Bethel's Boardwalks

Weather update: It is so clear and sunny outside. When you look out the window, you think...oh, it looks like such a nice day...I should go out. SIKE...it's -30 outside and there's not a chance of going out for very long with it being that cold. Let me tell you...-30 is SOOOOOO cold. You basically HAVE TO cover every inch of skin or you put yourself at risk of getting frostbite. It's really nice that it's sunny though. I have the blinds open to let the light in, it's great, even if it is cold.

Sunlight update: We are up to almost 6 and a half hours of sunlight and gaining almost 4 minutes of sunlight everyday. If you think about it, that means that we will gain 40 minutes in only 10 days. That so cool! I cant wait to get back to having lots of sunlight.

Packer update: They won brilliantly against the Seahawks yesterday, even after two miserable intercepts and touchdowns by the Seahawks in the first 4 minutes. After that, the Pack came back and dominated the entire game, which led to a easy win. The other good news is that the NYGiants were able to beat the Cowboys today, which means that Green Bay will be plays AT HOME against the Giants which should be another easy victory. Which means SUPERBOWL BABY! Having GB in the superbowl will be a rockin' birthday present to me. I cant wait!

On to the blog topic...Bethel's Boardwalks...There are no side walks in Bethel. There are, however, many boardwalks that are built over the tundra. During the muddy season, these boardwalks were great to keep you from having to walk in the mud. This boardwalk is about 8-10 feet above the ground, built up on stilts, and sways when you walk on it.

This is the boardwalk that leads to the college. On the right is the college and on the left is the dorm. This is the University of Alaska-Kuskokwim campus. It's great that Bethel has a college.
Here is another boardwalk. This is "the boardwalk". The most used one that leads from the main part of town to the high school.

This is a boardwalk out at Pinky's Park, the major park in Bethel. The park has a playground, a skate park, basketball courts, and a ball field.

Even the playground is up on a boardwalk.
You can see how the playground is built up off the ground. A boardwalk leads to and from the playground.
It's so strange to see a playground built like this, but the ground is always moving and shifting because of the permafrost, so it can't be built directly on the ground.
As you can see, these pictures were taken during the fall when the tundra was changing colors