Remnants of the once booming community of Solomon tell the town’s story on a memorial boardwalk. When the Bering Sea freezes, locals cut holes in the ice and drop crab pots to trap king crab. Small homes on the beach provide a place to dry fish, escape in the summer and warm-up in winter when the athletic Iditarod sled dogs howl to the finish line. Commercial gold mining operations host projects to build better roads and breakers. The road to Council through Solomon parallels the Bering’s coastline, where waves splash the sea wall and sprinkle our windshield. We chase away the scavenging birds and photograph the animal’s skull, which happens to compliment the bouquet of tundra colors.Ĭlouds and rain enhance the glow of whitecaps on top of a black/green Bering Sea. Okay, the only Musk Oxen we spot this day was pummeled and picked by predators. Of course, we see nothing through the mist. We step out of the car and stare at the sea, trying to spot Russia’s Big Diomede Island, only 12 miles away. Salmon dries on wooden racks along side floatation vests that read, “Children don’t float. The Inupiaq Community thrives on fishing. Herds of caribou and reindeer roam here, along with an occasional grizzly. We stand a good chance of spotting Musk Oxen, a beast that resembles one of our long-lost wolfhounds (minus the tusks). Rainbows enshrine the maroon, yellow and orange carpet of this spongy tundra at the end of the earth. The real danger comes from the view, which pulls my gaze from watching the road ahead. Our rig slips and slides on the slick silicone washboard road. All vehicle rentals in Nome come with 4-wheel drive. The Bob Blodgett Nome-Teller Highway runs 72 miles one-way to the Eskimo village of Teller. Teller Road Downtown Nome: A lot more bars than restaurants. “Then they complain about spending $5.00 for a shower.” “All those new gold panners do is take our gold,” a disgruntled mineworker says. A typical household now adds a gold-pan device to accompany standard yard ornaments such as 4-wheel ATV’s, fishing gear, satellite dishes and reindeer racks. Nome’s economy revives from construction companies rebuilding infrastructure for commercial mining operations. Large companies dredge the sea and sift for riches. When officials chase them out, they rebuild shacks in a different spot, ready to move at a moments notice like nomads. “We get around a lot easier in 30 below when everything freezes.”Īstronomical gold prices attract rogue miners to pan for the precious metal along the Bering Sea’s shores. “This place is one big swamp in the summer,” a mineworker says over a cold one. Nome has few restaurants, but many friendly bars. Let’s check out the town before hitting the road. Rainbows enshrine autumn’s colorful carpet during September, a month or so before giving way to a blanket of snow that lasts until spring. The savvy spotter can sight musk oxen, reindeer, as well as rare birds. A window exists in the short summer season to book a daily flight, rent a car, and drive three remote roads that give a glimpse of the vast tundra. This westernmost city on the North American continent offers more than a finish line for the Iditarod – the 1150-mile dogsled race that begins in Anchorage. Most visitors to Alaska do not go to Nome…big mistake.
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