After some searching on line and a spur of the moment weekend trip during a spring blizzard, I flew from Colorado to Chicago and drove with my dad to lower Michigan to attended an Alaska teacher job fair. After I signed up for the job fair and bought a plane ticket, I found out all the schools were bush schools- off the road system. At first I wasn't so sure about moving off the road system but then I got a wild hair up my rear and decided I might as well give it a go and try life off the road system.
While at the job fair I had 2-3 job offers including a job in Tuluksak Alaska. I left with the understanding I'd call the assistant superintendent back in a day or 2 and let her know what I decided. Before my dad and I had made it from lower Michigan to their place in Illinois, I'd decided I'd take the job. Why not give it a try, this is something many people dream of and I won't regret giving it a go. The last couple months of my first year teaching shop in Colorado flew by. I was busy packing, getting rid of 5 vehicles in various stages of disrepair, and buying guns and other necessary out door gear for Alaska.
My summer was a blur with only 6 weeks until a report date in Anchorage of August 3rd. I ended up moving most of my tools and other “possessions” to my parents house in Illinois and their island house on Beaver Island. No need to bring my tools and some of my other possessions to Alaska. The things I had decided to bring to Alaska were all shipped up in June via us postal service. To ship things to the bush of Alaska, you fill up a Rubber Maid tote, zip tie the lid on, write your address with a sharpie right on it, and cross your fingers it finds it's way to Alaska. I ended up sending up 8 totes of things including my clothes, cold weather gear, and food for most of the fall.
Right now I'm headed to Anchorage to spend the weekend with an old 4 wheeling buddy, Brian Dow, to do some salmon fishing. I also plan on running into a teacher from Colorado, Maggie Keller. She booked a ticket last night be come up and visit her brother Mark. Mark lives in Anchorage and is an juvenile dentist. I'm excited about the weekend. I've never been salmon fishing, it'll bee good to see Maggie again, and to get to know Brian and Mark better. I'll keep everyone posted, this is going to be an Adventure. If you know me you know there's never a dull moment in Andy Land.