Monday, April 26, 2010

You Haven't Tried Crab Until You've Tried Norton Sound King Crab


So I had a post earlier on checking crab pots on/through the ice, now here's the product! I normally don't like crab, but I'll make an exception for this crab. It's super sweet, juicy, and is just different from any king crab you'll ever taste! We even eat the bellies, which have a different texture than the rest of the meat. Most people throw them away, but you're missing out on crab's best kept secret! In the winters, crab migrate toward the shore in the winter & mate in the spring. So, we have our pots set about a mile from town, if that. Can you say yum? We later made seafood chowder & crab cakes.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Arctic Circle Spring Festival

I got to Kotzebue, my mom's hometown, last Wednesday, ready to watch some races! However, the weather did not want to cooperate for some reason. So, the Arctic Circle Championships, a 3-day sprint dog race, ended up being a 1-day race. Luckily, the weather cooperated for the Kobuk 440 mushers, who left Thursday came in Sunday & Monday while the weather was good. The Archie Ferguson/Willie Goodwin Memorial Race, a snowmachine race consisting of 3 classes, A,B, & C, has been delayed everyday. The one day they could've had it, they couldn't because the Kobuk 440 mushers would be on the trail on their way home. So, it's still on hold. The banquet for the dog races was last night and was ended by a performance by the Northern Lights Dancers of Kotzebue, great way to end the mushing season!
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Sunday, April 4, 2010

The Best Combination - Home & Springtime

Being home gives me a feeling I can't describe. It's the only place I can't sleep in 'til noon, maybe it's the comfort of being home and being around my family. I love Unalakleet in the spring. The weather's great, the sun is warm, and the summer animals are beginning to show up, including the little chickadees. It also means it's almost bird hunting and oogruk hunting season. I grew up hunting and now look forward to this from the time it ends up until I can get out to the blind that next year. It also means trout fishing with friends and family. This year we've been blessed with thick ocean ice that goes for miles, so my family has been able to have crab pots out almost all winter. Imagine being able to go out each week and have a big crab feast with fresh, sweet, juicy Norton Sound King Crab. Well, since I've been home, I've been able to go out both trout fishing AND checking the crab pots. Enjoy the photos, I definitely enjoyed being able to take them!
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Friday, March 5, 2010

Wyoming... The only state with a smaller population than Alaska.

Portland to Salt Lake City in 11 hours, Salt Lake City to Denver in 7 hours, Denver to Wheatland, WY in 2 1/2 hours. That was three weeks ago, our road trip from Portland to Wheatland. It was actually an interesting drive--the scenery was always changing. I was supposed to only come for the drive & leave that weekend, but haven't found a job in Alaska yet, so here I am. Jobless with nothing to do in a town of 3,500 people. At least we go to Denver on the weekends to visit family & friends. It's been pretty cool though... lots of wildlife, close to the Rockies. I can honestly say: Life is good.

Wheatland, WY:

Invesco Field at Mile High:

Driving through Utah and into Wyoming: