Oh Hey Old Harbor

Kodiak Island has six native communities located around the archipelago that are a bit remote. Therefore in order to get to these communities you must travel via boat or plane. (I guess technically you could go by foot but it would take awhile.) The six villages on Kodiak range from 35 to 250 in population and the residents live not that much different than the average person. Yes, they have to online shop and live off the land some but they still have internet & etc. They are all absolutely gorgeous and unique in their own way. With my job I've have the privilege to go to all six over the last couple of years. However, there was only one of the communities that I hadn't been able to spend quality time in. Previously I had only stopped at the runway or harbor for a few minutes but never actually worked or hung out there. Old Harbor was that place and just this past week I finally got to spend two days there.

Old Harbor is the biggest village with about 250 people. I think it is the most scenic one as well. It was an awesome work visit. I went with Matthew & Monica (it was their first village trip & they loved it as well), who were great company. The residents were super friendly and welcoming. It was really neat to see how productive this little community is and all the programs and activities they have available. They had meal programs for seniors and kids as well as an awesome recycling program and Alutiiq dance practice plus even more. We put on Salmon Camp for the children there, they were great kids to work with! We got to explore Old Harbor in the evenings we were there and I got a few pictures I wanted to share...

 Snapped this shot while visiting the Old Harbor cemetery

 

 Buoys

 

Enjoying some homemade ice cream!

 

 We got the privilege of staying in the Senior Center which just happened to have a decent sized collection of VHS tapes. We found a Paula Abdul dance workout video so naturally we had to try it out. The pic above is us in action. B the W, we actually did most of the dance routine. Getting our workout on! We also did a little country line dancing as well... naturally.

 

 

Sitkalidak Strait

 

 Pretty excited about this bald eagle pic.. I finally have a camera that has a good zoom!

 (Thanks Mom)

 

 Life doesn't get better than this.

 

I took this pic on our flight back to Kodiak. We had a fun pilot who gave us quite the flight back. We got to see a bear, mountain goats, wild horses, a waterfall, harbor seals, and he made us "weightless" for a few seconds. It was an Indiana Jones type of flight. Good time & great trip!

 

 

I love this place.