Take Two

Well…I am back from the latest writers strike and have managed to work out a better contract with management, so Bethel Adventures will continue as regularly scheduled…sporadic.

As January 9th approached I waited in anticipation of how Bethel would look nearly two months after my previous departure. I realized it was not going to look like my Colorado break of skiing, hiking and enjoying home cooked meals, but also realized that I had a strong desire to finish what I started. Upon arrival in Bethel, I was greeted with a subtle (50 mph) breeze blowing ever so gently across my face and a warning from the captain of 40 below wind chills as a reminder that I was no longer basking in the Colorado sun. Ahh Bethel…it’s good to be back. Not much has changed in the Alaskan bush in two months besides shorter days and colder temperatures. My boss Jerry hit it on the head when I arrived and stated that style is irrelevant in Bethel; it’s all about what keeps you warm. All in all though it’s nice to be back and experience what a real Alaskan winter is all about.

This past month has been a busy month in Bethel between the Kuskokwim 300 (K300) dog sled race, resettling in with work, moving into my new house and learning the ropes as a substitute teacher at the local high school. The k300 is considered one of the top three events throughout the year in Bethel and consist of a 300-mile dog sled race along the river and through various villages. I was hoping for a treat and that’s exactly what I got, as this years race was one for the record books with record cold temperatures, hurricane force winds and a lack of snow that hasn’t been this extreme in years.

After watching the start and finish I can safely say that I never want to be a professional dog musher, or a dog for that matter. In the two hours between my arrival and departure at the starting line, I have never experienced such cold weather. Being the tourist that I am, I decided to take my gloves off for a few seconds and capture the glory of the moment with my fake Sony Chinese camera. In a matter of a minute, my hands were as cold as ice and took the remainder of the two hours to regain feeling. The race proved to be a good one though as local Bethel villager passed legendary racer Lance Mackey in the final leg of the race to claim the 2010 K300 title.

In other news, I am all moved in and settled into my new living quarters and the three of us are getting along just fine. My two roommates are a bit needy but they don’t take up to much space. The only real issue we have had so far is bad breath and excessive hair loss, but we’re looking into various treatment programs and should hopefully have a solution soon. Jake’s kind of the leader between the two (the other being Raven) and calls most of the shots around the house. We got off on kind of a sour foot, but Jake and I have been bonding nicely this past week. Having two roommates has been good for my biological clock though, as both Jake and Raven enjoy company on their early morning walks. Overall it’s a good situation and I will probably learn a thing or two from Jake especially, as he’s kind of the ladies guy around town and knows all the right things to say.

My trip home was excellent and a great chance to catch up on some of my favorite past times. Over Thanksgiving break I was fortunate enough to make it down to Omaha and watch my first ever Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament in Creighton’s brand spanking new woman’s athletic facility. The Jays fell a bit short in the end, but Jess managed to make the all-tournament team and made a memorable departure from Creighton Athletics. She will be greatly missed on the volleyball court by teammates and fans alike, but is looking forward to her next challenge of Physical Therapy School this coming fall. Jess was accepted to Creighton this past week!

In between my time of Thanksgiving and Christmas, I managed to score a job as a Christmas Tree Salesman. It is a highly sought after position and extremely competitive, but would be happy to share some pointers to anyone looking for a new profession. Never in my life have I had such an interesting experience. I won’t really call it good or bad…just interesting. My first week was spent in Vail with co-worker Bob. Bob, the owners brother, greeted my with an eye patch on his left eye and an explanation of how I am an Indian and he is a Chief, and how I shouldn’t try and be the chief. Note to self…don’t be chief. For those of you who have never had the opportunity to sell Christmas trees I will enlighten you. It’s kind of like selling used cars; you start high and work your way down.

The job was a good experience though and was an interesting take on what it’s like being the guy selling over priced “fresh” trees and trying to rip people off to the best of your ability. I will be forever indebted to Bob though as he showed me the tricks of the trade and taught me to be a selling pro. Bob’s life lessons:
• Always charge tax even if there is none
• Play to the women and call the husband a tight wad
• Lie about when the trees were cut
• Break into apartment complexes because they have free washing machines
• It’s never to early for tequila on the job
• Wear an eye patch even though you don’t need one; people feel bad for you