Kodiak, Alaska

The weather finally cleared at midday on Wednesday – we saw the sun for the first time since leaving Seattle, but still very chilly in the low 50’s. We’ve both been wrapped in jeans & sweatshirts and probably will be for the next several days. Forecast for today is sunny, but nippy.

On the Rummy front & while I’m thinking of it, I FINALLY tied Cheryl – we’re now 2-2, though barely. We went down to the very last hands and by mere luck, I was able to pull ahead. Whew!

Please know that the internet is very slow – more so than our last trip on the Amsterdam. They installed a new system a few months ago and have had nothing but trouble, though they’ve made efforts to resolve. Aside from what appears to be an inferior system itself, they’ve added a couple additional news stations on TV and those chew up valuable bandwidth. Even under ideal conditions with a good system, it’s always a challenge updating our blog because it’s a function of both available bandwidth on the ship and then satellite reception. I typically try to update between 4-6am while other users are still sleeping, but then I have to depend on a decent satellite signal to update & complete the transmission. Posting to Facebook is an additional step in the process and the further out to sea we get, the more problematical. At some point very soon, I will only be updating the blog itself. To receive or view updates, you’ll either have to go directly to: voyagesoftheworld.blogspot.com & manually look for new commentary, OR, sign up to receive updates via auto-email (which you can do over in the right-hand margin here). Again, Facebook is a bonus but will be short-lived.

As I write, we’re about 35 miles from Kodiak, our first port. We’ll be docked by 8:00, and they tell us it’s about a mile from the pier to downtown. Shuttles will be available but we prefer to walk. There are only three guided shore excursions being offered today but we’ve opted to go out on our own – none of them sounded appealing to us but I’m sure folks will have a good time. Unless there’s a specific sight we’d like to see or a potential security/safety issue, we prefer getting out & talking among local residents to get a better feel for the city. It’s a short day however – we’re scheduled to leave at 2:30.

UPDATE: We docked on time, and Cheryl and I were off on foot by 8:15. We dressed in layers as the morning air was so cold we could see our breath. The sun was just peeking above the horizon, and it couldn’t rise fast enough for us. Interestingly, there was a female shopkeeper out sweeping her sidewalk wearing only a light, silk blouse and seemed perfectly comfortable. We stopped and chatted with her for a few minutes as I wanted to ask her about all the fishing boats docked nearby & the processing plants. She was very friendly, and went on to tell us they don’t get much snow up here, maybe 36” per year, and it melts pretty fast. That surprised me – when you think of Alaska, you automatically think snow & subzero temps, or at least I do.

Kodiak is situated on the second largest island in the United States, approximately 250 air miles southwest of Anchorage in the Gulf of Alaska. The city itself was incorporated back in 1940. In 1965, voters adopted what they call a City Charter, or municipal constitution, meaning it's a home- ruled city and operates under the Council-Manager form of government, which combines the abilities of a professionally trained, full-time manager, with the interested and dedicated services of elected citizens to enhance the safety, livability, and prosperity of the community. Kodiak is a hub for the maritime industry of Southwest Alaska and home to a very large fishing fleet as our photos illustrate. The Port operates a container terminal and the two small boat harbors accommodate a fleet of about 1,200 fishing and general purpose recreational vessels annually. Population is just over 7,000, with a median income of $60K. They tell us Kodiak is an important environmental asset which affects the fishing industry, particularly salmon fishing, and the island is coveted by hunters worldwide for its unique Kodiak bear and other game animals, there are strict laws governing fishing and hunting activities as well as hiking near spawning streams. The city has four public elementary schools, one middle school and one high school as well as a branch of the University of Alaska. 

 

The only store open was a True Value Hardware location. All other businesses near the port were industrial, and most were fish canneries as one would expect. We walked about 4 miles – a fairly clean town – very small – the one supermarket they had closed several months ago and a Wal-Mart opened several miles away but it was a $22 cab fare to get there. We opted not to go, as there isn’t much we need at this point, plus they tell us there’s a Safeway in Dutch Harbor where we’ll be in two days. Shortly after 9:00, some of the other small shops started opening – a Subway, a coffee house, and a few others. We managed to find one gift shop, and were able to get our future in-laws a ‘fridge magnet’ but that was the extent of it. One interesting point I wasn’t aware of – back in 1964 they had the most severe earthquake ever recorded in the history of North America – a 9.2 quake lasting over 4 minutes that also produced a 500 MPH tsunami measuring 30’ high. Many residents perished as you might guess, and the small city itself was decimated. We were back on the ship by 11:15 and had a light lunch. For Cheryl, her favorite is the sushi bar and I typically have a cheeseburger (with no bun) & a grilled chicken breast – no fries…at least not yet.

The sail-away party is scheduled to begin at 2:30. I’ll update you from that point there during my next installment.

On now to Dutch Harbor where they film ‘Deadliest Catch’ – very much looking forward to that – it’s located another 650 miles west of here where we’re scheduled to arrive Saturday morning. I’m hopeful they’ll be some fishermen available to talk with!

Please note here that the few photos I've uploaded to this page took nearly 45 minutes - I will upload several dozen more once we have a land-based internet available in Japan.