Bethel: The Beginning

Before we even left Seattle, we did a little shopping. Ha ha ha!

We were scheduled to put the Tahoe on the last barge out of Seattle. This was imperative as they couldn't guarantee any later barges due to river ice. Before we even left Orlando, everyone in Bethel and at the moving company recommended that we fill the Tahoe up with heavy items. Surprisingly, we were charged based on the length of the vehicle as opposed to the weight. We were allowed to full it up to the windows and certainly made use of the space! For the record, that's a new (and empty) propane tank. :)

We did most of our damage at the pet store. We bought a year's worth of supplies for Tibby, figuring that shipping his food and litter would cost an arm and leg. We filled three shopping carts and cleaned the store out of their adult Science Diet food. We even went into the back and took every can they had. Hope no one came in later for some. Most of the store employees were in shock and wanted to know how many cats we had. However, we were totally spotted at the register. The woman in the next line just grinned and asked if we lived in rural Alaska. She lived outside of Anchorage years ago and could tell we were stocking up for the bush.

We also bought a grill, empty propane tank, and some stuff from Sam's. We kind of ran out of room, so the Sam's run was pretty small. About 8 boxes of laundry soap, a few cases of Diet Coke, some canned veggies. I think some trash bags. We had no clue what were doing! We just focused on heavy stuff.

The drop-off at the dock went as smoothly as can be. We were pleased. It should take about 3 weeks for the truck to arrive. It was quite odd to be down to only a few suitcases after the Tahoe drop-off. It really felt like we were slowly peeling away the layers of stuff as we made our way closer to Bethel. Though it has been interesting to see how little we need to be comfortable and how little of our stuff we missed. Though we can't wait to bring Tibby up here.

So on September 6, we got a a plane and flew to our new home. We made it! The ride was a smooth and no-fuss as can be. We also grabbed some McDonald's at the Anchorage airport before getting on the plane to Bethel. Marshall was adamant about getting one last fast food meal. I did not have time to find the airport Starbucks and had to settle for a greasy meal. But it was lunch and the last time I would be eating anything like it for awhile. There are no fast food chains in Bethel. Well, hardly any chains at all - Subway is about it. 

We arrived to sunshine (surprising) and chilly temps. However, that was mild because it's getting cooler every day here. We've been lucky to get quite a bit of sun. The weather changes very quickly too, so rain might roll in before you can even drive across town. It's really windy, in the 40s-50s, and rainy off-and-on. Aside from the storm last night, the rain is nothing like Florida or Louisiana. It's hasn't phased us a bit. :)

We're in temporary housing right now, a 4-bedroom house that we share with a constant stream of traveling healthcare workers. We've had three different housemates so far. We've been lucky though; they have all been nice and the house is pretty comfortable. We bought a coffee pot and wireless router so we would feel a bit more at home. We have our priorities! 

Life is really good and we are having a great time. I will definitely update more and give you all the details of the past two weeks. We've already had some adventures! In the interim, here is a picture of our new vehicle. It has been perfect for life here and we're having a blast on it.