RickinDutch's VirtualTourist Home Page

02/08 - We are all settled in Kodiak, Alaska. The move from Unalaska after living there 18 years proved to me that the Matahama had the right idea. A loincloth and a bowl are all you really need in life. Happy travels!

Now I have to get to work updating this homepage. Written a long while back it is all about our previous island home.

As I wander thru the many home pages and travel tips from thousands of folks from around the world I find great comfort in sharing that mutual understanding of the importantance of travel. Of getting outside of one's known world and experiencing life in someone else's shoes. Of seeking the different.

Americans are often accused of being ignorant of life in the rest of the world. And for the most part, it is hard to argue the point. On a trip to India years ago, I found myself trying to explain American foreign policy in Central America to a 12 year old Indian girl. She knew more about what we were doing there than I. I've never forgotten that lesson. But the vast majority of Americans rarely travel outside of the country, care little about world events and have been spared the experiences of abject poverty or political oppression. Not having to rise above such extremes and not having a good, unbiased source of information does lend us an air of softness or a lack of gravity. While I recognize hardship does build character, I won't apologize for being an American, but I will work hard to keep an open mind. VT warns us to avoid political discussions, so I'll end here. Suffice it to say, I'm keeping my Irish Passport close by these days!

Travel, especially outside of our own borders, especially off the beaten path, gives us an understanding of how fortunate we have been and also an idea of what we have missed. Breaks down barriers and wipes away prejudicies. Opens the pores and the eyes.

Anyway, by way of introduction...
My wife Aimee and I and three of our five kids moved to Unalaska in 1990 to experience rural Alaska after many years living in the big city (Anchorage). We have loved our life here. Great place to live and raise a family. With only 4500 year round residents, town has kept a small town feel but added many of the ammenities of modern life. Unalaska is an island 800 miles SW of Anchorage at the same latitude as Prince Rupert, B.C., along the Aleutian Islands.

I was born in London, England, and immigrated to the US at the age of 8. Grew up in Los Angeles (Hawthorne & Manhattan Beach). Worked for an airline (Flying Tigers) in L.A. and then in Anchorage for ten years. Saw a lot of airports and a little of the world. Have always enjoyed travel, though it seems either I'm getting claustraphobic or these planes are getting mighty crowded. I remember when you could use the tray in front of you to eat with.

I spent many years travelling without a camera, always thought postcards would do the trick and I could spend my time experiencing the journey without a lens in the way. Now, as I add tips from various journeys, they seem lacking without a photo. I'll get around to scanning what few old photos I have when time permits. Who would have thought that slides would go the way of the album and the 8-track?

I'll start with Unalaska as that is what I know best and what you probably know the least about, then branch out. As I look at my travel list I see that I have been to a few places in the world. What I have listed are places where I actually went beyond the airport. But much of my travel is from long ago and my tips wouldn't be very valid today.

Balancing real life with building virtual travelogues can be a bit dodgy - but doable. Right?

From either land or the sea, the landscape here in the Aleutians takes your breath away. This photo was taken just a short boat ride away off Cape Cheerful. We were out watching the whales that day.

We have over 650 bald eagles that live here full time.That is more bald eagles than in the entire western United States. Best time to see them is May thru July, when nesting and raising their young, they are everywhere around town. The photo here is of an immature bald eagle hanging out in the grocery store parking lot.

When someone is cleaning their fish or repairing a fishing net, hundreds will start gathering in the hope of easy chow. Gives new meaning to the term "pecking order" as they fight over who gets the best pieces of the fish (I guess it is the real meaning of the term?).

Commerical fishing is the driving force behind Unalaska / Dutch Harbor. More fish are landed here than anywhere else in North America. Visitors seem to find it refreshing that our reason for being is not tourism but we have the ammenities and activities that make it well worth the visit.

I've been to a few places around this world but never to any place that compares to Unalaska. I now understand the term a "sense of place". I'll just be driving along to work mulling over some problem or listening to NPR and then see a scene like this or a humpback whale surfacing in the bay - and my mouth drops open and all I can say is "WOW"! Sure, we don't have malls, or a movie theater, or fast food outlets - but who cares? We have what really counts. A great community sorrounded by mind bending beauty.
Last week, while driving home, there was an eagle perched on each of the light poles heading out the valley. 24 in a row! Of course, I'm still not a full blooded VT-aholic, because the camera was at home.

If you are planning a trip to Alaska, this image will give you a hint of how large we are. I love to tell Texans that if we cut ourselves into two, they would then be the third largest state.
So where I live would be New Mexico and our capitol, Juneau, somewhere in Georgia. A little perspective goes a long way!

Here is our 4th of July parade from 2005. It may not seem much to the visitor, but I love the cross section of town that participate each year. Each year seems bigger than the last as we continue to grow. Fire trucks and police cars, Lions, seniors, FilAm, fish & wildlife, local tribe, Parks & Rec, dozen of kids on bikes and floats from local businesses and non-profits. A good time is had by all and it never rains on the 4th!

Our latest family member, English Bull Dog "Benelli". I had hoped for a canine somewhat more "svelt" but my wife has wanted a bull dog since she was a child. "Nelli" has grown on me these past few months. Very mellow and loving. But since we were raising the grandson - what the heck.