Cruise to the PNW's San Juan Islands

 

Took a cruise to the San Juan Islands with Linda, Phil & Lisa, grandson Finn and grandson Averey. It was a fun trip with great weather, tasty meals and snacks and hiking about at destinations. Much thanks to the crew - Phil for taking long stints on the helm, who didn't do all the driving, just most of it and much help crewing, making up lines, filling fuel and water tanks, and taking his turn in the galley. - Lisa, Linda and Phil for preparing some tasty gourmet meals and snacks. - Phil, Avery, Lisa and Linda for helping with crewing, raising sails and making up lines. Lisa, Phil and Linda for handling dinghy duties. Much thanks to Avery for drone piloting & filming, and being a jovial crew member. - and finally Finn and Foxy, for being a helpful and jovial crew members. On Phil and Lisa's drive back to Calistoga, Napa Valley, Phil said, "I can't believe your Dad let me do most the driving." Lisa askd, "Did you like it." Phil replied, "Loved it, it made the trip special for me."

During a whiteout blizzard a childbirth on Naval Station Adak and images of our time on the remote duty station

We all have memories of our children's births. Each and every one uniquely memorable on their own. On this night during the winter of 1975/76 Linda starts feeling the first twitches of labor about 9:00. Meanwhile a blizzard whiteout has just started to rage outside, continuing to blow and snow hard all night long at Naval Station Adak in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Chain.

No civilian vehicles are allowed on the road, in those conditions. I call the hospital, they can only send out vehicles in an emergency, so unless the weather improves, we're on our own and told "with or without them many babies have been born on Adak." I call the quarterdeck and they tell me the same, but "call back if conditions improve." So I get out the medical manual to do review the birth stages and procedures including delivering the placenta afterward. The contractions continue to increase through the night, as the wind howls and the snowfall continues to build.

A bit after 3:00AM with no end of the blizzard in sight, contractions getting quite frequent, once again call the Quarterdeck, with my fingers crossed and ask for a ride to the hospital. No can do; since the on duty security truck is stuck on the ice during a runway check. Tell them and I'll be creeping to the hospital, could they keep the snowplows off the main road to the hospital between 3:30 to 4:00, informing them of my route from Roberts housing to the hospital. They give me the go ahead, and ensure no snow plows will be on the route during that time window.

So fire up the Bronco for warmup and make sure the front hubs are locked in; then get everyone bundled and loaded up for a very slow ride. I was sweating bullets and very concerned. I was even more concerned getting out of housing to the main road, because the snow buildup was deep, having to plow through or negotiate a few drifts and visibility quite limited. However once I got to the main road, it had just been plowed ahead a me - but for that, I probably wouldn't have been able to see the road. Either the forethought of the duty section at the Quarterdeck had requested this, or the snowplow driver had made sure it was done right ahead of us. As we creep to the Hospital the visibility is maybe 20-25' when good, but mostly about 10-15' visibility. We get to hospital a couple minutes after 4:00AM. We check into Adak Naval Hospital, and immediately I'm calling the Quarterdeck to thank them and the snowplow drivers for clearing the main road. It doesn't take long after that, as the final stages of birth play out. With me coaching what we learning in the Lamaze Child birthing classes Linda delivers my oldest son Jason about 4:25AM.

The next day dawned wind driven, with ominous storm clouds breaking up and receding, and rays of sunshine radiating through the broken skies; as it usually does in the Andreanof Islands of the Aleutian Chain after a snow storm. As the clouds disappeared and the winds calmed, the day turned into a wonderfully bright sunshiny day....and though there wasn't one in sight, I was walking on clouds.

We ended up extending on Adak yearly, and spent three and a half years on the island. Meat and fish is expensive in Alaska so we supplemented with game and fowl we hunted and fish we caught. Living remotely on an island 1500 miles from Anchorage isn't everyone's cup of tea. However if one enjoyed the outdoors, hiking, climbing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, fishing and hunting, there was always something to do do. If it was raining or snowing to much, then dress for the conditions and go out - and if one get's lucky, the rain or snow stops and the sun might even come out.