Visiting Alaska's Distant Aleutian Islands
2021-08-21
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1Halfway between the United States and Japan is Alaska's Adak Island.
2 It is one of the remote Aleutian islands.
3It is a place known for its natural beauty.
4The coast is home to rich wildlife.
5Purple lupine flowers can be seen along roads through grassy hills.
6Hot springs cover the landscape.
7Snow-topped mountains and the Great Sitkin volcano rise in the distance.
8It is also a strange place, with an important military history.
9Adak became a U.S. Army airbase during World War II to protect against a feared Japanese invasion of Alaska.
10The base was later used by the Navy.
11Because of its closeness to Russia, it remained an important military base and submarine look-out center throughout the Cold War.
12Adak Island is home to the native Aleut people.
13It is not easy to get to.
14It requires a four-hour plane trip from Anchorage.
15People visit Adak to hunt, watch birds, climb mountains, or examine one of the many abandoned military bases.
16American writer Nicole Evatt recently described her travels there for The Associated Press.
17She describes two Adaks: one filled with beautiful nature and one filled with Cold War military remains.
18Like many other historical areas on Adak, the old LORAN --- long range navigation --- station is covered with painted words, called graffiti.
19And it is falling apart.
20The doors and windows are broken.
21Evatt calls the inside of the buildings "spooky."
22As she walked through dark, partly wet rooms, paint was coming off the surfaces and broken equipment sat in disrepair.
23Through broken windows, she saw the blue-black Bering Sea crashing into nearby Horseshoe Bay.
24This is the Adak experience: equal parts spooky and breathtaking natural beauty.
25But the real reason to visit Adak is not the military buildings.
26Most people come to hunt caribou.
27The animal was introduced to the area in the 1950s as a possible emergency food source.
28Along with hunting, people also come to hike.
29There are many beautiful hikes on the island.
30One at Finger Bay offers views of the volcano.
31A hike to Lake Bonnie Rose includes an old abandoned military building built into hills.
32At Horseshoe Bay, brave people can climb down a rope to the coast below and nearby hot springs.
33At Clam Lagoon you can watch sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions playing in the water and warming themselves on the rocks.
34For bird watchers, the area is wonderful.
35And Adak's strange "national forest" is also worth a visit.
36This is a small collection of evergreen trees in an otherwise nearly treeless landscape.
37In town, fewer than 100 people live full-time in old military houses.
38These houses sit in mostly empty neighborhoods with other buildings in need of repair.
39So why do people stay? Some love the quiet.
40Others say they feel safe from the coronavirus.
41Some get extra pay for remote work.
42People who live there often do many different jobs.
43One man who serves drinks at a bar also works at the airport.
44Adak locals learn to live with very limited supplies.
45The only food store is in the old daycare center.
46It is open just a few hours on some evenings.
47The old high school and middle school now hold city hall, a healthcare center and the post office.
48A drink store that was once a gas station sells a case of beer for $50.
49In most states, a case of beer is under $20.
50Food choices are limited.
51Restaurants and stores are often closed.
52One eatery in Adak does not open often, but when it does, it serves a large pizza for $28.
53Reporter Nicole Evatt wrote that it was surprisingly tasty considering how far the tomato sauce and cheese had to travel.
54I'm Anna Matteo.
1Halfway between the United States and Japan is Alaska's Adak Island. It is one of the remote Aleutian islands. 2It is a place known for its natural beauty. The coast is home to rich wildlife. Purple lupine flowers can be seen along roads through grassy hills. Hot springs cover the landscape. Snow-topped mountains and the Great Sitkin volcano rise in the distance. 3It is also a strange place, with an important military history. Adak became a U.S. Army airbase during World War II to protect against a feared Japanese invasion of Alaska. The base was later used by the Navy. Because of its closeness to Russia, it remained an important military base and submarine look-out center throughout the Cold War. 4Adak Island is home to the native Aleut people. It is not easy to get to. It requires a four-hour plane trip from Anchorage. People visit Adak to hunt, watch birds, climb mountains, or examine one of the many abandoned military bases. 5American writer Nicole Evatt recently described her travels there for The Associated Press. She describes two Adaks: one filled with beautiful nature and one filled with Cold War military remains. 6Like many other historical areas on Adak, the old LORAN --- long range navigation --- station is covered with painted words, called graffiti. And it is falling apart. The doors and windows are broken. Evatt calls the inside of the buildings "spooky." As she walked through dark, partly wet rooms, paint was coming off the surfaces and broken equipment sat in disrepair. 7Through broken windows, she saw the blue-black Bering Sea crashing into nearby Horseshoe Bay. This is the Adak experience: equal parts spooky and breathtaking natural beauty. 8But the real reason to visit Adak is not the military buildings. 9Most people come to hunt caribou. The animal was introduced to the area in the 1950s as a possible emergency food source. 10Along with hunting, people also come to hike. There are many beautiful hikes on the island. One at Finger Bay offers views of the volcano. A hike to Lake Bonnie Rose includes an old abandoned military building built into hills. 11At Horseshoe Bay, brave people can climb down a rope to the coast below and nearby hot springs. At Clam Lagoon you can watch sea otters, harbor seals and sea lions playing in the water and warming themselves on the rocks. 12For bird watchers, the area is wonderful. And Adak's strange "national forest" is also worth a visit. This is a small collection of evergreen trees in an otherwise nearly treeless landscape. 13Locals 14In town, fewer than 100 people live full-time in old military houses. These houses sit in mostly empty neighborhoods with other buildings in need of repair. 15So why do people stay? Some love the quiet. Others say they feel safe from the coronavirus. Some get extra pay for remote work. 16People who live there often do many different jobs. One man who serves drinks at a bar also works at the airport. 17Supplies are limited 18Adak locals learn to live with very limited supplies. The only food store is in the old daycare center. It is open just a few hours on some evenings. The old high school and middle school now hold city hall, a healthcare center and the post office. A drink store that was once a gas station sells a case of beer for $50. In most states, a case of beer is under $20. 19Food choices are limited. Restaurants and stores are often closed. One eatery in Adak does not open often, but when it does, it serves a large pizza for $28. Reporter Nicole Evatt wrote that it was surprisingly tasty considering how far the tomato sauce and cheese had to travel. 20I'm Anna Matteo. 21Evatt reported this story from Adak Island, Alaska for the Associated Press. Anna Matteo adapted it for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24remote - adj. far away from other people, houses, cities, etc. 25landscape - n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance 26abandoned - adj. left without needed protection, care, or support 27graffiti - n. writing or drawing made on a public structure without permission 28spooky - adj. strange and frightening 29bar - n. a place of business for the sale of alcoholic drinks 30beer - n. an alcoholic drink made from malt and flavored with hops 31hike - n. a usually long walk especially for pleasure or exercise : hike - v. to walk a long distance especially for pleasure or exercise 32view - n. the things that can be seen from a particular place