The Delta has Mountains!

Several weeks ago, Erin and I drove up river to the village of Aniak. From Bethel to Aniak is about 250 miles round trip. That is by far the farthest and longest I have driven my Jeep on the Kuskokwim, ever. The trip will probably forever hold that title. This winter has been cold with a very early freeze up of the river. Many people have been talking about how great the river road conditions were this year, and it is true. From Bethel there is a well-plowed, two-lane road that a construction company maintains for their own vehicles, which continues about 20 miles up river. After that, for as far as you can possibly drive up river, the road becomes a set of two tracks, depending on weather conditions. Still, the ice has been in excellent condition and is about as perfect for driving as ice can be.

(Map of route and villages)

My co-workers and neighbors, Carrie and Paul Longpre, invited me to help them move some of their belongings to Aniak. They are moving there this summer and wanted to bring their truck along to leave it there. They could have shipped it but that would have been expensive. So instead, I followed Paul in my Jeep to Aniak where he dropped off his truck and then we all rode together back down to Bethel.

(River road from Bethel to Kwethluk)

Erin, Paul, and I set off bright and early in the morning, around 10am. Paul was in the lead since he knew the way and I followed behind. Erin was cranky for a while because she ate breakfast late, but other than that there were really no problems for the rest of the trip. Like I said before, the first 20 miles up river were easy going since the river had been plowed down to the ice, creating a road that was really no bumpier than your average Michigan highway. You could easily do 50 mph on that stretch. Once we reached Kwethluk, however, the road became a two track and stayed that way for the rest of the trip (mostly).

(The Beginning ft. Erin)

When we got past Akiak, the next village up river, we had officially gone further than I’d ever been, whether by vehicle, boat, or snowmachine. From that point to the next village, Tuluksak, the road conditions worsened. The two track became slushy and ill-defined. This was due to the fact that the day we took the trip, as well as previous couple days, the weather was unusually warm and sunny. This melted the little snow we had and made following the two track very difficult at times. If it were not for Paul knowing the way, I’m sure I would have gotten lost had I tried the trip on my own.

(Akiak river bank)

(Car abandoned on river bank outside of Akiak)

(The only road sign on the river, that I know of)

(Sandbar outside Tuluksak)

(Paul Longpre and Erin)


(Me and Erin)

(Conditions of the river road)

From Tuluksak to Kalskag, the road became better due to more snow. This made following the road easier since it was no longer a guessing game as to what path to take. It was also at this time that the mountains became much more noticeable and began to fill the skyline. From Bethel, the mountains to the north seem so distant, which they kind of are. It was nice to finally approach the peaks that, up until that point, I had only viewed from afar. Unfortunately, my camera battery died during this leg of the trip. Therein lies the problem of rechargeable batteries; you can’t just change them out like double AAs.

(Looking north from Tuluksak)

(Sand bluffs below Kalskag)

(Mountains approaching Kalskag)

From Kalskag, the river bent sharply toward the east. This bend marked a major turning point in terrain features. Solid rock became visible from cliffs that lined the river. Below that point, all the way down river to the Bearing Sea there are no cliffs of granite, just cliffs of silt and mud. Real trees, like pines and birch, also replaced the scraggly alders and willows that dominate the lower reaches of the Kuskokwim. I was so excited!!! Trees and rocks! I felt a peace in the more familiar landscape.

(Random houses in Kalskag)

(Kalskag has birch trees, ooo!)

When we arrived in Aniak, we gassed up, even though the trip used only 1/3 tank of gas, and met up with Paul’s son who lived there, Jacque. We ate lunch with Jacque and his wife, and then drove over to Paul’s new house. I’d heard a how pretty the view was from Paul’s wife, Carrie, but I had no idea how right she was. The house has a dream view. It sits about 30 feet above the river on a step embankment and a place to beach a boat at the base. All they need to do is build some step down the bank and it would be perfect. Right across the river is a good-sized mountain, staring down at the house. In the distance are more mountains and you just get this feeling of grandeur from it all. The house is small but very livable. In my opinion, the Paul and Carrie have purchased my dream house. I could easily spend the rest of my life living there. Aniak is like a smaller, cleaner, nicer Bethel. I think my mother would actually approve of the place, unlike her opinion of Bethel.

(On way back from Aniak)

After we unpacked the vehicles and dropped of Paul’s truck, we all piled into my Jeep and made our way back down river to Bethel. This time, my camera battery had gotten a recharge and I was able to take some pictures. Actually, Erin took most of the pictures because I was way to busy driving. While we were in Aniak, the weather warmed up even more and it had rained slightly. This meant that there was literally NO two track to follow any more. Paul and I tried to navigate the best we could but most of the time I just drove over what looked most passable and safest. There was also a lot of water on the river by this time. This water though was mostly melt water from snow. The river was still frozen at least 4 feet thick. There was no chance of falling through but there was the chance of loosing momentum is slush and water. This would inevitably lead to becoming stuck so the best way to drive way fast. I just let my momentum carry me through the rough spots.

This, of course, meant the ride back was pretty rough. I bounced poor Paul and Erin around terribly. I had a blast, having full confidence in my driving abilities. Paul and Erin, on the other hand, just had to trust that I wouldn’t flip the vehicle over. They were both grabbing the “oh-shit” handles often. Paul just kept telling me I was having too much fun. I disagree; I was having just the right amount of fun. It was a riot. Since I sped home, we made excellent timing and completed the round trip journey in only 10 hours, 7.5 of which were actual driving.

(Just outside of Aniak)

The trip was amazing. The scenery was incredible. I got to see a vision of my future abode (hopefully). I couldn’t have asked for a better adventure. I also have bragging rights that I’ve driven to Aniak. There are a lot of people who’ve lived in Bethel for a long time who have never done that.

Next Post: My first trip to Three Step Mountain in search of caribou. Unfortunately, it was 20 below that day and the cold drained my battery, so no pictures from that trip. I’ll have to ride out there again to take some, when it’s not so cold out.