This morning started early. I slept on a couch in the COMMS center in Unalakleet which was quite comfortable! I woke up every couple of hours to check out the window for the Northern Lights, but to no avail. It was still incredible to see who was arriving at the checkpoint in the wee hours of the morning. Hannah Lyrek, Paige Drobney, the Beringtons and Mats Pettersson were all early morning arrivals. Most decided to lay down on a bed in a private room at COMMS, which was reserved specifically for the mushers. Some for a couple hours, some for less. The mushers were all interested in the GPS tracker page that was pulled up on a TV for the volunteers to watch.  

After the night there, I headed back to the bunk to pack up my things, because after that, I was on a flight to Nome! 

While in Nome, I spent the day walking around. I was watching the crew put the finishing touches on setting up the arch, went down to “the mini”, which is the local mini convention center. I went and walked around the local craft fair, which had some incredible artwork from many local artists. The furs, carvings, paintings, clothing, and jewelry were beautiful. This is one place I will have to come back to later this week. I ended my short tour around the town with a stop into the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve station. There, I was able to reconnect with “Ranger Katie”, someone who I met 20 years ago in college during a semester abroad in Mexico. She now works as a ranger at the national preserve. What a small world it is… She had hosted virtual field trips for my class in prior years, and now it was great to catch up with her again and talk about the history of Nome, the preserve itself and wildlife, and just get a locals perspective on the events of the week. This evening I will be sleeping in the upstairs of a local church, and again, waking up at the early morning hours in anticipation of the first musher to pass under the famed Burled Arch.

Today’s adventure of Booloo was for my youngest daughter, who likes watching “the twins” on their new TV show called Man, Woman, Dog. It can be found on the National Geographic Channel under any Disney+ subscription. So this will probably the last time I ask this favor of a musher, but who knows! 

Beringtons with Booloo

Teachers: If you are interested in having your class learn about the terrain of the west coast of Alaska, the wildlife and their adaptations to survive in this climate, the preserve does offer virtual field trips with Ranger Katie and others! It is a great insight into the landscape of the finish of the Iditarod. If you are interested in this amazing opportunity, feel free to contact her at kathleen_cullen@nps.gov.