4 Wheelin' the Bush

Last week, our Honda finally made it to Goodnews. We ordered it about a month ago from Ron's Honda in Soldotna, which is a town east of us on the Kenai Peninsula (that is just north of Kodiak Island). Because our four wheeler had to be shipped on a freight plane, the shipping alone cost $1,500. We have found that the majority of four wheelers (as well as trucks and other vehicles) in Goodnews have been bought used from contractors, hunters, etc. who come here for a job or an expedition. Because of the enormous shipping cost, they sell them cheap to villagers rather than pay to have them shipped back out. In this way, villagers get to purchase discounted vehicles, but it is a bit of a waiting game to try and snag a used one. We haven't seen or heard of anyone coming in with one, so we would most likely be waiting months for a used set of wheels. We decided to forego that hassle and just purchase a new quad. Of course, our quad is now the envy of the village. Christina has already had people come up to her asking if they can buy it when we leave!

While the main reason for buying a quad was for our long commute from home to school, we are definitely excited to have the freedom to explore the area a bit more. Below are some pictures we took from a quick trip last weekend. These pictures are taken about a mile or two from our door.

A view of Mammaq from the road by our house. Once you scale this hill, it is endless lakes and mountains for close to 100 miles. The nearest village is Quinhagak, which is about 90 miles from here.

In this area, just about a mile from our house, a bear was shot last week. An announcement went out on the VHF for anyone who wanted bear meat, but we missed out because we don't yet have one of the radios.

To the left, you can faintly see a quad trail. There is a good trout stream about 8 or 9 miles out that way. We tried to find it, but ran into some pretty deep ruts in the tundra that made the trail impassable. I may try again this weekend if the weather clears out. (We've been experiencing some pretty intense rain and wind storms lately)