Old Harbor

Ariel View of Old Harbor

Welcome to my Explore Alaska Course blog.  I am in Old Harbor, Alaska which is fishing village of approximately 250 people on Kodiak Island.  I am the secondary math and science teacher at Old Harbor School.  There are 41 students in our school this year.  We have five teachers, a principal, a counselor and three instructional assistants.  Our high school students receive some instruction from Kodiak High School  and from other highly qualified teachers around the island through video conferencing.  Our community is working to preserve their Alutiiq culture through dancing and language studies.  

Looking across the strait to Sitkalidak Island at night

Right now my favorite place to be is at home in Old Harbor with loved ones and my dogs.  This is the view from my backyard that I enjoy every day.  Old Harbor is peaceful community which makes you feel as if you have traveled back in time to an era in which a simple way of life is the norm.  On a clear night, the sky lights up with the twinkle of the millions of stars that become visible.  Occasionally, you will catch a glimpse of the majestic giant Kodiak Bear.  I came here to teach and found a place to call home.

Las Vegas, my home town.
 
I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Many people think of Las Vegas and think of the neon lights and glitter.  Although it is commonplace to see a slot machine everywhere even inside the local convenince stores, I was not raised nor learned to gamble in a casino at an early age.  Nor, did I learn to pull the handle of a slot machine before learning to hold my baby bottle. One of my favorite things to do as a kid was to take my dog hiking in Red Rock Canyon.  I never remember stressing about the scorching heat of the desert.  I do remember being surrounded by the beauty of the naturally painted rocks and fine desert sand.

Check out this link to see beautiful pictures of Red Rock Canyon.
Red Rock Canyon Interperative Association

Las Vegas is in the Mojave Desert. This desert is known for the unique Joshua trees and the lowest place on Earth, Death Valley.  The city of Las Vegas is located in a basin between the mountains.  Its western borders are the Sierra and Cascade Mountain Ranges.  These mountain ranges are a major factor causing the arid climate of the region.  As you leave the city, you will find incredible rock formations created by ageless changes throughout time in the Earth's crust.  When you are driving with your windows open you will experience very sudden drops in the temperature of the air around you.  This temperature drop is the result of the many aquifers found underneath the valley's floor.  Throughout the valley, you will also find traces of alluvial fans that are evidence of the mighty rivers that once flowed across the valley thousand of years ago.  Flash floods are quite common during the monsoon summer months leaving flooded plains throughout the region.  The ancient lakes have left a few playas, dried lake beds, filled with interesting treasures of the past to discover.  Lake Mead is a man made lake formed when the Colorado River was re-routed and the Hoover Dam created to harness its power and to bring additional water to the Las Vegas region.

Las Vegas from Google Earth.