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Adventure Girl: Last Call at the King Ko Inn
Author: Monica McCabe, Adventure Consultant
Original Publication Date in Love Notes: April 2008My year spent in King Salmon, Alaska, went by faster than I ever
imagined. I’d arrived in ice and snow, survived spring break-up,
worked hard through a whirlwind summer, and welcomed autumn with an
excessive amount of sightseeing and fun. If you’ve been reading this
series, my last five articles covered the more noteworthy events
like drug busts, emergency landings, and Katmai National Park. So
before I move on to Fairbanks and other Alaska cities, I thought I’d
do a wrap up of things learned, along with a confession or two.
That said…here we go.
~ Whoever it was that lost $50 in the bar one night, I found it.
And I was a happy little squirrel too, stashing that windfall away.
Since I never got to properly thank whoever you are, I’m using this
forum to send out my heartfelt appreciation. You added to my grand
total for the year and though it was only $50, I’ve never forgotten
you!
~ Confession - It ain’t easy for a southerner to learn to drive
on ice and snow. The King Ko was really way too trusting when they
loaned me the Inn’s van to go to Naknek for a dentist appointment. I
never told them how I rounded that curve too fast, went into a 180
spin, and slammed into a shallow snow bank that tilted the van onto
two wheels. The beast hovered there for the longest three seconds of
my life before dropping back to the blessed ground. Afterward, I sat
there for 10 minutes trying to calm down enough to drive on to
Naknek, albeit much slower. Maybe now that I’ve confessed they’ll
read this and I’ll be forgiven…
~ Okay, this one is important, so listen up. Never, ever, pour a
shot of liquor and count it out with a southern accent. It’s 1-2-3
snap, snap, snap. Not the soft genteel drawl of 1….2….3. This is
what a crash course in bartending taught me. You see, I’d never
tended bar before and Judy, King Ko’s then hilarious co-manager,
seemed to frown over the rapid depletion of bar stock. Though none
of the customers complained, so really, what was the problem?
~ It’s hard to beat the Flying Tigers 747 dramatic emergency
landing at King Salmon, but we did have another aviation disaster in
the form of an old style cargo plane. It was vintage and silver,
made me think of the 1940’s, and was jam-packed with crates of
freshly caught salmon. As things happen, just after take off the
fuel line busted, jet-fuel spewed everywhere, and the pilots sort of
crash-landed in the tundra. They were okay, but the plane sat there
for days - ice melting, fish smelling, bears zeroing in like flies
to honey. The eager bears were just bellying up to the smorgasbord
when the military stepped in to help clean things up. They rescued
the plane, though the tundra took a hit, and I regret that I never
learned the fate of the fishes. I hope they were left behind for the
party-loving bears.
~ I’m pretty sure this next one is no secret. No matter what
coast you hail from, men cooped up on a fishing boat for weeks can
be a little bold when they come ashore. Really, I should have
realized that and brushed up on the art of deflection before all the
summer madness hit. But then I discovered something amazing. A
little light flirting goes a long way when it comes to counting tips
at the end of a shift! So I sailed that current, added to my
squirrel cache, and wound up having one heck of a blast that season.
Most everyone was good natured and friendly, and the indulgence in
laughter and teasing helped lift the feeling of isolation that came
with being so far north of the lower 48.
~ The year was 1985. We had no cell phones, no internet, no
satellite TV. But we were living in an educated world. Or so I
thought, until the day I placed a catalog order by phone. When I
gave my address to the clerk, she said…"I’m sorry, but we only ship
to American addresses." I blinked, checked the calendar, and
said..."I think we're good. Alaska became America’s 49th state in
1959." Believe it or not, that was just the tip of the iceberg, if
you'll pardon the frozen pun. I heard questions like...Does the sun
ever shine up there? Is there always snow on the ground? What kind
of money do you use up there? Honestly, this list could go on and
on. Someone needs to write a book...
~ Have you any idea how much fun you can have when the sun never
sets? I mean, this southerner had no concept of life in perpetual
daylight. They dubbed Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun for a very
good reason. Summer is a riot of activity. For people, plants, and
animals! I'd get off work at eleven-thirty at night, walk outside to
the Beaver Hut, and it would still be broad daylight. That's just
fantastic, despite the serious lack of snooze time it robs from you.
Eventually though, I had to make myself one of those sleep masks,
because sunshine at two a.m. really messes with your internal clock.
Sooner or later you gotta get some sleep.
And I saved the best for last…
(credit: Microsoft Clip Art)
~ Viewing the Northern Lights. Let’s face facts; those dancing
ribbons of color in the night sky are the most phenomenal experience
a body could ever see. I’d stand outside to watch them until I was
frozen in place, and I was so awe inspired that I didn’t care. To
this day I’ve never seen anything to match it. I recently had a
friend who took a mid-winter trip to Bettles (north of the Arctic
Circle) just to catch a glimpse of the aurora borealis. Yes, it’s
that amazing and worth braving thirty-below-zero temperatures to
watch the light show they offer. Do it. Go. Pack up the bunny boots
and the parka and get up there. You won’t regret it.
Just before the winter of 85/86 I left King Salmon. It was sort
of a sad day for me because I enjoyed my time there so much. But
Alaska is a big state and I had more to see and do. After a brief
visit to Anchorage, my next stop was Fairbanks where I spent two and
a half years exploring the miles between Denali and the Arctic
Circle. I think I’ll tell you about the Outhouse Races next.
Everyone loves a good bathroom story…right?
***
Monica McCabe writes adventure columns for her website,
www.monicamccabe.net, and has
graciously allowed us to duplicate some of them here. Got a
request of an adventurous location? Contact her through her website and
let her know!
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