Afternoon on the Boat

We spent this afternoon out on the boat with our new friends Lance and Charlotte. Charlotte is a biologist for Alaska Fish & Wildlife, and Lance is a new science teacher at the high school. They invited us out for an afternoon on their boat to do some exploring on the Noatak River (the river mouth is just across the sound from Kotzebue). It was a perfect day to get out; there was no wind and the temperature was about 60-65 degrees outside. I have not been upriver very much during the summer months, especially compared to how much time I spent out there during the winter. Plus, it is always awesome to get out when the weather is to beautiful. Here are some pictures from the trip:

Looking at Kotzebue from the Sound:

We were lucky enough not to get stuck on one of the many sandbars in the river or sound. But, it wasn't all easy going. We were almost back to town when the boat motor cut off, out of nowhere. Lance tried to restart it, and he tried putting his spare battery in, but it didn't work. Luckily, some people who we happened to know drove by just after the engine died and gave us a tow back to town.

Here we are getting towed:

Thank goodness the battery didn't die when we were exploring one of the small tributaries of the river! We made it back home all safe and sound after a very fun day with some new friends.