The sun finally came out for only a day!

So this week began just as rainy as before. I was really hoping that this rain would just go away or as my sister and parents would ask for it to move to Texas! I would be glad if it did move to Texas!

As Sunday started the beginning of the work week and with little time left to get the last few things done, every day is needed to help prepare and plan for the week classes.  I found many times on Sunday printing many pages at the office computer trying to print the document with the least errors for my classes.  Also having to find a map of the world that would print large enough for my liking was an even bigger challenge.  In my cultural foods class, I wanted to make a world that was large enough so that everyone could see the places that we were visiting at but instead I played around on paint and taking images off the internet I was able to piece the world together to finally have it the size that I wanted.  Early Monday morning I was at the office straight after breakfast to begin work again on a trivia paper and to go buy the supplies that I needed for all my classes.  After a store run and working hard on preparing for the classes I looked up and I was running so late that I needed to quickly eat lunch to make it to summercise on time.  When I got to summercise the kids seemed to be really playful and energized to be there this week.  In my culture class, we visited Greece and learned about all the different foods that are healthy that they eat in Greece and made some Greek Tomato Pitas.  Most of the kids loved the pitas, but some didn’t and that happens when you try to teach about cultures to kids that live in a different culture of their own.  For the vitamin class I talked about Vitamin C and how it helps your body. For our snack I wanted to show the kids that hard work sometimes makes sweet results, so everyone made fresh squeezed orange and grapefruit juice with sliced strawberries in it.  In flag football I had the kids learning drills about running and a passing technique to help them run with the ball.  For the game we tried to play capture the flag and that didn’t go as well as planned but no one got too hurt this time, just some minor scrapes.  On Tuesday it was our Outdoor Adventures class and we were hiking to Gold Hill (also known as the berry picking trail) behind the new hospital being built. That morning of preparing for the class I went to the store to buy the snack items for the class.  I went to the rec center to make the snack which was gorp (granola, other, raisins, and peanuts) the other things that we added were dried mangos, apricots, and coconut. Since there are three interns teaching the class and only two of us were able to prep for the class we had the other intern get the water jug and cups ready for the class.  When summercise started and the kids were ready to go, the other intern and I had some miscommunication and didn’t prepare the water jug and cups for the class so our class got held up for an extra 15 minutes to get the materials.  As we began the hike out to Gold Hill we knew that there might be danger next to the hospital that was being built so we needed to stop to encourage and go over safety and discipline with the kids.  It was a little overcast and windy for the day but when we got to the top of our hike we talked about how important it was to leave no trace, after snack we had planned to pass out compasses and I had prepared an activity with them.  The other intern must have felt bad that it was a little wet from the drizzle and windy so they decided to call in the hike early, which was disappointing because they didn’t play any activity or get to do anything fun with the compasses.  As we were walking back to the rec it was really hard to get control of many of the kids.  Back at the rec we had more than an hour left to do an activity with them so we decided to teach them about the compass and do the planned activity inside instead.  With that day over and still the rest of the week to go I was in need of some really nice weather and just to relax by myself. At around 10pm the weather finally started to clear up and the sun finally came out in over two weeks.  I had to go and sit on the beach just to relax and found some really neat seaglass.   

Wednesday was the same as Monday but for culture we visited the Middle East.  On Thursday morning I had my rotation in QCC, which is the nursing home care facility located in the hospital. I learned from a dietitian how to write charts and I was able to make recommendations and suggestions for the patient and make a write up in there chart.  That is an experience that I cannot have been more excited about.  In summercise that day we went on a hike to learn about survival skills and how to build a shelter without having any materials. After learning how to make a shelter and a fire everyone was ready to leave.  With the day still being amazing outside me and the other interns went to the beach to look for more seaglass and soak up the sun! While we were there we found a man who was gold panning and had found gold! I got to see the gold and it was so neat looking.  On Friday a group of four interns went to Teller, AK. The road trip was really pretty and seeing all the mountains made me really want to move up here to Alaska but only in the summer because I could not handle the winters up here.  When we arrived in Teller we went to the location that our mini summercise was to be held.  When we first started summercise only two kids showed up to spend the day with us but we had some people that brought more kids over and we were able to teach them about nutrition and exercise. We decided to teach a lesson on how if you eat two potato chips it takes 5 min of exercise to burn it off, but if you eat two baby carrots it only takes 30sec. So when we passed out the chips and the kids ate them we all stood up and worked out jumping and hopping around for  min, then ate the carrots and did another 30 seconds of exercise. We thought that it is always better to teach them by making them do something that is good for their health. Well we did the same thing with 3 m and m's and 3 grapes but this time the kids wanted to eat them but not do the exercise, I think at this point they really didn't like us! But it taught them that some foods are just not worth eating unless your willing to work it off and it is better to eat filling calories then empty ones.  It was a long day but it was really fun. On the trip back we stopped on the side of the road and took a very short hike to some nearby rocks to climb on them and take some neat pics.  Needless to say it is always easier to get up then down.  On the way down, I was more worried about ripping my pants on the side of the rock because they are so baggy on my now, and I didn't think about the fact that my arm was sliding down the side of the rock also and I managed to eat face on the rock and scrape up my arm and leg. Eh I'm still a tree climbing kid at heart.  But it was a really great experience and it was pure fun! I still can't believe that I only have 10 days left until I'm on a plane back to Texas, but I'm really excited to get back to my family and friends, though I would be so incredibly happy if the heat goes away when I get there because I don't think that I could handle that again! 

 

A dredge machine working to find gold!

Playing around on the beach

I wanted to get in the water but it was still colder than 70 so it was only the feet

My kids building a shelter without any help but from things on the land. So proud!

More playing on the beach

In the water!

The inside of our shelter

The campfire that we made to survive!

Musk Ox on the way to Teller

All the fish in Teller being dried

The advertisement for the kids to come to summercise!

The old Teller store that is what most of the town is like, boarded up or broken down. It's really sad.

Trying to teach our supervisor how to juggle! It was really funny to watch.

The rock that I ate face on but it was a really cool rock!

The mountains on the drive back from Teller, yes that is still snow!

  Thanks so much for reading. I hope all is well with you and God Bless You! 

Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 1:24

Peace & Love 

Megan 

Ohh the rain and fires!

So this past week has been strange, unusual, intense, and just plain weird! On Sunday after settling down from Mosquito Bar, it was time to plan for the beginning of session two of summercise.  This time I'm teaching Cooking Up Culture, Bite Into It (a vitamin class), Flag Football (because all true Texans know how to play football), Outdoor Adventures and Xtreme Xpeditions (which are both hiking classes).  For cooking up culture on the  first day we wanted to take the kids on a trip to Mexico! We had them make Veggie Quesidillas with Guacamole dipping sauce, and for an exercise we wanted them to learn where Mexico is and the types of foods that grow there.  Well I don't know what types of geography they are teaching these kids up here but when we asked them "where is Mexico located on the map" many kids pointed to Africa, Australia, South America,Asia, but I think that the funniest one was a little boy that pointed to the Continental US and said that that is where Mexico is located! So after the food was made many kids loved the quesidillas and dip and learned where Mexico really is located and how to say Hello in Espanol! In my Bite Into It class I was teaching about Vitamin A and how it was really important for your body, and for our snack we made Caribbean Kabobs and our activity is tracing out our bodies on butcher paper and every time we learn about a vitamin we draw how it helps us.  Well it is a really great thing that I never wanted to be a painter or any type of an artist because some of my kids heads were shaped funny and they had extra skinny legs or funny looking arms with little stubs for fingers.  I think i will just let my assistant draw the kids from now on! In Flag Football, I decided to spend the day giving them a pre-test to see if they could throw into a hoop and how fast they could run 20 yards. Then we played catch with the football just to get a feel for the ball and many of the kids like to be competitive so we played with the drop rule of if you dropped the ball then you were out.  With a little bit of extra time I wanted to make it more interesting so I added in two more footballs to be thrown at the same time.  They all really loved it and with every effort tried so hard to get our assistant Chase out because he is really good at football.  On Tuesday it was Outdoor Adventures day and the constant rain since July 1st has made it really hard to do anything outside.  But no matter the rain, our hiking classes went outside.  We made banana boats for snack and then walked to the dredge which is about 2 miles from the rec.  That was one of the toughest walks I have ever taken, not just because of the rain or the high winds, it was because the kids didn't pay attention and kept walking in the road and were about to get hit by cars! The other interns and I quickly learned that this behavior was not going to be tolerated and something drastic needed to be done.  We are making them walk like little kids holding onto jump ropes just like the 5 year olds would do!  On Wednesday it was around the same on Monday with the rain, but in my culture class we learned about Italy and still the kids couldn't even get the general region where Italy was located... but we made hummus with this new recipe and at every function that I now have when I get back to Texas it will feature this hummus! It was really that good and I will give the recipe to who ever wants it! In flag football, it's not football until someone start bleeding! Well, it was my class but we were playing a drill that is a little violent but everyone really wanted to play. All we were doing was trying to defend ourselves while trying to pull off our opponents flags.  One of my kids was really good but because we were out in the rain, he slipped on some gravel and bit his lip really hard and it was a good bleeder! Well he really wanted to keep playing and tried to cover up his busted lip but it was just bleeding too much to not notice. So I made him go inside to try and rinse out his mouth to make the bleeding stop.  By that time summercise was over and with making kids cry and having one bleeder it was a pretty good day! On Thursday it was another hiking class, we were going to travel up the back of Anvil Mountain and learn how to read a compass. On any other day it might have been a good hike but it was raining and cold as we were climbing up the mountain so many kids were complaining and by the end I just wanted to tell them to suck it up because they were the ones that wanted to be in that class, but I held a smile on my face and just had to say that it would help to bring a jacket and better shoes next time! Finally it was over and with almost busting my ear drums out because of blowing my whistle really loud at the kids every kid was accounted for and back on the bus! On Friday, it was my day to make lunch for the Diabetes Prevention Program or DPP so I made some baked Chicken and steamed Veggies but not one person showed up which was really sad for me.  But I learned in that time about grant writing and gathered some interesting information about the DPP program. 
So I know that most of this is not relating to my title but I needed to build some suspense! Well Monday my roommate Alex was boiling some water and our stove top caught on fire! It started sparking and Alex was screaming and me being in a quick reaction was to turn off the stove and find a fire extinguisher but I didn't really need one. Well after finding the extinguisher under the kitchen sink all the way in the back, I was just glad that not too much damage was done, only one burner didn't survive. So we managed to escape that one! Well on Tuesday, I was so excited to receive my package from my boyfriend of homemade cookies and I wanted to warm one up in the microwave, well I put it in for 15 seconds and then with 10 seconds left the microwave started flickering and almost became ablaze! I stopped it and started to freak out, because two days in a row was just not normal.  So on Wednesday maintenance came out to fix the stove and take out the microwave and give us a new one, so hopefully we wouldn't have this problem again! Well a few day's pass and on Saturday we have the Baptist Interns over for lunch, so before then Me and Alex were straitening up the apartment, so I decided to do a load of laundry and threw it in the dryer right before everyone showed up.  Well me and the other girls that live in the apartment have been noticing that it takes a long time for the dryer to dry the clothes, well since we moved in I had been trying to look for the lint trap and have never been able to find it.  Well I finally found it along with a 9x13 cookie sheet size of lint that was about 3 inches thick.  Melanie, one of the Baptist Interns told me and Alex about these people's houses that have burnt down because of dryer fires and that really could have been bad if we never found it.  Well it doesn't end there even though I wish it did.  On Saturday night the other roommates went out to the bars and got a little intoxicated, they came home and woke up me and Alex at about 3:30am well I decided to go out to the living room and ask them to be quite, well as I look into the kitchen area, the stove top is heavily on FIRE and they are just standing around laughing! Well with risk for my life I tell then to open the window and turn off the stove, by that time they were trying to blow out the fire with their mouths and I was wanting to get the extinguisher but it was under control. So then I tell them to head to bed and I go to mine.  Well a few seconds later after laying down again the smoke detectors start going off and Alex then goes outside to check. She tells them to fan at the detectors and that was hopefully over.  Well I got up at 6:30 the next morning to check the damage and while walking into the kitchen I saw a red light on coming from the stove... They left the stove burner on! So I find out that since we got out microwave taken to get another one, they really wanted to make popcorn so they turned on the stove and placed a bag of popcorn on top to cook... and that is what went up in flames! Thankfully we are all alive, there is no damage to the apartment and hopefully now this will be the end of our bad luck catching on fire streak! I know that I will think about this week later and just laugh at how truly strange it really was!
 

Eating some freshly caught King Crab!

My banana boat!

Even though it has been raining all month it still can make  pretty puddles!

The new radio station sign. I still like the old one!

The lint that was in our dryer! It is really bad to have that much!

The mess from the fire! At lease it can be cleaned!

Trust is letting go of needing to know all the details before you open your heart.  ~Author Unknown

Peace & Love, 
Megan

Welcome to Tom Gray’s Camp! AKA Mosquito Bar!!!!

So this week has been a little different than the others. Monday started off to be a holiday with the fourth of July.  So with work beginning on Tuesday, I feel that the week has been thrown off just a little bit.  On Tuesday with three other interns we left to go to Council to meet with a man named Tom Gray for his camp that he was putting on for the kids.  We were meeting in Council, AK because that is where the road ends and we proceeded to take a boat ride in the rain up river about 20 miles to finally arrive at the camp.  We left Nome at around 2pm and arrived at the camp around 5:30pm with 6 staff, and 12 kids that were all excited to be there and ready for the fun activities.  We unpacked and as a counselor had to designate beds to the girls for their sleeping arrangements.  Once everyone was settled in, we all headed to the main cabin where dinner was almost ready.  I wanted to get involved with some of the kids so I brought Uno to play and three other girls wanted to play with me.  After playing a few rounds dinner was ready and we needed to begin setting up the table.  With everyone helping out dinner was a smash.  The hosts served chili and rolls for dinner and a rhubarb cake for dessert.  By the middle of dinner the raining had stopped and after the kids helped pick up we needed to assign chores and groups before any free time was given.  After the groups were given and names were made, a list of times and chores were given out to the groups and everyone had duties around the camp everyday so we would know if someone wasn’t doing a chore.  After assignments the kids were given free time until lights out around 11pm.  Many of the boys wanted to go canoeing and the girls wanted to go swimming and fishing.  What the other interns and I didn’t know is that they called this place mosquito bar for reason, but we didn’t know it until the rain stopped.  As soon as we stepped outside about 20 mosquitos attempted to bite us and many of them did succeed! We quickly learned that bug spray was not just a thing to maybe wear; it was something that we needed to shower ourselves in everyday!  As many leaders have learned that if something instantly changes it is better and wiser to go with the change rather than fight it. In my case I was hoping to stay clean for the few days but I quickly learned to love the smell of citronella.  As bedtime was approaching many of the kids were still really hyper and trying to calm them down was really hard to do but in a creative way I was able to explain to them that they needed to get some sleep because we were going to go seining tomorrow and it was going to take a lot of energy out of them. 

In the morning all of the interns woke up so tired from a long night of scratching all the bites but still had to put on shining faces for the kids.  Everyone started with their morning chores and breakfast was ready. After breakfast more cleaning took place as well as a guest speaker arrived at the camp to talk to the kids about tobacco cession.  The talk was great and the kids enjoyed being a part in the skits that they had planned.  After the guest talk, lunch was served and the group that was on duty for kitchen clean up helped clean really fast because we were to go seining after lunch.  I had always known about fishing and net fishing but seining was a different kind of fishing all together.  With two boats to get everyone out there and Tom delegating as a great leader everyone was ready to go.  Traveling up river about 10 miles was our first attempt at seining.  Tom explained how seining worked and how everyone as a group need to work together if we wanted to catch any fish.  With all the kids on the riverbank and Tom and two kids on the boat carefully letting the net fall into the water it was time to run down the bank to bring the fish in.  With everyone working as a team the net on both sides were brought in and everyone was pulling with all their might against the current of the river, we brought the net in and looked to see what our hard work had accomplished.  With everyone’s help we caught about 10 salmon that were all over 15lbs.  We kept all the females and threw back all the males.  Everyone got back in the boat and we went farther up river. Trying about 3 more time finally we started to head back down river towards the camp with one more final time to try seining.  This was the hardest time because there was no riverbank this time. Instead everyone was on the side of a small cliff.  It was hard to not fall off the side of the cliff and still pull in the fish but in the end it was worth it because we looked down at what we caught and it was a King Salmon (the best kind of salmon to catch).  All the kids were cheering and so excited because we knew that that is what we were having for dinner that night! As were took pictures and got back in the boat to head back to camp the joy and excitement and look of fulfillment of the kid’s faces was priceless.  We sliced up the fish that we caught and the King Salmon was more than enough for all of us at dinner.  With all the rest of the fish, the kids learned how to can preserve and keep it fresh by pressure cooking the fish.  After dinner and chores all the kids were assigned times to watch the pressure cooker and make sure that everything was being sealed properly.  While they weren’t on timing duty they were allowed to have free time for the remainder of the night.  Many kids took turns on the canoe and using the fishing rods.  We also had smores by the fire as a snack.  Getting close to bed time many of the kids were already exhausted.  This night instead of tossing from being itchy I remembered that I brought some anti-itch lotion with me and all the staff and interns were so grateful to finally get some sleep.  

The next morning was my turn to cook breakfast that I had planned for a few weeks now. It was going to be an egg scramble with onions, red bell peppers, mushrooms, and black olives then put into a cake pan with cheese on top and baked in the oven for 10 min. On the side was and English muffin and a fresh fruit salad.  The kids loved breakfast and we had planned to give a nutrition lesson about the importance of breakfast right after chores but before the next speaker.  For the lesson we first talked about why it was important to eat breakfast every day and then did an exercise with running first without weights to see about the time and then again with our backpacks that were stuffed with weights to stimulate how hard it would be to carry that extra weight of not eating breakfast because your body needs the fuel for the day.  Once the lesson was over the kids had some free time until the guest speaker arrived.  Our guest speaker arriver to talk with the kids about cancer and how taking care of yourself can help you not get it or in our speakers case help you beat it.  After the presentation, it was time for lunch and it was the time that the counselors had to switch so that the other four interns could learn about the camp.  After lunch it was time to say goodbye to this camp and all the kids. Even thought it was really short time there I did learn a lot about leadership and even if you’re not in control of the camp there are kids or people below you that are still watching you and your leadership shines though in every situation.  

The boat ride up river to the camp

The really awesome rhubarb cake. Bee Jay grows fresh rhubarb in the side of the house!

The really tasty chili that we had the first night

A view from the river bank

The collection of antlers from all the different animals they hunt

It was a little cloudy but then the sun came out and so did the mosquitos

A really cool rock I found in the water

All the staff getting ready to so seining

Everyone helping out with the seining.

The King Salmon

Me holding the heart of the King Salmon, oh and it was still beating. I have it on video!

Me with one of the smaller salmons about ready to cut it open

The King Salmon for dinner... Best Fish Ever!!!!

All the kids and staff

Me with the fish head that I just cut off! Ohh my face, what was I thinking!

I told you that the mosquito's were huge!!! All the interns look like we have chicken pox's all over again! 

 “Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential, and fight for your dreams.”

Peace & Love, 

Megan

Happy 4th of July!!!

Happy 4th of July everyone! It has been an interesting week as it usually is, with trying lots of new things and birthday fun! So this week was the last week of summercise session one, which was more relieving then I could have ever imagined! I really enjoy making the classes and the kids really love being in them but I am ready to do something new and fun with the kids.  So on Monday with the gardening class I had the great idea to make these grow cards... they are made with recycled newspaper and blended to a creamy mix with water then dried out with flower seeds to make a bookmark for growing later whenever they want.  It truly was a great idea but to do something like that in a short amount of time it was really hard to do! So they needed to be done overnight and then the girls picked them up on the last day with their books and plants.  Their plants grew to be so big they were all so excited! In the basketball class we played games and the boys really liked playing and we even handed out little awards to them.  In base sports we played Eskimo kickball which is just as dangerous as Eskimo softball but honestly the kids really love it! And I think that they really like watching me make a fool of myself trying to play with them.... But for my ego they were laughing because they were having a great time! On Tuesday aka pool day the kids really liked playing around and we had a safety day, so we taught them about the saying Reach, Throw, Row, Don't Go! We had them practice pretending to be on a boat and simulate what to do in an emergency which really helped because they all fish and hunt out here for a living so they are on boats all the time! On Wednesday, the office surprised me and made a birthday cake of Angel food with whipped cream and strawberries and a fruit plate on the side singing happy birthday! Then later in the day all the kids surprised me and sang happy birthday and I was the lucky person to receive  over a 100 hugs from kids all day long! It was so great! At the end of summercise we held a performance show with all the kids in the dance and gymnastics classes performing their routines and the 5&6 yo performed the banana song which was the cutest thing watching them sing.  I was able to get back to the office and skype with my amazing family and finally open my birthday gift that I have had sitting on my nightstand since I arrived in Nome back in May! It is a really pretty necklace with my initial on it and some diamonds on the clasp. I love it and am trying to take care of it by not taking it to places that I have potential to lose it. On Thursday, last day of summercise it became known as Olympics Day to the kids! In the pool we did a Olympic game stations and in Jammin' Gym Time they did Olympic games and races.  All the kids had a blast! We truly are the best summercise interns ever! On Friday we had our evaluation day with our supervisors and a meeting for the plan for the next week at Tom Gray's Camp. 
That night all the interns and some local friends of our drove out to Council for the weekend.  The drive was two hours, but the scenery was great! Once we got there at around midnight (but don't worry it was still light out because the sun never sets) we boated across the river to the cabin that we were staying at.  Many people made it in that night and we hung out until about 5am. I know it was a little crazy but playing card and bag toss with the sun never going down you really tend to lose track of time.  Some others that were having more fun with adult beverages stayed up until about 9am then went to sleep.  So when I woke up around 10am I helped get breakfast ready and at the same time learned how to play cribbage! I really love that game now.  After breakfast I wanted to walk about the two roads of Council, AK to see what other sites were out there. I found a grave site from the early 1900s and it was sad but so pretty at the same time.  As I walked back to the cabin I found the views of all the mountains to be breathtaking!  Once I was back at the cabin some of the girls wanted to go for a hike up the mountain which to some of the locals is known as Blueberry Mountain but most people just call it Council Mountain. It was a really hard hike in regular athletic shoes but much worth it once I made it to the top.  Just imagine a 360 view around of all these mountain tops some with snow and all the valleys in between.  It was a sight! Sometimes I wish that my camera could take pictures just a I see things because I feel that sometimes they just can't seem to get it right.  While on this hike we wanted to make sure that we were protected from bears so we had a local go with us that carried a gun.  Back at the cabin later that day we made some caribou burgers and fish that was caught fresh in the river that morning! Most delicious fish that I have ever had! But after the hike I felt a little sick and apparently the weather doesn't really like my nose, so with the end of a nosebleed I took a nap so that I wouldn't have to miss the rest of the weekend.  After an hour I woke up and had some snacks and that night I played bag toss outside along with skip-bo and uno with some of the other girls.  Outside there were some kids ages 16-20 that wanted to come and join our party at the campsite, and that really annoyed me because they were acting like idiots and couldn't hold down any drinks and that isn't cool. So I mostly stayed inside and then around 11pm in a separate area back behind the cabin Becca, Alex, and I went into the sauna to be refreshed and to get a little clean before bed.  After the sauna I went back inside to continue to play cards and then I tried to head to bed.  All the kids that kept drinking all night would come up stairs and pull on our legs to get us to wake up and drink with them but by 5am they finally passed out. Thank God! I was so tired of hearing them!  So this camping was not of the normal kind of how my family usually does it back home. The cabin was a two story 'house' well it was really two rooms downstairs was the living and kitchen and upstairs was just a giant room with about 10 or so beds and plenty of floor space. The bathroom was outside in the outhouse and no running water, so no showers! On Sunday after I woke up, we made breakfast and then walked around the town again.  When I got back to the cabin, everyone helped clean it up and then pack our stuff.  Before we left town we went to the river to fish. I was able to cast a line twice but since I don't have a fishing license I needed to be careful about not getting caught.  After a few hours we went back to the cabin to get ready to leave back to Nome.  Truck was loaded and three trips across the river it was finally time to drive back.  Another two hour drive but it was so much fun talking with another intern named Alex. We have became partners in crime and it's great!
On the way back to Nome, we stopped by the last train to nowhere and took some really great pictures! Now back in Nome, we went to a movie that night to see The Hangover 2, which was really funny. On this fourth of July everyone was sure to bundle up because it's in the low forties and rainy but that didn't stop the parade or our bar-b-que on the Nome River.  It was really great to meet some other great Texans that were also not enjoying the cold! Now that I have time to sit and reflect about my short time here I have really been so blessed to be up here and seeing this really incredible place.  I only have 5 shorts weeks left and I really do want to make the most of it every time I can!

The Musk Ox in the area with the babies. Such a prehistoric animal.

Salmon Lake on the way to Council. So pretty!

Our lovely bathroom for the weekend! Believe it or not but this is one of the nicest ones that I have seen up here in AK.

The Bear rug that was formerly alive! The head was about 3x bigger then mine. It was a 9 1/2 foot bear!

Always need protection on a hike from the wild bears!

At the top of the mountain and the winds were blowing so hard that my wind breaker almost became a parachute!

A view of Council, AK from the top of Council Mountain.

My Caribou burger. It is much tastier then regular beef and leaner too!

The upstream picture from fishing trip.

The river around the bend it was so beautiful in person.

Me next to a Bush Plane still trying to swat a mosquito!

A far away view of Council Mountain and the river.

A last view of Council before we left.

On the drive back.

It's July and there is still snow on the ground!

Salmon Lake

The Last Train to Nowhere

As your faith is strengthened you will find that there is no longer the need to have a sense of control, that things will flow as they will, and that you will flow with them, to your great delight and benefit.  ~Emmanuel


Peace & Love 
Megan