SUPing it Up in Sand Point, Alaska

We arrived in Sand Point on June 4th, the second day of a long-anticipated trip exploring the Alaska Peninsula. In the half day we had in Sand Point, we spent time with our friends, the Sobeks, and took a trip to Sand Dollar Beach.

We had ended the day without a clear idea of what the next day would hold. We had hoped to continue down to Dutch Harbor or possibly even Umnak Island, but with the forecast calling for possible fog further down the chain and clear skies in Sand Point, Woodsen had a hard call to make. Although we had plenty to explore around Sand Point, we wanted to prioritize getting to Umnak first, with the plan to take our time on the way back for more exploring.

Eventually, Woodsen decided it would be best to stay in Sand Point one more day. Sometimes waiting for weather can be a drag, but not this time. The sun was shining, we had friends to spend time with, and there was an island to explore!

Kyle made a giant skillet of crispy fried potatoes with veggies and eggs for breakfast, then we headed out on a walk towards the docks. As we walked through town, it was easy to spot hints of the town’s character.

We happened to be at the dock on the day of ther first commercial fishing opener. Many boats were already out fishing, while other fishermen scurried around doing final preparations before also heading out to the fishing grounds.

We had barely made it to the docks when Woodsen spotted a familiar face, a former co-worker he had worked with in both Bethel and on the North Slope. I love that Alaska is so large, but in chance meetings like this, it also feels so small.

After catching up, we continued exploring the docks, then finished with coffee and muffins at the small cafe near the harbor. We headed back to the house so the younger kids could nap, with the plan to head to another beach when they woke up.

After the littles woke up from their naps, we headed to the beach by the airport, fittingly named Airport Beach.

Besides the usual beach attractions, Morgan told us this beach had another surprise, marbles! Locals enjoy throwing marbles on the beach for the kids in town to find. We were happy to find two marbles during our visit.

One of the first things we noticed when arriving in Sand Point the day before was the island’s decorative theme: crab pots. Old, discarded crab pots lined the road to town, and pots still used seasonally sat in neat stacks around town. We were obviously in crab country!

Not surprisingly, a stack of crab pots sat by the beach, looking picturesque against the green seagrass and cloud-streaked sky.

There had been talk of bringing their SUP boards to the beach, so while the kids played, the guys fetched the paddle boards, inflated them, and floated them in the bay. Everyone had fun trying out the boards, and no one went overboard, although I almost dumped Atlee off while exploring under the pier.

This trip was feeling less like a wild Alaskan adventure, and more like a hot summer beach vacation.

After we had our fill of beach time, we pulled out the SUPs, loaded them and everyone into the truck, and headed back to the house to make dinner.

Woodsen kept watching the weather throughout the day, and with low ceilings persisting in Cold Bay, a needed fuel stop, he was glad he’d decided to stay put in Sand Point. The forecast looked promising for continuing our adventure the next day, so we went to bed anticipating new adventuers the next day.