Population: 60-65

FYI: almost 5:30AM; still docked in Kodiak, so I'm gonna post another entry.... You can catch up while I'm on the ferry.

Greetings from Cold Bay, Alaska!

We spent 3hrs docked here. The dock walk gets a bit intense in the wind. Even some local drivers worry abut a gust blowing their vehicle into the water!

This community didn't exist until WWII. There was no native village here & most of the 60-65 people are government workers. We met a school teacher for their one school (grades preschool-12th) - currently 9 children. And, get this....the woman attended my alma mater (Rocky Mountain College) in the 70s. What are the chances?! She was at the docks to pickup children & ended up giving 4 of us ferry passengers a ride & 3min tour on the way to work. She said she was just glad for the adult conversation!

We had beautiful weather through the night....some mild rocking, but we will come to a frequently rough pass (Unimak Pass) later tonight where we are expecting "some weather".... so it could get interesting. The pass marks the end of the Alaska Peninsula and the beginning of the Aleutian Islands chain. I have heard, however, that the route between Kodiak & Homer can be worse. Guess I'll find out in a few days.....

I'd be surprised if we were in the 40s right now & it certainly feels colder with the wind blowing. My guess is that Dutch Harbor has the same weather on steroids... At least that's what all the funny (or distressed) looks I see on people's faces suggest when I say I'm going to Dutch for fun.

Things are very expensive here. Gas is about $6/gal. 1/2 gal of milk is nearly $6. I didn't see any gallon jugs for sale. A bag of Ruffles chips & Doritos marked at $7.75. The average monthly water bill is $200 & the monthly heating bills around $1300. And there's an unresolved controversy between a native village wanting to build a road through a wildlife refuge to Cold Bay & environmentalists who believe it will be detrimental. The US Govt. might make a decision on this by late October.

The Bearfoot Inn is a multitasking building as you will see:

We found two working pay phones on our walk through Cold Bay. Interestingly, they are not coin operated. Just pick it up and dial! We are not sure if it's local calls or more.

And, not one to be left out....FlatJen got up close and personal with a huge bear. The hand you see is somebody trying to save her! Not me...obviously. I was trying to get a pic of the bear....

Finally, the view on the way to False Pass (last ferry stop for the day). If you see something that looks like a mountain peak (left) .... it is.

 

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