Kotzebue, Nome and Anchorage, Alaska
Photo Excursion with
Bonita Chimes
August 24 – September 2, 2007
August 24 – Group meets
Our Alaska photo adventure begins at the Anchorage Westmark Hotel. This evening we’ll have a wine reception where we’ll meet our fellow travelers.
August 25 - Kotzebue
We depart Anchorage for the Village of Kotzebue, Alaska.
Kotzebue has been occupied by the Inupiat Eskimos for at least 600 years. “Kikiktagruk” was the hub of ancient arctic trading routes long before European contact, due to its coastal location near a number of rivers. When Russian explorer Lt. Otto Von Kotzebue discovered Kotzebue Sound in 1816 he found a large, well-established settlement – the home of the Inupiat Eskimos – bustling with subsistence hunting and fishing. The community was named after the sound in 1899 when a post office was established. The residents of Kotzebue are still primarily Inupiat Eskimos, and subsistence activities are still, over 100 years later, an integral part of their lifestyle. Each summer, as in many years past, the North Tent City fish camp is set up to dry and smoke the season’s catch. In the Fall, berries are harvested by the thousands for local consumption. Main Street is simply the gravel beach fronting the village. This community located just 26 miles north of the Arctic Circle, offers a rare opportunity to photograph a lifestyle as rich in culture today as it was in years past.
Upon arrival we check into the Nullagvik Hotel located on the shores of Kotzebue Sound.
August 26 - Orientation, Village Tour
This morning begins with a trip orientation. Following orientation we will take a walking tour of the town where you will have the opportunity to learn its history and to photograph the unusual aspects of Native life in the Arctic. Our guide for the day will be the former Miss Arctic Circle, Kathy Westlake. Ms. Westlake is also an accomplished artist and Runner Up in the Miss World Eskimo Olympics. Born in Nome, she grew up in the Villages of Nome, Barrow and Kotzebue. Her intimate knowledge of Arctic life will add ‘color’ to the day’s photographic excursions. Stops along the way will include a tour and radio interview on KOTZ AM, Kotzebue’s only radio station, the Friends Church Graveyard, visits with locals and finally we’ll be guests for lunch in Kathy’s home. Here we’ll have a chance to experience true Arctic cuisine…Caribou soup, smoked salmon, Yukon River fish, muktuk and Eskimo ice cream.
August 27 - Fish Camp
This morning we travel a short distance outside Kotzebue to LaVonne’s Fish Camp where we will spend the day. Located on the Chukchi Sea, the camp has an extraordinary view of the entire Baldwin Peninsula. A traditional subsistence salmon drying rack shares the beach with a fish smoker, processing sheds and a 900-foot salmon net. The fish camp offers you an opportunity to meet and photograph local Inupiat Eskimo people. The day will also include hiking on the tundra, setting fishnets, observing traditional bone carving; bird watching and if we’re lucky photograph some deer and caribou. Local native women will give us a demonstration of how they make their primary piece of clothing, the Arctic parka. LaVonne Hendricks operates the camp. A non-Native, LaVonne worked 14 years as a public health nurse serving 26 Inupiat villages. As a result of her work with the Native Eskimos of the region, Ms. Hendricks earned the TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA NATIONAL AWARD from First-lady Barbara Bush in 1989.
August 28 - Kotzebue
An early morning flight takes us from the fishing village of Kotzebue
to the Gold Rush town of Nome.
Malemiut, Kauweramiut and Unalikmiut Eskimos have occupied Nome and its environs for centuries with a well-developed culture adapted to the environment. In 1898 at tiny Anvil Creek a $1500. gold pan strike by three Scandinavians brought thousands of miners to Nome. Almost overnight an isolated stretch of tundra was transformed into a tent and log cabin city of 20,000 prospectors, gamblers, claim jumpers, saloonkeepers, and prostitutes. With nothing more than shovels, buckets, rockers and wheelbarrows, thousands of idle miners descended upon the beaches of Nome. The growing number of miners, combined with a lack of legal authority and an “air of lawlessness” made it very important to officially create a town. Incorporated in 1901, Nome is Alaska’s oldest continuous first class city. Since that first discovery of gold at Anvil Creek, Nome’s gold fields have yielded $136 million. Nome’s gold rush history, native culture, wildlife and diverse landscape offer unique photographic opportunities.
Upon arrival we will be met by a local guide and historian who will add local history and culture to our photo opportunities as we tour “downtown” Nome. This afternoon we’ll attend and photograph the Eskimo Games. These traditional games include the blanket toss, Stick Pull and Seal Hop.
This evening we’ll dine with the President of the Nome Chamber of Commerce and learn about the economy and traditions of the region. Following dinner we’ll head out for a Night Photo Excursion under the full moon.
Our hotel while in Nome is the Nome Nugget Inn located on Nome’s main street close to the Visitors Center, cafes, bars and the museum, which offers exhibits of Eskimo culture.
August 29 - The Village of Teller
Teller is the only village connected to Nome by road. The village is located in a spectacular naturally formed harbor where during the whaling boom sailing ships found shelter from notorious Bering Sea storms. Teller is a tiny village with a population of 275 people. Most people live a subsistence life style. We will walk around the village and photograph life, as it is just a few miles below the Arctic Circle. While in Teller we visit the home of Sarah and Norbert Karauk. Sarah and Norbert are Inupiaq Eskimos originally from Mary’s Igloo, 60 miles inland from Teller. Prior to heading back to Nome we make a stop at Safety Roadhouse, the last official check point on the world famous Iditarod Trail.
August 30 - Trains to Nowhere, Ancient Eskimo Dwellings
Today we travel east to photograph the “Trains to Nowhere”; three steam locomotives frozen in time from the later part of the gold rush. The relics of an industrial idea that failed to take into account the fury nature can unleash in this part of the world. The trains offer spectacular photographic vistas as they sit in the magnificent background of Safety Sound a 30-mile stretch of tidal wetlands home to many migrating birds and a nesting area for Tundra Swans. Later we stop to photograph the remains of ancient Eskimo mound dwellings that existed where many modern day Eskimo people have their camps today.
August 31 - Nome to Anchorage
This morning’s flight takes us to Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. After checking into the Westmark Hotel your day is free to explore on your own.
September 1 - Alaska State Fair, Palmer Alaska
This morning we board the Alaska Railroad and travel through the fertile Matanuska Valley to the Fairgrounds just an hour north of Anchorage. Each fall the Fair provides a setting for Alaska’s last blast of summer, a showcase of Alaska’s uniqueness and beauty. The Fair will give you a chance to photograph record-setting giant vegetables (the current record for the largest cabbage is 100.5 pounds), beautiful flower gardens, horse shows and farm exhibits.
Upon our return to Anchorage, we’ll share photos during our farewell dinner at the hotel.
September 2 – Depart
Today we leave the pristine beauty of our 49th State and return
to the Lower 48.
Sign me up!
The price is $2665.00 per person, double occupancy.
Single Supplement is $750.00
Price Includes: Airfare within Alaska, hotel and taxes, all
transfers, baggage handling, 8 meals, all sightseeing as indicated
in the itinerary, services of guides in Kotzebue and Nome, admission
to Alaska State Fair, roundtrip train transportation to State Fair,
and photographic instruction by Bonita Chimes.
Bonita Cimes
Bonita Chimes is the founder and owner of View Finders, photographic excursions and workshops for the beginning and experienced photographer. Bonita’s 20 years of experience include nature photography, photojournalism, portraits, the television media and 10 years commercial photography. She has managed, designed and published art magazines, judged photo competitions, coordinated numerous photo exhibits, and provided all the photos for the Western New Youk tour book Somewhere to Go on Sunday. Many of her photographs have been published in newspapers, magazines, and books. Bonita has an on-going project that began in 1994 documenting small towns in rural areas entitled: Little Towns Are Not Forgotten. Five completed volumes can be viewed throughout Western New York and Central California where she presently lectures and conducts workshops. Through her experience, teaching technique and specially designed programs, she has guided many amateur photographers into professional careers.
Tour Escort
Diane Tempest
Ms. Tempest is a former Group Sales Manager for American Express Travel Services. A graduate of the International Tour Management Institute, Ms. Tempest has directed tours to over 20 International and Domestic destinations. Diane is also owner of Galleria Tempest, a Sacramento gallery of American craft. “I think we can learn a lot about different cultures by the way they express themselves through the arts be it music, dance, painting or sculpture. “
Email:
diane@galleriatempest.com
