy. I spent a ton of money and got groceries and books, some needed things and actually ate out while I was there. I flew back to Cold Bay on Monday but then got stuck there with the crews of about 5 boats- over 45 guys and me in a tiny airport. The planes were not flying into King Cove so people were trying to get out by boats. I got to take the Bountiful- a 150 foot boat that was going cod fishing. On the Cold Bay dock you have to climb down the emergency ladder, jump onto the boat rail, and then jump down into the boat- all while it is raining ice, the waves are five feet tall and the boat is hitting the dock every 3 to 6 seconds and carrying luggage. I survived which was nice. The ride to King Cove took 2.5 hours and they fed me in the galley and then we all sat around and talked for the trip- it was relatively smooth for such a rough night. In King Cove they didn't put out a gangway so you had to climb the ladder on the boat and then stand on the railings of the boat and propel yourself onto the dock when the boat hits it- you have to jump onto that railing by holding onto a piling and then pull yourself up before the boat hits again. I did it on the first try, but I also had about 6 guys holding my arms. Here is a shot of the guys of the Bountiful on their boat as they are about to pull away.


After I got back I spent hours sleeping and then went to the bar for a birthday party- at emcee's you take a dollar and make your own sign- basically saying that you were there- the bar is covered with them- here is mine. After that I spent alot of time just sitting around- except for New Year's eve when I went to Annette's house and we had a party and finished off the night by drunk lighting fireworks and singing Aude Lang Syne. All in all break was nice- very long days of sleeping in and watching movies and getting myself ready to give finals.