The Difference a Day Makes

These two pictures are the views from the Museum of the Aleutians looking over Margaret's Bay to the Aleyeska processing plant.

One was taken yesterday, one today.

I have been watching the boats over there load crab pots for the last week. The pots are stored in lots all over the island. They were picked up by threes on the back of a tow truck and driven to the ship, which loaded them on with a crane.

Tomorrow is the beginning of King Crab season. The Original Productions crews, the production company behind Deadliest Catch, arrived last week.

The blue boat in this picture is the Fierce Allegiance. It is one of the Deadliest Catch boats. On Wednesday, the crew of the Northwestern was eating at the buffet at the Grant Aleutian hotel when we were in there. The other day I saw one of the Deadliest Catch captains in the Ship Supply.

About an hour ago, the crab boats left dock. I think they might be going out to today so they are in the Bearing Sea tomorrow when the the season officially starts. It is an exciting time. It has been very busy here all week, and now today everyone is gone. What a difference a day makes.

Last Great Day

This weekend was amazing...

the last good weather day before winter.

I hiked to the top of Bunker Hill.

Dutch Harbor is one of the only two places in the US to be attacked by a foreign power. The other place is Pearl Harbor. Maybe you have heard of it.

The evidence of the US occupation of Unalaska is everywhere. It reminds me a lot of my visit to Normandy in 1994. There are concrete pillboxes every 100 hundred yards or so. Bunker Hill is the main observation post that coordinated the fire of the main guns out to sea. The concrete bunkers are accessible, after a four mile hike, and are really cool...for myself and the industrial archaeologist that I was with.

The view was spectacular...but this was the last really nice day. As I understand it, from now until next summer it will be rainy and foggy.