Blogs from Unalaska, Alaska, United States, North America

It's like the End of the World (again) It seems I was worth a shout on the radio: "HEY! I just picked up a tourist, from SCOTLAND!". That was Sheila, owner and chief driver for Mr. Kab in Unalaska and Dutch Harbor, and also my guide for the afternoon. She's not cheap, nothing is in Alaska because of the cost of importing everything northwards. But whilst the rest of Alaska was expensive compared to the Lower 48, Unalaska is expensive like Norway. I hired her for 2 hours, but she was happy for me to stay another 2 after that when she went back to picking up fares, so I stayed and helped people with the doors & their luggage. She spoke non-stop with a narrative of who's boat that was we were passing, which ... read more

There is a very old Russian Orthodox Cathedral here in Dutch Harbor. The formal name is the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Ascension and is in the town of Unalaska. The site was first used for a cathedral in 1808. Father John Veniaminof (later canonized St. Innocent) led local Aleuts in building the first church in 1826. The church's distinctive cupolas have become a symbol of Unalaska. Sadly, time and weather took their toll on the church and by 1990 the cathedral was so badly deteriorated that it was placed at the top of the American heritage 12 Most Endangered Landmarks list. In 1996, the cathedral also was placed on the World Monument Watch List of the 100 most endangered sites in the world. Several million dollars and extensive renovations commenced in 1996 and the ... read more