moosin' around

The sunrise woke me up as its soft glow reflected over the small lake. My brain slowly started adjusting as I remembered where I was… at the homestead in Big Lake, Alaska. The thought of getting out of bed this particular morning was not easy.

This Sunday was special; Kaitlin and I were going to help Bruce butcher the moose he shot the previous week. Getting a moose is a an exciting event, so aside from my thoughts about how terrible butchering the moose was going to be, I was really excited for Bruce.

I took my sweet time eating breakfast, but eventually, Frances, Kaitlin’s grandma, caught on to us, or at least me (not sure about Kaitlin) avoiding the moose chopping action and said, “are you guys going to sit around all day or get to that moose?” We had no choice… off we went to the garage.

I drug my feet out to the garage; quite literally, I drug them through the golden leaves.

Seated at the table with knives in our hands and hindquarters hanging from the beams, Bruce gave a brief explanation of how to cut up the moose before he abandoned us. There was a bowl for the roasts, a bag for hamburger meat and another for sausage, and unwanted pieces would go to the dog mushers.

At first, I was unsure of how to slice and dice, but once we got going, it was great! We cut our way through the afternoon with Prairie Home Companion in the background. I was surprised how much I enjoyed myself. Putting time and energy into food that we would eventually be eating was really cool. And knowing no part would go to waste was even better.

Growing up, my parents always placed an importance on knowing what was in our food, where it came from, and not wasting it. Our backyard was always producing something exciting, whether it was fruits, vegetable or compost. My mom would make everything from scratch, and I can still hear my dad lecturing about reading the labels on food. It took me a few years to before I fully appreciated or understood what they were trying to convey. (I will confess, in elementary school I used to trade my homemade cookies for cheetos and oreos:)

So sitting in the Valda’s garage, cutting up moose meat reminded me of how easy it can be to separate ourselves from the source of our food or even the preparation of it. I like sitting down to eat and knowing I am eating food that is good for me, and I made a small contribution to the meal.

Alaska = AK = Audra Krislock

My last few weeks in Alaska were jam-packed. Work on the dock slowed down leaving more time for exploring. Kaitlin was determined to take me to Homer. And Kaitlin being the determined lady she is gets what she wants. We made two trips down!

Although, the two trips were very different, they both were a blast. We ate our way around town, trying all sorts of delicious food, meads and wines, played Frisbee on the beach and had a glorious time getting more than just our feet wet in the cold, salty ocean. The first trip the day ended with us being kicked out of a restaurant for sending the food back, but it ended up calming down as we drove into the glowing sunset and reminisced about the beautiful day.

The second trip down completely melted away any bitterness I may have been harboring. Gabe, Kaitlin and I took a boat across the inlet to the magical Halibut Cove. We ate at the only restaurant in the cove, the Saltry. It was beautiful. The meal we ordered was so tasty, we asked for a second! Our cheeks hurt from smiling over how happy we were.

The next weekend we made the long drive up to Fairbanks. What an awesome trip! The views were spectacular the entire way and the mountains are so grand and breathtaking. If you ever make the journey, I definitely recommend getting a chauffer so you have the freedom to safely stare in awe out the window. My favorite mountains were through Denali Park and the ones just before we got back to Anchorage.

On the way home from Fairbanks, we stopped by the homestead. This is where Kaitlin's grandmother lives, on a large amount of land just outside of Anchorage. The gorgeous log house sits right at the edge of a private lake and no neighbors can be found for what seems like miles. We fell asleep in the guest house as the stillness of nature surrounded us. Bruce woke us up early the next morning, upon our request so we would have time to paddle boat around the lake.

This summer was wonderful for the simple fact that I didn't do much aside from be completely present in the moment with what I was doing. The feeling is so liberating. Experiencing yourself exactly as you are, right now, with no reservations or concerns about the past or future is wonderful. I loved it. I love the laughter and the friendships, and the memories I will keep close by.

I have hardly had any time to sleep between work and adventures, but I have no complaints so far.

On the fish front, this year has been one of the best years for salmon that they have had in a long time. I think it's the highest run maybe in history, which means lots of work! Aside from dealing with fish at work, I've also been out fishing in Kaitlin's back yard a few times. Catching the fish definitely takes some skill, but it is fun watching the fish swim right up by your feet and jump inches from the pole.

Last week at work we spent over 24 hours straight off loading boats. It was so much fun! I like working hard until my body feels like it cannot do any more, then taking a hot shower and falling asleep. I enjoy working on the docks with the fisherman and the other fellows. I started out as the tally girl, but have bounced around trying to learn as much as possible. I've driven the fork lift, the truck (one of the crazy big ones) with a boat trailer, the skiff, and worked on the sorting tables. The work is hard with long hours but it doesn't seem to get to me. The work is intense and I get so focused that I often forget about the cold dusk or the slimy fish.

One of my favorite parts of working on the docks has been watching the midnight sunset over Kenai. It casts a magnificent glow over the mouth of the river and the snow covered Mt. Redoubt across the inlet. The sunsets are breath taking. As the sun sets in its beautiful way, I rotate just a little bit to watch the moonrise over Soldotna. A few weeks back when the full moon was up, it looked so close I wanted to reach out to see if I could touch it. Then within a few hours of almost darkness the sunrises and a fresh, new day begins.

None of what I am doing is anything close to what I could have dreamed of. I've tried wrapping my mind around my experience here, but haven't come close to finding words. I always thought it was cliche when people would tell me I was having the experience of a lifetime, that I would never forget. When a fisherman said that to me the other night, I realized he was right. Ever since the day I got here, I have felt at peace and full of joy. I think a part of it has been being willing to experience any opportunity that come my way, without expectations or reservations. Being open has allowed me enjoy being present in the moment I am in, with the incredible people I am with.

hali-booty fishin!

The morning started early around 6:45 am, as Bruce, Brett and I raced out the door to meet our ride. A friend of Kaitlin's family has a fishing boat and offered to take a group of us out. Normally, halibut fishing on a charter costs quite a bit, so everyone was obviously pumped for this opportunity.

There are so many fisherman on the Kenai Peninsula in the summer, it can be absolute chaos. In order to evade the complete madness that comes with launching a boat, we arrived early to the launch. Once we were at the launch, the boat was unhooked from the truck, attached it to a tractor which then proceeded to pull us down a super steep, and wet hill, then backing us up into the ocean.

Fishing was a blast! Everyone was excited and happy to be out on the ocean and we caught lots of Halibut! The seas were calm and the sky was overcast; perfect for spending the day on the boat. Bruce was the first to catch a fish, it all happened so fast. Within the first 10 minutes of having his pole in the water he was reeling something in. I was shocked when all of a sudden he threw it back into the water because it was too small. It looked huge compared to the fish we get from the lake back home. However, after we started catching the bigger fish, I understood what a good size halibut was.

The guys explained to me the basics of dropping the weight to the bottom and letting it drag until you feel a bite. At first, I thought every time the weight hit a bump on the ocean floor I had a fish and I would get excited and start reeling it in only to find my untouched bait. But, I did catch on pretty quick after everyone telling me that I would definitely be able to tell if I had a bite, or a fish. And then before I knew it I was reeling in a halibut! Talk about a work out, those guys are heavy and reeling it in 150 feet takes awhile. I thought for sure I would loose the fight to the halibut, but I was victorious! We got it on deck smacked it and stuck it in the hold. The day continued on like this, and we ended up catching our limit and going home happy.

Aside from the fabulous fishing adventure, I appreciate being a part of the Vadla family. I am so grateful for the opportunity to spend the summer with such an incredible and loving people.

fish tales and scales

Penny and I have been discussing the different job options I could do for the summer, ranging from construction to waitressing. By Wednesday we had a pretty good list going, and Thursday we were planning on going out on the hunt.

Wednesday evening for dinner, we took a drive down to take Robert, Penny's nephew, some pizza. Robert works down at the docks in Kenai. He moved up here when he was 18 and lived with Penny for awhile. While we waiting for Penny and Bruce to bring the pizza, Kaitlin, Brett, Robert and I sat around chatting as the smell of BBQ wafted up from the grill below.

I am not sure how it came into the conversation, but Robert mentioned that there were a few positions open on the docks. They were in need for fish pitchers; the guys that get down and dirty. Sorters, folks that know the difference between dog salmon and red, and a tally girl. "You have to have a brain for this job," Robert said, "that's why we call it 'tally girl'. The guys we get on the docks aren't always all there in the head." Perfect, I said sign me up! I was willing to pitch fish, learn the species or tally. I filled out an application and Thursday morning found out I would be working that evening as the tally girl.

The evening began around 6 p.m. and ended around 2 a.m and this is how it played out. First, everyone begins to trickle in, grab some coffee and guess about how well the fisherman did that day. We stand around and wait for the boats to arrive, then... action! The pitchers head down to the lower docks and pitch fish into a huge bin attached to a crane. The crane lifts the bin and weighs it. As it gets weighed in midair, fish slime falls through the holes in the bottom of the tote and covers the pitchers. The number gets shouted up to me to record. The fish then are dumped onto a long metal table and sorters sort the fish by species. Anything that is not a red gets put into a different bin. When the first bin is dumped on the table, I run over to check the temperature, color, texture, odor, eyes and scales. This process repeats until the boat is empty.

The bin of "off species fish" is then broken down by species, e.g., pink, dog, king, dolly, etc . . . After the fish are weighed, one of the sorters brings over the bucket of fish slime that drains off of the sorting table and weighs it too. All of these weights are subtracted from the original number of the red bins. I stand next to Tom, the crane operator, protecting myself from the flying fish slime and take in everything.

I love the intensity that fills the salty, damp air when the boats come in. The fisherman stand awaiting anxiously, watching the bins fill up, wanting to know their numbers. Everyone is works hard and has a blast. Even when things got busy, the sorters had enough patience (or were very amused) with my eagerness to learn about the different fish species. Toward the end of the evening, the action slowed and the boats became less frequent. The chill off the ocean became apparent, but the breathtaking sun set at 1 am was had us all standing in awe. I think I am going to like this summer.

eat, hike, sleep

Last Sunday, after getting our fill on Papusa's and Arepas at the Forest Fair, we put on our hiking boots and headed up the North Face of Alyeska. The views, as I am sure you can imagine were spectacular, and the closer we got to the summit the more spectacular it became. I started out on the hike stopping to take pictures of each new glacier that appeared at every switchback, however, as we neared the top my heartbeat quickened, as I realized I was hiking on a double black diamond, in my little green hiking boots, on a trail that was two feet wide with slippery, slushy snow. Breath, Audra, Breath was my mantra. Thankfully we all made it to the top in one piece and enjoyed some tasty food and pistachio ice cream YUM!


<- view from Alyeska
Monday was spent in the quaint town of Seward watching Kaitlin's brother, Brett, run the Mt. Marathon race. This mountain is 3,022 feet in elevation and goes straight up from sea level. Standing on the street looking to the top, the mountain looks like it is cut in two pieces, the bottom half is a lush and beautiful green. The top is a stark contrast of brownish gray rocks. People run up this mountain and basically fly back down! Brett's goal was to do the race in less than 1 hr 45 min and he finished in 1 hour and 5 minutes and placed 100th out of 390. This was his first year, I was very impressed.

gumby chasing birdman at Mt. Marathon race ->
After the race, we made it to our final detestation; Kaitlin's home in Soldotna. Their house is in town, but feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. You hardly know they have neighbors, Penny has a lovely flower garden, their backyard is the river and the wildlife that wanders through could care less about humans. I've already seen more eagles, rabbits, and moose than I can count on two hands. I love it! Hopefully, by the end of the summer I will see a wolverine (and I'm not talking about Hugh Jackman).

on the road (and the ferry)

We made it to Alaska! The drive up was absolutely beautiful, the mountains, the wildflowers and the sunsets have been absolutely amazing. We drove through British Colombia to Prince Rupert where we boarded the Matanuska. The ferry goes up what is called the inside passage along the coast of AK with untouched mountains littered with forests on either side for miles and miles. Most of my time on the ferry was spent on top in the solarium in awe of the spectacular views. The air was refreshing and misty and the people camping out up there had great tales of adventures.

We hopped off the ferry in Haines, Alaska, where we met up with one of Penny's friends Tish and Dana, who retired on 43 acres of beautiful land. The farm was awesome! Tish gave us tour around the gardens, chicken coops and cabins. Before the tour she let out 4 baby goats, 2 mamas and 1 hermaphrodite. They were adorable as they followed us all around, jumping off logs, enjoying munching the greenery, and jumping in our arms.

After the farm, we continued on our journey. A few highlights along the way: randomly finding a Canada Day BBQ with free burgers and cake, chasing sunsets, stopping at Tickleberry's for ice cream and lot's of fudge, eating breakfast on the beach in Osoyoos, not being able to find a hotel under $200 at 10 o'clock at night, screeching the car to a halt and reversing on the highway to take pictures of a black bear, grizzly bear and lots of moose.


My two travel companions, Penny and Kaitlin are absolutely incredible. Penny can start a conversation with anyone she meets, in the cafeteria, stopping to take pictures, or in the hamburger line. She loves adventures and one always seems to find her, or maybe it is the other way around. While on the road she refused to let Kaitlin or I drive any part of the trip so we would be able to fully enjoy the scenery. Kaitlin has a love for life and learning. Her curiosity makes friends with anyone she meets and she shows no fear when it comes to learning something new.

Plans for today: visit the park for some live music at the Forest Fair, and then a hike up Mt. Alyeska for spectacular views and delicious food at Seven Glaciers Restaurant.

North to Alaska

(picture of Kaitlin and I)

Today, Kaitlin, her mom Penny, and I will pile into her Rusty blue Toyota 4 Runner. It is packed so full of stuff that has accumulated over the past 6 years by Kaitlin while she attended school at Gonzaga to make the trek back up to her homeland - Alaska. All of us including many who are not riding in the car, are hoping and praying the 4 Runner will make it up to Alaska. Alaska? Yes, Alaska. Where did Alaska come from some of you may be wondering?

While Alaska has existed for quite some time, it has only been on my ‘absolutely must visit’ list for a few years. When Kaitlin, tore her ACL in a skiing accident and ended up staying with my family while recovering from knee surgery, she suggested I hitch a ride up to Alaska with her and her mom. And I said, “Okay!”

As I prepare for this trip I could not be more excited for the anticipation of what will come on this unexpected and spontaneous adventure. I do not know what to expect, in fact the only things I know about the next 6 weeks: it takes 24 hours to drive to Prince Rupert where our Ferry leaves from on Tuesday. I will be staying with Kaitlin’s family in Soldotna. There is a 25-mile bike loop near their home. They have waders for salmon fishing in the river. Penny does hot yoga. And I have been taking lots of vitamin B to repel the mosquitoes. It all sounds better than awesome to me. I like everything I’ve heard and I love Kaitlin and her mom.

I am so thrilled for this experience and a little hesitant. Generally, when I become really excited about the future, my imagination gears up into overdrive and I become attached an expectation of what I think it will be like. This is cause for trouble, as it tends to lead me down a path of disappointment if the event does not live up to my expectations. This time I have decided to try something new- being nothing but fully present in each moment as it comes. That is what I am most looking forward to and that is exciting in itself. I will keep you updated along the way.

*A little footnote I am pretty sure my parents named me Audra because it was the coolest name that began with ‘A’ and would be the perfect alliteration for ‘Adventure with Audra in Alaska. How is that for the use of the letter A? And my initials are AK… haha, I am done.

spring. break.

I remember being in school as a kid absolutely loving spring break. Spring break was a time of such excitement; it felt so fresh and freeing to have a reprieve from school. I loved piling into the car with the family to head out to the lake cabin. We would spend the week prepping the cabin for the summer use, gathering the fallen debris that had accumulated during the long winter months. All bundled up, dodging ticks and trees, my siblings, our dog, Kristi, and I would run up and down the hill along the shore, getting into everything we could find, exploring all we could. Playing for hours on end came so easy, stopping only for lunch.

When I think about these adventures, it evokes strong emotions of those cool damp days. We would use a pocketknife to sharpen the tips of our trophy hot dog roasting sticks as we warmed ourselves by the roaring fire. Each one of us kids was always convinced we had discovered the best "coal oven" for cooking, we would dance around the fire pit trying out each one as the gray sky would smile down on us with spontaneous rays of sunshine. After the hot dog cook off, we would make ourselves sick on marshmallows, trying to make the perfect s'more.

I cherish these memories and every time I smell wood burning it transports me back to those days. What I loved most about spring breaks at the lake was the time we had to be together as a family and completely indulge in our imaginations. It was so nice to have the time to be renewed not only with family, but with God through nature and relationships. Still to this day when I am in need of renewal and some face time with God, family and nature are where I go and on days like today, I remember spring break.