Gus in Gustavus

WE ARRIVED!!! Address is P.O. Box 227, Gustavus, AK 99826-0227

Monday evening I was adding a little to this daily narrative and saw a movement outside our 5er bedroom window. There stood a moose, about seven feet high at the shoulder and perhaps twenty-five feet away. I must say that a moose at such close quarters is a magnificent creature. Paulette came up to watch with me. It sauntered past, sniffed the truck, and walked on. I realized my camera was in the truck. One does not go outside under such circumstances as moose can be unpredictable. Folks up here consider an enraged moose to be among the most dangerous animals in Alaska. After I figured Mrs. Moose was a safe distance away I ventured out and grabbed the camera, only to see her hind quarter disappear into the forest. It’s Alaska.

Saturday May 8 was a glorious day. I awoke at 5:30 AM to the vibration of four diesel motors pushing the vessel with our truck and trailer to Gustavus. I climbed the ships ladder to the pilot house and beheld an almost cloudless blue sky with a background of the Fairweather Mountains dressed in pure white in the morning alpenglow sun. Paulette flew over in a small airplane. We were invited to park on a friend’s lot between thick forest of spruce trees. By 2PM we were on our property looking for boundary markers. Somewhere along there I realized I brought the wrong survey tape (colored plastic stuff you tie to markers and trees). I brought bright lime green. The trouble is everything up here is green, and in spring lime green and spring green don’t offer much contrast. We confirmed we have cell service at our property, though we do not have cell or internet where we are staying as it is farther out of town. I found two hubs which identify the northernmost property boundary. We are going to have to scrounge for the other borders. At one point I caught Paulette crying. I asked if everything was ok and she choked, “It’s so beautiful.”

We sleep very well. Nights have been cool to cold but days see the temperature swing 30-40 degrees. Sunday morning we turned on the faucet and had only a trickle. The reason is the hose from the house almost froze. It was 27 degrees when I got up briefly at 3 AM. After a few minutes of running the flow came up as the ice in the hose melted. Spring is here, but back in this thick forest the sun hardly reaches the ground. They say spring comes five miles from the ocean a month later than it does closer to where we will build. We notice the temp on our property is warmer but I’m not sure how much.

Up here in winter sunlight is valued more than trees. I wanted a forest feel but Joe urged me not to spare too many trees, especially to the south so the sun can shine in windows as much as possible. That was good counsel. He has lived here 19 years and built several houses and is a wealth of Gustavus savvy. They invited us over to dinner our first night and he wanted to see the house plans. He asked many questions, among them, “Can you see the Fairweather Mountains from your property?” I never thought of that. I realized we need to look beyond the trees and meadow.

I called Kent, who came up here with me three years ago, from the property on Saturday and he asked me whether I felt the same about the property as when we first saw it. That was an excellent question. I have to say I actually like it better. And to see Paulette’s reaction made me happy. Joe drove his motorcycle over Sunday afternoon and we walked the property boundaries together. I wanted his input on where to put a cabin. He trumped my idea about putting it on the meadow. I won’t say where he would put it until I can post pix of the view. But once we clear the trees it may be a fabulous front yard. Time will tell.

Monday May 10. Happy Birthday to April. More great weather today. Probably hit 60 degrees. Good working weather. Mom and I began the task of cutting down trees on the property. We are both beat tonight. We have a slash pile about 8 feet tall in one day. But the view is worth the work. This morning we tried to get a P.O. Box number for snail mail. But they require two forms or ID and we only had one. So we will have to go back tomorrow. I broke the pull start on my chain saw this morning. It’s the old one. So I am having to use Paulette’s chain saw, much to her chagrin. I can fix the old one given time. The mouse pad on my laptop seems kaput. The mouse pointer goes crazy. No problem if I plug in my external mouse.

Tuesday AM. Another cold night back here in the forest, and when I peek out the window I see a gray sky instead of blue. Paulette and I cleared more trees, this time doing a 12 inch diameter spruce tree that stood 60 to 70 feet tall. Playing lumberjack is hard work. The cutting is fun. It’s the cleanup of the slash that goes slow. Lots of walking dragging limbs to a slash pile.