Flying to Barrow

We left this morning to go to the Arctic Ocean and the city of Barrow. We arrived at Barrow by noon and took a tour with a native of the town, whose English name is Sam. I did not find out his Inupiaq name, but he was a great guide telling us about the town and the ways of his people. He was especially knowledgable about the subsistence whaling that his people still do in their villages. While he said he was too old to do it anymore himself, he had done it in his youth, starting when he was under 10 years of age. 

You can't tell by how he is dressed, but there was a windchill that made the temperature feel like it was in the 20s.  And he was describing it as a fine summer day. 

We managed to find the Arctic Ocean and it was definitely cold! Ice cold!

We flew in an eight passenger Piper Navajo. 

The flight stopped in Settles, with its historic lodge. 

Unfortunately, it was pretty cloudy all the way, although we managed to see the ocean and the edge of the ice as we flew into Barrow. 

Mike and I now have a certificate that states that we crossed the Arctic Circle. We can take that off the bucket list.