December’s Speaker Night
December’s speaker was James Norman who spoke to us about getting off the beaten path in Alaska. James included many photos of places not normally seen on the packaged tours of Alaska.
“Off the Beaten Path in Alaska”
The Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutians
Most visitors to Alaska limit themselves to well-known, iconic options — an Inside Passage cruise; the major cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau; the Kenai peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park; and Denali National Park, midway between Anchorage and Fairbanks on the Alaska Railroad. You should visit all of these locations — they are considered iconic for the best of reasons — incredible landscapes, wildlife that is still truly wild and free, vibrant native cultures, relatively easy travel and access, with comfortable lodging and many options for meals. But Alaska holds so much more, and with a little planning and patience, you can experience sights few visitors (and few Alaskans!) have explored.
This presentation will take you on a virtual trip that leaves the beaten path far behind and forgotten — a four-day, 931-mile voyage aboard an Alaska ferry, the M/V Tustumena, from Homer to Unalaska, followed by two days and 1,985 miles of circuitous air travel to Adak island, well to the west of Unalaska. In addition to the travel time, we will spend several days exploring Unalaska and Adak. There will be maps and photos.
After departing Homer, our first stop will be Kodiak, where we will have several hours to explore the island. From Kodiak, we sail westward along the Alaska Peninsula, stopping for brief visits at isolated communities along the way, into the Aleutians. We’ll leave the Tustumena at its western-most destination, the port of Dutch Harbor and Unalaska island.
Unalaska is rugged and scenic, with miles of hiking trails and gravel roads. There are many reminders of World War II — Dutch Harbor was bombed, and bunkers, gun mounts, and ruins are scattered across the island, with major fortifications on (and in) Mount Ballyhoo. The mix of scenic landscapes and these reminders of the hard times of WW II add interest. After exploring Unalaska and the surrounding waters, the travel required to reach our next stop in the Aleutians will seem counterintuitive — we have to return to Anchorage — a 792-mile flight — in order to take a 1,193-mile flight to Adak, the westernmost populated Aleutian island. Adak was for many years a Naval Air Facility, with a peak force of around 6,000 servicemen in the 1980s and early-1990s. The base was closed in 1992, and most of the facility was transferred to the Aleut Corporation, with the State of Alaska maintaining the airport.
Today, the vast majority of the hundreds of buildings erected by the military on Adak have been severely damaged — effectively destroyed — by storms and typhoon-level winds, with some help by petty vandalism. The full-time population is down to about 30 people and the town of Adak is a vast ruin. But most of the island is now part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge and quite scenic and here and there you’ll see how nature is slowly healing the land. Adak is a challenging place to visit — you’ll hear the details during the presentation — but you will be rewarded for your effort — with great photography and great memories. The return flight to Anchorage will give you time to start planning your return to the Aleutians.
Source: https://jamesnorman.com/about/