Emily and Adam McMahan and their sons Finn and Micah have returned from two weeks in Belize. They went to Mayan temples, sailed to snorkeling spots and cayes on a catamaran, explored caves, went horseback riding, made tortillas and Belizean clay pots at a Mayan women’s co-op, and saw scorpions, iguanas, Morrissey crocodiles, howler monkeys, birds, tarantulas, and a Fer de Lance snake. After their trip, the family spent a long weekend in Juneau, where they skied at Eaglecrest while Finn played in Juneau Soccer Club’s “Cupid Cup” Tournament with Haines friends Yoa George and Chisel Triezenburg.
Greg Schlachter and Chris Hill recently returned from a whirlwind of travel while Hill is on a three-month sabbatical from work. They spent 10 days chasing grey and blue whales in Baja, skied for three weeks in British Columbia, and visited Driggs, Idaho.
Leah Wagner and the Alaska Just Transition Collective are holding a summit in Áak’w Kwáan (Juneau), March 18-20. Wagner says she brought in Haines artist James Hart as the featured artist this year and a minidocumentary has been produced about him. Just Transition is a framework for moving away from a fossil-fuel based economy and keeping decent work opportunities.
Graham Kraft, a founder of Fairweather Ski Works, will have three snowboards displayed at an upcoming exhibit at the Anchorage Museum. Kraft said museum staff reached out to him, and he chose three boards, each with graphics from local artists. They include a snowboard with a formline design from Ted Hart, a powder surfer with a trawl net footpad with a painter troller from Merrick Bochart, and a split board with a painting of a rock climber from artist John Svenson. Kraft, who makes skis and split boards at a shop in Dalton City, said he believes he’s the only ski manufacturer in Alaska. The exhibit, called Northern Boarders, is set to open May 3, and will include “archival images, street photography, films, and boards created by Alaska designers,” according to the museum website.
Tod Sebens got back last week from a two-month solo bicycle trip in Morocco. He mainly went to small villages, including one called Kelaa Des Sragna where he spent two weeks teaching English. He has also bicycled Cuba, Madagascar, Vietnam and Tunisia and said Morocco is most similar to Tunisia. Like many Muslim countries, Sebens found Morocco to be full of people who are friendly, helpful, kind. Next year, he is going to try for a bike trip across Ghana. As a book-end to his trip, he stopped in North Carolina to visit his daughter Bozhi and her two daughters Parker and Penny and ex-wife Margaret. There, he went to his first-ever monster truck rally which was fun, but he does not think he will do it again. He also went to a planetarium for a show set to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
The Dick Hotch Memorial Basketball Tournament was a success, according to organizer Tyler Swinton, despite weather challenges that delayed two Whitehorse teams’ arrival and departures. “We haven’t had this many teams in years,” said Swinton. Haines men’s and women’s teams made it to the finals against strong teams from Juneau and Whitehorse. Skagway also sent teams. On the men’s side, Swinton’s Alaska Sports Shop team was defeated by Juneau, who had already played five games that day. “It was probably our worst-played game of the tournament, and Juneau had a good game plan,” said Swinton. Meanwhile, teams from Whitehorse got stranded in Haines for two extra days because of highway closures caused by foul weather and equipment malfunctions. Whitehorse basketball organizer Krista Magee said the team got creative to stay entertained, holding a poetry contest, trivia night and visiting Haines School’s open gym. She said the crew was extremely grateful for Haines restaurants that stayed open to accommodate the 30 or so players stuck in town. On Tuesday morning, the teams were able to return home.
Additional reporting by Lex Treinen