Today has been an interesting day. I have learned that I have been too spoiled in the lower 48. I have taken for granted things that I no longer have. For example, the first thing I wanted to do today was to go to the ATM and withdraw a little cash as I was down to my last $20. Craig and I had the company truck for the day so we drove up to the Wells Fargo Bank where we knew there was an ATM. The machine is in the entryway. We went to open the door and found it locked. We had no access to the ATM, you can only have access during business hours, Mon - Fri 10:00 - 5:00. I am confused. Weren't ATM's created so that when the bank was closed you could still get money from your account? I was a little frustrated as this has never been a problem before. We did find out that the AC (the name of the grocery store), had a ATM also though it was out of order. I had never thought this would be a problem.
After the disappointment at the bank we decided to check out the two garage sales in town. We were on a mission, we had three things we were looking for: a microwave, a toaster and some shower curtains has our house has none of these items. At the first sale we were on a roll found a small microwave for $20. We snatched it up but could not find the other items. Moving on to the next garage sale, we took a drive through a part of town neither of us had been before. This sale was really a moving sale. Craig picked up a group of hangers, and we were surprised to find food for sale. We picked up 3 jars of turkey gravy, a box of instant mashed potatoes, and a box of macaroni. There were other items like butter but 18 pounds of it is arriving on Wed. and there was some weird cans of beans and some fancy cooking oils we passed on but we were excited because at home we had instant potatoes but nothing to go on them. Now we have gravy. We had 2 jars of alfrado sauce at home but now we have noodles to go with them. We were pumped.
Next stop our daily trip to the post office. We were hoping for the two big boxes I had sent 18 days ago that had a mixture of products to get us through the first two weeks. We got one smaller box. Bright side: it was the first package I had sent up. It contained my identification books, a small picture of all five of my kids taken when they were little, a nice mothers day present, but it also contained spices. We now have cinnamon, garlic, chili powder, and italian seasonings. I know your probably not excited but to Craig and I, it was like Christmas because now we can flavor what little we have. Another lesson learned today: appreciate all the small things they make life better.
After the post office we went home and stored our new treasures. After that we took off for some sight seeing. First stop, to see the beluga whales. As we were driving down the dirt road to the spot by the river to watch for whales I saw a whale come to the surface. I asked Craig if he saw it. He said how could I miss it, it is right in front of us. Realizing we were not talking about the same thing as I was not in the water, I saw what Craig was looking at. A red fox was on the road just in front of the truck. We slowed down and took a few pictures. The fox ran into the brush on the side of the road. We pulled the truck into the parking area and went to watch the whales. After a few minutes I heard something behind me and turned around. The fox was standing behind me about 20 feet away. We both turned to get its picture. It stood so still while our cameras clicked away. Then when one of us moved the fox ran down the road. I watched it go then turned my attention back to the whales. A few minutes later I heard another sound and turned and there was the fox again only this time it was 5 feet away from me but it ran when I talked to it. I think it was looking for a handout. But it was pretty cool to be so close to one. Lesson learned nature is awesome.
From there we traveled to a few birding spots. Not much was out today but we did see our first raven since we arrived. Ravens are important birds to the Alaskan Natives. We saw the state bird the ptarmigan. We saw a pair of them on the side of the road. They are beautiful birds. From there we took a walk along the beach of Bristal Bay. We saw some large ships in the distance and a bunch of shorebirds on the tidal flats. We also saw a bald eagle nesting on a hillside off of the beach.
Our last stop was the town of Naknek. It was not much bigger than King Salmon but it has a very nice school for the kids. Just a note here. The town of South Naknek is across the Naknek River on the other side of the river is North Naknek. The kids of South Naknek fly over to North Naknek to go to school. They are one of two schools that the kids travel by plane to get to and from the school.
We were told that Naknek grocery store was better than the one in King Salmon and there was a a general store. That is what we wanted to check out. After surveying all the shelves and freezers we really didn't buy much. A few apples, some over priced luch meat because we were both getting sick of peanut butter for lunch, some bacon, and a few other very expensive items that would be cheap in the lower 48. We decided that we liked our little store in King Salmon better. When we say little by the way we mean little. Back in the lower 48 I have seen gas stations have larger selections. Another lesson learned, to appreciate what you have because it may not be there some day. I will never complain about Walmart again only to say that I wish that you could order more food to be delivered. The general store had a large seletion of stuff but was again very expensive compared to what we were used to. We will be doing most of clothes shopping on line. I never thought I would do that. Another lesson learned: Never say never.
I would have liked to put pictures in this piece as I really would like to share them but right now trying to up load them on dial up is almost impossible. Don't worry I will keep trying.
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