Bought a boat!

 So here she is in Bethel, in all her glory......

 My friend, Ross, knew about this boat. He and I made a deal; I would buy the boat, and he would buy the trailer. So, $600 included 45 hp Mariner motor, 19 ft. metal boat, dirty rope with solid iron thing attached for the anchor. That was it!

 Ross in front of his Connex, the container.  Bethel has banned these for personal use, but they are all over, perfect for storage as most homes are small.  Ross and I worked together almost 30 years ago in Atmautluak. He remained in the area and now resides in Bethel still with the district. What a great friend to have, generous, and kind.

 Off to the Bethel harbor after about another $400 put into the boat. Motor was refurbished, supposedly a "one pull wonder", and various items as paddles, better rope, real anchor, oil, gas cans, etc. All thanks to Ross for getting it set up as I was still in the village.

Grabbed lunch at Subway (yeah for Subway in Bethel) and we were off.  Passed our Superintendent and his wife as they were going to check their set net located out a short way from this harbor.

 Is Ross impressed with the "One Pull Wonder"?
           I think not....

Leaving Bethel's waterfront.

 Just out of Bethel we start to pass by fish camps. These have permanent structures, but many use the white wall tents. Families have claimed the same spots for decades, it not longer.

  Here is one of a bazillion sloughs on the way back to the village. There are many fish camps along the way. We go on the Kuskokwim, Johnson, variety of sloughs (depending on tides), and eventually the river taking us to Atmautluak. Most people just call it Atmautluak River.

 The bluffs near Napakiak.

 Beautiful day to be on the river....at first. The wind came up and it got very cold. Even though it is now "my" boat and "we" were bringing the boat out to Atmautluak, I only drove for about 15 minutes. I got too cold and scared when we got to the Kuskokwim and Johnson, big water. It took about two hours as the rivers meander.

When we finally arrived, Ross could hardly hear...

Several dead and abandoned boats along the way.
Moose are found in these willows and alders. We saw several beaver lodges along the way, and fish were jumping out of the water.