Back to the Last Frontier

I've been back in snowy Nome for about two weeks. I was definitely spoiled by the warm Australian climate. Sitting in the living room enjoying a warm breeze from the open door is a pretty nice way to spend an afternoon. Alas, my running regiment now begins with putting on three layers of clothing and ends with melting icicles off my eyelashes. Oh, well. It's home.

 The sea ice is finally setting. The land-locked ice is strong, but about a half mile off shore the currents keep the drifting pack from fastening to the solid section. Before we can start setting our pots for ice crabbing we prefer the ice to freeze just a bit farther out. It is possible to set pots now, albeit perhaps futile. The ocean in front of Nome is extremely shallow and setting the pots in shallow water does not guarantee a catch. Our crabbing is subsistence and certainly not an essential part of survival, but who wouldn't want fresh king crab.

I haven't been home long and there's already another potential trip in the works. It depends on the stars aligning.

Edge of the sea ice in front of Nome.

Two in One Day!

Australia! I met up with my old friend Alex Whitworth, who I met in Alaska in 2008. He stopped through Nome as he sailed his boat the Berrimilla II through the North West Passage. (www.berrimilla.com) Alex has been back to Alaska to visit twice and I have finally made it to his corner of the world. After any amount of time of the road it is a relief to finally see a familiar face. Alex and his partner Hilary have shown me around Sydney and pointed out quite a few points of interest that I would have missed without the expertise of locals. I have had the opportunity to see the “Berri” again, this time in her home field. Although several sailboats pass through the harbor in Nome, each year they never look quite at home tethered between a Crowley fuel barge and the homemade mining dredges.

Alex and I have taken Berri out a few times in the past couple of weeks. The first couple sails were day trips around the Sydney harbor. On Boxing day we headed out into the ocean to watch the start of the Sydney-Hobart sailboat race. It was incredible to watch 100 boats under sail emerging from behind the cliffs of South Head. It was even more incredible to be heading straight into the traffic of the 200 boats (of all kinds) who were following on all sides of the racers. We made it back to harbor in one piece and began making plans for a longer trip out to sea.

On New Years Eve Alex, Hilary, and I went out to Bradley's Head in the center of the Sydney harbor to watch the New Years fireworks. There was a small (relatively to the main event) display at 9pm for kids. The entire midnight show lasted ten minutes and cost $7 million. Six barges aligned down the harbor and sent off synchronized displays. The Harbor Bridge was lit up even more brightly than all the rockets coming from the barges. I can't imagine how long it took to set up the fireworks and connect the fuses. The bridge was closed for hours before and after the show. Everything was extremely visible from several miles away. Having sailed under the bridge I have a rough idea of its height and am immeasurable impress with the impossibly prolonged fire waterfall the fell from the bridge several hundred feet to the water below. It was an incredible thing to see.

The next day Alex and I headed out on the Berrimilla. Along the way I was able to make a blog entry on the official Berrimilla site. (Very exciting for me!)

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MEGAN ABOARD THE BERRIMILLA II

BY BERRIMILLA SAILMAIL ON JANUARY 2, 2015, AT 0540

Today has been my first ocean voyage on a sailboat. Alex has taken me sailing around the Sydney harbor a few times before and decided it was time to take a trip into the Pacific. Alex and I parked the Berrimilla II in Quarantine Bay last night to make for an easy launch up the coast. The trip north to Patonga beach in Broken Bay went fairly well. “Fairly” meaning I managed to keep myself in the boat and we avoided, only just, a collision with a sports fishing boat with an apparently not-all-present skipper. Somewhere between cursing at the boat and cutting down the fishing hooks that were swinging around the cockpit we both missed the name and registration of our near hit-and-runner. In the last 24 hours I have come across two major personal challenges. The first being the constant battle of sea sickness and the second being the self-education of how to properly piss on a moving boat. A bucket in the cockpit works well, but being tossed around in the ocean while sitting on a bucket feels like riding a mechanical bull while attempting to relieve one’s self. It goes against all instinct and I don’t imagine I will ever risk going to a rodeo bar again. The sea sickness is by far the worst part. While driving, Alex is always within a few seconds of the rudder to take
over when I need a minute or two to heave over the side. I am learning a lot and having fun, sea sickness and all. I had an hour on shore at Patonga beach to balance myself again and fetch a couple of ice creams. We are heading out tonight for my first night sail back to Sydney.

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In mid December I flew down to Melbourne and visited the Owens family. I spent Christmas with them in Germany in 2008. Now they are living back in Australia and are some of the very few people that I have seen on three different continents. I like to keep up with old friends.

Alex and I are heading out on a road trip tomorrow.

Happy New Year from Down Under!

My new friend.

Recapitulation of New Zealand

It has been almost a month since I left New Zealand. I was there for about five weeks in all. Before I left home I posted a rough list of things I wanted to see or do while at NZ. I think I did pretty well.

1) Find glow worms

Waitomo Glow Worm Caves south of Hamilton on the North Island.




2) Pet a sheep





Commander Cody of Glen Hope on the South Island. He thinks he's a dog.



3) Take a boat around the fjords in the south west corner of the South Island
     Sadly, I did not make it to the fjords. I suppose it is best to leave something for the next trip!

4) Find a kiwi and a kakapo bird

I found them both, although not quite in the form I was hoping. I found the kiwi in the Wellington zoo and the kakapo in the Australian Museum. The kakapo is not extinct yet, but their numbers are extremely low. (Read Douglas Adams' Last Chance to See for a good narrative on the kakapo.)


5) Visit Hobbiton
     When it came to it, I chose to pass by Hobbiton. I realized that most of New Zealand looks like the Shire.

Road side south of Pukakohe.






6) Climb Mount Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe on the North Island)
     Alas, I was defeated by weather. I will challenge the mountain another day.

7) Drink wine at local vineyards (plural)
     Cheers! Point conquered and then some.

8) Swim in Lake Tuapo
     I did not swim. The weather was too cold to allow for a comfortable swim. Instead I sat in a warm cafe and drank tea while looking at the water. Close enough.

9) Visit Maori rock carvings

I took a boat from Taupo out onto Lake Taupo. Tour groups go out regularly.









There are so many wonderful things to see and do in New Zealand. I made this list to try to see a few local high lights. They were interesting, but I find the unexpected parts of traveling to be the best.