Sunday May 18, 2008 8:56pm Kenai

I was totally worried that I wouldn’t have anything to write about but I do.
I didn’t know when it would hit me that I was going to Alaska. It didn’t hit me while I was packing, or as I said my good-byes, it didn’t hit me on the way to the airport or even as I was sitting at the gate boarding pass in hand.It started to become clearer when I wedged myself for the second time in the middle seat (thanks to my mom for the exit row because if I didn’t have leg room I might have started punching people) and a rather pungent local man sat down next to me. He totally looked like an Alaskan mountain man. Long hair, dusty shoes, dirty calloused hands – whew and funky! But it finally hit me as we started our decent and the snowy mountains were peeking through the clouds. There were so many of them! And then as we got lower and there was nothing but trees and dirt and lakes. “I’m here. I’m actually doing this.” And it was great to finally have that feeling. The plane kept getting lower and lower – we were flying over a large body of water and I was starting to wonder just where the pilot was going to put down when all of the sudden there was land underneath us and that was it…Anchorage Airport - surrounded by mountains and trees.
The fish company decided to fly me right to Kenai instead of putting me up in Anchorage over night at a hostel only to have me sit on a bus for 3hrs the next day. I went and got my bags (all 100lbs of them) and then tried to figure out where to go. I had to catch a shuttle to another terminal. I made it to the other terminal brought my bags to the gate and realized that I had to check in upstairs at the ticket counter (where my “ticket” was waiting at will call.) Maneuvering 100lbs around a shady little airport is not as much fun as one might think. Thankfully some kindly gentleman offered to show me where the ticketing counter was. When I told him he could just tell me he said he wasn’t doing anything anyway so up we went. I guess that’s just how it works out here.
You know you are in a small airport when…the woman checking you in is in a hoodie and jeans, making small (slow) talk with the woman in front of you, she checks you in with a highlighter off of her clipboard, asks you how much you weigh, doesn’t need to see your ID and then doesn’t give you a boarding pass because its only going to be you and 4 other people on the flight and the pilot is going to give a headcount and walk you out to the plane himself.
When they ask you your weight you know the plane is going to have a propeller. But in all honesty it was awesome. It took 30min to get to Kenai mostly over water and then trees as we got closer. There were streams down below that looked like they could have spelled things the way that they curved all crazy like. And there were mountains in the distance – it was just beautiful.
We arrived at Kenai Airport where John (it’s a very personal airport) came out to help us off the plane and get our luggage. Charles, Molly, and Chapin all came to pick me up which was great because it meant that I was really here and that I could stop getting on and off planes. Plus it was just really nice to see friendly faces.
I didn’t know what to expect as far as the plant but its not what I expected. Its kind of run down and looks like it has been sitting since last season – which it has. There are only a handful of people here, the international people will come in June. I still don’t know what I am doing – I find out tomorrow when I report for work at 8am. I got a tour of the place. It doesn’t stink…yet. I’m bracing myself for the funk.


9:50pm
Welcome to Kenai: don’t drink the water. So I go to brush my teeth and I hear Molly saying from before “don’t drink the water.” I’ve already wet my brush and started to brush…but now what. So I go to the other bathroom…gray sedimenty water. Then I go find Chapin “Where am I supposed to rinse” but through the foam of course. He tells me to go over to the break room where I find a water cooler – with cold water…to rinse my minty teeth. COLD on the teeth! I dip my brush in the rest of the clean water and walk back to my room. Note to self – find a solution for this bizarre quandary. Hmmm…showers…

Monday May 19, 2008 7:07am Kenai
I just saw my first bald eagle – and it was awesome. I woke up at 5:45am because I just couldn’t sleep anymore. I tackled the shower and the brushing of the teeth – the people here seem clean so they must be using the showers and sinks - I think I’ll be okay. But then I had time to kill so I figured that I would go take pictures and look around. I was walking over to this pond by the road into the plant and I looked up and there it was flying overhead. It was this really peaceful and overwhelming moment because I wasn’t expecting it. I guess that’s how it happens though. So of course I called my dad and while I was on the phone with him this cute bunny scampered across the road. I’m thinking great - “nature” - I’ll take a picture. It was all cute sitting under the front of a car so I got closer to take the picture. It didn’t move so I took a few shots. Then I started walking and the bunny ran in front of me. I’m thinking “brave bunny.” Then it went and sat by one of the boats looking up at it so I figured I would take some more pictures. I got closer and it didn’t move again. I was trying to get some close up shots when it ran by me again then stopped. Then as I was lining up my shot out of nowhere the bunny darted across my path and then it circled me and before I could realize what was going on it started spraying me with who knows what out of its butt. It was like in Jurassic Park when that “cute” dinosaur sprayed Newman. So naturally I started to walk away and it followed me! I took some more steps and so did it. I was starting to get nervous because a.) What the hell did it spray on me? 2.) Why was this bunny so crazy? And d.) How was I going to get away? I stared into its beady eyes and decided just to run. Luckily the bunny realized it had met its match and I escaped but it was just so weird.