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Fur seals on the Pribilof Islands
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The Pribilof Islands
Lying in the midst of the Bering Sea, the islands
of St. Paul and St. George are together known as
the Pribilof Islands. These desolate, foggy and
windswept islands are overrun with wildlife and
each summer a million fur seals, the largest
gathering of sea mammals in the world, swim
ashore to breed on the dark sand beaches. The
islands’ dizzying ocean cliffs are also home to one
of the largest seabird colonies in the northern
hemisphere, with well over two million birds
ranging from common murres and crested auklets
to tufted puffins and cormorants. The cliffs are
easy to reach and during the summer breeding
months more than 230 species of birds have
been sighted. Two tiny communities here
comprise the world’s largest indigenous Aleut
villages which, along with a rich Russian heritage,
make these islands fascinating to explore.
Prospecting for gold on Nome’s golden beaches
Nome
In many ways Nome is the archetypal Alaskan
town – rough-hewn, fun-loving, a wild west ghost
town that refuses to die. Situated on the rugged
Bering Sea coast and cut off from the continental
road system, Nome is closer to Siberia than to
Anchorage. It was here in 1898 that three
Scandinavians discovered gold at Anvil Creek and
the following year gold was discovered on the
beaches. News of the ‘golden beaches’ spread and
soon 20,000 prospectors flocked to the town that
is now Nome. Wyatt Earp and his wife arrived
here by steamship in 1899 to open the Dexter,
Nome’s largest and most luxurious saloon. He left
two years later with $80,000 – a fortune at that
time. Although much of the original architecture
has been lost and gold mining is no longer a
prominent industry, Nome retains its colourful
character. The town enjoys a scenic setting beside
the Bering Sea and is watched over by Anvil
Mountain. Beside the sea wall lies the Donald
Perkins Memorial Plaza featuring a collection of
old mining detritus including dredge buckets left
over from the 100 or more gold dredges that
once operated here. Each year a variety of events
takes places in this fascinating town, the best
known of which is likely to be the gruelling
Iditarod dog-sled race which ends here
in March. Participants mush their teams across
1,688 kilometres of inhospitable terrain, in freezing
Traditional dress on the Pribilof Islands
temperatures, from Anchorage to this little town
beside the Bering Sea coast. Summer visitors are
more likely to encounter reindeer and musk oxen
which can often be seen grazing on the tundra
outside town. The region is also considered prime
bird-watching territory. There are roads here –
something of a novelty in this part of the world –
and so no trip to Nome is complete without
hiring a pick-up truck to explore.
AURORA INN, NOME
This modern hotel, situated on Front Street, lies
just a short walk from the centre of town. There
are 68 light and spacious guest rooms in a variety
of room types, some with kitchenettes, and
facilities include guest laundry and a sauna.