Dumpster Diving?

Nope. A week ago my friend Dale approached me asking whether I wanted some barely used carpet for the cabin. I told him my decorator (you know who) would have to take a look-see. So today we got the call to come take a gander. It is coming out of a huge house recently purchased by their relative, and was upstairs. The pile is a little compacted in traffic areas and not exactly the carpet we would have chosen for ourselves, but one doesn't look a gift horse in the mouth (or did we?). One partial roll stored in the garage was brand new. There is enough to do the complete loft and a bedroom besides. My biggest problem was where to put it. Our garage is full until we cart stuff north! I had to pile it on a buggy. Much of the cabin has landed in our lap this way. We are awed at the blessing. One more thing.... Anyone have a tool for seaming carpet?

Getting ready

We head for Alaska in about five weeks. Preparations for this trip are different than the previous two years. Without taking the big trailer our cubic footage for storage is significantly reduced. I mentioned to Paulette she has the back seat of the truck for her personal and cabin needs. These needs are many: cooking utensils and dishes, along with all our personal necessities like clothing, toiletries, bedding, and towels. Plus the ice chest? She has been organizing totes. I think she has three filled so far and a bunch of personal clothing, loose items, and bread machine to go. I anticipate the back seat is going to be very full.

The bed of the truck will carry cabin finish items; a chest freezer, boxes of light fixtures, a table saw & drywall tools, fifteen gallons of paint, airless paint sprayer, a range hood, two windows, three tables, a 10hp trolling motor, two folding chairs, and a tote of electrical and plumbing parts. Oh, and a queen size bed frame. It’s going to be tight with only a six foot truck bed which already has an extra 50 gallon fuel tank. Hopefully everything will fit. And I just realized I am forgetting foodstuffs to purchase in Juneau. In the past we filled the whole back seat with eats for summer. Packing is going to be interesting.

Reservations

By reservations I don't mean we are holding back. I meant we made reservations for the ferry. Instead of driving the whole distance to Skagway we will try catching the ferry in Prince Rupert, Canada this year for two days travel up the inside passage. The ferry isn't a cruise ship, rather a semi-comfortable working commercial vessel with none of the luxuries one would expect on Carnival.

The updates to our personal boat are complete. We depart California on or about April 28 with truck pulling boat. If all goes according to plan we should be in Gustavus the afternoon of May 10 to begin a few days feverish activity trying to get the cabin utilites up and running. A restful time on the ferry looked good in light of the activity to come. Our time window also allows three days in Juneau to buy beds and supplies before heading to the cabin. I am anxious to get away from the negative political news that constantly bombards us in California. We also have granddaughter Sarah coming north for a few weeks of summer. Her chaperon? That veteran Alaska bear-slapper and porcupine-petter, now all of eleven years old, her brother Micah. We managed to arrange their trip over the 4th of July. I anticipate a productive summer.

If All Goes According to Plan

If all goes according to plan we will be leaving for AK in slightly less than eight weeks. The ducks are pretty much in a row down here. In the garage I have piles organized of things we need to transport. The blue room is is similar with Mom's stuff. This summer will be a bit different because we will need to take everything we need to actually live in the cabin. It's a lot of stuff! I have a list which I add to whenever I think of an additional item. Perhaps that uncertainty has given me a little more ambivalence about going this year. May nights are still chilly up there. The pressure will be on to get the cabin up and running as soon as we arrive. That could take as much as a week depending on problems and weather. Electric will turn right on. We need to set up a bed. Water should come right up too after installation of a simple filter. But we have no faucets or sinks installed yet, so those will take some time. Also no fuel supply to the water heater yet (it runs on diesel fuel), which could take a day to temporarily hook-up and adjust. Finally, temporary LP gas for the clothes drier and stove. Plus I need to do about 160 more square feet of insulation in the ceiling to try to hold whatever heat we generate inside. Sorta like pioneering with some amenities.