Barrow, Alaska
Barrow,
Early day – up at 
Nothing is thrown away – there is nowhere to throw it, so everything is lying around used and unused. Saw a regular car put on top of tank treads – stuff is used here in unusual ways.
The natives still hunt whale, seal and caribou for food, clothing, and tradition. They also buy regular western-style goods at the local store, so the depressing nature of the town is not due to just poverty. We toured the town with a local native 
who is a whaleboat captain (an honored position in the community) in a school bus and attended a native dance that included a blanket toss. The locals and about 25 of the visitors helped to hold the blanket and tossed this poor little girl at least 20 feet in the air – it is a celebration ritual 
for the natives when the whale harvest is good. 
Gasoline for cars (they do have quite a few) is over $3.00 per gallon and our choice of restaurants included Mexican, Chinese and Korean. We even tried mukluk (whale blubber with skin attached) – Jack liked it, but I chewed once and that was it. I’d never be able to make it through the bug and slug fests on the TV show Survivor. 
Three brave souls took the challenge and became a member of the polar bear club – entry requirement is a fully submerged dunk in the 
To think that these folks spend 8 months a year in darkness in addition to the depressing environment we saw in mid-summer 24-hour daylight is unimaginable. Needless to say, Barrow is not on our “revisit” list, but it was one of those places you want to see (once). It also is one of the most unique and interesting places we have visited.
