Never in my life did I think I'd go someplace colder than Minnesota. Kotzebue, Alaska is located 30 miles above the Arctic Circle and that was my home for 5 days. Interestingly enough, the temperature felt roughly the same as Duluth in February. However, you seldom found me in Kotzebue without my trusty snowpants. While I might be used to the weather, I rarely walked anywhere in Duluth in winter. But in Kotzebue you don't really have that option. You could walk or ride a snowmobile. Since Paula wasn't able to fit one in her carry-on, we walked.
With the town being roughly 1 mile long by 3/4 mile wide, it didn't take us too long to get wherever we needed to go, but for someone who had difficulty with mobility, it would be a challenge. The town had a large quantity of cars and trucks, but few were on the road. With gas at $7.80 a gallon I wasn't surprised. The townspeople walked and drug sleds behind them to cart home groceries and sometimes children. We were lucky to cart along something a little cuter during one of our walks.
With the town being roughly 1 mile long by 3/4 mile wide, it didn't take us too long to get wherever we needed to go, but for someone who had difficulty with mobility, it would be a challenge. The town had a large quantity of cars and trucks, but few were on the road. With gas at $7.80 a gallon I wasn't surprised. The townspeople walked and drug sleds behind them to cart home groceries and sometimes children. We were lucky to cart along something a little cuter during one of our walks.
This little guy spent a good chunk of time hopping on and off our sled until he wandered back home. But it made us smile and shows that everyone gets tired of walking.
When we were lucky enough to hitch a ride, I was surprised to find that nobody used seat belts. They were strapped behind the seat, buckled so the alarm didn't go off. With the roads looking like this...
When we were lucky enough to hitch a ride, I was surprised to find that nobody used seat belts. They were strapped behind the seat, buckled so the alarm didn't go off. With the roads looking like this...
I thought more people would wear seat belts. But I didn't come across any motor vehicle accidents (MVA) while I was working in the ER. There were sections on the medical forms for Snowmobile accidents though, so I'm sure that's more of a risk. In winter the main access to and from Kotzebue is airplane and snowmobile. A "snow road" is made to allow greater transportation up the coast to the villages. During summer, kayak/boating and airplane are the main modes of transportation.
Being in Kotzebue has made me realize how adequate forms of transportation are important. The villages that the hospital serves have to fly in their patients because there's not another way. The commercial airline has two flights a day that go to Anchorage. The hospital also has a medevac airline called Guardian that provides transportation for the villagers that need medical care.
While I enjoyed all the fresh air and exercise over the 5 days I was in Kotzebue, I'm glad to be back on paved roads with my seatbelt.
While I enjoyed all the fresh air and exercise over the 5 days I was in Kotzebue, I'm glad to be back on paved roads with my seatbelt.