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> Volunteer Journal > Anchorage, Alaska Trip - Kari's Journal
Anchorage, Alaska Trip - Kari's Journal
Kari Koehler - Lutheran Community Services Specialist, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Day One
 Welcome to Anchorage
Our team met in Minneapolis, spent an hour or two acquainting ourselves with each other, and then took off to Anchorage together. We arrived on time, and were relieved that all of our luggage also made it. Margaret and Leslie from the Anchorage Habitat for Humanity affiliate met us at the airport. We loaded all of our bags into one van and packed ourselves into another. As we left the airport, Leslie let us know we were heading north. Alaskans don't define east and west by name - they are either going mountain side (east) or ocean side (west). Our first stop was at our home-away-from-home for the next two weeks - Anchorage Lutheran Church. The women are staying in the seventh and eighth grade Sunday School classroom and the men are staying in the preschool classroom. Habitat provided air mattresses for us and a friend of Deb's who lives in Alaska was kind enough to get sleeping bags for all who requested one. After we dropped our stuff off at the church, we decided to take a walk at Westchester Lagoon which is right by the church. The sun was shining—which we're told has been a rare thing over the last few weeks—so we decided to take advantage of it. Everyone was anxious to start taking in the scenery anyway. We spotted our first moose drinking from a lake near the trail. We had to cut our walk short so we could return to the church where members had prepared a delicious welcome meal for us. During dinner, we learned that we were "cheechakos"... which means newcomers. We were dining with "sourdoughs" or people who had spent at least one winter in Alaska. After dinner, we had brief team meeting and Marna introduced us to our mascot - a caribou (a cute little stuffed animal) named Johnny Horton after the man who sings North to Alaska. Most of us were tired from a long day of travelling and decided to turn in. A few went to check out Chilkoot Charlie's, a local hotspot in downtown Anchorage.
Team Anchorage is made up of the following Thrivent Financial for Lutherans employees:
Marna Gisvold – Distributions Communications, Minneapolis, MN
Kirk Ahlberg - Business Risk management, Minneapolis, MN
Mary Greiner - Fraternal Services, Appleton, WI
Michelle Halverson - Field Training and Development, Minneapolis, MN
Aimee Johnson - Insurance Product Marketing and Implementation, Minneapolis, MN
Kari Koehler - Lutheran Community Services Specialist - St. Louis Heartland RFO, St. Louis, MO
Jeannie LeMere - Marketing and Investment Products, Minneapolis, MN
Kaj Moenck - Network Communications, Minneapolis, MN
Steve Peterson - Product Support Systems, Appleton, WI
Rachael Sawall - Data Warehouse/Business Intelligence, Appleton, WI
Dave Westphal - FSS Development Team, Appleton, WI
Deborah Wittwer - Insurance Interaction Center, Appleton, WI
Paul Loken - Member and Product Services, Minneapolis, MN
Day Two
 Sunday
We woke up and headed to the Alaska Club. We have a two-week pass to use their facilities. We showered and went back to Anchorage Lutheran Church for the early service. They had visitors leading the service - Dave and Barb Anderson from Fellowship Ministries. The Andersons travel the world and minister through song. After the church service, we made sandwiches and piled into the vans to visit the build site for the first time. It was rainy so we gathered under a tent to listen to Margaret and Leslie give an orientation. Leslie went over flora and fauna (a.k.a. plants and critters). She told us which plants to watch out for - pushki (which can leave a juice on your skin that, if hit by the sun, will look like you have been badly burned) and Devil's Club (an extremely thorny plant - stalks and leaves - that will inject something nasty if it punctures your skin). She also schooled us on moose and bear. The moose will, typically, only get upset with us if we are near their calf, but keeping your distance is a good practice. There are two bear - the black bear and the brown bear. "Black - Attack. Brown - Get down." If we see a black bear, we can potentially scare it away by using the right tactics, but the same won't work for a brown bear. In fact, behaving that way might entice her. A slight worry is that the brown bear can be black. I think, "Don't go out alone," and, "You don't have to outrun the bear if you can outrun your friends," are tips to remember. Then, we went to McHugh Creek (just south of Anchorage) and hiked the Turnagain Arm Trail. It had been raining all day, and we'd quickly go from being cold to peeling off layers. There were some breathtaking views and great photo opportunities at several spots along the way. We hiked for about a hour, then made our way back down the mountain so that we could make it to Eagle River (about 15 miles northeast of Anchorage) in time for dinner. Ed Turner, the Anchorage Habitat for Humanity Board President, hosted the dinner. We had the to chance to visit with other board members and to discuss the potential of Thrivent Builds. Leslie suggested we go to Lake Hood after dinner and check out the float planes. And we would be treated to "Bob's El Cheapo Tours" (Bob is Leslie's husband). Bob is a very knowledgeable tourguide. After our personal tour, we grabbed a beer at the Fancy Moose, a bar at the Millennium Hotel in Anchorage. From the Fancy Moose, you can usually watch the float planes take off and land - but because of the weather, we didn't see any this evening. Afterwards, we went back to the church, put names on our hard hats, and hit the sack so we would be ready to go tomorrow for our first day working at the build site.
Day Three
 Monday
We were thrilled to step outside and see a sunny, blue sky. It made us look even more forward to going to the Habitat site for the first time. The first order of business was introductions. We moved to a nice spot in the sun, stood in a circle, and met the people we will be working side-by-side with for the next two weeks. Some of partner families were there; others we will meet throughout the week. There are a total of 12 families moving into the home we help to build. We also met the other dedicated volunteers like George who came to Anchorage from Virginia in June on the first Global Village trip of the summer, and decided he didn't want to leave so he's been here ever since (he goes home the day after we leave). Deb gave a devotion and Jim Fredrick, the Executive Director of the Anchorage Habitat for Humanity, led a safety orientation. Our Site Superintendent, Jim Paulus (a.k.a. the Big Kahuna), gave us our job assignments, then we jumped right in. There are four buildings to be built, three of which have been started. Building A and D have two separate units and Building B and C have four. Building A is the furthest along. Building B is getting most of our attention right now. The team tackled all sorts of different projects from laying deck on the roof to adding strapping to the walls to meet safety requirements in case of an earthquake. We also had several NTSVIJs...that's a Leslieism which stands for "Not Time Sensitive Very Important Jobs," which includes everything from sweeping rain water off the floors to sorting nails. We built 8am - 5pm, then decided to postpone showers to go to Chugach State Park and hike Flattop Mountain Trail. We all started up the mountain but once you get so far, it's quite steep and rocky so some of us stopped to take in the view from a lower vantage point. Aimee, Dave, Kai, Kirk, Marna, Rachel, and Steve reached the summit. After Flattop, we were anxious to shower and wind down.
Day Four
 Tuesday
We didn't have to be at the build site until 9:00 a.m. this morning so we got to sleep in a bit. Today was a long, very wet day. The rain made it feel a bit colder (it's been mid 50s) but we put on our ponchos or borrowed a raincoat from our well organized Anchorage Habitat affiliate, tucked our hoods under our hard hats and went to work. One of the NTSVIJs we've had because of days like today is drilling 3 1/4" holes in the floors to let the rainwater drain. Speaking for myself, I am learning many new skills and appreciate the patience and instruction Jim P., Bob, and everyone else for that matter, have been showing our team. Each day we meet more of the partner families - including Andres Bock Moya, Josefa Trinidad, Jose Martinez and Maria Mendoza, pictured on the right. It's humbling to hear their stories and it's such a pleasure getting to know them. They're all anxious to move into their new homes and are very appreciative of us being there. Tuesday evening, we had dinner with the local Mennonite community at St. John United Methodist Church. The Mennonites prepared us dinner, as they have for each Global Village team this summer. After dinner, Leslie took us to the sanctuary to see a rare, non-native totem pole that beautifully tells the Easter story. With the work we've been doing on the Habitat site and the hiking we've been doing while we're not working, our muscles were starting to ache - but we weren't ready to call it a night yet. The entire team decided to go downtown and have a night cap at Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse (named after pink salmon).
Day Five
 Wednesday
Jeannie and Michelle treated us to blueberry pancakes and eggs for breakfast. We build from noon to 8:00 p.m. on Wednesdays, so this morning we made plans to go to the Alaska Native Medical Center (ANMC) beforehand. The ANMC is a tribally owned and operated hospital that provides a full range of services free of charge to Alaska Natives and American Indians who live in Alaska. It was designed to provide a welcoming space that reflects the Alaska Native sense of community. We met our docent, Gary Chythlook, in the lobby which was decorated to look like a Kashim - which is an Athabascan gathering room. Artwork by Alaska Native artists is displayed throughout the hospital to help aid in the healing process and to create a sense of pride in their cultures. We toured each floor of the hospital as Gary, who is a Yupik Eskimo, described the beautiful and functional art we were seeing - raincoats made out of sea mammal gut, parkas made of squirrel or rabbit fur with hoods (lined in wolverine fur because it doesn't frost), button blankets made of wool fabric with shell buttons (that were a sign of status and used for trading), carved pieces made of walrus ivory, and much more. Even the light fixtures were made to look like glacial ice and the elevators were modeled after a Tlingit and Haida gathering room.
After our tour we visited the gift shop and went out to lunch at Traditions, a restaurant on campus, then hurried to the build site. The sun was out again today so there was a lot of enthusiasm on the job site. Check out www.hfhanchorage.org to learn more about the Habitat affiliate here and to read about the unique design of these townhomes. The homes are three stories high with rooftop patios. When you're standing on the roof (or the scaffold) looking mountainside, the view is simply breathtaking.
Day Six
Thursday (Marna's Birthday)
Today was Marna's birthday so we brought a helium balloon and tied it to her poncho (yes, it's raining again). To celebrate at the build site we also gave her a few goodies and a carrot cake - which, unbeknownst to us is her favorite (even her wedding cake was carrot cake). One of the partner families, Alberto and Margarita Santana, cooked us lunch today - a delicious Puerto Rican meal. And guess what they made for dessert...carrot cake! We are definitely eating well here. The Anchorage Habitat affiliate's Development Director, Nora Ortiz Fredrick, hosted dinner this evening.
Day Seven
 Friday
We got on the road at about 7:00 a.m. to head for Homer, Alaska. It's about a five hour drive, but Leslie and Bob said it should take about ten hours with all the stops they've suggested we make. We're lucky to have Bob and Leslie show us around. They know just about everything there is to know about Alaska and they love to teach. As we took off down Seward Highway, we saw a "Caution: Rock Slide" sign. I've seen the signs before but never the reason for it. Today we did, as a big boulder lay in our path. We made our way around it and continued on to our first stop at Bird Point and took one of the many group shots against a stellar Alaskan backdrop. Then it was on to Portage Glacier where we got to see blue hanging glaciers on the lake. As we continued south, we drove level with the clouds...not something we get to do all that often. We made a quick stop in Hope at Canyon Creek, then at Summit Lake to the gift shop for souvenirs and ice cream. Next on the list was Cooper Landing. The day started off rainy but the sun came out by noon. As we drove into Soldotna, we had a great view of Mount Redoubt, an active volcano in the Aleutian Range on the Alaskan Peninsula. We brown-bagged lunch and ate at the Soldotna Visitors Center.
 Following Bob and Leslie's advice, we stopped in Ninilchik to see a historic Russian Orthodox Church. After that, we went to the Norman Lowell Studio & Gallery between Anchor Point and Homer. Norman Lowell paints amazing Alaskan landscapes. His gallery also showcased some of his writings and charcoal drawings, among other things. At the end of the exhibit, Norman and his wife, Libby, were there to greet us and even pose for a couple of pictures. Next was our final destination - Homer. We met Bob at Homer Hill which overlooks Kachemak Bay at Cook Inlet. We visited a local watering hole, the Salty Dawg Saloon, on the Homer Spit. Homer Spit is a long, narrow finger of land jutting about five miles into Kachemak Bay. We then went to the tip of the spit to eat at Land's End where, from our dining table, we had an excellent view of the harbor and could watch the fisherman catching halibut. Ocean Shores Motel was our last stop for the day. We were excited to sleep in a real bed for the first (and only) time this trip.
Day Eight
 Saturday
We boarded the Northern Star, a water taxi, at 10:00 a.m. and headed across the Kachemak Bay to Otter Cove Resort where we would spend the next 24 hours. On the ride over, we saw our first couple of sea otters. We stayed in cedar cabins set in the lush coastal forest with fantastic views of the bay. There were his and hers bathhouses with coin-operated showers (12 quarters for a five minute shower) a few feet from one cabin and further away from the cabin with the better view. We relished having our jam-packed schedule slow down a bit while here. A few decided to go kayaking on the Kachemak Bay. Some chose to relax on the deck of the Rookery Restaurant and ended up being visited by Stellar's Jays who wanted to eat our Cheetos. Some napped, some journaled, and some looked at the hundreds of pictures we've taken over the course of the last week. A few hours later, we set out to hike the Sadie Knob trail. Eventually, you come to a point where you can either continue Sadie Knob or take the Beach Trail. Most of us chose to go to the beach (a much easier hike). Dave and Rachel continued up Sadie Knob and were the first of our team to encounter a black bear. Thank goodness, it was without incidence, but they did cut their hike short. Once everyone returned from their hikes, we had dinner at the Rookery, then gathered on the beach for a campfire. We fell asleep (on our bunkbeds) to the sound of waves lapping on the beach.
Day Nine
 Sunday
We had some time before the boat picked us up so I spent my morning kayaking in the Kachemak Bay. What a wonderful way to take in the scenery! At about 11:00 a.m., we headed back across the Kachemak Bay - this time in the Bay Explorer. The team split up today. One van got a head start toward Anchorage and the other went to a fishing hole in Homer before heading home. Aimee, Kaj, Kirk, Rachel, Steve and I met Bob and Leslie to go salmon fishing. They gave us rubber boots, fishing poles and a couple of tips. Kirk got the first fish - a coho salmon (silver) and a sculpin. Other than that, no one had much luck so we decided to hit the road and find another spot to fish. But first, we stopped at the Glacier Drive-In across the street from the fishing hole, where Leslie said they have the best-ever chocolate root-beer floats. It happened to be the first one I ever had, but it was indeed the best.
 We made our way north and stopped in Kenai to fish. I have to admit I was slightly bored earlier this afternoon but once I started catching some, it became kind of fun. Each of us caught about half a dozen pink salmon in the Kenai River. If you snag a fish, i.e. hook it somewhere besides in the mouth, it must be released right away. That happened quite a few times, but we chose not to keep any of the others either. However, pictures were taken for proof. Afterwards, we went to Sal's Klondike Diner in Soldotna for a quick bite to eat, including the biggest cinnamon roll I've ever seen...it easily fed all eight of us. It was getting dark and since we're not very familiar with the roads, Bob was kind enough to drive the van the rest of the way to Anchorage. In the meantime, our other half - Dave, Deb, Jeannie, Marna, Mary, Michelle, and Paul stopped at Portage Glacier on their way home. They made it just before the Visitors Center closed at 6:00 p.m. and were able to hike the trail leading to Byron Glacier. They got back to Anchorage before we did, stopped at Moose's Tooth Pizzeria, then headed off to the church.
Day Ten
 Monday
At the build site today, it was cool to see the progress made last week and over the weekend. Building C was close to ready for a second floor. Building B now had most of the sheathing done around the parapet of the rooftop patio. This week, we're going to do our best to get as far ahead as we can before we have to leave. With any luck, the roofers will be able to start working on Building A very soon. It was another gorgeous day today. It's been light sprinkles and cloudy skies most days, but it sounds like we've been pretty lucky to have seen more sunshine while we've been here than they have had in about a month. Today, lunch was provided by the 40s and Beyond group from Anchorage Lutheran Church. We had dinner at the Istanbul Cafe (Turkish and Mediterranean cuisine) with Wayne Berg, a Thrivent Financial representative, who lives in Palmer (about 40 miles north of Anchorage) and serves clients from Nome to Ketchikan, Alaska. :)
Day Eleven
 Tuesday (Steve's birthday)
Steve's birthday is today! Steve walked around all day with an "It's My Birthday" sticker that was secretly stuck on the back of his shirt in an attempt to prompt everyone to wish him a happy one. Wayne and his wife, Shirley, joined us to volunteer at the build site today. There have been many Global Village trips made to Anchorage but we are the first Thrivent Builds Worldwide trip. The Anchorage Habitat affiliate is excited about involving Thrivent Financial members and more Lutherans. They're thrilled about having made a new connection with Anchorage Lutheran Church, and it seems the feeling is mutual. The GOTCHA 20s-30s group from Anchorage Lutheran Church provided pizza for lunch. This evening, St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Anchorage hosted dinner. We were treated to meatloaf and mashed potatoes, not to mention the yummy desserts. The plan was to take Steve out for creme brulee after dinner but we couldn't resist the homemade blueberry pie and rhubarb pie St. Mark's had prepared for us. Even though birthday cake was now out of the question, we still had some celebrating to do so we went to Humpy's. We put together a few special presents for Steve to make this birthday one he wouldn't forget.
Day Twelve
 Wednesday
I woke up this morning to Marna running down the hallway yelling, "There's a moose! There's a moose!" You would have thought there was a moose chasing her! As it turns out, she and a few others were downstairs having breakfast and much to their surprise, a moose came walking through the church yard. It looked as if it were going around the building so she wanted us all to see it on the other side. Sure enough, we got to the end of the hallway, opened the door, and there was the moose munching on the the leaves of a nearby tree. Our jaws dropped and cameras were flashing. Then a truck drove up the street and the moose turned and ran our way. Paul was in more danger of being trampled by us than by the moose. What a way to start the day! Since it's Wednesday, we have a free morning. It was also our last real free time before we go home...not home to the Anchorage Lutheran Church, but home to - as they say here - the Lower 48. There were many different things we all wanted to try to fit in. Rachel and Dave went to the Alaska Zoo. Kirk and Kaj went to the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. The rest of us went shopping in downtown Anchorage to find last minute gifts and souvenirs. On the way to the build site, they dropped me off at Kaladi Brother's Coffee which has an internet cafe so I could try to update our blog. Finding time and an Internet connection has been a bit of a challenge here. Marna, Michelle, and Paul had to run a few errands, then picked me up before dinner was served. Wayne's BBQ, where Jose Martinez and Maria Medoza work, provided dinner. It was an emotional evening because this was the last time we would see some of the partner families. Maria said a prayer in Spanish. She paused a few times to wipe away tears. Most of us didn't know exactly what she had said but we all felt it. There was a lot that got done today: the space between Buildings B and C was cleared out, the backside of B was finished, and we started building walls and staircases for Building C. Once we said our goodbyes, we went to the Alaska Club, then to the church. We wrote thank you notes to the many people who made this trip such a tremendous success for us and packed our overnight bags since tomorrow we leave for Seward, Alaska.
Day Thirteen
 Thursday
It's hard to believe this is our last day at the build site. When we arrived, two weeks felt like a long time - but now it feels as if it's gone by so fast...too fast. We worked hard today, trying to complete everything we possibly could. It's difficult to walk away from this project. We wish we could stay to see it through and witness these families moving into their new homes. Work will continue on this 12-plex through this fall and winter. They aren't able to predict exactly when it will be finished but they're hoping for the spring of 2007. Lunch was provided again by Anchorage Lutheran Church. Today's selection of hot halibut chowder, salmon chowder, and/or corn chowder was perfect for a chilly, rainy day. We thank the church for their great food and warm hospitality.
 We were supposed to end early today and be on our way to Seward but when it came time to clean up, we didn't rush like usual. Before hitting the road, we went Pancho's Villa across the street from the build site, with Jim P. and his wife, Joyce, to toast our achievements over the last couple of weeks. Jim always told us the one thing we could be sure of is that when he spoke, his lips wouldn't leave his face; that was the only thing he could promise. But I believe that when he said how much he was impressed with our team, he meant it. Jim definitely made a lasting impression on us. Again, we said our goodbyes, and hopped in the van. The women were in one van; the men in the other, which might have been a good thing because I don't know if the guys would have participated in our impromptu sing-along. Someone just started singing and everyone ended up joining in a rendition of "You Are My Sunshine."
 We made good time to Seward and pulled into Ray's Waterfront Bar & Grill (another Bob & Leslie suggestion...we've learned it would be silly not to heed their advice). Par for the course, we stuffed ourselves, but I guess when you order eight desserts, even if you do plan to share them amongst the group, you're sort of asking for it. Then we checked in at Hotel Seward. Some of us decided to explore the local nightlife before hitting the sack. It seems to be a custom here for patrons to sign a dollar bill and tack it to the ceiling or walls of establishments, namely taverns. So we did our part...we autographed our money and pinned it to the ceiling. Be sure to look for us if you're ever there!
Day Fourteen
 Friday
We met at the Marina Restaurant for breakfast. Then we went to the Alaska Sealife Center, a facility dedicated to research, rehabilitation, conservation, and public education. Our very own Jim Paulus helped to build this center. We got to check out and learn about some of the marine animals we hadn't had the chance to be up close to yet. Next, we set sail on the Glacier Explorer for our Kenai Fjords tour. It was absolutely beautiful and downright cold. We travelled for approximately 110 miles through Resurrection Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park and the Alaskan Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. We saw all sorts of wildlife we had never been exposed to except in photos...puffins, Stellar sea lions, seals, mountain goats, porpoise - and we all finally got to see a black bear. We passed Alaska's only maximum security prison. We saw what they call the Ghost Forest - full of trees that have been dead and standing since the 1964 earthquake. The saltwater killed them and at the same time preserved them.
 We stopped for half an hour at Aialik Glacier. Six hours can be a long time on a boat. We all took breaks, especially when the crew passed out freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. It was easy to feel a bit unbalanced so as a precaution, I put on a couple of acupressure bracelets that are supposed to relieve nausea from motion and prevent sea-sickness. I'm not sure whether it was the bracelets, but I had an exhilarating cruise. The ocean out here has a provoking rhythm though and it got to a few of us. When we got off the boat, we did some brief souvenir shopping, then headed back to Anchorage. The vans met at Pizza Olympia for our last meal together. The Appleton crew flies out tonight at 1:00 a.m. We talked about what would be the first thing we share with our family and friends back home. There is so much to tell but it's hard to adequately describe what we've seen and done. When it was Dave's turn to give his relection, he shared a thoughtful poem he wrote. When he was done reciting it, there was hardly a dry eye. We piled in the vans and went back to the church before taking the five from Appleton and Paul (he was on a different flight to Minneapolis by way of Seattle and San Francisco) to the airport.
Day Fifteen (and a little bit of Day Sixteen)
 Saturday and Sunday - the trip home
Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:55 a.m. We were all ready to load the van when Kaj told us our flight had been delayed three hours due to unscheduled maintenance. So with the extra time given us, we decided to have breakfast at Gwennie's Old Alaskan Restaurant and go to the Anchorage Market (two things we had wanted to do but couldn't find time for). At 10:00 a.m., we tried again. Marna took us to the airport. She was staying with Margaret one extra day and would fly out tomorrow. Our flight departed at noon and we arrived in Minneapolis around 8:30 p.m. The five from Minneapolis went home and I went to a Days Inn. Because of the delay, I missed my connecting flight to St. Louis, but made it home with no problem Sunday morning. Now, being at home, something Wayne Berg shared with us comes to mind. He told us about an ad that once appeared in National Geographic. It read something along these lines, " Once you go to Alaska, you never go all the way home."
The first day we met Leslie she urged us to say yes to everything. She told us we would have the opportunity to do many things while in Alaska, and we shouldn't pass anything up. I thought we'd close this by sharing what we said yes to...what we might not have done if we weren't here; what might not have been in our comfort zone; what we tried for the first time. So, here's what Team Anchorage said "Yes" to:
Marna -
1. Becoming a Team Leader.
2. Coming to Alaska.
3. Climbing Flattop.
4. Staying on 15ft. scaffolding for 5 days in a row.
I love AK!
Aimee -
Trying Alaskan salmon even though I don't like fish.
Dave -
Climbing Flattop Mountain and overcoming my fear of heights.
Deb -
Eating oysters on the half shell and saying "yes" to never doing it again!
Jeannie -
To ladders, getting on the scaffold, and Big Foot.
Kaj -
Reflecting
Kari -
To everything I possibly could...kayaking, fishing, etc. And I can't wait to say yes again.
Kirk -
Adding my contribution to a "what did you say yes to" list.
Mary -
Sweeping gallons and gallons of water and creating waterfalls.
Michelle -
Laying on my belly and hanging over the edge to saw notches in the wood.
Paul -
To all the fantastic scenery and experiences.
Rachel -
Agreeing to being on the morning crew in the kitchen, when I'm not a morning person.
Steve -
About this being the greatest place ever!
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