Solstice was yesterday. High was 66, and my face is
sunburned. Today, little white flowers are blooming
on the tundra. More waterfowl are showing up, as are
more caribou. The pack ice was moving offshore for a
couple days, but today is back in with the wind shift.
Although we drive the same (one and only) road to and
from our lodging everyday, I still see new things I
hadn’t noticed before at roadside industrial sites.
It’s hard to wrap my arms around this place, but I
learn more everyday. One of the most striking things,
really, is how clean the whole place is. It’s really
no foolin’ on any type of spill here – even if you
miss the funnel on refilling the oil like on the small
generators we were doing preventative maintenance on
today. The units go into “duck ponds”, which are
little square duckie-yellow pool-like things about 8
inches deep. You place absorbent pads in these, then
your engine on the pads. It’s called “secondary
containment”, and is the law of the land here in the
oil field. All the soiled absorbs go into a double
bagged “oily waste” bag, and these go to a separate
handling facility. There’s no garbage or other type
of dump here that I know of – all garbage is shipped
out.

I’m alot less apprehensive now about drilling in the
state for oil. From seeing things here, I’m sure we
can do the drilling and extraction safely. What the
oil itself does to global warming, global warfare,
etc., is another question, as is transporting the oil
safely. And of course, I don’t think new production
will drop the price of gas significantly anywhere –
not even here in Alaska.

Our quandry is people demand their free annual money
from the state – called the “Permanent Fund Dividend”
above all other governmental functions. That check
depends on the price of oil (at least in part). So,
people here bemoan the high oil prices, but also
demand their checks be as high as possible – which
means selling the oil here as high as possible.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

The nicest day yet today. Actually got sunburned on
my face today. Saw an arctic fox while we were
pressure testing oil spill response hose. More and
more pairs of geese, ducks and song birds are arriving
for the big nest. Much more open water, it seems
today, and water so blue.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Learned yet more ways to get a one way ticket south
from Prudhoe Bay today. -Porn and gambling on company
computers and internet. – Putting the fuel nozzle in
your truck, then jumping in the cab to stay warm
instead of tending it and putting a “duck pond” on the
ground under the nozzle to contain any overflow. – Not
reporting an accident with your vehicle.

Saw the same 2 caribou bulls in full velvet with a cow
on the ride home today. Fog is setting in from the
Arctic Ocean.

Already seeing I may have somehow stumbled into one of
the best slope jobs there are, and feeling luckier
every day.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

I’ve been here for 5 days, and it seems in every new
orientation or training class, I learn a new way to
get fired, and sent home – no questions asked.

1. Get caught with booze or illegal drugs.
2. Use of cell phone whilst driving vehicle.
3. Speeding.
4. Missing your flight to work from Anchorage.
5. Numerous times leaving used towels on your room
floor.
6. Lying about what happened to a damaged vehicle.

That’s what I remember for now. I’m sure I’ve
forgotten a few, and will update those later.

Today I can see some fog out over the water. Still
nice here – in the 40’s, and it seems a lot warmer
than that.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

Another fantastic day here on the Arctic Ocean. Sunny
and warm – it had to have been in the 50’s today.
Always a breeze and I haven’t seen bug one. I
wandered out to look at some of the oil response
vessels in the parking lot, and there was a caribou,
hungrily grazing along the creek. Saw more caribou
today – one a nicely developing bull in velvet. I’m
listening to the Barrow Radio station on the internet.
It’s the birthday show, and the whole town must be
listening, as everyone who isn’t having a birthday
seems to be calling in saying Happy Birthday to
everyone who is having their birthday.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com

I arrived to my new job on the north slope day before
yesterday. I met a main supervisor for our work
group, who got me situated in a room and showed me the
mess hall. Today, we started about 530 am. I still
needed to get my ID, so the same supervisor from last
evening showed me hunting slides for about ½ hour
until badge place opened. This is definitely going to
be a good place to work.

We worked doing maintenance on the boats for the day,
and generally getting as aquainted with staff and the
place as you can in one day. This place is bigger
than the Beatles. It’s flat as far as you can see in
most directions, except far to the south, where the
Brooks Range guards the Arctic plain. I moved to the
company barracks today. My room is on the 8th (the
highest) floor, and overlooks the Arctic Ocean, where
the pack ice is still in place but breaking up. The
temperature is in the 40’s and very comfortable. I
saw my first emperor geese today, as well as other
ducks and a caribou. Although some see the oil patch
as an industrial park, it’s also in essence a reserve
for Alaska wildlife. There’s no hunting in the oil
lease areas where we work, so the animals have no
reason to fear us, and seem to be used to the activity
around them.

If first impressions are good long term indicators, I
think I’m going to like it here, and fit in here, just
fine.

Today is second full day of work, which was spent in
hazardous materials DOT training. A freakin’ thrill a
minute. I think I got more rest there than in my bed
last night.

Saw a couple pairs of Arctic loons today. Another
bright, sunny, nice day here with temps in the 40’s.

–
Mark Stopha and Sara Hannan
Alaska Wild Salmon Company
Wild Salmon and Salmon Pet Treats
4455 N. Douglas Hwy
Juneau, AK 99801
907-463-3115
www.GoodSalmon.com