This year I was fortunate enough to be sent to Nome, Alaska for a week of training in May, and 2.5-3 week rotations from June until November 5, 2011. During this time period, I was able to see the rapid changing of seasons over the tundra, a dry brown in May to a fresh green in June. A fresh green to harvest autumn colors from August to September. From wheat yellow to snow-covered during October to November (Pictures Below). During this time period, I experienced life in a small town, life in Alaska, and was lucky enough to experience some recreational activities thanks to the hospitality of my boss. Additionally, it was my first time working in an accounting position in "industry". It was a steep learning curve but I learned an abundance both personally and professionally thanks to my bosses. Nome is a dream for people who love the outdoors: fishing, hiking, hunting, drives along the tundra, snowmobiling, ATVing, camping along the streams, cottages along the Bering Strait, ice-skating in town, cross-country skiing, ice-crabbing. One of my biggest regrets is not bringing a better camera during the summer months. Many of the photos below are taken from my iPhone.
The Fourth Kind (Movie)
When I was notified that I would be going to Nome, I did a bit of research and stumbled upon a movie set in Nome, Alaska. The Fourth Kind attempts to explain disappearances amongst Nome residents through an alien abduction theme. While rain can pour for days-on end in Nome as exemplified in this movie, the humorous implications of the setting of 'Nome' within the movie turned it more into a comedy then a thriller. As an example, there are no trees in Nome and there appears to be a very limited time in which it is both raining and pitch black at night. ie. solstice, 24 hour day-light in the summer months, snow during winter months.
Nome Skyline
May @~11pm
Those are Christmas Trees over the frozen ocean. Part of the Bering Sea Ice Classic Golf Tournament?
With Site Accountant extraordinaire Alex Yan in May on Glacier Creek Road
Last Train to Nowhere on Nome Teller Hwy (from New York) in June
Nome-Council Road Hwy
Kougarok Road (Mile 30 ish) in August
Woolley Lagoon in August
Snake River in September
John with Colleen with a King Salmon in September
Glacier Creek Road in September
October
Beach by Front Street in October
Thanks for the hospitality John and Colleen!
One of the most interesting parts that I found about Nome is its dynamic history over the past century and geographical location; some highlights:
Military Importance
Nome is 138 miles from Russia, Big Diomede island which also served as a military base during WWII and the Cold War. Nome is home to one of the few remaining White Alice Communications systems constructed as part of America's Early Warning systems during the Cold War (Picture Below). Nome was part of the lend-lease program in which Satellite Field served as the last stop in America for planes flying to The Soviet Union. The remnants of Satellite Field can still be seen in Nome with the White Alice Communications System located in the background. According to a colleague, a concrete building (now destructed) across from the current Nome Airport was utilized as an alternate meeting location during WWII for Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill.
Gold Rush
Along with the Klondike Gold Rush, the Nome Gold rush is one of Alaska's biggest gold rushes boasting an estimate of 20,000 inhabitants during the early 1900s. Abandoned gold dredges can still be seen along the Nome-Council highway. Recreational gold miners still frequent Nome during the summer months in trying their luck.
Reference: Wikipedia
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