"Welcome to the Rock." - Day #1

It’s Day # 1 on the Rock.

Throughout the flight, the view of the mountains was beautiful. Spectacular even. High reaching peaks of the Brooks Range for as far as the eye could see. Below the tundra was a healthy green but every once in a while gave way to barren rock. Scraped gray from wind, erosion and time.  Half way from Kotz to Kivi it was comforting to see sign of human activity. The Red Dog Mine loading docks seemed to appear out of nowhere. Barges and large boat traffic dotted the Chukchi in front of it. It was about that time that Leah leaned up to tell me that one day Logan would reflect back on my adventure and say that he was proud of me.

Dammit. I’ve known this Kindergarten teacher for 2 weeks and already let her behind the curtain. I nodded my head and looked out the window. I couldn’t hold back the tears. I wore those ducts out in the last two months. So I just left them fall and took a deep breath.

Not long after the Red Dog operation – you could spot tiny Kivalina.  The pilot throttled down the engine so that the hum allowed for conversational voices but I don’t remember anyone speaking. We buzzed over the village and I snapped a few pictures. Just like that we were on the ground. The twin engine Piper touched down safely at about 4:00 p.m. It was loaded to the gills with Leah’s Luggage. I suppose Jon and I had our fair share of baggage too. Except none of his bags nor mine required their own seat and belt on the plane. Leah’s did.

Lyle and Emma were the official Welcoming Party. It was good to see our old friend again. His “aw schucks” and soothing ways were comforting. The wind howled as we unloaded the plane on to the trailer behind the school 4 wheeler.  The newbies jumped on and clung to whatever opening we could find and took it all in…those exciting first moments in our new home.

The first thing you notice is that the Ocean is Real. It’s not the calm waters of the sound like in Buckland or Kotzebue. Manly sized waves rolled in and crashed on the black beaches to our west. Just a stone's throw from the Chukchi Sea was the Lagoon on our left. Calmer waters were a little more inviting and the mountains remained a perfect backdrop.

We pulled in by the school and teacher housing and the children appeared out of the woodwork. “Is that my teacher?” “Are you Mr. Todd?” (That’s Long Jon Silver) – the kids weren’t shy about stepping right up to size up the fresh meat. Along with the locals, the returning teachers came out for the meet and greet. Bill, (My roomie) Cassie, Rebecca, John were politely standing by with Leah’s hounds in tow.

And before you knew it, we were lugging our gear into our new digs and stepping in to the school for the 5-cent tour and out keys to everything.  We had met Zoe (Principal) at Bering Air in Kotz but now that we were back on her turf, she was the commanding general directing the troops. We took turns in her office grabbing our keys making small talk.  (With Zoe we’ve already learned, there isn’t much small talk. She loves to visit.) From one thing to the next and there I was….standing in my new classroom.

I recognized my 7 totes and could see that my Flat Rate shipping boxes looked a little worse for the wear but were delivered before I was. It was then that I spotted my wife’s familiar handwriting. A card.

I was no longer alone.

Michele, Logan and Emma were right there with me.

Dinner at the Melkerson’s with the staff. Laughs, gossip and bar-b-que chicken. A quick walk across the wave break and down to the shore. I had to put my hand in the ocean on Day #1.

Got to visit with my roommate for a bit… he’s 55. So, we’ve affectionately called our trailer, “Senior Housing”. He’s a good guy and I’m excited to learn his story – because if there’s one thing I’ve learned in the last 2 weeks – everyone has a story to tell.

It’s 11:20 p.m. – the sun is still up.

There are children still up. I can hear them outside my window. (We’re the closest building to the new store.)

A plane just flew over. I didn’t think we’d get charter service this late.

I’ve unpacked a couple of things.

Made some Half & Half Tea and made my bed.

I’m tired and I miss my family like crazy but this is going to make for an awesome story someday.

“Adventure is out there!”