In the Darkness

Not much time to write - I'm on my way out the door to deliver another presentation. I thought I was never coming back to the Slope...WRONG. Here I am for 7 days. Today the wind is blowing 28 mph and it feels like -19. My LLBean boots are still doing the trick.

It has gotten a lot darker since I was here before. Today, the sun will not rise until 10:22am and it sets at 2:35pm. When the sun is visible, we have the pinks and purples of dawn all day...or rather the entire 4 hours we have sun. Today though, it's snowing AGAIN...so no sunlight today.

Back again - we are experiencing "A Blow." The wind and snow are blowing so badly that sometimes it is hard to see the road....hence the reason we got stuck in a snowdrift at the Seawater Injection Plant (SIP). Oh my. We had to call security to come pull us out. I now understand the reason for the ACRTIC GEAR, cause if this had happened in the middle of no where, we'd have been pretty cold, pretty fast.

Final Post from the Slope

Tour of Flow Station 2

I got a tour of Flow Station 2. I had to have a hard hat, protective glasses, a flame retardant suit and steel-toed boots. I have to admit that I was a bit scared through the whole thing...every where you looked you saw signs that read DANGER, CAUTION, WARNING, HAZARD, FIRE, EMERGENCY, POISONOUS GAS, HIGH VOLTAGE... When the kids were little, I told them "this is a hands on your tummy store" if we were in a store with breakable items. The Flow Station 2 Tour was a hands on your tummy tour. Tim, our tour guide, who retired from Flow 2 as a Maintenance Team Lead said, "don't lean up against anything or you'll shut the whole place down." While standing in front of the Halon Gas tanks, he said, "if there's an explosion, if we can get the Halon Gas released quick enough, it will squelch the whole explosion." About this point I wondered if the tour was such a good idea. It was fascinating and I learned a lot, but I don't think I'll sign up to do it again.

These Southern girls...what are you going to wear when it gets cold?

I did get the chance to put on my Arctic Gear. That's the Arctic Ocean behind us and it was chilly that day...but not cold enough to wear the blue Michelin Man outfit...I just wanted the picture. We saw seals out on the ice sunning themselves and we saw an Arctic Fox hanging around the Seawater Treatment Plant. I never saw a polar bear, but you can see in the background the cages that you walk out into, so that you can look around to see if there are any bear in the area before you walk out in the open to your truck.

Arctic Fox

The last night on the Slope I didn't sleep too well. I think I was too afraid I would sleep through my alarm and not get up in time to get my bags to the Baggage pick up room by 8am. We left for the airport at 9am to turn in the truck and then wait for our flight. I think I've mentioned before that there is no alcohol on the Slope. Well, you can buy just about anything you want on the plane back to Anchorage for $2...Crown, Scotch, Vodka, Beer, Wine...all $2 and you are allowed to buy 2 drinks. EVERYONE has their $4 handy when they get on the flight! There was a light snow in Deadhorse when we took off but the weather cleared and as you can see from the picture, we had a fabulous view of Mt. McKinley as we flew by.

Mt. McKinley

I'm now in the Seattle airport on my way home to Atlanta and I can't wait to get there. This two-week hitch seemed longer than others. However, as I reflect on my experiences, I realize that people - good people - make any situation bearable, even enjoyable. I will always owe Tim Heily a debt for watching out for me, keeping me safe, and making me laugh. I hope someday that Stone and I will get a chance to visit him at his vineyard in Washington.

An Update from the Slope

Yesterday I saw the sun and the moon for the first time in a week. The temperature was -2 and it was a crystal clear day. Today the temps were up to 20 and it felt almost balmy.

The big fellow in the picture is Tim Heily, my partner in all these presentations. Tim spent 30 years working on the slope and he can talk the talk and walk the walk with the rough crowds we meet with. I'm glad to have someone with his experience and reputation working with me. He is a hoot to hang around because living inside this giant is a kid, full of life, who laughs and jokes and has a never ending supply of stories describing some of the stuff he pulled while working up here. Tim has gained a little respect for me too...we had tough customer we were presenting to earlier this week who was giving me a hard time, but I stood toe to toe and got him to commit to taking the action I needed. The next morning at breakfast, Tim told a guy, "Initially, I thought we should be issued fire arms to defend ourselves in case the teams mutinied against us...but we have our own fire arm - and she's sitting right over there."

I wish I had more time to blog but the days are long and packed. Up at 5am, breakfast at 6, drive to the facility from 6:30 to 7:30, present from 8-11. Eat lunch and then drive to the next facility from 11:30 to 12:30 and present from 1-4. Drive back home from 4:30 to 5:30. Dinner at 5:30 and then answer email, edit our presentation based feedback from the day, etc. I fall into bed at 8:30pm and am asleep by 9.

Of course, that's not as bad as the people who work here. Everybody here works a 12 hour shift and usually for 14 days straight. Then they go home and are off for 14 days. It is a hard life, but they are paid well. They work 84 hours a week; the first 40 hours at a base pay, and the next 44 hours at time and a half. Take my word for it, NO ONE misses the bus that takes you to the airport to fly home.






Greetings from the Great White North

The Arctic Ocean is behind me

I flew into Deadhorse Monday afternoon. As the plane dropped down out of the clouds and you could see the barren landscape for the first time, I was seized with terror. It took me a few minutes to figure out why I was so afraid. I realized that with all my world-traveling, I had never really been far from civilization (albeit Japan and Korea were not civilizations I was familiar with). For the first time, I was really far away and I felt like little William Thatcher wondering how I would find my way home. The wind was blowing and the temperature hovered around 17 as I left the plane and walked to the bus that would take me to the Prudhoe Bay Operations Center (PBOC), which would be my home for two weeks. It's a dry cold...at least that's what they say. I'm happy to have my coat and hat and gloves and warm boots.

The saying up here is that "the odds are good, but the goods are odd." There are few women and about 8,000 men...grizzly, gnarled, leathery men. From what I've seen, an attractive woman could make a fortune up here because most of the women have been road hard and put up wet. I decided when I came that I wasn't even going to try and fit in - I'm a towny, not a Sloper - and no matter what I did I wasn't going to look or act like a local. So I decided to go the opposite direction and I brought all my jewelry and scarves and perfume and I was determined to have success being ME! So far, it's working. I get lots of stares but everyone I've spoken to has been very nice and polite and helpful.

I'm in a room with a suite-mate; a young girl named Danielle who works days and takes a shower at 5am every day. We share a bathroom of sorts; a toilet on one end of the hall, a shower on the other and a sink in the middle. A SHOWER. There's no tub. I took my first shower in a year. Our individual rooms come off of the shared hallway. There are no locks on any of the doors; I have no TV in my room and no internet access except in common sitting rooms. The first night I lay in bed and read a page or two of a book I forgot I packed and wondered if I could survive for two weeks. I quickly fell asleep and slept like a rock.

Things are getting really white

At 6am the first day, we drove an hour in the dark to the site for our first presentation. I said it was like the line from the Polar Express, "I could see lights twinkling in the distance - it looked like the lights of an ocean liner sailing on a sea of ice," except it wasn't the North Pole; it was Flow Station 3.  When we got there, the management told us to reschedule and go home - they were too busy to talk to us. Not a very good start. So we took the opportunity to drive around a bit...hence the photo. That's the Arctic Ocean behind me. There's no land between me and the North Pole. You can't tell it from the picture, but I have on my Halloween scarf and pumpkin earrings! It has been snowing constantly for three days and things are getting really white. They are predicting a "blow" on Saturday and I'm told that we'll be lucky to see two feet in front of us. I haven't seen a caribou or a polar bear, but we have seen several red fox. I told Tim, the man I'm traveling with, that this place could be an effective prison because there's no place to escape to.

There are a lot of rules up here:

• you must put "grippers" on over your shoes every time you go outside - sort of like rubber cleats
• you have to put booties on over your shoes when you come back in because your shoes are wet and they don't what you to track wet and dirt all over the place
• you must wear protective glasses when you ride in a car
• you must hold the hand rail when walking up the steps
• don't linger too long in the cafeteria because there's limited tables
• you need to use hand sanitizer before getting in the cafeteria line
• don't make any noise when walking through the sleeping wings as the night shift is sleeping
• and on and on

I'm trying my best to watch and mimic others.

We gave our first set of presentations today and I have to say that all went well...but it was a non-union facility. Tim spent 30 years up here on the North Slope, and he calls the Union sites "the dark side." If I'm honest, I'd have to say I'm a little nervous about presenting to the Union guys - - good thing that's not for a few days.

And lastly, a word about the food. It's plentiful. Hot coffee, hot soup, and snacks available 24 hours a day. Breakfast has EVERYTHING. Dinner is hearty - meat, vegetables, potatoes, salads, pudding - and a frozen yogurt dispenser. So far I'm doing pretty well, sticking to my meat and veggies diet but the frozen yogurt is looking really good. I can hear Stone now, "7 degrees, and the ice cream is selling like hot cakes! We close down the ice cream shoppe at the beach by September."

Preparation for the North Slope Visit

I will be traveling to Prudhoe Bay, otherwise known as the North Slope for two weeks the end of October. You can see on the map that I'm flying into Deadhorse! You would actually have to travel south to reach the edge of the Arctic Circle. I believe the temps will be in the single digits while I'm there. Everyone here says it won't be very cold in October...and I tell them that it sounds pretty damn cold!

BP has five 737 flights a day from Anchorage up to the Slope and I learned that from October 1 onward, you are not allowed on the plane without a heavy jacket or coat, boots, hat and gloves. In addition, if you are driving from facility to facility (which we will be), you have to have 'arctic gear' in the car in case the car breaks down and you get stranded.

Today I was taken to a room in the basement where they have 'arctic gear'...OMG. I look like a navy blue Michelin Man. The arctic coveralls and jacket I was assigned are worth $2,000 and are so heavy I can hardly get them on.

I also need a flame-retardent suit and steel-toed boots if I want to go into certain parts of the facilities. Since I want to see as much as possible while I'm there, I was given a flame-retardent suit and I bought myself a pair of steel-toed boots at the Army-Navy store across the street.

A friend of mine said, "will you be disappointed if you never have a reason to put all that arctic gear on?" I said, "no I won't be disappointed, because I'm going to don it all so that Tim can take my picture, and then it can live in the car for the rest of the time."

I promise to send pictures.

 

Winter has arrived

Fall is over and winter has arrived. Saturday, September 29, Anchorage saw the first snow fall. While the snow didn't stick around long, the hillsides got 5+ inches. So that means that Fall lasted all of about 2 weeks. WOW - that was fast. You blink and you miss it.

A friend took me up into the hills over the weekend on a crystal clear blue day - a rather rare day I'm realizing. You can't see it in the picture but we could actually see Mt. McKinley in the background. Anchorage is at sea-level and Mt. McKinley is the tallest spot in North America. Both could be seen from our vantage point.

We could see the Sleeping Lady covered in her blanket of snow.

 

I've had some fun over the past few days. I dressed all in black and wore my black wig last week and spoke in my best Russian accent. Today, October 1st, I came to work in my pink wig to remind everyone that Halloween is just around the corner. They all think I'm a little crazy, but appreciate the energy I bring to the team. Check out the fishnet hose!!

 

I get to go to the North Slope for two weeks when I come back to Anchorage after my week in Atlanta. The North Slope is where the oil is drilled and then sent down the Alaska pipeline to the Anchorage habor. The North Slope, or Prudhoe Bay, is within the Acrtic Circle - - I'll have to dress warmly!

 

I have extended my time on the project until at least November 21st, just before Thanksgiving. I think everyone is a little nervous about me rolling off the project and they are looking for reasons for me to extend. I think they see me as a security blanket...someone who has a lot of knowledge, skills and experience which they don't want to be without just yet.

Lastly, I wanted to tell you that I have crossed something off my Alaska Bucket List. On Sunday, my friend took me to Kincaid Park, which is right next to the Alaska Airport. While driving through the park, we saw a MOOSE! He was galloping along the fence-line.

 

When the fence opened up, he ducked into the woods - - but the other side of the fence is the airport. Now, someone will have to round him up before he shows up on the tarmac and causes flight delays...or worse.

 

 

 

Fall Arrives in One Week

I left one week ago and everything was green. I came back and everything is YELLOW! Fall arrives in one week. I'm told that in one more week, all the leaves will be gone from the trees and it will be winter. So basically, the Fall season in Alaska lasts 2 weeks. I'll let you know if that happens.

When I first arrived in Anchorage on August 13, the sun rose at 6:05am and set at 10:02pm. Yesterday when I got here, the sun rose at 7:48am and set at 7:54pm...a difference of almost 4 hours in 6 weeks. In December, on the shortest day, there will only be 5 hours and 27 minutes of daylight. It is a land of extremes.

It was hard to say goodbye to Kelly and Stone; hard to leave home with the growing list of tasks that have to be completed in preparation for Christmas; but I did get the house decorated for Halloween and I'm pleased with the way things look. I think it may get a little harder to come back each time...but I don't know that. Once I'm here and busy, I'm fine. There is so much work to do and I continue to feel as though I'm making a significant contribution.

The Story of the Sleeping Lady

The story of Sleeping Lady has traveled by word of mouth throughout the region since at least the 1930's. The source of the original story is unknown. Here is the folktale retold by Ann Dixon, a librarian at the Willow Public Library in Willow, Alaska.

Once, long ago in Alaska, there lived a race of giant people along the shores of Cook Inlet. The land then was warm and covered with fruit trees of every kind. Woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers roamed the forests and beaches but did not harm the gentle Inlet people. Peace and happiness ruled the land.

Especially happy were a young man named Nekatla and a young woman named Susitna, for they were in love and soon to be married. As the wedding day neared, the Inlet people eagerly prepared for the celebration. But the day before the wedding a stranger burst into the village. "Danger!" he cried. "Warriors from the north are coming! They roam from village to village, killing people, stealing from them, and burning their homes!" "Stranger, how do you know this?" someone asked. The man's face clouded with pain. "They have destroyed my village, my family...everything," he answered. "Only I escaped. Beware, these people are cruel and crazed for blood!"

All plans for the wedding were forgotten. The villagers gathered in council. First one person spoke then another. Some thought they should quickly fashion weapons and attack the warriors. Others thought they should prepare to fight the warriors when they came to the village. Still others wanted to hide in the forest until the warriors passed them by. Nekatla and Susitna listened in silence, their hearts deeply troubled.

After everyone had spoken, Nekatla rose. "I, too, have an idea," he began. "But I do not know if there are people here brave enough to go with me. I say this: I will not fight these people and neither should you. We have few weapons, for we gave up the ways of war long ago. We've learned a better way, which is peace." Many of the people nodded their heads in agreement. "Continue," the elders encouraged him. "I will not run away from this danger, for then the warriors will kill many more. This is my proposal: we travel north to meet them. We convince them to lay down their weapons and live in peace. We will carry gifts rather than weapons so they'll have no reason to attack us. And I am willing to go first."

It was a bold plan but the people agreed to it. All the men of the village would go. Immediately everyone began preparing for the dangerous journey north. By morning the men were ready to leave. Sadly, Susitna and Nekatla said goodbye on a hill above the village where they had spent many hours together. "We will be married as soon as I return." promised Nekatla. "I will wait for you at this very spot," answered Susitna. Susitna watched thoughtfully, hopefully, until the forms of the men disappeared into the forested mountains.

Susitna made ready to wait. She ran back to the village for her needles, knife, and baskets, then busied herself gathering nuts and berries. On the second day she tired of gathering fruit, so she cut roots and grasses to weave into baskets. This task amused her for many hours, but eventually she tired of making baskets, too. Susitna spent the third day sewing, for she was too weary to gather fruit and cut grasses. Yet she could not sleep, wondering if the men had succeeded in their mission. Perhaps Nekatla would return at any moment!

But many days and nights went by, each more slowly than the last. Finally Susitna could no longer pick berries, weave baskets, or even sew. "I will lie down just for a moment," she said finally. And she fell fast asleep. While Susitna slept, word of a terrible battle reached her village. "Nekatla was brave." reported a boy who had escaped. "He led our men to meet with the warriors. But as he and their leader were about to speak, someone threw a spear! Their men set upon ours and we fought until all our men were dead or dying, and many of theirs, too." The women and children wept to hear the names of the fathers, sons, and brothers they had lost.

When the women went to tell Susitna the terrible news, they couldn't bear to wake her from such peaceful sleep. Let her rest, they decided. Why break her heart any sooner than we must? And they wove a blanket of soft grasses and wildflower blossom, which they gently laid over her. May Susitna always dream of her lover, they prayed. That night all warmth and joy left the village. As the air grew colder and colder, Susitna settled more deeply into sleep. All around her, the fruit trees froze and died, falling like the men in battle. The tears of the villagers gathered into clouds and, in the chill air, returned to earth as Alaska's first snowfall.

The snow fell slowly at first, one flake at a time, but soon it filled the sky, spreading thickly across the entire land. For seven days and nights the snow fell, until Susitna and all her people lay beneath a blanket of shimmering white. Days passed into years, and years into hundreds and thousands of years. For a few months each summer, warmth returned to the land, allowing birch trees and spruce and willow to grow. Grizzly bears, moose, and other new animals appeared, taking the place of the old. After a long time a new race of humans, smaller than the first, came to stay. Today Susitna still sleeps through the seasons, dreaming of Nekatla.

If you look across Cook Inlet in the winter, you can see her covered by a snowy quilt. In summer, you see her resting beneath a green and flowered blanket. It is said that when the people of war change their ways peace rules the earth, Nekatla will return. Then Susitna, the Sleeping Lady, will awake.