BUGGISTA'S BLOG:

Then End is Near

2012-01-25T10:06:00.001-08:00

This doesn't look like much. Yes, the boat is in the background. However, under that black plastic tarp lies freshly milled knotty pine for the ceiling of the cabin. I have not peeked at it yet, choosing to keep it out of the sun and dry until I move some to the smaller trailer for transport to Alaska.

A pix of the smaller trailer seen holding about half of the exterior siding for the cabin. Gene strongly suggested Hardiplank, and obtained it for me at his cost. Plus he ordered it pre-finished, saying the total cost for the siding will be about what one would pay to have the cabin exterior painted. We chose taupe for color; sort of an almond, gray, green.

All the cement board siding weighs 5138 lbs.! I almost choked on that tonnage and had to put an additional axle under the short trailer to carry that weight. Axle cost and new tires negated some of the savings on building materials. Note the different color trailer fenders. I made front fenders to approximate the appearance of the rear fenders. We plan to take half the siding and half the ceiling pine north this summer. Plus load the truck with whatever else is on my "need" list. The 5th wheel served us well the past two years. But I am glad beyond description to not be pulling that behemoth all the way to Alaska again next summer.

The End is Near: Ceiling and exterior siding comprise 2/3 of the last major outflow to complete the cabin (still need to install a septic system). When we started this project I did a spreadsheet of cost estimates (Lu 14:28). We came in under those projections. What a great feeling to have the major expenditures behind us!!! I kept records of cabin receipts, and our cost (including septic estimates) should be approximately $55.50 per square foot. (I'm probably forgetting something so that may go up another dollar or two before the cabin is totally completed). Thanks to recession and friends that amount is fantastically inexpensive for what we are building considering everything has to be shipped across 54 miles of water. By comparison a similar structure in California would cost almost double that amount if I built it myself. We are still watching for a few things like some light fixtures, ceiling fans, flooring, an oil-fired heater, and a wood burning stove. We are resting about those items. God brought almost everything in when we needed it.

And the blessings keep coming. Paulette found three beautiful new rope lights she liked for the kitchen for $7 each. We found a small end-table whose pedestal is a carved bear, and a lamp made of fake antlers. Both were yard sale items and both will fit right in. Son-in-law Bela is painting a house and over-estimated the amount of paint needed... ordered 5 gallons too much. He asked me whether a beige would fit the cabin interior. Sure. I offered to buy the extra from him. He said his customer already paid for it in the bid price. So with a wink I told him I'll take it if he comes up and applies it. He laughed and said he would love to but this summer probably won't work.

Looking Back

2012-01-04T13:40:00.001-08:00

This was my first post ever when we started the blog years ago. I thought it worthy of re-publication.

"Family: A friend passed away unexpectedly. Amid the grief and tears and shared memories a comment came to our ears. A daughter of the friend mentioned how at get-togethers she would watch our family and felt jealous. That comment made me reflect. Jealous? Of us? I tend to react to what attacks my comfort zone while overlooking the peace and values that surround me every day. I smiled as I reflected on what we have; our family interrelationships. We are functional. We care about each other amid ups and downs. Love covers each other's failings. Irritations come and go but don't affect the greater value of being family. In a crisis we are without question there for each other. And best of all, this is normal for us. As my dad would have said, "You can't buy that with money." Yup, priceless. What a blessing.

To Blog or Not to Blog

2011-12-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I don't have as much interesting stuff to post when we are south for the winter. Seems like a lot of our family are no longer blogging. I'm wondering whether to keep this one going? Any comments? Your input would be appreciated.

I spend a fair amount of time thinking about items for Alaska for next summer. We plan to live in the unfinished cabin so I need to bring along everything necessary to get water, propane, and stove oil heating operational, hopefully within days of arrival. Other decisions in the mix are cabin exterior, and what to use for ceiling? My friend Gene has a lumber yard and has given me some fantastic deals on materials. You will recall he donated most of the windows and interior doors from his mis-orders, and we built around them. The few windows I needed to complete the six window riverfront he must have given me at his cost. He also got me the complete steel roof on a good-ole-boy deal. After a lot of cogitation we decided to use knotty pine for the ceiling. That should give the interior a very cabin-like feel. Gene called a few days ago and said it will be ready after the first of the year. He is going to place the order for the exterior siding in a few weeks. Every time I thought about siding with something cheap like T-1-11, or mill our own boards from the trees we cut down, he would urge me to go with cement plank, saying it won't rot, burn, or mold and he can get it pre-painted. He has a lot of experience and I have gone with his advise on everything. On the negative side I am faced with the fact the siding weighs 5000 pounds (according to the company web site). I will need to put another axle under the utility trailer to transport that much weight up to Alaska next spring. But I can't complain. We knew building remote would have its problems. I feel blessed to have so many friends lend their assistance, input, and encouragement.

I am now ready for Christmas. The last present was purchased this morning. :-)

Update 12-4-2011

2011-12-04T08:35:00.000-08:00

Two Daughters, Three Granddaughters, ...and a Strange Boy

A big wind storm here in California the past week with some gusts reaching hurricane force. Our power went out and took 34 hours to get back up. No problem. The wood stove heats the house well, and I ran an extension cord from the 5th wheel generator to the house to run the refrigerator periodically. I enjoyed not having internet or television for a while.

Paulette talked to neighbors in Gustavus and learned the pond is frozen so kids are ice skating. Plus a brown bear has been prowling both sides of the river. This time of year bears should be in their dens for the winter, so after taking calls about the bear out and about this late the wildlife powers-that-be evaluated that the ursa is probably old and was unable to put on enough fat for winter. That makes it a threat to the community, especially to playing children. An authorization to shoot it was given. If you have seen the documentary Grizzly Man you understand why.

I am about finished with a few modifications to the boat. The deeper I go into the structure the more I appreciate the craft. The stringers appear to be eight inch square aluminum tube, so should be very strong. Every joint has continuous welds. The fuel tank is fiberglass so not subject to the problems of aluminum tanks. Sweet.

We made our annual migration to Houston for Thanksgiving day. A highlight for me was taking the grandchildren to an aviation museum. A UH-1D was on display, and it gave them a visual aid of our units transportation in Vietnam. We drove straight through on the way home in twenty-two hours. At our age that is something I will never do again. (I've said that before).

Norah and Gracie looking cute at Hermann Park

2011-11-17T14:55:00.000-08:00

Nothing exciting, just a short video of the surroundings as we paddled into the Bartlett River. We had two double kayaks so could only take two of the boys. John and Jonah can be seen in the second kayak to our left. Jayden went up with John and me the previous day and caught five nice Dolly Varden trout, which come in along with the salmon. We were excited to take the other two boys for the same fishing experience. After a lot of fruitless trying I managed to hook one fish that evening, handed the pole to Micah, and twenty seconds later the fish got off the hook. Unlike the fantastic bite the night before that was the only fish we had on a line all evening.

The fishing site on the river is about a 45 minute paddle if one keeps moving. Plenty of daylight in early July in Alaska. This is taken about 8:30PM. We got back about 11PM with plenty of light to spare.

It's a lot of work for those little eleven year old arms to move a 19' kayak. When I urged Micah to help paddle a bit on the way back he was silent, then finally exclaimed, "My arms are frozen."

2011-10-29T09:17:00.000-07:00

We made a fast trip north to pick up the boat, then to Oregon to register it. The boat will be used only in Alaska so I tried to register it in Alaska, but they said their law stipulates the boat must be physically in state before registration can be issued. So we registered it in Oregon for the interim months. I am doing some re-fitting and preventive maintenance before we transport the boat north. Paulette nicknamed the vessel Mel's Dream. I told her boats should be named after women. She responded that Mel in this case is short for Melissa or Melody. Tricky lady.

Das Boot

2011-10-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

Last summer I dreamed of taking grandkids fishing for halibut, but nothing opened up to get them out in neighbor's boats during their stay. A boat for Alaska had been on our five year plan, but after the inability to get the grandsons out I stepped up the search for our own boat. We located what I hope is a suitable craft. A private party posted it on Craigslist in central California. The boat is a 2004 20' Alumaweld Intruder, 150hp, 10hp kicker, marine radio, electric downriggers, GPS/chartplotter/sonar, and other seaworthy (for fair weather) features for up north. I talked to the mechanic who serviced this craft for the last six years and he said the engine only has 198 hours and if he had not recently bought a house he would buy the boat himself. We pick it up Wednesday. Friends chide me that a boat is a hole in the water that you throw money into, but I suspect their thinking is clouded by the fact they don't have grandchildren.

Memories

2011-10-10T11:23:00.000-07:00

We have been cleaning out closets. Paulette found the following on a sheet of paper, each entry in a daughter's own hand....

Jamie 6-1-83 336,150
Mel 6-3-83 280,500
April 6-5-83 193,950
Joanna 6-17-83 193,100
Beth 8-8-83 277,400

You will recall you had to have a witness. :-)

Too Cute to Keep to Myself

2011-10-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

I smile every time I look at this picture so had to share it with you. Double click on the picture to get a bigger smile.

Fishing for a Boat

2011-09-27T08:31:00.000-07:00

Paulette and I are pretty much caught up, settled back in, and doing well. I managed to repair the A/C and heater on the fifth wheel trailer myself. Bela helped me paint my office and replace the carpet. I have too much junk, so am throwing stuff I haven't used in years away (I know Jamie won't believe that). That means I can delete one file cabinet in the office and have a little room on top of the bookshelves again.

At one time Alaska was just a dream. With a few cautious intermediate steps the dream became a reality. I feel like God gave us the desire of our hearts. I am still dreaming, this time about getting a fishing boat for AK. (Perhaps I am never satisfied.) I have never shopped for a boat before. In this economy I expected boats to be selling for distressed prices. If they are I haven't seen it yet.

Looking for a boat for Alaska in California is somewhat like looking for mukluks in the tropics. Boats for the southwest are entirely different than what is desired for Alaska. Most boats down here are fiberglass. Aluminum is preferred in the northwest. You can beach an aluminum boat without doing damage to the hull. Plus aluminum is lighter and therefore requires less horsepower to push through the water. Aluminum fishing boats down here are usually less than sixteen feet in length, and have flat bottoms. That would be fine on a nice day up north. But I would prefer something more all weather in the twenty to twenty-three feet range with an 18-22° deadrise. (Alaska is unforgiving if one makes a mistake so a bigger boat is better than compromise in the smaller craft direction.) A pilot house or enclosure is part of the criteria to provide shelter on inclement days. Outboard engines made recently are very fuel efficient so that option would be desirable also. Now that I have completely bored you with details...

This style should work ok for us.

We looked patiently for years before finding the riverfront lot in AK. I hope it doesn't take that long to find a suitable boat. I try not to make emotional decisions on major purchases. To remove emotion I need to divorce myself from the desire to see grandkids catch a fish as big as they are. At some point my age becomes a factor. Paulette is urging me to get ANY boat I want. I'm having to throttle her back.

Home

2011-09-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

After two weeks on the road we arrived in Mentone at 3PM Sunday. Now a lot of work awaits to get everything from the trip organized and in its proper place. I anticipate more than a week getting bookkeeping and maintenance covered. Living in the 5er for two consecutive summers has dictated need for a number of repairs to the rig as well.
All the local grandkids are coming over for pizza. I'll try to keep the blog active once we get settled back in sun country.

South in the Lower 48

2011-09-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

We crossed the border into Washington Labor Day Weekend. Not that we realized it was Labor Day Weekend. After living much of the time in AK without paying attention to the calendar that caught us by surprise. We spent the weekend camping with a cousin near the Canadian border. Then south again Tuesday AM to Portland, OR for a few great days with Jon, Elisabeth, and the grandkids. Daytime highs have been in the low to mid 90's, higher than we have seen in almost a year. We planned to leave early (7ish) Friday AM but they sealed the asphalt in the RV park and the note on the door when we returned said they won't remove the barriers until at least 8:30. So we are taking our time getting ready. From here we head south and will drop in on a Manx Dune Buggy Club run in the Mammoth Lakes area of California. We haven't been to one of those in a year. Then perhaps home to Mentone on Sunday afternoon.

Pop Quiz

2011-08-31T21:08:00.000-07:00

As we traveled the Alaskan Hwy up by Yukon Territory in Canada I saw this road sign. A free halibut dinner in Gustavus, Alaska next summer to anyone who correctly interprets the sign. (fine print... travel not included lol). Please post your answer in the comment section.

Yesterday afternoon we turned south after traveling east for over a day. Tonight we are in Clinton, British Columbia. The season for road construction is short way up north. Travel today was slow due to road construction delays. One area between Ft. St. John and Prince George had about 30 kilometers (18 miles) of consecutive construction! About the time one picked up speed another flagger would stop you. We did miles and miles of slow escorts after waiting for oncoming traffic to get through. This made it possible for us to average a whopping 38 mph for 12 hours travel, and we only stopped for fuel once. I should have expected this. We had the same thing last year. Fortunately we are not in a hurry.

My Best Summer

2011-08-26T17:59:00.000-07:00

As I write this we are in Juneau. During a poor tide the motorized barge somehow managed to get the 5th wheel trailer out the shallow river. He told me he got stuck repeatedly but managed to get through by "inchworming" under full power. We were aboard the ferry as the barge passed. Friends aboard came and found us to make sure we had seen our rig go by per the picture. We are leaving several weeks ahead of schedule. I ran out of supplies and could literally build no further without a trip to Juneau. Rain fell for fifteen days straight and Paulette wanted to head south. Tomorrow we board the ferry for Skagway and the Alaskan Highway, then perhaps four or five days to cross Canada (if we desire to sight-see) without pressure of coming winter. We hear temps down south are high. No hurry.

In my youth I enjoyed reading of a time past in the West when life was raw. I still enjoy that type of book for the joy of reading. Rugged individuals pitted themselves against an untamed land. Perhaps that is why I like the last frontier up here. I am saddened about leaving. On the other hand fall is in the air early and winter just around the corner... Time to think about 2012. I had desired to stay around for the silver salmon run, but the river is dark with runoff and I managed to catch only one silver salmon.

All the electrical and plumbing is finished in the cabin with the exception of installation of some light fixtures, and one water heater connection. All the insulation is in the walls, floor, and ceiling except for a mere 160 square feet where I ran out of insulation. Only a few small pieces of drywall remain uncovered over an electrical box where I might add more features. All the appliances are ready or near ready for use. If we bring an oil-fired heater and a bed north next summer the basics are in place for rustic comfort. That means we will not have to haul the trailer north with all its expense for fuel and marine transport. It also means we can come earlier or stay later without much problem if we choose. We are thinking about taking the ferry from Bellingham next year, thus avoiding the long drive across Canada. We will make that decision at a later time.

I should put a question mark behind the title to this blog post. The summer of 1967 was pretty special when Wayne Bartlett and myself zig-zagged our VW van 12,000 miles across the USA from seaboard to seaboard, working “Route 66” style where we could find employment to pay for the trip. I also have great memories of the special summer in 93 when I spent three months in Russia. Perhaps the present is only fresher than the past. This summer the cabin build seemed to progress effortlessly. It was work, but not Work. For two weeks I had the joy of grandchildren at my side on trails and in kayaks. My geographic horizon of the area expanded as we traversed farther from our cabin project. Paulette seemed to always be humming or finding melody in an Alaska that once caused her caution. We made new friends and cultivated old relationships. I got to enjoy good fishing several times even though we do not have a boat. I drilled a new hole in my belt to compensate for losing a bit of weight to work and play. The cabin seems above our expectations. We feel blessed.

Salmon time is bear time. During a day of down time in Juneau we took a drive up toward Mendenhall Glacier and captured this picture of a bear fishing for salmon. We were safely on a viewing platform. But while walking a trail we came around a corner to see a different bear directly in our path. He decided to head the other direction. We did too.

Beginning Sunday morning we should be out of cell contact while we traverse Canada. If we don't find internet along the way we will post again once we reach the lower 48.

Mushroom Country, Aug 16

2011-08-16T20:31:00.000-07:00

Gustavus has been referenced as having more types of mushroom than just about anywhere else on earth. This time of year I believe it. I must have found thirty different species within 100 feet of the cabin as I wandered with my camera. Some are so small a dime could cover half a dozen. Others are seven or eight inches across. I was specifically looking for a fairy ring, but they must not be up yet.

Yes, that is a dime next to the mushrooms.

The rain finally eased after three solid days of precipitation. The water level in the river raised to as high as during a 20 foot tide, but swift with lots of turbulence. All this rain reminds me of the week or two of storms we get during winter in Southern California. The temps are similar too. The rain let up mid afternoon today. Hopefully we will dry out a little and get some sunshine instead of the earlier prediction of rain all week.

I thought I would post another fish picture (here ya go Dale). I forget the exact weight (50-60 lbs?) but caught this halibut on my last day of fishing. I was incredibly lucky that day. Of the seven halibut caught I hooked six of them, including this one.

I couldn't resist this perfect reflection on a pond

Paulette by a lily pond.

A bear tried to gnaw his way into a neighbors ice chest.

A bear also stopped to take a drink from a bucket filled with rain water. Guess which bucket he chose? Smarter than the average bear...

Pictures

2011-08-16T10:01:00.001-07:00

Lots of rain right now. The weather forecast predicts rain all week. If I remember correctly we had the same thing last year about this time, then it got nice again for a while. Cottonwood tree leaves are beginning to tinge with yellow. I heard sand hill cranes coming in this morning. They winter here. I spent yesterday under the cabin doing insulation. Perhaps two more partial days of that to complete the floor insulation. I procrastinated because it isn't easy working under there in a confined space. Now I have to get it done.

I talked to the barge owner yesterday. Looks like he can get us out of here in about two weeks. No definite date yet. There is an ambivalence. I hate to leave this gorgeous place. I met a young man who lives here. He took some really nice picture of our area. Check it out at www.glacierbaygraphix.com

August 7, Progress Update

2011-08-08T20:20:00.000-07:00

Total darkness now falls about 10:15PM and the days are noticeably shorter than a month ago. Nighttime temps have fallen into the high 40’s. Soon the leaves will be turning. We have noticed geese flying south the last few days. They are leaving early compared to last year. This makes me wonder what instinct is telling them. We are sensing our time winding down as well. The calendar shows we only have about four weeks left here. Progress has been good. Wall insulation is complete, 50% of floor insulation, and about 20% of the roof insulation. 95% of the drywall is up (98 sheets) with only a few odd sizes to install here and there. I will need to procure two or three more sheets to complete everything. I suspect I’ll wait until next year to finish what drywall remains. Installing drywall 20 feet up in the gabled end was a challenge but I got it done by myself. The electrical is about 90% finished. I ran out of switches and receptacles so those will also wait until next summer. All rooms have power now, and all but the great room, loft lights, and loft bathroom are wired up to switches. Today I mostly worked on getting the water heater into the system, and cut an exhaust vent through the wall. Late afternoon I switched to the washer and dryer. The washer is now ready to go once we turn the water on. The gas dryer still needs an exhaust vent, another item which I don’t have… again a next year detail that can be done quickly. In the meantime we can run the exhaust under the house temporarily if we have to. Next I plan to finish off one of the showers and install a toilet. I wanted to get the stove LP gas hooked up. I bought a gas valve for the stove in California, and thought I brought it along, but cannot find it anywhere. If that doesn’t turn up it will be next summer too. With electric, appliances, and bathroom nearly functional we should be good to go to live in the cabin next year. Once the bathroom is working (though far from finished) I will probably switch back to roof insulation. I do not want to do roof insulation while we are living in the cabin, for obvious reasons. I tend to procrastinate on the overhead insulation because gravity rains the itchy stuff directly down on me. Unless we have to depart early the roof insulation should be about completed when we head south.

I have been blessed with ocean fishing six of the last eleven days. (I'll spare you the pix of more halibut, but did catch six of the seven we landed on the last day B-) The three of us averaged about 40 lbs of processed halibut per day (about 13 pounds per person.) As a result we had to plug in the chest freezer in the cabin a week ago to keep the filets frozen. We cleaned the fish in front of the neighbor’s porch, just up-river from our cabin. The first night two bears showed up, following the fish scent. The first was an adult black bear. About 20 minutes after that bear left a brown bear showed up. They took pictures and video of both bears through their cabin windows. The shoulder of the brown bear on the video is only a few inches below the top of the fish cleaning table, which is 38 inches high. We went to bed in a timely manner so didn’t see either bear. I’ll be glad when the fish smell is gone. One is always a bit on guard with bears foraging in the area.

August 2,2011

2011-08-03T14:51:00.000-07:00

I know I need to post again when I get calls from friends asking for news, or wondering whether Paulette traded me to the Eskimos for a pair of mukluks.

Catch 22
You may recall my eyeglass frames came apart a little south of Portland, OR. Costco replaced the frames under warranty. I mentioned to the gal in the optical department that we will be remote all summer, and requested she please put some glue on the nose piece threads so they won’t come out. Instead she gave me four extra nose pads and two extra screws. Sure enough, a screw came out a few days ago. So we retrieved the extra pads and screws and I tried to put a new one in. The catch 22 is I couldn’t wear my glasses to see what I was doing. Old spare glasses helped but the Rx didn’t provide the best clarity. Nor did I have a super-fine screwdriver to install the screw. I dropped the first screw and it is so small we couldn’t find it though we both looked and looked and even swept and sorted through the sweepings. With my back to the wall I managed to start and turn the only other spare screw with a needle-nose pliers, but the pad didn’t fit right. I suspect they are the wrong pads. At least my spectacles are wearable for now. This is a saga of being remote. One must MAKE things work.

Eating the Elephant
Drywall installation is about 3/4 complete. I have mostly the gabled ends (12-22 feet in the air. Nuts.) to do, and the portion covering kitchen plumbing. Hoisting a sheet of drywall to a twelve foot height by myself is a challenge. I almost lost the second sheet, but managed to regain control before it took me down the ladder with it. I also began doing insulation on the main ceiling this morning. This is a slow itchy job as fiberglass crystals become airborne. Plus it is warm up near the apex of the ceiling. After three hours of up and down the ladder I got some particulate in the corner of my eye so called it quits and went to pressure testing plumbing (so I can drywall over those areas). The LP line for the stove and drier checked out OK so I switched to the water lines. All tested ok except I found one big leak in a shower valve, which didn’t make sense because the valve was closed. I figured I had a defective valve. Finally I realized the upstairs shower has hot going to the right valve and cold on the left. This is the opposite of most houses. I was closing the wrong valve. The only thing I can think of is I put the lines in from down below and looking up from that vantage I installed the hot on the left. I didn’t realize it would be reversed looking from the other direction upstairs. At least I caught the problem and can change the routing before closing up that wall.

Fishing
Our elderly neighbor had company coming and asked me to help him get his boats ready. In return he invited me to go along for three days of fishing. I jumped at the chance. The first day out I hit the jackpot. I landed two semi-large halibut. The largest was 56 inches long and weighted 73 lbs, and the other weighed 60 lbs. Plus I got a few ten to fifteen pounders that day.

The grandsons suddenly get perspective when I ask how much they weigh, and they realize the large fish weighs more than they do!

I felt blessed with that catch. The next day we didn’t fare as well. We got a limit of halibut, but all were on the small side. Sunday we tried a different area and again only small stuff. Other items made the day interesting. A mother Orca and her three offspring cruised the area several times. This was the second time I have seen killer whales here. At the end of the third day I hooked something big. The other three guys got their lines out of the water while I thought I might be dragging in a submerged log. Thing is at times the log would pull out drag. It took all the pole and line would handle to gain a few feet at a time. They got a fighting belt and put it on me since the pole was digging into my groin (I have four black and blue marks in that area the next morning). After twenty minutes of this strain we began seeing flashes of “color” of a huge fish.

A little closer to the surface we realized this creature was a Skate, a type of stingray. This was the biggest ray any of them had seen in their 20 years of fishing up here. It measured approximately six feet from side to side and had an overall length of perhaps 8-9 feet. I don’t have a clue what this creature weighted. They estimated 150 lbs.

Skates are thin so the last picture doesn't show much. After letting me bring it to the surface and taking a few pictures the skate headed down again. It was graceful and seemed to gently fly in the water. I added more drag trying to turn it around. At that point the 80 lb test line broke. We were going to release it anyway. We split all the halibut equally about 7:30 AM Monday. Now I am wondering how to get all this bounty south in a frozen state. Plus we hope to add some silver salmon when they run in about a month.

We see bear tracks now and then but we saw our first actual bear of the year near town; a fair sized adult black bear gleaning strawberries near the road. I just happened to notice as we drove past. Sorry, no pix. The camera was at the cabin. With the salmon running plentifully I expect this will not be the last bear of the season.

July 18

2011-07-18T21:20:00.000-07:00

If you have been wondering about pictures and an update we have been without internet for six days. The wi-fi at the library appears to be down. I started typing this on the ferry heading for Juneau (to pick up more building supplies) and this post is from the comfort of Mick & Sherri’s home. The pix are not in proper order, but you will get the idea.

The boys sorting and trading candy from the 4th of July haul. The parade participants throw candy at the kids.

Grandma, aka Gammie, got to hold all the candy and coats during the games.

This moose track in front of the cabin has a stride of 54 inches! We didn't see the moose or calf but a neighbor did.

The boys (red shirts) pulling for all they are worth in the first round of tug-of-war on the 4th of July. They lost to the girls!

The boys checking out the ROV ocean explorer in the repair shop.

Jonah at the control panel while Micah and Jayden "check" the functions before launch. Only in Alaska would kids get a hands on experience like this.

You will have to ask the boys about the "mine" pushups done on the trail.

Gammie and Jayden at the trailhead to the airplane crash. You will have to ask the boys what the forest was like.

The first few days saw rain and wet conditions, so Paulette came up with a makeshift clothes drying rack in the cabin for jeans.

This bear is named Gus and is a favorite climb aboard for kids.

A sneak pix of Jonah sitting on Gus.

Papa (foreground), Jonah (red kayak), and Jayden (middle) on the river in kayaks.

I liked to tease Jay about trying to hide this puppy in his jacket pocket and take it home.

Jon and Jonah coming through the narrows at high tide. There are a lot of barely submerged rocks just below the surface.

We were given a few of the largest Dungeness crabs I have ever seen. They provided Jon and myself two meals each.

Mr. Porcupine walked through the morning after the boys left for home.

Each of those dark objects is a salmon. Pink salmon are spawning thick in the river for the last few days. All that white junk on the water is from the shedding cottonwood trees.

I guess we are sentimentalists. We think of areas now in terms of the grandson’s visit. We drive past the trail we all took to the airplane crash, or, we are sitting on the ship in the same booth were we took them for lunch. Jayden intentionally left his boots here and Jonah left a pair of tennies. That empty footwear tugs our hearts when we step out the door. Paulette saw Jay’s boots this morning and talked about Jay begging to do an errand for her, any errand that could be reached by bicycle. She came up with sending him to the store, a two mile round trip, for cookies. The fire pit by the river is another touch-point. Many evening memories were made there with smores and firecrackers and boys burning sticks. I would have hidden the sticks so no one got burned, but the forest has no shortage of suitable sticks. One evening I snuck off with Micah and put him in the back of my kayak and we went up river as far as the tide would let the two of us go. I hope he enjoyed that as much as his grandfather did.

Time of day is important, but a lot also happens here based on tide; boat launching, fishing, and river access to name a few activities. Most folks here own a boat or two. A few own airplanes also. These are ways to get around despite being on the perimeter of the largest road-less area left on the planet. I have a boat in mind for our five year plan. Can’t say about an airplane. By the time an aero machine would be on our horizon Paulette would probably have to pilot my wheelchair and me around. On the other hand I cannot say enough about the kayaks. A truck gets us to the regular road places and trailheads. But the kayaks have expanded us (uh, me, though the neighbors are intent on getting Paulette in one. I tell them good luck. I wasn’t even able to get her in on the back lawn in California for a picture). There is at least as much water here as land. Kayaks are a way to somewhat access the waterway and deeper wilderness. They have doubled our wilderness horizon. I am told the Beardslee Islands rank as some of the best kayaking in the northwest. There are no motorized vehicles allowed in the area. Whales, sea lions, seals, dolphins, and even an occasional orca are visible via kayak. Last afternoon a friend called and wanted to know whether I was up for kayaking the Bartlett River with him to do some fishing. The two of us went in through the narrows about 90 minutes before high tide and spent the next 3½ hours fishing. There has been a lot of bear activity in that area as the bears need salmon protein to lay on fat for winter hibernation. An aggressive brown bear recently worked the banks where the sockeye salmon are running, taking fish from fishermen, and even charged a group of six fishermen back into the woods. (We kept the grandsons in the kayaks in mid river while we had them up in that area.) Once John and I exited the kayaks for the riverbank bear evidence was prevalent. I kept my bear spray in a chest wader pocket, finger hole on the canister exposed, and even thought about the times I played gunslinger as a child, wondering how long it would take to draw and fire the bear spray for real if necessary. John was literally “loaded for bear” with two cans of bear spray, an air horn, and a pistol. I found one eye regularly checks the riverbank or the tree line, except when a fish on the line holds the attention. Despite all the precautions and bear sign we never saw a bear (Murphy’s Law?). I caught a fat dolly varden, a little under two feet in length. John, using a fly rod and wet fly, had a sockeye salmon break his pole (it was an old pole) on his first fish of the afternoon. He was bummed as the fish then broke the line and took his only wet fly with it. I was using a middle weight casting rod and thought about loaning him my old flyrod, also in the kayak, but quickly realized it also is too old and light for these fish. We had a great time and lost a lot of fish, and after all the standing my back was tired and I was ready to head back on the outgoing tide. As a cap on the day kayaking back I counted at least nine whales in the cove or at the mouth of Bartlett Cove, with their blow mist beautifully backlit by the evening sun. We beached below the NP lodge, carried the kayaks to the truck, and headed for the lodge were we met our wives for a simple dinner. Life doesn’t get much better than this. At times I wish we had bought up here ten years ago.

July 14

2011-07-15T20:50:00.001-07:00

Micah seated ahead of me in a double kayak as we paddle into the Bartlett estuary and approach Bartlett River.

Jayden with his salmon.

The boys called to us from a log on our riverbank.

Our ritual was often to have a campfire by the river in the evening. After the 4th of July this included the use of firecrackers to blow cans in the air, or explode a cardboard boat.

The grandsons in an airplane that crashed in the forest back in 1957

The boys and Jon heading for the airplane to go home.

The boys left for home the evening of the 12th. The two weeks flew by way too fast. The next morning we looked at the two beds where they slept and were both misty eyed. During their stay we hiked, kayaked, fished, and then repeated all those activities several times. Two of them caught their first fish ever. We saw moose on several occasions, but no bears, which may be a good thing. For me the highlight was kayaking into Bartlett River with the grandsons. One leaves the National Park lodge and in 20 minutes is surrounded by spectacular wilderness and what has been called perhaps the best kayaking in the west. High tide (necessary to get in and out of a shallow area) was late so we had the boys out until 11PM. That seems late to most of you. Up here there it still plenty of daylight.

We staggered the taking of boys out in kayaks. At ten years old they don’t have the fortitude to paddle long distances. With Jay up front in a two-seater kayak at the entrance to Bartlett Cove whales were blowing in the distance, and small fish were jumping out of the water. I suspected a predatory fish was chasing them and when Jayden cast he got a nice hit on the first try. The fish was scrappy and the two of us took about ten minutes getting it in. Jay was on cloud nine about his first salmon. From there we paddled over to Bartlett River and Jayden was soon catching Dolly Varden trout one after the other. We had three of those trout for dinner the next night. They were nice sized trout evidenced by the fact three fed seven people. There are still two in the freezer, along with his Salmon filets. We took the other two boys out the next night expecting the same results. Unfortunately that didn’t work out at all. We only had one fish on the line, and that one broke free after giving Micah a fight.

Jon Brawley came up from Portland in the middle of the grandson’s stay. We accumulated about two days work on the cabin. The rest of the time was spent…. Guess what... hiking, fishing, and kayaking. Jon seemed to have a great time and the area really grew on him.

The morning after they all left a porcupine waddled past between cabin and the 5th wheel. That was an animal they did not get to see. The boys became more relaxed about wandering the area, much to our concern. Bears and moose seemed to not be around. But two nights ago we were awakened by neighborhood dogs barking. That usually means a bear is in the area. A nearby neighbor got up to see what his dog was barking about and witnessed a confrontation between a brown (grizzly) bear and a moose on the drive outside his house. The bear apparently wanted moose calf for dinner and mama moose wasn’t having any part of it. Eventually she chased the bear off. That all happened about 300 yards from our place. Then this morning I saw a lot of unusual wave activity in the water on the river. After high tide receded I realized why. The Pink Salmon run had begun. This year looks to be a healthy run. The river by our bank is black with salmon. They will rest in the shallows until next incoming tide and then move higher up-river. The downside is once they are spawned out they will die and the whole area will stink for a while, which brings in bears. But I wish he boys could have seen the actual run. It is hard to imagine salmon so thick at times one can almost imagine walking on them.

July 4th

2011-07-05T13:44:00.001-07:00

The 4th was pretty incredible. Tourists come in from all over SE AK and even the lower 48. First the parade where float riders throw candy to the kids. Paulette brought garbage bags for the boys. They made a haul. Then lunch at the fire department. They scarfed down burgers. The Declaration of Independence is read, followed by games and contests in the park. Here are a few pix of them on the tug-of-rope. I’m not sure what the other game is, but Micah participated in it three times. Jonah and Jay did the bubble blowing contest to see who could get the biggest bubble out of gum. Jonah did pretty well. Jay cheered him on. A friend gave us a string of fire-crackers much to the boys delight that evening. We blew cans in the air and holes in the ground. Tuesday AM they are on a Discovery Days at the NP with rangers looking into tide pools and aquatic life here.

July 2, 2011 With Dry Rice

2011-07-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

July 1, 2011
Ben and Clint departed and the grandsons arrived on the evening of the 28th. We had great weather for two weeks until that transition of guests. Then rain began to fall. We have had rain off and on since, and rain is forecast through the 4th of July. No big deal. We are thankful parents sent along rain boots and gear. The boys use these almost constantly.

When the plane arrived we saw some patches of red shirt behind the flight attendant atop the stairway after all other passengers deplaned. Soon eyes spotted Gammie and were all peeking to yell and wave at her.

Once home they wanted to explore everywhere as fast as they could. They went from cabin to woods to river to 5th wheel. Ten year old eyes are looking for ten year old activities. I had hoped they would see the beauty, let their senses drink in the river view, be awed by the vista from the cabin and the rainforest, and want to see wild animals. The cabin tour took all of thirty seconds and their comment to each other was, “It’s small.” Within an hour they were dragging my lumber to the “perfect spot” in our dense forest to build a fort. I am amazed how much wood three motivated boys can transport in a short time. (I’ll probably lend a hand if we have down time). Since then we have kept them too busy to do much fort construction. Later I overheard one say to the others in the forest, “There might be a bear out here so we should make noise.” I hadn’t told him that so smiled that these must have been a parent’s concerned words. We took them to lunch on a big ship (200 yards long) when it docked. I figured they would be impressed by the size. Few places would let them be 20 feet from a docking ship. They looked but somewhere in the observing one realized the snow grate floor of the dock could be spit through. Soon the ship was out of mind as they each tried to exercise their salivary glands to the max and watch the splash in the ocean thirty feet below. We took them for lunch at the lodge. One side of the restaurant is all glass. The view is magnificent and several yachts were visible. We seated the boys where they could take in the view. Each table has binoculars. Instead of scanning the view the boys were looking at the table with them, or turned them around to look at things smaller. I had to smile. On a walk through primeval forest with a ranger three boys got bored quickly and ran ahead. We did not need to worry about bears the rest of the 1.5 hour hike as the boys made plenty of noise.

We walked out the dock to the end floats. One at a time I readied their poles with lures. “Be conscious of where your hook is at all times.” Every other cast I had to untangle reels. A little later Micah yelled, “Hey!!! I got one!!” The other two looked on in amazement. None of them knew how to fight a fish, so he just cranked away while the fish pulled against the drag. A foot long flounder appeared, his first fish ever, and he caught it all by himself. The other two now wanted to fish in exactly the same spot. For fishhook safety I spread them out and instructed Jonah to go to the other end of the float. He went reluctantly but soon was yelling himself with a fish on. This one was what the locals call a “double-ugly” (for reason) about thirteen inches long. Now sad Jay was the only one without a fish. After a few hours I told them we were going to have to leave. Jay kept casting and then yelled. It was another double ugly. All three had the hang of casting by the time we walked toward the truck. And Papa was proud to help two of them catch their first fish.

We gave them pocket knives, “tool” instructions, and safety talk the first evening. The desire to sharpen sticks was overwhelming. Soon they had the knives out in places where they shouldn’t, like the truck back seat. And I saw one running with his open, so decided to collect the knives, much to the boys chagrin. They will get them back for a second try, and hopefully realize I meant what I said about safety. They bring back latent memories of my childhood. I don’t think I wanted to listen at that age either.

This morning we walked to an old (1957) airplane crash site in the forest. The boys really enjoyed that. Where else can they climb all over a large crashed airplane? Then a second day of kayak time this afternoon. Micah was tired the first day we kayaked so wanted to nap instead. Thus he is a little behind the other boys in practice. Jay took to kayaking like a duck to water. Jonah isn’t far behind. I get a workout getting the kayaks loaded here and unloaded at the pond, and then the reverse when we go home.

Getting into a kayak it dumped both myself and Jonah (at separate times) into shallow water. We have had no history of that instability here on the river, so I suspect the problem is related to the steepness of bank putting them in the shallow pond where the grandkids practice. The upshot is I got both my camera and cell phone wet in my inadvertent bath. After a day in a bowl of dry rice the phone started working again. The verdict on the camera is still pending. It was in the case and got only a little moisture. We are hoping it didn’t get wet in a vital spot. The bummer part is if the camera dies we won’t get any pix of the grandkids activities for the next ten days. (update: After two days in the rice the camera came back to life, hopefully permanently.)

Rain most of the time they have been here. All their pants are wet. Paulette isn’t happy about that. I said let them wear them anyway. She is reluctant to do that. It is tough with this many people, three very active, in a close space, but we are managing.

A neighbor called late yesterday and said a black bear had just wandered past and was headed our way. I guess it got detoured because we never saw it and after an hour I let the boys go outside. So far the boys have seen only eagles. Saturday morning they are outside playing Starwars. Sounds like the whole planet is in danger. Even the neighbors dogs are barking.

Oh, Micah informed me of his own volition he wants to come again next year.

Alaska June 26, 2011

2011-06-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

We have been blessed with almost no rain, and highs in the mid-60s since Ben and Clint arrived. We finished outside projects like windows and porch roof early in their stay just in case rain arrived. We then switched to inside projects like plumbing, bathroom shower pans, stairs, insulation, drywall (until we ran out), and some door hanging. The progress has been great but also given the guys plenty of time to do many other things, like fish, hike, and kayak. Last night I think they stayed up trying to see the northern lights (midnight to two AM for darkest sky). My guess is clouds obscured the view. I won’t know until they get up.

Ben and Clint leave and the grandsons arrive in two days. With the buildup and excitement in the grandsons I am hoping we don’t show them a letdown. Moose and bear have been hard to come by this year, and even the fishing in the river has been poor. The guys only caught a few small trout. A few nights ago as we sat by the river I heard a splash and quieted everyone. The sound was a mama moose walking in the water just upriver. Clint got to see her and her twins, but Ben was in taking a shower. By the time Ben got outside he only saw one of the calves a few seconds before it disappeared into the willows. He hopes yet to see a moose over four feet tall (probably four to five weeks old). We did see one bear at a great distance while hiking to Bartlett River. It was a large black bear about a quarter mile away on the other side of the river.

The kayaks have been popular, so much that a neighbor asked his brother to bring one with him when the brother drove to Alaska from Massachusetts last week. We had been sharing ours so he offered us the use of his in return. That led to the possibility of a threesome on a kayak safari. The guys looked at a map and talked to our neighbor (the one in the kayak rental business) and they decided on a trip to the Beardslee Islands (I think you can Google Earth it. Find the archipelago in southern Glacier Bay north of Gustavus). The trick is one has to cross a shallow rocky narrows near Glacier Bay NP headquarters within thirty minutes of high tide. Once through that narrows the door of return is closed for twelve hours (until the next high tide) unless one kayaks completely around the outer edge open-channel side of the largest island. That circular route was the trip the guys chose. I was in the lousy beginning stages of a cold but decided I was not going to miss this chance. We put the kayaks in the water about 7 o’clock Thursday morning, and were waiting for high tide in the shallows a half hour later. Once on the other side the water was sheltered and smooth as a mirror as we paddled north.

The hours slipped by exploring and crossing miles of open water between islands. We observed a half dozen porpoise playing off to the side. Then landed on a gravel beach on a small dot of island we nicknamed Bird Island (A week later I learned from a neighbor this island is out-of-bounds. We try to observe the rules but the island had no indication of being off-limits). Apparently the birds find this dot of land a secluded place safe from predators, and many showed only slight fear of man.

A cruise liner passed a few miles west (photo below), oblivious of our presence, going up-bay in the main channel on the other side of Strawberry Island. The contrast between the wilderness and a modern white ship several blocks long is stark.

We lunched on the gravel without disturbing any occupants and I thought I heard the ark ark of seals in the distance. Sound travels far on the water so we had no idea how far away they were. We detoured from the planned route and proceeded toward that sound and found a rookery, perhaps eighty seals in number. We are not suppose to approach wildlife so kept our distance so as not to disturb them. Eventually all took to the water and approached us. Again we saw little fear of man. They explored us and were all around us, one coming up right between our kayaks and treading water there for a half minute while big moist eyes observed us.

I count twenty in this telephoto picture, and there were many more around us.

Note the seal head just to the right of Ben's kayak.

When we did the hypotenuse across open water to our original route whales were blowing to the north of us near Strawberry Island. By the time the sound of their blow reached us the whales were usually about out of sight, meaning the sound was traveling several miles. A few times we heard the boom of a gun-like bang as a whale beached. The concussion was the slap as 35 tons did a flop on the water. We pulled into another beach for a break. On the map we were a little over half way. I was glad I had come but feeling the distance and had a muscle cramp in my left forearm.

In the expanses of open water one sees little travel progress. There is simply the steady rhythm of paddling and occasional chatter with fellows. This allows the mind to wander away from the new sights and sounds. I mused about how to show these amazing areas to my grandsons, but realized they are too young to kayak this distance in unforgiving waters, and the area is closed to motorized travel. So I shifted to dreaming about getting three more kayaks and doing the route as a father-daughter trip :-). The tourists who think they see Glacier Bay from a cruise ship deck are ignorant of the true richness one can experience when paddling silently through the back country.

As we came around the open channel end of the last island to head south the tide was still going out. This produced turbulent water with whirlpools that swirled and wanted to take control of our kayak’s direction. With a little exertion we made it through those fifty yards. Next time (if there is a next time) I plan to try to skirt that area or catch it at slack tide. As we turned south the breeze came directly at us, which made for slower progress. I had developed a rhythm of about one paddle per second (I would mentally count one-thousand-one per stroke). The guys one third my age soon outdistanced me with their 1.5 paddles per second, so I hugged the coast in case I got in trouble while they did straight line distances across more open water. Mesmerized by the whales and wild before them they did not realize I was not with them for nearly an hour. At one point they went out into the channel to attempt whale viewing up close. But the whales were having none of it, and surfaced well behind their first position. That gave me opportunity to get abreast of their kayaks again. Kelp was thick along the edge of the island and we occasionally had to navigate through it, which wasn’t bad if one kept the paddle from getting caught in the tangle. This portion of the trip was more boring (except for the whales) with hours of steady paddling into breeze. Finally, the last point before the lodge came into welcome (for me) sight. I could hug the coast of the cove (about five miles travel) or go with Ben and Clint across open water (about three miles). I decided to try to keep up with them and did so until about the last mile. In this stretch of open water we were abreast to small wind waves; a new kayak experience. At the point where the guys were outdistancing me I chose to head for the closest point on the destination shore to get in the semi-leeward area with less wave. Their youth and invincibility went direct for the harbor. I was grateful for the sight of the truck, which Ben already was driving down to the ramp. That night we pulled out a map with a mileage legend and Clint and I did independent calculations of the distance covered. Our best estimate is 23 miles by kayak. Even if we were off a mile or two that is a considerable distance for old muscles. Would I do it again? Yes, but at a slower pace…. And not tomorrow. I went to bed at 8:30 that evening.

2011-06-20T22:26:00.000-07:00

June 20, 2011
We are grateful to spend our second summer in Alaska. The building project seems very different this year. Last year there were times when I felt I bit off more than I could chew. The pressure abated greatly with having the cabin dry by September 2010. I have been busy, but not pressed to reach a difficult goal like last year. The vision of having a few rooms livable by our departure mid September (so we can live in the cabin summer of 2012) seems well within reach. Thus my days have been full but relaxed. I take breaks, but surprisingly seem to get more done than I planned. The work seemed ahead of schedule when Ben and Clint arrived June 12. They wanted to go right to work the next morning. We installed the last five front windows by noon that day. The transformation of the cabin is fantastic. Per our plan the outdoors literally seems to be part of the great room. As a footnote I think I drew six or eight elevations to try to find a window design we liked. This is the result. We hope you approve. Again, many thanks to Gene for his help obtaining windows!!!

Unlike past years mosquitoes have been slightly bothersome during our otherwise relaxing evenings. We have never seen many here until this summer. One evening we decided to move our chairs into the cabin and enjoy the view from behind the protection of the new windows. Long time residents say there are occasional bad years for mosquitoes. The problem approximates a Midwest. So far we have not had any in the trailer at night.

Ben worked long days with us during his visit last year. This year I determined to have him get more interaction with fishing, hiking, and tourist stuff. Tuesday evening we headed to the new dock to view eagles, and then to Glacier Bay National Park with the hope of seeing a moose or bear. We struck out on the bigger animals. In a humorous twist while we were away a mama moose and calf walked down our driveway to within thirty feet of the trailer. She left a different set of tracks the following evening too. We had to laugh at the irony of a moose paying us a visit while we were off trying to find one.

The kayaks have been the hit of the neighborhood, so much that a neighbor went out and got his own for the ocean. We keep ours two lots downstream (300 yards) where river access is easier. Many of the riverfront neighbors have been using them. A few days ago Ben and I kayaked to the boat harbor and back, a round trip I estimate at approximately four miles. The downriver leg was relaxing as we drifted with the current and took in the fantastic panorama. Going upstream on an ebb tide required effort.

After the picture windows were installed we built the skeleton of a porch. Clint became ill during that construction. A new neighbor who has 28 years experience as an RN paid him a visit and said he had the symptoms of appendicitis. That caused us great concern because of our remote location. Clint wanted to wait to go to ER and the next morning was improved a little. That led to a wait to see how he felt at the end of that day. He was a little more improved and we let him decide whether he wanted to go to Juneau. Again he wanted to wait and see. He was down for three days and though still has slight discomfort in his side seems to have mostly recovered from whatever ailed him. He joined Ben and me on the cabin project even though we preferred he limit activity.

As I write this we are within a day of having the plumbing finished and well wiring connected (if the weather is good we might shift to other projects before energizing the well pump) . 90% of the bedroom and lower bath drywall is hung. We have the loft stairs to complete, plus perhaps the roof over the porch if we can improvise some siding. At this rate we may run out of materials before they leave in seven days. The weather has cooperated with little rain, though this morning precipitation is falling. That means an inside work day instead of trying to complete the porch.
Tomorrow is summer solstice. Ben and Clint stayed up around the campfire with a neighbor until midnight to see if it really was light at 12 AM. Their verdict: Dusky but still enough light to see well. Sunday afternoon Ben, Clint, and myself did a walk of about four miles to the Bartlett River. Between enjoyable construction, casual hikes, and leisurely kayaking my body tends to remind me it is 63. So far my mind remains 35-ish.

Three days ago we received a call from the Visa Credit Card fraud division. Someone had gotten Paulette’s credit card number and bogus charges showed up in So. Dakota and New York. They wanted to reissue new cards. We agreed but explained that there are no banks in our remote location so most everyone does business by credit card. He understood our predicament and said they would UPS them overnight. I had to explain that UPS doesn’t service Gustavus. He proposed FedEx. Nope. Then a more obscure service. Not them either. Our one choice is USPS and overnight up here doesn’t mean overnight. We will probably have them in two more days. It’s part of the fun of living in remote Alaska. We have enough cash to get along for a few weeks.

June 4, Paulette's Birthday

2011-06-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

First, Happy Birthday to my wife. She has become Alaskan at heart in my opinion.

On Memorial day we took a walk via an off-the-beaten-path path. The closer one gets to the beach the smaller the trees, and the larger the clearings. A few years ago someone unknowingly brought in a dandelion seed, probably stuck to their shoe. This non-native species has proliferated into millions. Consequently many open areas become a sea of yellow dandelion flowers at this time of year. Some native species are having a struggle competing. The morning star and lupin are starting to bloom too.

I took a picture of the cabin plumbing to show the progress. Yup, it’s boring stuff. That is insulation in the background. I’ve about reached a point where I can go no further without new supplies. We intend to take the ferry into Juneau on Monday to procure materials, and then return home Wednesday.

Friday evening the Glacier Bay NP lodge did a reach-out to the local community. Those who RSVP’d got to go on a 1.5 hour boat ride out into the bay. The only wildlife we saw were a few sea otters, but a very enjoyable ride anyway. The second half of the open-house was a reception at the lodge. The eats were chef prepared and delicious. This was a nice touch in that the National Park, though our neighbor, has at times been viewed as intentionally isolationist from our small community. Perhaps this is changing.

Finally, MOOSE! When we arrived home I told Paulette I was going to walk out to the river and look for moose. As the opposite bank came into view I spied the first moose of the year right where we have seen cows bed down with their calves last year. They put their backs to the river and watch the narrow part of the isthmus for wolves. I saw her through our trees at about 70 feet. I moved left for a better view and one more quick picture before retreating. The brown spot in the grass to her left is the calf, perhaps two weeks old. I didn’t want to spook her from her protected lair, and she was still there in the morning.

You might want to double click that pix for a better look. Paulette went out about 9 AM and from our side of the river, about 50 feet from mama moose, began talking to her in a soft voice. Apparently moose don't understand human-talk. Mama and calf left shortly thereafter.

Not Much New

2011-06-01T21:09:00.001-07:00

Winter is finally losing its grip up here... around late May. We have had four fairly nice and somewhat warmer days. Plants are growing fast, and everything seems to be in bloom. Still no moose or bear sightings though. The place seems to be less wild without those critters showing up. Progress on the cabin continues, thought not much to show visibly. Any pictures would be of plumbing or wiring. you would be bored. But progress is taking place. The pace is much more relaxed than last year.

A neighbor, when he saw our two kayaks, insisted on getting them in the water and took off upstream in one. About a hundred yards later he pulled over and gave up. The current moves around 3-4 feet per second if the tide is out. At a high tide the current will be almost non-existent. That made me reconsider letting the grandsons use the kayaks on the river. The current is just too strong. Perhaps we can take them to a pond.

The lodge at Glacier Bay opened Monday. We went up for dinner. They restaurant didn't have their act together. It took 45 minutes to get seated even though we had reservations. Another 30 minutes to get waited on. And another hour (!) to get our food. We had great conversation with another couple during that time. The result was when the bill came they gave us the meals for the four of us free with their apology. We did have to pay for our beverages.

I hope to go to Juneau next week to pick up building supplies. I'm running out of things to do until I get the needed parts.

Wednesday, May 25

2011-05-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

Using a forklift to back the 5er on the barge in Juneau.

A few days ago I had six paragraphs written for the blog. When I went to the wi-fi site to make the post my PC crashed. Despite the auto save feature I can’t find anything I had written. Instead of doing a reconstruction I’m saying forget it, and starting mostly new thoughts.

As you can see from the picture the rig is in Gustavus as of the 18th. We have been living in it almost a week. We are pleased to be on the property and have our own space again.
Most of the cabin is rough wired. I say most because I ran out of wire. I need to buy about 100 more feet of 14-2 to complete the lighting circuits. I ran basic a black pipe manifold for propane for drier and stove under the floor a few mornings ago. Work goes slow under the foundation where it is damp and dark. I was happy to get out of the hole, but need to go back soon to run water and waste lines.

Our original bathroom plan for downstairs looked ok on paper but proved dysfunctional after we set in the shower pan and toilet. The shower I bought is too big, making other features congested. So we are moving the slightly smaller upstairs shower pan downstairs, and will have to get a new shower pan for the small upstairs bathroom.... perhaps next year.

No major animal sightings yet, nor have I encountered anyone who has seen any moose or bears. Only one set of bear tracks seen on the property, and those over a week old. We have to go down to the dock if we want to see eagles. We have had an abundance of cold and rain. Spring is said to be three weeks late this year. Trees are only now budding out. Perhaps with warmer weather the moose and bears will show up. Update: Fresh moose tracks in the driveway yesterday. They were imprinted over the truck tracks so were made between noon and three PM. Each track is approximately a yard apart, a large adult moose.

We awoke to rain again last night. That isn’t unusual in southeast AK. After all we live in a temperate rain forest. It’s what makes the place so lush. About 11 AM today the sky cleared and the sun came out big time. The temps warmed to just under 70 degrees. This is the Gustavus we both love. Sun shining through the spruce onto mossy glades, or reflecting off the river.

I am running out of things to do on the cabin unless I ferry to Juneau for more supplies (which I intend to do June 6). Therefore I am reaching ahead to things that need eventual doing. Today I prematurely began installing insulation in bedroom and bath walls. It’s a job I dislike. Several hours after getting itchy I decided to shower and do something else. With the weather fabulous we went next door and planted our veggie seeds (which we brought from Calif.) in the neighbors garden patch. Believe it or not most world record vegetables are grown in AK. With approximately 18 hours of sun for the next two months things grow like crazy. You can just about sit and watch them grow. (Seriously.) A Mennonite neighbor told me one year he planted a big patch of potatoes. In the fall he harvested 2500 pounds of spuds.

Switzerland? -- May 15

2011-05-15T17:23:00.000-07:00

I am told Switzerland is beautiful valleys between mountain peaks. That came to mind as we were driving around. Nearly every road has a pristine snow capped mountain directly in its path. I was thinking, now nice. They laid out the roads to each view a mountain. Then from a promontory I realized the whole flat area that is Gustavus is surrounded by snow capped mountains. One finds it hard to lay out a road to not view a mountain.

Weather has been spectacular the last three days. Temps 55-60. Spring is in the air. At 11PM enough light exists to see everything. And about 4AM the darkness is forced out by morning twilight. This is the Gustavus I remember

I am suppose to take the ferry to Juneau to move out rig to have it transported on Wednesday. We live in hope.

Life is good here. I have put in full days on the cabin since Tuesday, with the exception of Sunday. Nearly all the rough wiring is in. Today we painted the floor of four of the downstairs rooms. I plan to buy a few materials I need in Juneau when I am there, like a little more wire, a few necessary fittings for propane plumbing, and a lot of groceries.

I saw my first track today by the river. It was about five inches across and was made by a bear, probably a black bear. I also saw river otters catching breakfast the other day. I don't especially like them because they can decimate the fish population. Still no moose sightings. Geese and ducks migrate past almost every day.

Wednesday May 11

2011-05-11T19:11:00.000-07:00

Second full day of work today. Yesterday rained a lot so I did wiring inside. Today started foggy, but cleared about 11 to a fabulous day. I dug 55 feet of trench for sewer line. I told Paulette I'm not just tired tonight, I'm downright weary.

When we arrived last year the flowers were starting to bloom. This year winter has barely loosened its grip. We see a little snow on the ground in a few places. Today was the first springlike day they have had here. Trees are barely budding and plants sprouting. We haven't seen a bear or moose at all since we arrived in Gustavus three days ago. Not even a track on the property. Very different from last year in that respect. Last year we saw moose almost daily for a few weeks. Moose are due to calve soon so perhaps they will show up once they have babies.

Year 1 versus Year 2

2011-05-08T21:13:00.000-07:00

Last year was so exciting. We were pioneering, and difficulties, though expected, seldom materialized. All went smoothly except the kidney stone and finishing the roof. One had the distinct feeling the Lord was in the details. This year seems quite the opposite. We planned to take the 5er over on the ferry and learned the new dock is called a $5,000,000 mistake. It can't handle any trailer over 20 feet long. Though we have given due diligence to details months in advance almost from arriving in Juneau we have been beset by the problem of getting the rig barged over (see previous entry). Our work around is to go over tomorrow morning with only the truck, stay with friends, take all the tools and supplies we can hold, and I'll have to come back with the truck on the 16th to move the 5er and hopefully get it transported over on the 18th. We have no way of knowing whether that will truly happen, and must live in trust. My biggest fear is that we would get the rig over, and in the fall get a refusal from the barge to take it back, even though we have that agreement and a deposit in place to make it happen. I guess I'm once burned, twice shy. This has taken a lot of joy out of the project for me. We are going to plod on and see what happens. I have thought that if push comes to shove I can perhaps get the bedroom and bathroom rough operational in about four weeks. That way we can live in the crude cabin. Then push to get the other two small rooms servicable so we can accommodate guests and grandkids. I had hoped to have a more relaxed year, but we can take that route as a plan B if we need to. I prefer not to go that route because most of the hardship would be on Paulette. We pray and trust His leading and protection.

May 6,

2011-05-06T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today has been hard. This morning the fellow who is going to transport the rig called me back. He says he can’t do us for another ten days. (I made a reservation for May 9 or sooner way back in February). I understand his need to flex a bit to maximize load and profitability. But it looks to me like he landed some more profitable jobs so is putting us off. He went so far as to tell me I can find another carrier if I want, and said if I want to reserve a date of the 18th I should give him a deposit. Paulette and I are trying a work around, but won’t be able to get the rig over until the 18th, assuming he sticks to his word given when I gave him the deposit.

Integrity comes to mind. Integrity is based on the word integer, meaning one. The idea is to be the same in dealings all the time no matter what the up or down or situation of life. Someone with integrity lives by one standard, not several.

2011-05-05T14:57:00.001-07:00

The grandkids with matching tee shirts for some place called Papa Mel's Riverpointe in Gustavus, Alaska

Wednesday May 4

2011-05-04T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have been rained on in Juneau ever since we arrived. Such is the rain forest. The weather is chilly too, but we had about the same last year. Nights are in the high 30's. We are waiting to hear back from the barge as to when he can take the rig over. Looks like we have a bit of down time to shop in Juneau. We will probably be here another four to five days. I purchased a pressure tank for the well yesterday, and some other construction incidentals.

Let me step back to our Canadian travels. My biggest concern was the trailer brakes. After the failure coming down the Grape Vine grade in California the last thing I wanted was trailer brake failure coming down one of the 10% grades on the Alaskan Highway. I was optimistic I had found the problem, but prudence demanded watchfulness while traversing Washington state. The brake controller never showed anything but good connection on the digital readout. The farther we drove the better I felt about the problem being solved. All across Canada and down the steep grade from White Pass into Skagway the brakes never faltered.

One of the wires coming out of the top of the magnet was installed so tight around a bracket it wore through the insulation causing a short and trailer brake failure.

A view at the top of White Pass before heading down into Skagway. The route is very curvy and descends 3200 feet in only a few miles. Pulling 23,100 pounds I didn't let our speed go over 20 mph.

Monday, May 2

2011-05-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

This is a quick post to let those of you who wonder what became of us know we are alive and well. Campgrounds across Canada were not open yet, and thus no internet access to post.

Last Wednesday we looked at a British Columbia Road site located by Sheepish and realized upper western Canada had three days of good weather forecast ahead, with decent road conditions. So Thursday morning we hit the road, drove north across Washington State, entered Canada without any customs problems, and proceeded another 200 miles north before stopping for the first night. That was the only open campground we found for the 1500 mile trek across upper Canada. Everything north was unopened because the ground was still frozen and thus no water to the campsites. They seemed to not have emerged from winter yet. We traveled with only a few gallons of water to reduce weight, but managed to do fine pulling into turnouts to spend the night. There was almost no traffic on the AlCan Hwy, and a LOT more snow bordering the road than last year. Despite the good weather forecast we got snowed on twice, sleeted on once, and hailed on once. Both snows the buildup on the road worried me, but about the time I figured we should pull over the roads cleared well enough to continue. It was a comfort having chains along for both the truck and trailer, even though I didn't use them. The rig shows the effects of driving through snow and slush. The truck and trailer were both filthy with road grime. The second morning temps were in the 22-23 degree range when we hit the road. After 3.5 long days we pulled over the top of famous White Pass and dropped into Skagway, Alaska on Sunday morning. The pass is justly named. From mountaintop to horizon white snow is everywhere. The first two campgrounds in Skagway were also closed due to frozen ground. The third, down near the ocean, apparently had a slightly more marine influence and thus had running water, though the office was closed. We backed into a space for the night. About four o'clock a truck pulled up to the office and noticed my note on the door. He turned out to be the manager. We were the only folks in the whole campground, though he did have one other RV'er from the Yukon a few days earlier and another showed up the next day. We managed to move our ferry reservation up, which was originally for May 6, to Monday May 2. We boarded the ferry about 5:30 PM, and after several delays off-loaded into Juneau-Auke Bay about 3:45 in the morning. After a mostly sleepless night we were both heavy-eyed. We caught about four hours sleep in our usual campground in Mendenhall Valley. The owner treats us with fantastic care, was glad to see us, and greeted us both with hugs. There is obviously more to the trip across Canada, and I will try to post better details with pictures asap. Just wanted to let you know we are ok.

Tuesday April 26

2011-04-26T20:16:00.000-07:00

First, Costco replaced my glass frames at no charge. They happened to have one identical frame in stock. That was a blessing.

Tuesday is our 42nd anniversary. The day wasn't all that rainy so I got under the 5er and tried to sort out the brake problem. Everything, including the controller readout, was now totally normal. I couldn't duplicate the problem. That bummed me because of the risk of future failure. Murphy's law hinted the problem would surface again at the worst possible moment. Working on tracing wiring on one brake I notice the tire tread was separating. The tires had all looked fine at every stop on the way north. When I pulled the wheel off I noticed the tread on the next two tires didn't look right either. Those two were in early stages of separation. The result is three new trailer tires, an unexpected $450 expense. A verse crossed my mind. "Where goods increase they increase that eat them." How true.

I pulled the wheels to take them to a tire shop. I had been reluctant to pull a brake drum in the rain for fear of getting a bearing wet and/or dirty. But while a wheel was off and only a light drizzle fell I decided to pull the brake drum and see if I could notice anything in the actual electric brakes that looked suspicious. Sure enough. I found a wire with the insulation worn through where it touched a moving arm. The wear was not significant, but enough to show a bit of wire which would short out the brakes when it contacted the brake arm. I happily re-routed the wire and am optimistic that will fix the intermittent problem. Earlier I was bummed about the additional tire costs. After finding the worn wire I became grateful for the additional tire problems because they helped me find the probable cause for the brake failure. Tires are cheaper than a wreck. My prayer has been that any problems would surface now rather than on the remote stretches of the Alaskan Hwy. Thus no murmuring. It is now 8:20 PM and time to try to locate the anniversary card I bought for Paulette. I somehow misplaced it in the events of the past two days, and hers to me is sitting as yet unopened under my nose.

More Adventure Than We Expected

2011-04-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

We are on the road and in Portland Oregon for a few days. A few problems materialized during our travel. On the way down the grapevine my trailer brakes failed. They would work about half way (according to the controller read-out) and then give up completely. Fortunately the brakes on the truck and a downshift kept speed under control. I was thinking the body shop removed the bed to do some body work where I crunched the cab, and perhaps didn't get some wiring hooked up solidly. I switched to the other connector socket on the truck and the problem seemed to clean up. Then, after leaving Dennis and Cathy the same thing happened again, only this time I got a SH on the readout, which I took to mean "short." I lost all braking on the trailer at that point. After two hours in a rest area troubleshooting and realizing the problem wasn't in the truck wiring I isolated the short on one axle and disconnected those two brakes. We proceeded to Portland on the remaining four trailer brakes. We took Hwy 97 to 58 to avoid all the up and down of the mountains on I-5. We did fine with four trailer brakes. Now I need to troubleshoot which wheel has the short and fix the problem (I now suspect a worn magnet?) before we head north again. Quite a bit of rain in Portland so I will wait a day or two and see if conditions improve before pulling the wheel apart. I am grateful it happened here instead of in the wilds of Canada where no parts are apt be available. I'd hate to be on any of those 10% grades without every brake working.

When we pulled into D&C's near Sacramento Dennis told me he thought a rear tire looked paunchy. I pulled out a gauge and sure enough, it was well down in pressure. I found a screw in the tread. We plugged it and saved that tire. Otherwise I might not have noticed until the tire came apart. Chinese trailer tires are junk, but the only one available today, so I walk around the truck and trailer at every stop to check for tread separation. I guess I should start kicking tires too.

When I reached up to adjust my glasses an ear piece fell off. I bought these frames at Costco so I could get them fixed anywere there is a Costco. I'm thinking the frame is unfixable. No screws came out. Looks like a joint where the ear piece glues together failed. I tried some JB weld at Dennis and Cathy's but it didn't hold.

I rolled across two different truck scales in Oregon. The first result showed 23,200 lbs.; The second 23,000. In spite of all my weight preparation we are about 800 lbs heavier than my home calculations. That means I have to leave some things behind in Portland because I need to pick up 700 lbs of windows here. Therefore 685 lbs of doors, soffit, and water softener went under the shed at E's.

Suffice it to say the trip so far has been an adventure of the unexpected. Gratefully I'm handy at fixing most things myself.

I ordered new tires for pick up here in Portland. The original equipment tires on the truck now have 95,000 miles on them (!) and probably have enough tread to make the round trip, but I don't want to risk tire problems on the Alaskan Hwy where towns can be 350 miles apart.

36 Hours and Counting

2011-04-19T15:03:00.001-07:00

Above are pictures of the back of the 5th wheel trailer pretty much packed to go. Note that I did get the two Kayaks loaded for Sherrie Jo to enjoy.☺ Our construction task this summer was to side the exterior to protect the cabin from weather. But a glitch in the amount of time needed to order siding nixed that. Instead we will
go with Plan B and focus on porch, plumbing, electrical, insulation, and some drywall. The goal is to get utilities operational in the cabin, and bedroom, bath, and laundry functional so we can live in the cabin in 2012. Next summer we will hopefully do the exterior siding.

The pictures don't look like the trailer has as much material as last year, but the back 16 feet contains washer, drier, refrigerator, freezer, seven windows, water heater, water softener, stove, six doors, a toilet, a dehumidifier, stair banister and ballisters, and just about every supply I can think of to complete the plumbing and electrical. Oh, and much to Paulette's delight she is taking her sewing machine! I still have to squeeze her bicycle in there somewhere. We are only slightly less heavy than last year. That makes me a little uneasy, but I was uneasy about the weight last year too and we did fine. We will be cautious, take our time, and by the grace of God hopefully not experience any breakdowns.

Sophie Comes Home

2011-03-21T17:45:00.001-07:00

Seth kissing his cousin's hand.

#1 holding #11

Micah the gentleman pleased as punch to have Sophie in his arms.

2011-03-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome Sophie!

The latest addition to the clan. Sophie Irina, born 3/19/11 @ 3 PM, 7 lbs 3 oz. 18¼ inches, and though sleeping in these pix she is full of feisty life when awake.

The happy Papa.

Gustavus Tsunami?

2011-03-11T14:10:00.000-08:00

I had some emails wondering whether our place in Alaska could be in the path of the Tsunami generated by the Japan quake. Thanks for the concern. The short answer is that scenario is very improbable. A wave would have to hit the inlet at a perfect angle to travel up the ten mile wide channel. There are two decent sized islands in that channel and several lesser islands, which should absorb a lot of wave energy. I suspect what gets around the islands and reaches us shouldn't have much amplitude left.

A day later: Thinking about the cabin seems trivial after seeing the extent of the destruction in Japan. A good source for streaming news in English direct from Japan. I see clips from this station show up on the local 5 O'clock news later in the day.

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/r/movie/

Papa Mel Rescues Sophie in Joint Effort

2011-03-07T10:22:00.000-08:00

About 11AM I go the phone call. Sophie was stranded on a side street in Santa Monica. Which Sophie? Our grandaughter. Our unborn granddaughter, with a due date two weeks from now.

Her parents have been driving a borrowed high mileage car and just exited the freeway onto surface streets when the brakes went out. Bela managed to avoid a collision and get the car stopped with the help of the emergency brake. Whew! He looked at the puddle of brake fluid and called me. Senator Boxer says a baby is not viable until it leaves the hospital. So perhaps the Senator would have left Sophie stranded. Our view of life is substantially higher so I called Paulette and we went into action. I drove home, hooked up the flatbed trailer, grabbed a spare, and we headed for Santa Monica. Two hours and one wrong turn later we rounded a corner to see the reclusive Sophie's rotund profile. She was waiting with her mama. We trailered the car and had everyone home by 7PM. One shudders to think of what might have happened in a panic stop situation on the freeway. Sophie's angel was on the job.

These explanations are always better with visuals. Unfortunately the angel wouldn't consent to a picture.

Net Worth Statement

2011-03-01T09:45:00.001-08:00

Instead of a page listing line items of net worth this is a picture version. Mary and JoAnna gave April a baby shower on Saturday. Five hours later a car with trunk, back seat, and every available nook carefully packed to hold all the gifts, was unloaded at our domicile. The presents were such a blessing for them that we arranged this picture. While Bela and myself were carrying in the gifts he smiled and commented, "I think Sophie (unborn baby's name) has more net worth than April and me... (pause) ...and I'm including the snowboard."

In a very real sense this Statement of Worth is not merely the material gifts seen here. The picture speaks of the friendship and love of many for Bela, April, and Sophie. What a Statement!

Just Hangin Around

2011-02-21T19:43:00.001-08:00

Micah, that is....

Uncle Bela helps Micah tie his gee.

Micah strikes a pose.

Progress

2011-02-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

We are only about nine weeks away from heading north. In retrospect yesterday seemed like a good day. I made reservations for the ferry to get us back to the top of the world in early May, and back out in late September, and also have the 5er transported across and back out as well. With the ferry running I suspect the barge has less business, and the captain gave me a much better price than last year. That was serendipity. The extra cost is part of having a home up there, and when standing in elation overlooking the river I think worth every penny. The loose ends are coming together. I've been procrastinating on three items. I need to order siding, four picture windows, and a hot water heater. I'll procure drywall and insulation up there some time during summer and bring them across myself on the ferry.

Insurance Update

2011-02-16T15:30:00.001-08:00

If you read the previous post you know we have a huge potential medical debt over our head for my kidney stone in Alaska last summer. Today I spent all day trying to get to the bottom of the insurance payment problem because of hospital insinuation it would turn the matter over to a collection agency. My preconception saw the problem as a matter of insurance not pre-authorizing my procedure because I was out of our HMO area. Turns out all my diligent pre-procedure calls to insurance did matter. Here is what I found. Though not sure apparently insurance did authorize due to my calls. Normally the stone blast is an outpatient procedure. When I had complications and had to be hospitalized the staff was responsible to call for insurance authorization. Authorization obviously would have been granted. Since the hospital did not call now hospital finance personnel need to provide a bunch of paperwork showing I was indeed hospitalized. So the hospital dropped the ball! The non-payment is due to their lapse. The humorous part is the hospital did not want to admit the reason for non-payment was caused by their omission, and especially not admit that I was off the hook. The gal stuttered and stammered and said she would have to talk to her superior.
OK, I'm smiling. This isn't over, but looks like the problem is not ours.

Nothing of Note

2011-02-14T17:05:00.000-08:00

Our lives have been relatively quiet except for a few burbles. Our biggest surprise was how well our retirement money did last year. Fear still seems rampant about the economy. As recently as a few weeks ago I heard someone advising friends prior to a Bible study he was staying away from the stock market. Almost no one realizes we are on the verge of crossing into the third year of up trend since the bottom. Quite amazing really.

After watching used material's ads regularly we now have much of the plumbing and electrical for Alaska stacked out by the garage. One setback is that we figured on using the ferry to get our RV transported to Gus this year at 1/5 the cost of using the barge last year. Turns out the ramp at the brand new dock isn't allowing any trailer over 20 feet in length. I can't imagine how any engineer would design a brand new multi-million dollar dock and then not make it capable of handling anything the ferry could unload. But that's apparently what happened. In essence they designed to deprive themselves business. To us that means the overall cost of getting to Alaska this spring will set us back about double what we thought due to the huge cost of being barged the last 50 miles. A disappointment to be sure. So I try to think about three grandsons waking up in the Alaska morning to take on the day with us and the cost seems viable.

The hospital informed me insurance rejected the claim for my kidney stone crisis last summer. (I even called insurance prior to the procedure to make sure there would be no problem.) The hospital says we owe them $21,000. I am not shirking the responsibility, and have been in contact with their finance personnel regularly as they try to re-file the claim so they can accent my conversations with Anthem Blue Cross before the surgery. I feel the insurance company has culpability due to those conversations. Because of this we are looking at getting some sort of supplemental insurance for the future due to our HMO saying we are not covered when over 30 miles from home unless one is hospitalized directly from an emergency room visit. We still have options. I'm trying to get to the bottom of the problem.

In spite of these two negatives we walk by faith and are doing quite well.

Bela's Ballet

2011-02-01T08:12:00.000-08:00

Son-in-law Bela's prize possession is a snow board. It is perhaps the only non-essential possession he dragged here from Europe, carefully protected in its own custom bag. Then the airline lost his board. Most of the way home from the LA airport April craved Mexican food while Bela worried about his snowboard, which he feared was now snug in the trunk of an airport employee's automobile. He filed a claim and prayed. A few days later the airline delivered the way-layed item to our door. Ever since Bela has wanted to find snow. For Christmas he was given two lift tickets. At first availability it was off to the slopes. Years ago I mastered skis enough to call myself intermediate. Bela, on the other hand, was out for perhaps only his third time on the snowboard. To me these single platform devices look difficult. One would think balance is much more critical than two skis. That first day on the slopes with him I found my ski legs early, though my feet had not been on skis for over ten years. I was mentally back in the saddle even though my muscles threatened to boycott on every run. After a few trips down the easy slopes Bela was ready for the long steeper runs from the windy top. His biggest problem seemed to be dismounting the lift. Wanting to capture that courageous moment for posterity I surged ahead and caught an early chair. I was in position with camera when his chair arrived. I hoped to record a full swan dive. But Bela saw the camera and, like a football player refusing to be tackled, managed through great physical effort to retain his dignity. This was a turning point. I don't think he fell but once after this video. Way to go Bela!

Gentle Leviathons of the Deep

2011-01-24T08:46:00.000-08:00

I do not watch much television. But when I do occasionally I see an ad for Pacific Life. Their logo is a whale breaching out of the water. One of the best locations in the world to film breaching whales is Point Adolphus, a few miles across the strait from Gustavus. In one ad behind the whale is a jagged point that I recognize as the northwest corner of Pleasant Island. In another I see the rocky beach on the west side of Icy Strait where we trolled for salmon on our first magical visit to to this area. And in the third, Pleasant island is partially behind, but to the left of Pleasant Island, I see the tree line secluding Gustavus (and way back in those trees my mind's eye can see a half completed cabin). Every time I view one of those ads I smile inside and call to Paulette to come look, even though she responds back that she has seen them a dozen times. Here is a video clip of the relaxing whales in the exact area where we first saw them five years ago while fishing. These are the same whales that appear on the ads. They come up and breather five to eight times before disappearing for a few minutes to feed. Enjoy with me! Our Whales

Desert Dessert

2011-01-20T07:52:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we joined friends for an annual winter buggy trek across the Mojave desert. 14 buggies attended. We ran about 400 miles in three days, approximately half of that distance off-highway. The weather was the best we have encountered for this run, cool but not cold. We had a lot of rain early in the season and it showed. Lots of fresh erosion and the dry lakes were no longer dry. I was leading a group up a canyon when suddenly the sand got soupy. We had literally crossed onto where an underground river was making the surface unstable like quicksand. I grabbed the radio mic and advised everyone to keep clear. Most were able to take evasive action. But my location was too saturated. All but three buggies made it to higher ground. The rest of us were a photo shoot for the group. I was only inches from making riverbank when the rear tires buried. If you double click the middle photo you can see all the tracks plowed through the quicksand and another stuck buggy. This was the most memorable day of the trip because of the degree of difficulty.

Holidays

2011-01-01T12:01:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry about not being as dedicated to posting. Here is a quick update.
The holiday season has been good, with the exception of too much great eats and treats. I think I put all the weight I lost working in AK back on, and perhaps a bit more. Paulette and I gave each other a new point-n-shoot camera as a main Christmas gift. I think the .pdf manual for the camera is something like 150 pages. I doubt I'll ever use all the bells and whistles but it's a lot more advanced than our old dying model. I'm looking forward to not missing some of the action pix of Alaska that our old camera wasn't fast enough to capture. A lot of my energies have been spent looking for build materials for the cabin. I scrounged the used ads and stores and have most everything I think I will ever be able to find used. The savings are huge and will more than pay for transportation getting it up there. I added up the weight of everything we want or need to bring north next spring and it comes to 3,300 pounds! Last summer we toted about 4000 lbs of materials up in the toy hauler. We were very heavy and I hope to be a little lighter this year.

Crazy but we were colder here in Calif last night than they were in Gustavus. This from a weather web site:

Latest Reported Weather Conditions Observed at Gustavus, AK
Updated 10:56 AM AST SAT JAN 1 2011
Overcast
39°F

Happy New Year to you all! Mel & Paulette

A Puzzle

2010-12-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

These two pictures were taken 1200 miles apart from each other and one was taken four days after the other. See if you can figure out where each was taken. I'll post the answer under comments in a few days.

Houston We Have Landed (a week ago).

2010-11-26T16:44:00.000-08:00

I captured this pix of the grandkids a few minutes after Jayden found Sarah under the covers in his bedroom. The kids had no idea we were bringing her along.

We have been in Houston for a week. Along the way I had some of the g-kids do a contest to see who could grimace the meanest face. This was the winner and everyone else tied for second place. (Decision of the judge is final). It's hard to get them to grimace when their natural disposition is sweet.

We all went to San Jacinto, TX where the decisive battle of the independence fight was fought. I highly suggest you see it if in the area. The monument is higher than the Washington Monument in DC and the local history is inspiring.

The Kind Hearted IRS

2010-11-15T10:11:00.000-08:00

I posted a while back about our IRS problem. The IRS said we filed late. We didn't.
Every two weeks last summer we got pushy letters (one to each of us) threatening to attach property if we didn't pay the 10% penalty. I wrote and called them several times. Finally a sympathetic ear said he would check the little box that we would agree to pay and that would stop the letters. I responded that we were not agreeing to pay because we filed on time, and asked him to check our past history. He checked and said we have never filed late but his record only went back a decade. When we arrived home I went searching for my mailing receipt for the 09 tax returns. The Post Office receipt includes zip codes for where the mailings went. I mailed the IRS a copy and drew arrows to each zip code with explanations of what they were for, and highlighted the mailing date. Then for six weeks I heard nothing. Finally a "Dear Taxpayer" letter arrived saying they were removing the Failure to File Penalty, and to expect an adjustment letter in approximately three weeks. (I'm cynical. I wonder what they mean by "adjustment?") I'm glad I asked for a receipt. Without that we would be assumed guilty and have no way to prove otherwise.

Caption?

2010-11-12T08:42:00.000-08:00

There has to be a good caption for this pix.

Nuts, I Wanted a Fishing Boat.

2010-11-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

Over a week ago I called our Alaskan neighbor, Leah, because she owns a kayak rental business. She returned my call yesterday from near the arctic ocean where she is helping lead a polar bear expedition in the off season. (She said temps range -30 to -40F where she is presently located and added, "The polar bears love it." She didn't sound like her teeth were chattering. BTW temps in Gustavus are +40 to +45˚F.) I asked her about an ad I saw earlier for two kayaks. She said the prices were good and told me how to evaluate them. Then I checked the ad again and saw the seller had cut the price in half since his previous listing! Takers may have been few because he lives a long way from water. Off we went on a drive out to the desert. They weren't in fabulous condition but both looked seaworthy. I really wanted one about 17 feet long for ocean kayaking. These are slightly smaller. The shorter one is 13 feet, and the long one 15 feet in length. They will do well on the Salmon River, or getting across a bay to fish for sockeye salmon in Bartlett River (fifteen minutes by kayak versus a 2.5 mile hike). The small one only weighs 50 pounds and should fit me ok with a little rudder pedal adjustment. I am also pleased to have an extra one for guests! (Ya listening Jon? ;-) Hopefully we will have room in the 5er to get them both up to AK next spring.

Sweetness

2010-11-04T09:19:00.000-07:00

I am posting this in honor of my granddaughter Sarah. Now much older, she gets separators on her teeth today for her second set of braces and I am sorry she has to go through all that again.

Caption?

2010-10-31T16:43:00.000-07:00

You might have to click on this one to enlarge.

Give This Picture a Caption

2010-10-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Special Day

2010-10-22T16:40:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had salmon. Not just any salmon. This one was caught about 150 feet from our cabin door. I sat at the table and called it salmon with dreams. The dreams part pertains to grandkids. Today our oldest three grandsons, ten or soon to be ten, ticketed to come spend a few weeks with us next summer in Alaska. :-) I have often thought that our years enjoying the cabin will be limited by our age. Our children and grandchildren will hopefully be the long term recipients. To that end we want to walk them around the Great Land (the meaning of the word Alaska) and get joy from watching grandkid's as they experience this place.

Breaking Away

2010-10-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

My energies are always looking for things to complete the cabin. We have been back only 16 days and already we accumulated one medium size cedar chest that will make a neat coffee table, a nice old rocking chair, a dehumidifier (Couldn't pass it up for the price), a new gas range for the kitchen (a story in itself), an old mirror with an arched top, two bathroom vent fans, a recessed light fixture for the bumpout, and two almost new toilets (gotten for us by a contractor friend who is doing a bathroom remodel-Thanks Dale). I had to park a buggy outside to make room for all this stuff.

Mom's new in-the-box Kitchenaid gas range for AK.

I hope to decorate part of the loft ceiling with old signs. My favorite: "Explosives" in a diamond shaped sign. I think I found five at yard sales since we returned to Calif. Two different folks who heard what I want them for retreated to their garages and emerged with second signs which they gave to me gratis. If you see any wierd or interesting old signs that cost almost nothing......

Cabin Interior

2010-09-30T10:44:00.000-07:00

You have seen pictures of the outside of the cabin. Here are a few shots of the inside. The great room has a cathedral ceiling reaching up 22 feet and the back half of the building is a loft with rooms under.

This is Paulette's bumpout. The main front windows will be just to the left out of the picture. A bench seat will be built across the entire bumpout a little below the window. Paulette wanted an area with a big window where she can lean agains big pillows and read or do cross stitch. The bumpout only adds about 18 square feet of living space, and for that small amount is a LOT of extra work and expense. Paulette was so into the Alaska retirement that I wanted to do it for her. It is built, and adds a nice custom feel as well as making the great room seem larger. The elongated octagon window will mount in the bumpout side wall.

The 36 inch wide hallway is to the left. The picture is taken from the great room, and the "L" shaped kitchen will be part of the great room on this side of the first wall. There will be a partial overhang of the loft over the kitchen. The mud room/laundry room is just beyond with the windowed back door. Beyond the second wall will be the lower bedroom with two 4x4 windows.

This looks a little more like a painting than a window, but is the central window of six that will be in this wall facing the river. The windows will basically cover most of the wall, extending fifteen feet wide and to a height of fourteen feet. (I didn't notice all the plastic trash in the yard when I took the pix. It was used to cover lumber piles and protect the roof during construction.) The view looks somewhat narrow at the moment but should be fantastic with the whole wall covered (opened?) by large windows. They will let in lots of light.

The "L" shaped stairway to the loft will fit where the ladder currently sits. A landing for the stairway turn will be directly under the elongated octagon window. Behind the ladder on the other side of the wall will be the pantry. Behind that, difficult to see except for the window, will be the bathroom.

A look up into the loft from the 20x20 great room. The loft area is wide enough to divide into two bedrooms, but for now we want to keep it open as a combination visitor sleeping area and sitting room. With all great room windows installed the loft will have a fantastic view of the river. After this picture was taken I built a wall to enclose a very small second bathroom back in the left corner of the loft.

Once Again

2010-09-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

I want to again express my gratitude to Kent and Ben who came from SoCal and gave freely of their time to help me do the bulk of the framing and get the walls lifted and rafters in place in Alaska. I couldn't have done it without that vital assistance. Also special thanks to Gene who donated almost all the windows you see.

Yesterday we unpacked the basics from the 5th wheel while it was near the Mentone house and then parked the 5er out back. We were done by the time the temp hit 102˚ (Eventually hit 112˚yesterday). My next few days staying where it is air conditioned will be spent entering five months of financial records into the computer so I can simply print out tax info at the end of the year.

Speaking of taxes, while in AK the IRS wrote saying we filed late (we didn't) and levied a 10% penalty they say we must pay. Letters come every few weeks (to both of us) threatening to file a lien on our property if we do not pay. Their attitude seems to be we are guilty unless we can prove innocence. When we got the first letter I wrote back asking for their evidence and stated we filed on time. I included that this could have been avoided and lots of man hours saved if they had simply looked at the dated sticker placed on the envelope by the USPS. They have furnished me no evidence so far, only a letter saying they are conducting an investigation. If you mail tax forms I'd suggest you get a mailing receipt.

Summer?

2010-09-26T13:57:00.000-07:00

I had hoped we missed the heat of summer. But we pulled into the old homestead Sunday early afternoon to an exceptionally hot summer-like day. The temperature reading on the back porch thermometer when we arrived was 107˚, and is currently 109˚. That temp is unusually high for late September. Eight days ago we were in a 25˚morning and chilly days; an 84˚ temperature differential in a little over a week. Our house was hot and the A/C ran for over two hours straight to pull the inside temp down.

We are a bit ragged from all the travel and need to unload the 5er (which can wait until tomorrow morning) but otherwise well. We lived in the 5er for five months and five days and were quite comfortable. I'm back to the iMac and some speed on the internet. Lots of paperwork and catching up to do over the next week after a great summer in Alaska.

Last Post til Calif ?

2010-09-23T07:31:00.001-07:00

We are heading south this morning at our leisure after a great time with E and J and especially the grandkids in Portland. Abie is such a good baby, which E needs with Brynne. Paulette and I nicknamed Brynne "Scooter 2." She is super active and runs (doesn't walk) everywhere.
After 6000+ miles of northern latitudes Jack ran me (er, the truck, not me) through the carwash. I had forgotten how nice the truck looks when it is clean. Thanks Jack. The 5er still looks like it has been through a war showing a dull exterior with dirt, grime, and even mold. Those paved but semi-rough roads found every loose nut and bolt on the trailer. I had to add three screws to one fender as it was separating from the rig when we exited Canada, and tighten lots of other hardware in Portland. But I'm not complaining. The trip was fantanstic. I'm already planning and accumulating cabin construction materials for next spring. The weather while we have been in Portland is about like summer weather in Gus so very comfy for us. Unless we have a problem along the way I won't post again until we are in Mentone, which should be early next week. M&P

Run for the Border

2010-09-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

We pulled out of Fort St John, northern BC, Canada in morning twilight and some fog, and took a shortcut that, though very hilly, saved us about 25 miles. The truck outside temperature reading was 25 degrees, and stayed between 25 and 28 for two hours. I decided to keep the heater going in the trailer while we traveled to keep the water lines from freezing. The outside temp eventually rose above freezing three hours after we hit the road. That evening we looked for a decent RV park but saw none, so kept going. We were a bit bushed so decided to take the next one we came to. That one turned out to be a pleasant surprise. The rate was very reasonable, and the campground nice. The snooty (he's Canadian) owner winters in the Palm Desert area. His little eatery, with him as waiter, cook, and dishwasher, served great food, and the dessert of wild berries and homemade black cherry ice cream was fantastic. We put his place in our logbook for future reference. Next morning we were on the way early again, and the roads were great compared to the far north. We made good time and crossed into the "lower 48" early afternoon. U.S. Customs/Border guards decided to pull us into secondary inspection. I guess Paulette looked suspicious ;-). They confiscated our tomatoes and bell peppers, much to Paulette's chagrin. They were purchased in Juneau, in the good ole USA. Go figure. Paulette suspects the customs officials wanted salad for dinner.

Headin to Jerusalem by way of Jerico

2010-09-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

The title denotes a round about way. We have to head north and east for over a day before we can start south.
The motorized barge out of Gustavus was also towing someone's boat back to Juneau, along with our rig aboard. When I went to greet the rig in the early morning the barge was parked in the harbor and I noticed the small boat they were towing was on it's side and had partially sunk while the barge crew slept (After seven plus nighttime hours of conveying our rig across the inside waterways). The small boat's motor was submerged in salt water. When I awakened the captain he was in disbelief until he looked over the rail. We finally got our rig that afternoon. Two days later, Wednesday about midnight, we got on the ferry to Skagway. We got a few hours sleep lying on bench seating in the closed bar/lounge of the ferry, where we figured it would be quietest. Thurs AM we offloaded and began the steep climb up White Pass out of Skagway. The road this far north is rough in places from winter after winter of frost heave, necessitating many slowdowns to navigate the irregular areas. Darkness overtook us that evening after only about 400 miles of progress. Few dare drive at night up here because of the large wild animals that may wander onto the road in the dark. We camped overnight in a provincial park campground. The host called us British Columbia senior citizens when we registered and gave us a half price deal. I told him our true residence and he said, "Tonight you are from B.C." Next morning we awoke about 8AM to 28 degree temps. I was grateful we slept that late because the previous night and day were short on rest. The camp host told us they already had their first snow which reached all the way from Ft. Nelson down to Hope, but said it would be melted by the time we reached Ft. Nelson. Next morning travel through two Provincial parks was beautiful on the winding road with a lot of up and down. The scenery and wildlife viewing were awesome. Again we saw caribou, also many bison and a half dozen bighorn sheep. They come down to the road to lick the winter salt from the pavement. One group of caribou started running alongside the truck. The pix is a bit fuzzy as both the animal and cameraman were in motion and he had to pay attention to driving with caribou running on both sides of the rig. (No animals were endangered in the making of this photo ;-) The big feature was the fall colors. On the way north spring had not arrived yet. Now fall was in full display. We ogled and pointed for hour after hour at vistas and rich fall colors with the sun on them.

After Ft. Nelson the road turns south and improved a lot for about a hundred miles. Then we hit road construction. A few months are all the good weather they have to do road repair in the far north. I didn't count the number of flaggers or stops, or the time it took for a pilot car to lead us miles and miles across soft roadbed. I could feel the trailer bogging down as I tried to pull its wider wheelbase over areas cars did not compact. My least favorite was several bridge repairs with complete stops. Rivers are in valleys and often the ascent up the mountain from the bridge had me in second gear for miles after the stop. They don't reconfigure the mountain much for these roads. Some of the grades here are 10%! An hour before nightfall we made it to Fort St. John, a bit tired after a fairly long day with only three pit stops. I fueled and am ready for tomorrow. Paulette found our missing map tonight, which will help greatly as our northerly map doesn't go much south of Ft St John.
After all the driving activity Gustavus seems weeks behind us already.

Exit Strategy?

2010-09-12T10:58:00.000-07:00

Sept 12. Sunday morning we awoke to temps in the high 30's for the first time. The barge is scheduled to pick the rig up this afternoon, assuming all goes well. This is not like a ferry. They do not operate on a regular schedule. Any mechanical breakdown or other problem and every load gets pushed back. Rural Alaska is like that. We are comfortable with the way things work here. That said I am optimistic I will leave for Juneau today. I will go with the rig on the 7.5 hour sea voyage. Paulette will fly over tomorrow morning. Then we have numerous things to accomplish in Juneau before catching the ferry north. From Juneau we must go north about 350 miles before we can catch the Alaskan Hwy east, and finally turn south after about two days of mostly easterly travel. If you missed our blog about the scenic trip up you can find it in the posts from last April.

Update: Fabulous weather again today. The type that makes one not want to leave. At the last minute the barge owner asked me to fly instead of go along with them. Go figure. It seems to me almost the whole departure schedule has been fraught with this type of last minute change. One wonders what will be thrown at us next. But we are flexible. On the upside a friend from Gustavus was flying his airplane over to Juneau and offered us a ride. So we are in Juneau as of 7PM Sunday and have their internet for the moment. I am sure I will sleep better here than on the barge. The barge and 5er are suppose to be here in the morning. Sweet Sherri is loaning us her car tomorrow so we can begin the errands before the rig arrives.

It's Alaska...

2010-09-10T16:07:00.000-07:00

Sept 9, 2010
The barge owner forgot to write down that he was going to take us out at our appointed time. He apologized and said he will work us in. Consequently we are in a bit of flux. He could call any day and say he will pick us up within hours. We are basically ready to go on short notice. If you don’t see any updates for a while we are possibly on the way to the lower 48 via the Alaskan Hwy. We anticipate about a week to get south to Washington State, assuming all goes well along the route. Our objective is to get across the continental divide as soon as possible as weather can be a problem there any time after late September. Then we can be a little more relaxed as we travel.

I’ll try to update IF we have internet available. Our cell phones don’t work in Canada so if you try to call us please leave a voice mail on my cell as we can’t get Paulette’s mailbox to work.

The Whitehouse

2010-09-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Below are the requested pix from the restaurant windows at the lodge. In the second pix the cloud obscures snow capped mountains. On a cloudless day it's hard to beat this view while enjoying a gourmet meal.

September 2, 2010
We awoke to a cold damp fall morning and true to forecast we had hard rain all the previous night. Neither of us slept well, which is unusual for me because I enjoy the sound of rain on a roof. In the morning I was eager to see how the cabin fared under that amount of rain. First I walked the outside to see where spatter hit the exterior, then literally climbed into the stairless opening where we will install a door, and walked the walls from the inside, paying close attention to areas around the windows. I saw lots of spatter on the window’s exterior, but witnessed no moisture anywhere inside. We didn’t have much wind with the rain, but this was a good first test of the “dry” ability of the cabin. I am very pleased. As I stand back and let my senses absorb the project I am lifted. I know I had help for eight days, but other than that the feeling of accomplishment at what these two hands have done is very satisfying.

I was thinking the pleasant days of summer were gone. But mid-day after the rain moved on we had a cloudless sky and nice temps. If only it would last another month.
The Coho salmon should start running any day now. There is anticipation because this is the biggest run of the year and a decent grade of salmon and if possible I want to stock our small freezer before heading south.

Sept 4. A few recent pictures:
The one window facing the river will be complemented by five more in future years... we hope.

I built one last interior wall to separate the mud room from the kitchen this morning. Early afternoon Duane came and helped me lift the 165 pound picture window into place. That was the final window we brought with us. Perhaps next spring we can bring the next seven windows that will complete the glass. Only one last door and hardware remains to be installed this year. We will have five days to organize and move items into the cabin that will remain here for the winter (lumber and roof for the porch, some tools, ladders, electrical, and a few plumbing items). Plus separate out items that we want to transport south. I am not anxious to leave, but the weather is slowly changing and it is time to begin our migration.

"Bear" with Me.

2010-09-01T19:54:00.000-07:00

September 1, 2010
To answer your questions we plan to head south via Skagway, AK and the Alaskan Hwy on September 17. Any later than that and we risk possible “weather” going over the mountain passes in Canada. We will be pulling the 5th wheel trailer. If all goes well we should be enjoying burritos in SoCal about early October.

When we first arrived here in early May we heard geese migrating north every day. Yesterday I heard the honking of geese moving south. My California background has trouble getting use to the fact fall arrives here in late August.

Monday we took the day off. Completely off! This was the first total day I have taken off since May 8 (other than the kidney stone trip to Juneau). We visited our back yard, a wonder called Glacier Bay. The boat trip up-bay took all day and we saw a lot of amazing scenery and wildlife. Close to the glaciers (I think there are twelve of them up-bay) where they have recently retreated the ground is somewhat a moonscape of nothing but barren rock and sand. A bit farther away from the toe of the glacier moss and a few other plants have had time to take root. A bit farther and the landscape turns brushy. Approximately ten miles away from the glaciers and spruce and cottonwood trees are growing. What amazes me is our present property looked that barren only two hundred years ago; nothing like the lush forest that surrounds us today.

A forty foot adult whale died from unknown causes and the tide beached the carcass half way up Glacier Bay. The body has become a buffet for bears and other critters. That is where I took the following pictures. There were four brown bears near the carcass. This is a case where the food chain goes from large to small instead of the other way around.

The cabin is coming along and nearly dry. I have all the windows in but one. I still need to finish a roof trim area, seal around the windows well, and install the two doors. Somewhere in the next 10 days I hope to build a few more interior walls as well. I have been waiting for a rainy day to do that interior work. I guess I know where I'll be tomorrow because the weather predicts 100% chance of rain.

The Marjorie glacier put on a show for us. The boat crew said it was the most active calving of a glacier they have seen all summer. I chanced to have my camera in movie mode when I saw the first ice begin to fall, and captured the following sequence. The ice face of the glacier is several hundred feet tall, and the thunder sensation of hundreds of tons of ice falling into the bay is more awesome in person than the audio can convey.

Well.... I thought I'd share the video but can't make it work. Nuts. Perhaps if I have more time I'll try again.

Lots of Change

2010-08-30T18:05:00.000-07:00

August 29, 2010
We notice Gustavus changing. The tourism season is over. Only a few stragglers with cameras wander the main haunts now. Glacier Bay lodge is set to close in a week. The cruise ships we see going up-bay in the distance will soon depart for points south. The fireweed bloom is over. Local folks say when the fireweed bloom reaches the top fall is only a few weeks away. As if to endorse that fact the cottonwood tree’s leaves are turning yellow and have begun to fall in the driveway. After long summer days (18 hours of daylight at solstice) it now is dark at 9PM, and each day seems noticeably shorter. I don’t know for sure how many minutes we lose at this latitude. One person told me five minutes per day. That would seem about right. We should lose close to another hour of sunlight in the next two weeks. Ole Sol would rise well north, sweep south in a large ark during the day, and then set well north again at night only a few months ago. Now it rises and sets more noticeably to the south. A year round resident here reminded me moose season begins in only two weeks. I guess we all tell time in different fashion.
The ridge cap is on the cabin roof. I did ride the ridge while Paulette kept watch from below. The physical position was tough on my osteoarthritic hips so I only managed to install ten feet a day. The last day I felt a bit less discomfort so did the final 18 feet and was relieved to have the top done! Only one rake eave edge remains and the roof will be finished. All the sheeting is on the cabin sides. What an adventure getting plywood up the ladder 22 feet and then nailing it under the gable. I could use a safety harness on the roof but under the gables I had only a tall ladder for a platform. Half the cabin now has the moisture resistant barrier installed. When the other half is wrapped I can install windows and doors and weather seal them as best I can with what I have. If that goes well I should have time to do a few more interior walls before we leave. The cabin is now completely enclosed and has a personality. I think we are both very pleased with the shell that will be our home.
Glacier Bay National Park is offering a special to local residents. Tourism is so slow they will allow us to go up-bay for an eight hour cruise to see the glaciers for half price. Paulette and I plan to do that if we can discern which day will be nicest. I’ll miss the nice dinners at the lodge when it closes. We tried to go up about once every other week and have a relaxing meal while looking out the entirely glass side of the restaurant at some of the greatest scenery on the planet. I wish I could describe it you.

New Weather Pattern

2010-08-25T20:21:00.000-07:00

Some wild raspberries grow on the meadow end of the property. They are delicious.

Two days ago the weather here must have entered the fall rainy period. We get some rain most every day now. Fortunately most of the precipitation seems to come at night, at least so far. Temps are a little cooler too, especially at night, but days are about right for working. I'm back to doing full days, but seem to run out of gas about three o'clock in the afternoon. After some M&Ms and a brief rest I go back to plodding on what needs doing. Most of the work now is high altitude. The roof has trim to finish and about 3/5 of the ridge cap needs to be installed. It bugs my bad knee to ride the ridge to install the cap, but I have to get it done, so I do one piece a day. You can see the gable of the front needs sheeting and then moisture resistant barrier (Tyvek). I have to push the plywood pieces up the ladder while dragging the nail gun along. I must make 50 trips up and down a day. The number of steps for that height is 17-19. The benefit is I had to get out my leather punch and put a new hole in my belt to hold the pants up. I don't have a clue what I weigh. I simply know I am two notches slimmer than in May.

Construction for Dummies

2010-08-18T19:53:00.001-07:00

We are behind schedule, but even so the progress we have made since May 8 is truly amazing. When we originally walked on the property we saw nothing but dense forest. One month and 92 trees later we had a driveway and a building site. Another month produced a foundation and sub-floor. The remaining framing took most of another 30 days. (The interior walls still need to be done. And some sheeting on the exterior to keep out the weather this winter.) Even with the medical setback I am amazed at what we have accomplished compared to when we first walked on the property.

Paulette took this of me installing roofing this afternoon. The black plastic covering the roof to my right remains to be roofed. To that add the ridge cap and the rake eave flashing. Two to three days should do it if the weather holds, but I don't feel very confident riding the ridge to put on the ridge cap. We'll see whether I can work up the gumption.

These are the tools used to build the cabin. Amazing. Plus I had a few ladders. Imagine how they did construction before power tools.

90%?

2010-08-16T19:24:00.000-07:00

I think I'm back to about 90%. I put in a full day today, Monday, but am a bit tired tonight. There is a lot of pressure to get the roof buttoned up as the weather could go into fall rains any time. Hopefully if the weather cooperates I can finish the roof in the next few days. If the weather doesn't cooperate it will be a bit longer.

I'm passing "gravel" from the remnants of the large stone. The pain is nothing compared to the large stone. Doc wants to analyze the pieces to see what kind of stone in the hope we can head this type of thing of in the future.

The weather the last 5 days has been excellent, perhaps the best of summer. Sunday was so nice we took a walk along the beach. Kids were playing in the 45 degree water (!) and having a great time. Pink Salmon have started to run in the river by the house. The run is sort of skimpy this year. I guess they had a poor run two years ago so not a lot of new salmon were born to support this year's run. But it's nice to see. No bear or moose sightings, though we did observe that a bear tried to get in the trailer while we were gone the two weeks. Fortunately it didn't succeed. But there were muddy paw prints on the outside walls around about 2/3 of the trailer. No scratches though. The reason is we had some wet garbage left in the trailer when we left to Juneau, and the bear smelled it.

We are doing well.

On the Mend

2010-08-13T10:32:00.000-07:00

Doc removed the stint yesterday, and about six hours later I started feeling much better. The process was iffy for a while as the doc could not find the stint with the scope due to swelling and said he might have to take me back into the hospital for general anesthesia. I groaned at that prospect and in my discomfort urged him to try again while I silently and fervently prayed. Fortunately he snagged it that time. I'll be passing "gravel" for a day or two, but that discomfort is minor compared to the pain of the large stone. We will be on a small plane about 2PM heading for our "remote" home. Our host here in Juneau has been nothing but gracious, and we are grateful beyond words, but there is nothing like your own space, and I'm anxious to get back to work in a few days.

On the fun side we unknowingly were mentioned in a contemporary song!!! (Have we been in Juneau too long?) Click the title above and it will link you to another blog, scroll down to Asher's Song, and click play. The words are below the video on that blog. Don't have your sound too loud at first because another little voice comes into the background a bit loud. I smile but realize it's also an evidence we have been here more than a few days... and it makes me miss our own grandkids.

Man of Constant Sorrows

2010-08-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I woke up this morning with that title from a song from Oh Brother Where Art Thou going through my head. Go figure.

Last Thursday they did the surgery. After nine hours in recovery without much improvement they decided to admit me to the hospital. I spent two more days hospitalized. Then two in a house for out-of-area people next to emergency trying to get back some semblance of normalcy to the organs that had been traumatized. Monday we are back on the floor at Mick and Sherri's home for a few days. I am improved but not back to normal by any definition. Thursday the stint is suppose to be removed. Here's hoping that goes ok. My body doesn't need any more trauma and the clock is ticking on getting the roof finished.

Life as a Pile

2010-08-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

Before the kidney stone hit I took a picture of the small assembly of tools used to build the cabin. They are few. It is remarkable what one can do with a few good tools. Amazingly, I have gone through about 15,000 collated nails with the nail gun during construction.

Thursday AM I go in for the surgical procedure. I'm not looking forward to it but realize the alternative would be worse if this goes into sepsis. No one is surprised there is a tussle with insurance. We are out of our HMO area and they so far haven't approved treatment. I reason with them that people don't stay home all the time. The person in customer service is nice but only a messenger. They hide the person who makes the decision so you can't talk to them.

We arrived in Juneau with basically the shirts on our backs and two toothbrushes. So Paulette got to do a little shopping. She got herself some nice simple outfits. She grabbed a package of new underwear for me. Next morning when I showered I went to put some on and knew there was something wrong. They were size 42. I can normally wear 36.

I think of the stacks of lumber we had when we started the cabin. There were about six of them that stood 3.5 feet tall. Today we are down to a few small piles with almost no lumber left in them. I think of what I am going through in light of that. Sometimes life deals us a pile and we get to try to make something constructive of it.

Phone Charger

2010-08-01T20:21:00.000-07:00

Hannah Ewing (Hoshide) had exactly the same cell phone as Paulette so loaned us her charger. (Thanx Hannah!) The phones are back on line as of Monday AM (unless we must turn them off at the hospital).

Just a Stone's Throw Away

2010-07-31T11:18:00.000-07:00

The title above has some meaning. Thursday evening I went into severe pain in the right kidney. Every pain med we had available would only dull the pain a little for a very short time. Finally I couldn't take it any more and Paulette called 911. The village EMT's were great and sat with me the rest of the night while trying to get med advise through calls to a Juneau hospital or friends. Unfortunately being remote in Alaska not much emergency medicine is available, but they did what they could for me. They got me on a small airplane first thing in the morning and we were at the hospital ER in Juneau by 7:15. Three hours and a bunch of tests later they had a diagnosis of a large stone that had barely left the kidney. By then the stone quit moving and though I felt like I had been dragged through a knot hole backwards I was experiencing only twinges. ER doc advised not to go back to Gustavus until the stone situation is resolved or I could be in the same situation all over again. After what I went through for twelve hours he didn't need to reason long with me. The one urologist in town was out of town for the weekend. Long time friends Mick and Sherri were nearing the end of a construction project put us on the floor (it's Alaska where friends help no matter what the room) and I have a urologist appointment for Monday morning. I feel like a time bomb waiting to go off at any moment, but now will be near ER med help and an IV pain killer if the stone moves again.

I had a few pix of the cabin progress ready but we left with only the shirts on our backs (and Paulette grabbed our toothbrushes). So no pix but I have about 1/3 of the roof done. We knew there was a downside to being remote in Alaska but our general health is good so we expect this is a temporary glitch.

We have our cell phones but no chargers and our batteries were low when we left Gustavus. I apologize if some of you did not get personal calls and thanks to Elisabeth who offered to spread the word to family. I turn the phone on a few times a day and check for voice mail. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. mel

Eagles 6, Ducklings 0

2010-07-21T17:28:00.000-07:00

I saw a bit of red when I walked to the bank of the river this morning. It was a moose with a tracking collar. To the left of her is a dark spot in the grass that is the ear of her calf. This is the first moose we have seen in about a month, but did find tracks in the yard yesterday from a large moose that walked through in the night.

A mama duck of a kind I have never seen before has eight ducklings we have watched develop. She is crafty and shy, but the story is that of predator and prey. The number of ducklings goes down every few days. Last I saw there were only two left, and yesterday I witnessed an eagle after those two. If we don't see the remaining two within a few days I figure it is eagles 8, ducklings 0.

My wrists are quite arthritic after using the nail gun for the past month. They ache especially at night. I sometimes wonder whether I have bitten off more than I can chew. I backed off on the roof until I felt more comfortable with doing it. Instead I have been putting up sheathing (plywood on the exterior) for the last three or four days. It "ain't" easy jockeying 50 lbs of plywood eight to ten feet in the air. I have about two days more to go to finish that, mostly smaller pieces, but also more trips up and down the ladder, which bugs my knee. Variety being the spice of life I went back to roofing prep today, and built scaffolding on half of one side of the roof this afternoon. It won't let me get very far up the roof, but will let me do the lower edge a bit more safely. The latest pix taken this morning:

I Ain't As Good As I Once Was

2010-07-15T19:48:00.000-07:00

Finished sheeting the dormer roofs this morning. Wrapping that up took about 3.5 hours today with the old guy and mid-aged neighbor alongside part of the time. Next step will be putting on underlay and then the metal roof itself. We are nearly at sea level so I can't blame the altitude for being tired. Other than that everything is perfect.

Hitting the Wall

2010-07-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

July 10, 2010
Yesterday, after two months of long sub-arctic days of aggressive construction with only one partial day off for a kidney stone, I hit the proverbial wall. I was on the roof putting up plywood sheeting. This is a very steep 45˚ 12/12 pitch roof. Muscles one doesn’t realize they have are engaged. One cannot relax up there. The distance to the ground is almost twenty feet. I was tied off in a safety harness left by Kent just in case I slipped walking on the 1.5 inch cleats. That way in a worst case scenario I would only fall a few feet before the rope caught me. The whole roof was finished other than three full sheets and two half sheets of plywood when it happened. I simply was out of energy. I tried resting a few minutes on the steep pitch, which is impossible, so I made my way to the side dormer and squeezed through into the loft. I felt drained and jittery. I sat down a while and my energy did not return. So I pulled the plug on myself. Rain was expected that night and I had hoped to get the building “dry” and was disappointed, but realized to go back up was out of the question for me. I would be risking injury. Then my neighbor who is eighty (83!) said to get the building dry was extremely important at that point and wanted me to give him the harness. I resisted. Another neighbor said the spry old guy could definitely do the last few sheets. He went up like a monkey, tied off up top, and completed the nailing. The next morning I saw him splitting wood and he commented his legs felt like jello. After my earlier five hours on muscle alert at the same task I knew exactly what he meant. I ache in places I didn’t know I had. I feel like every muscle needs a vacation. Gratefully at the end of the day plastic is pulled over the sheeting and the building is somewhat dry except for a few spots where the plastic tore a little. The next high altitude circus act will be to complete the dormer joists and sheet them, then install underlay and the metal roof. I’m not looking forward to either task at the moment. In a few days I trust I will be feeling stronger.

The Dream Is Alive...

2010-07-07T20:31:00.000-07:00

I barely finished my floor sheeting when Kent and Ben arrived from SoCal. We got busy the next day with framing the walls. That day unfortunately it rained hard all day. We were hunting for rain gear wherever we could find some.

Seven days later we had the tough stuff, except for roof sheeting, done. Now I need ot do lots of blocking, finish sheeting the roof, and get the metal roofing on. A small problem is my knees have been bothering me. My left knee is swollen enough to be noticable through the pantleg. We pushed pretty hard for eight days. I'm going to hopefully be able to slow down and let the knees repair for a day or two.

The front of the house will be six large windows. This view is from the loft. The great room below has a similar view but at a decreased angle. This is one of those pix you need to double click to get the full impact through a larger picture.

Wednesday Ben and I went fishing in the river for an hour. Ben caught a nice Dolly Varden, about 22-24 inches long. He had a blast. I think he caught about eight an hour, mostly a bit smaller than that nice sized one. We released all the smaller ones. I too had one hit my lure hard and break my line almost instantly. (It's old line.) I found it very relaxing to get out and kick back for those minutes. I have done zero fishing and only build since we got here. And it is nice to know the river has fish. :-)

Paulette kept us well fed during the last week. Kent hoped to lose some weight and I doubt that happened.

Ben and Kent are headed back to Calif and I'm lonely without them. I now face a lot more work. It is nice to have someone call down a board length, have it cut, and hand it up. Without them I'll be doing the climbing, measuring, climb down, cut, cart the piece back up, and nail in place. I'm very very grateful for the two of them who gave so freely to come and help. Words cannot express my appreciation fully. Thanks so very much Ben and Kent!

Step Out On the Dance Floor

2010-06-29T16:04:00.001-07:00

The rain quit for a week and I got the floor joists installed, and today finished nailing down most of the subfloor. I estimate we are half way to having the cabin "dry", that is, able to keep the rain out so we can work under cover. We have come a long way in six weeks.
We finally got the trailer moved to the property so we could unload the building supplies. We lived in the small forward portion for over two months. I'm a bit tired from unloading 4000 lbs of building materials from the 5er by myself, and hoisting 2000 lbs of plywood flooring onto the joists as well.

Rain Rain Go Away

2010-06-23T20:33:00.000-07:00

Two full days were needed to dismantle forms and get the pieces back to their rightful owners. Then two days ago it started to rain and hasn't stopped since. The temperature is in the low 60s, nice for working. I need to wear rain gear and rubber boots. I can't complain. We have had excellent weather since we got here. And the rain is needed.

People who summer here started migrating in a little over a week ago. The variety is surprising. Folks from Kentucky, Arkansas, Washington, and even Holland. With the influx the wildlife seems to have disappeared. I haven't seen moose or even tracks in a week now. No bear sign either. I suspect when people come with their dogs the wild animals head out of town.

Gustavus tow truck.
Who would have thought we'd see this going down the street in the boondocks of this "off the road grid" Alaska town. It's a forklift moving that vintage VW bus. I inquired about the bus. It was the owners original car when he and his wife first got married and he hopes to restore it some day. It still has the original curtins. In the process we got a dinner invite from the owner for tomorrow night. That's Gustavus.

We saw the temps in the lower 48 states in a newspaper today so are enjoying even the rain.

Whistling in the Dark

2010-06-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

A bit more progress. We have the stem walls pretty much formed and hope to pour the second batch of concrete in a few days.

At the risk of making all the offspring paranoid about allowing the grandkids to come up for the summer......

Each morning when I drive onto the property I look for evidence of what has traversed there since I departed. Some mornings I see strange tire tracks; local folks checking out the progress. Moose tracks are common every few days. Yesterday morning I saw some different looking prints and got out to investigate. Dropping to one knee I observed black bear tracks. After a quick look around to make sure ursa major wasn’t still in the vicinity I proceeded back to the truck and got a camera and tape measure. The rear prints measured over nine inches long, claw to heel. A neighbor was intrigued by the size too. He said they were probably made by a very large black bear as the brown/grizzly bears seldom come down toward town. He tells me moose especially like the area where we are building, and they often see the same moose year after year. (I can’t tell the difference.)

Wolves are elusive. Occasionally they are heard, but almost never seen. Three times recently wolves have taken down moose calves on the outskirts of town or within earshot in the National Park. Realize town is not like a typical city block. There can be dense forest for hundreds of yards between dwellings. The local wolf exposure sequence goes like this: Residents hear wolves howl their eerie call from several directions. Then the sound concentrates on a single location and the crashing of a fight, finally ending in silence. A day or two later, when someone ventures out to see what happened, they find a dead prey. This time of year the victim is usually a moose calf. Moose often give birth to twins but it is not unusual for only one to survive because the adult can only protect one calf at a time. Such is the wilderness saga.

When we first arrived Paulette had a cautious fear about remote Alaska. One can easily get the impression there is a bear behind every tree and a moose around every corner. Then one sees kids playing and riding bikes like anywhere else in the lower 49 states. Gradually the coexistence of wild and human is realized. Paulette actually walked several blocks up a forest road to get water the other day while I was away working on the cabin.

Finally, I wear an old set of pants for work, and another newer pair for relaxing. Yesterday I wore a second set of work pants so Paulette decided to wash the first, not realizing my wallet was in the cargo pocket. Nuts. My wallet doubles as a file cabinet for important phone numbers.

Bullwinkle and Son

2010-06-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Observation: You know you are reading a small town newspaper when the obituaries are on page 2.

We hadn’t seen any moose in a week and thought they had perhaps headed for the high country for the summer. When I got to the property this morning I found a large moose track only six feet from the foundation forms. I walked to the river talking on my cell phone and saw a brown blob on the other side in the tall grass. It was a reclining moose. I stayed still hoping to observe, but she had already seen me. After a minute she stood up and to my surprise a small calf did too. The calf couldn’t have been more than about a week old. They wandered away in the opposite direction. I was tickled to see them at less than 100 feet.

We (three volunteers and myself) did the first pour of concrete this morning and Paulette came by in the afternoon with Liz. I took them to the river and was talking about the cow and calf moose when Liz said, “There’s another one!” Sure enough, a young bull walked into the river. He knew we were there but came towards us walking in the river anyway. Then Mr Moose did an about-face and trotted away. I saw him later in the neighbors yard. Then in the evening we saw the cow and calf again in the same place, only this time Hawkeye saw them first.

When we first started this project I had a question-slogan: How do you eat an elephant? Ans. One bite at a time. That is what I attempt to do. I try to do something, make some progress, every day. Sometimes it is small progress. Other days I feel a lot of accomplishment. A kidney stone slowed me down for three days last weekend. I haven’t passed it but am back to only twinges. I am grateful for mostly good health and the neighborly advise, and counsel on how to build here.

Gustavus Hood Ornament

Helter Skelter in Gustavus

2010-06-03T19:24:00.000-07:00

I cut some of the big logs into rollers and we sometimes sit and relax by the river in the evening.

Getting the foundation square and level.

Our next door neighbor Ernie milling some 2x4 on his saw mill for me.

Animal story: A neighbor had guests sleeping in two-man tents on her deck. In the morning a moose decided to investigate. The college age guys got a surprise when they poked their heads out the tent door. There stood the inquisitive moose. Fortunately they were elevated enough so the moose just looked at them and did not attempt to climb up on the deck. They slept in the house after that. And we hear reports of a mother black bear and two small cubs in the area where we are building. But so far no personal sighting. I saw my first fisherman on the river. I walked to the bank and talked briefly to him. He had a few fish, the biggest an eighteen inch cutthroat trout. And informed me his son caught a steelhead the previous day.
The first portion of lumber came so I started building the foundation forms. I procured rebar locally. It was left over from the power plant construction and I got a great deal. Plus no freight to get the rebar here. I am adjusting to the freight costs mentally. I chaffed at them at first looking for alternatives. But have come to see the transportation fees are part of living here. On the other hand I am trying to persuade Paulette of the necessity of eventually getting a boat so we can get ourselves to Juneau and shop. ;-)

Gustavus Fund-Rasier: I stopped at a lemonade stand run by three kids, ages about seven. I asked how much for lemonade. They said five cents. I bought a glass but realized I didn’t have any cash. To that the kids responded that the lemonade was free. I smiled inside that these kids had a giving attitude, and dug into the ashtray until I found some change. I asked what they were going to do with the money. One said, “We are going to donate it to Gospel for Asia.” I bought a second glass and took Paulette back too.
Gustavus Traffic: There are more cars than I remember from previous visits. Also a good number of bicycles and quads. Tomorrow is Paulette’s birthday and I decided to get her a bicycle. She is elated about the idea as many of her aquaintances ride around on bikes to visit each other.
Gustavus Weed Control: On the way to the post office I saw a guy riding his personal residential mower to cut weeds alongside the road. He could only do about a 30 inch swath. But he seemed to be riding in style doing his part for the upkeep of the community. That’s the way things seem to go here. Taxes are low because they don’t have public workers and many do upkeep themselves.

Gustavus Stop Sign: Most of the stop signs are regulation red and white octagons. A few are small old hand made wood signs.

Gustavus reminds me of what small town America 60 years ago must have been like. Many have a cart before the horse attitude. Yesterday we got power to the lot. The project was a big deal with a trencher and a lot of underground cable. The next day one of the installers asked if I could go into the office and do the protocol for service. I enjoyed that. They already gave me power and then asked me to come and give them billing info, deposit, etc. Plus the well driller augered and installed the well casing without any deposit or contract from me. After two weeks I still don’t have a bill from him. He is waiting on a simple switch to finish the installation.
One evening Paulette was using free internet while parked outside the closed library with no one else around. I decided to walk up to the post office and check the mail. When I was about 200 yards away I heard another car pull in the gravel and park beside her. That time of day in California I would have been concerned about not being with her and her safety, but not in Gustavus. I proceeded to the Post Office.

We are not quite locals. This is a copy of the Gustavus phone book (one page). They only publish once a year so it will be a whole year until we are included in the listings.

A Fast Picture History...

2010-05-28T09:39:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't know about our blog or weren't able to follow it this is a quick picture tour of the project. A more detailed description of our summer adventure can be seen by clicking "newer posts" at the bottom of each entry. That will take you direct to the next entry. Or for surfing the blog index month by month is located near the bottom of the right hand column.

The finished driveway complete with an adolescent moose keeping an eye on us. Moose were frequent visitors early in the project.

We are positioning the picture windows to overlook this view.

The cabin dried in. We departed south the next morning.

=====================================================================
Now back to the regular blog sequence from May 2010.

Great, …. No, FABULOUS weather here for May. We have had 76-78 degrees for three days. Yesterday afternoon Paulette took a camp chair and sat by the river overlook with a book. Migrating ducks swam past, and other smaller birds hopped around looking for a meal. She commented several times about the awe of the place. The well is now drilled. The fellow who drilled it made an unsolicited comment about the lot. He said, “You have a premier property for Gustavus.” And went on to comment about the quality aspects of it like water table being better than other areas, along with the river frontage and view. I know it is redundant, but I feel blessed. I never dreamed we would own such a beautiful place. Most cabins around only have a view of tall trees. A few can see the mountains. And very few can see the river and mountains. I learned from a neighbor that there is a spring on our property. Sure enough, I found it. But in very dry periods like we are experiencing it has reduced to only wet ground. That spring will probably mean our water is excellent.
I ordered lumber for the cabin yesterday. It should be here in a week or two. Freight is about 30 % of the cost but my spreadsheet projection for total cabin cost is coming in pretty close to estimate. Some items, like the well, are more expensive than I thought. So is lumber freight. Other items are coming in for less money. They tend to even each other out. Today I hope to start setting up preliminary lines for foundation forms.
We walked out to the dock last Sunday afternoon for a stroll together, and were in awe of all the snow capped mountains around us. Kids were fishing from the dock. The sky was overcast but the temps were very comfortable. A bald eagle sat on a piling at the end of the dock. I took his pix but must have moved the camera so his magnificence didn’t come through and the photo wasn’t a keeper. Perhaps next time.

May 22+

2010-05-25T09:41:00.000-07:00

Saturday, May 22.
Elm (the guy’s name. He insists his last name is not “Tree”) came this morning with his excavator and pulled the stumps and filled the ditch. He also moved all the slash piles to the clearing by the river where we plan to put the cabin. We now have a true mountain of limbs, branches, deadfalls, stumps, and roots waiting to be burned. Mid week we must have had a mosquito hatch. Our location by the river is buggy right now. Plus mosquitoes there don’t seem to know how to tell time. Mosquitoes are usually out early or late in the day. These seem to find us any time we stand still too long. This is the first trip I have experienced more than an occasional mosquito in this part of Alaska. It’s not a big deal, just a small glitch in what is otherwise fabulous country. Update: This morning a local fellow informed me this is normal when one cuts down trees and disturbs the ground. Mosquitoes apparently live in the three inch thick moss on the forest floor, and we have disrupted their habitat. He assures me the problem will diminish with time.
Gustavus is the rustic weekend get-away for a few folks from Juneau. I stood by the river with an Alaskan neighbor from Juneau who is building two lots down from us and we watched fingerlings flash the surface near a partially submerged log. He told me last summer he tried casting there and caught a salmon in no time at all. I am told folks will occasionally fish the river, but have never witnessed anyone doing so. The saying goes that good coastal Alaskans don’t eat salmon if halibut is available, and that has been our observation. The river has cutthroat trout, rainbows, dolly varden, steelhead, in summer pink salmon, and in mid-September coho (silver) salmon make their run. That’s a lot of variety at our front door. Plus halibut a short distance off shore.
The sense of community out here is thick. If someone is going into Juneau they often ask if others need anything. Folks seem to fall into two groups, those who try to help each other and those who do not. Joe describes it this way… there are those who are running to something and a few who are running from something. Not that the last group are criminals. In some ways I feel like a little of both. I love the feel of the place, the raw, wild, deep primeval forest with some civilized refinements like electricity and propane. And the peace: I am refreshed not being bombarded by the media with negative news. I enjoy a man’s word being his bond instead of needing a signed contract and a deposit.
Every so often we get a glimpse of what pioneering must have been like and wonder how long it took first-comers to clear 92 trees with an ax instead of a chain saw, or hack logs into a cabin instead of using sawn lumber.
The Point Adolphus whales are back from Hawaii. It was perhaps the breaching whales that affected me most about this place.
Paulette made a fabulous dinner tonight. I don’t know how she does it in our limited space.

Moose On The Loose

2010-05-21T11:55:00.000-07:00

Thursday, May 20. Several ancestors of the original homestead families from the 20’s live here. This town has some street names that honor those pioneers. We are building on Parker Drive. Wilson Road and Rink Creek Road also reach back 90 years to some who homesteaded there. Then there are the other street names I like; Grandpa’s Farm Road, Glenn’s Ditch Road, and Same Old Road. It is all part of the mystique of Gustavus.

We have been living in the front 16 feet of the toy hauler for four weeks now. We dance a delicate dance to get past each other. I was tempted to remove the building supplies from the back to obtain more room but don’t want double handling of those items and have no way to transport the 16 foot roof panels except with this rig. If all goes well we will have the 5th wheel on our property in about a week to ten days. Then again perhaps that is optimistic. I am at the mercy of the excavator to get the stumps out. I have turned my attention to getting water (drilling or driving a well?), getting electricity, and implementing some sort of septic system. We made a LOT of progress in ten days; not one down day due to weather. I am pleased.

This morning I chanced to see a cow moose and her calf in the river. When they saw us they stared a while and then backtracked out of sight. Something in me said to be cautious so I had Paulette pack up her stuff and move toward the truck while I made two trips to the vehicle with chainsaws and tools. About ten minutes later Mrs. Moose was eye to eye with me on our property at about 60 feet. I didn’t take time to look for the calf. Instead I immediately ducked behind a slash pile where I was out of sight, saw Paulette coming back to me from the truck, and we both retreated with one eye on our back-trail. Just being careful! The moose didn’t show themselves again and neither did we. When I returned with the well digger three hours later there were tracks right where I had seen her. The tracks wandered up the “Avenue.”

Last Three Big Trees.

2010-05-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, May 19. A bit of light rain last night but the day was clear and sunny. The birds singing woke us about 3:30 but we fell back asleep. We did get the three big trees down today. My saw is 18” and they are larger in diameter than that so I don’t want to get into the middle of cutting and not have the saw able to complete the job, thus leaving a dangerous situation. So we cleaned up the trees I cut down yesterday by the top creek-bed. That took all morning. After lunch I cut the lower limbs from what we call “The Avenue,” our nearly 300 foot long driveway lined by trees a few of which reach a little under one hundred feet into the heavens. Joe came over late in the day with a bigger chain saw and dropped the remaining three with me. (He cut, I drove wedges). About 1PM Paulette said let’s count how many trees we have cut and removed. We both did a count. To our surprise our numbers came out higher than we estimated. She counted 110 trees including the little stuff. I counted 92 trees over four inches in diameter! Whew. That was quite a bit more than I estimated. At the end of each day my pants are covered with spatter of tree sap, and our gloves are heavily coated with the same. BTW… Flowers are blooming everywhere here right now. Many open spots are a carpet of yellow.

Hawkeye Strikes Again

2010-05-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, May 18. I was cutting up a log on our property when Paulette yelled, “MEL, MEL.” I looked and she yelled, “There!” But I couldn’t make it out over the noise of the chain saw and thought she yelled, “Bear.” I looked the direction she was pointing and there stood a moose in the river, perhaps 200 yards away. He heard her yell and was intent on our position, but soon went back to grazing on willow shoots along the bank. Paulette grabbed the camera off the ladder and I zoomed in for this picture.
I measured one of the logs with a tape measure.
The log pix doesn’t show it but the bottom of the tape is even with the bottom of the log. We have three more over 18” trees to fell, perhaps tomorrow.
Paulette found what may be a redneck Alaskan satellite dish. (a 5 gallon bucket lid a neighbor uses to feed the birds his old bread).

2010-05-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Monday May (not sure of the date) 17?… We don’t have either radio or television reception out here, a reminder this is frontier. We ran out of propane in one tank during the night, and woke up cold about 6 AM. The clear dry weather and brilliant blue sky of Sunday translated into less humidity to hold the night temp up, and when Paulette went to take a shower in the morning we realized the 100 foot water hose from the house had frozen again. So much for a shower. That was a freak surprise as days are getting longer and longer. Darkness arrives about 10:30 PM and it starts getting light again about 4 AM. We have tin foil on the bedroom windows to help simulate darkness for sleep. If my 62 year old body would cooperate (it doesn’t) we have a lot of daylight in which to work.
We work ourselves hard. Today I would fell, cut into pieces, and stack and load the firewood while Paulette picked up and piled slash. If one of us gets ahead of the other we shift over to help. We now have five jumbo piles of slash to burn. Several stacks are 9-10 feet tall and 20 feet wide. Paulette packed a lunch so we sat on our promontory overlooking the river and ate. She commented, “First meal on our property.”A few bugs showed up today in the warm mid-sixty’s temps. Mostly mosquitoes and a few flies. We hardly noticed them until we would took a break. Then they would locate us as a stationary target. I have not counted but suspect we have dropped and swamped (a logging term for cleaning up brush) about sixty-five trees. Only a bit over a dozen more big ones to go. Some days if we are dealing with monster trees (70-80 feet tall) we can only do three in a day. Today we did mostly smaller stuff, 5-9 inches in diameter and 30 to 40 feet tall. They have less slash than the big sentinels so we conquer 7-8 a day. Either way we are beat at the end of the day and sleep well. We both feel this may be the hardest work we have ever done in our lives. We only have 2-3 more days of this... but three of the biggest trees yet to deal with. I am not looking forward to felling one of them as it is hard to detect any lean. The other two will be easier… I hope. (They don’t call them “widow-makers” for nothing.) A twelve inch fifty footer we did today started to go the wrong way and Paulette and I both put our backs into it to try to redirect the fall while it was still almost vertical. Amazingly, after several tries it did a partial pirouette and went where we wanted. I promised Paulette I would not do any of the monsters when I am alone. A decade ago if anyone had told me we would be felling 80 foot tall spruce trees I would have thought they were crazy. By the way, I got Paulette behind the steering wheel of the truck for the first time a few days ago. I felt it was important that she know how to drive it.
No more moose by the RV but we see fresh tracks each morning on the property. The chain saw noise probably keeps them away, which is a good thing while we are working. Geese migrating north stop and feed by the river. And some beautiful black and white ducks like an adjacent sandbar, but they take flight when we come to the edge to observe them.
In the pix with Paulette and the chainsaw you see a wall of mostly small trees and three twelve inchers behind and to the left of her. All those trees are now removed. I paced it and we have cleared 280 feet fifteen feet wide, as well as most of a 100 foot diameter circle at the end for the cabin. Only peripheral trees and those that hinder the view remain.

Lumberjack progress

2010-05-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

The top pix is the view we should get from our cabin front windows. The next pix is of the landing craft approaching Gustavus with our 5th wheel trailer aboard. You can see the snow covered mountains and a few houses along tree line. Finally the Raptor and truck loaded on the landing craft ready to put to sea.

Wednesday, May 12. We started a little earlier today amid a few sprinkles. Temp was 42 degrees when we got on the property at 7:30 AM. But within an hour the weather cleared and temps gradually came up to the low 50’s, which is good working weather. With this hard work I sweat at fifty degrees and have to un-layer. When walking off the property at the end of the day Paulette commented how excited she was about the project. We work together step for step, and are both beat at the end of each day. She mentioned how she has a new respect for pioneer women.

Thursday, May 13. Early this morning while Paulette was getting ready I fixed the old chain saw on the kitchen floor. A good day overall. I think we felled and cleaned up eight trees. The new driveway area is now 240 feet long. There are still about thirty trees, seven or eight sizable, to be dealt with. The big ones are up to 20 inches in diameter at the base and reach anywhere from 70-80 feet tall (my best guess). I can feel the danger when cutting one down. I make sure Paulette is well clear. Most trees lean slightly this way or that. The ones I don’t like at the ones where you can’t detect any lean. Mixed sun and clouds again today. Perhaps 60 degrees for a high. I was down to a tee shirt.

Gus in Gustavus

2010-05-11T15:21:00.000-07:00

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.

Dyea and the Blue Canoe

2010-05-06T18:34:00.001-07:00

While waiting for the ferry south we had a morning to kill so visited the old site of Dyea, the 1890's jumpoff place for miners before they climbed Chilkoot Pass in the gold rush days. In 1898 there was an avalanche on the pass which swept many miners and even a few wives to their deaths. This cemetery was the interment place for those who perished in that avalanche. There are approximately thirty graves, almost all marked the same day in 1898.

While hiking back from the old Dyea townsite we came across this bear track in the path. It may have been there when we hiked in. The track measures about 7" across. We were the only tourists out there so I asked Paulette if she thought we should purchase some Bear Deterrent Pepper Spray. She didn't hesitate.

Our ferry, aka the Blue Canoe. All the Marine Highway ferrys have white superstructure and blue hull. Hence the nickname. As you can tell from the background the scenery was majestic, especially evening with the setting sun illuminating white snow capped mountains.

Today I took a little personal excursion while Paulette was checking the backs of her eyelids for holes and this is what I came upon....

Yup, it's a porcupine eating willow buds.

Tueday, Day 5 Alaskan Adventure

2010-05-04T20:14:00.000-07:00

We did not have internet for a few days so this post will bring you up to date and may be a little longer than normal.

We pulled out of Whitehorse, Yukon Territory Sunday AM amid light snow flurries and headed for Skagway, Alaska. Mid trip the scenery became majestic. Again, the road was mostly deserted for the 125 mile trip. As we climbed the pass to drop into the Alaska side of the mountains snow intensified, and everything around us was almost totally white. I figured we had to start the descent soon and wasn't too concerned because the roads, though wet, were clear. At times the cut banks revealed eight foot high snow from winter. That fog looking cloud up ahead is falling snow.

When we reached the summit the road narrowed and tall poles lined both sides of the road to show the snow plows the roadway when the snow is deep.

The downhill was steep and curvy and I held our speed at between 25 and 30 mph. When we pulled into US Customs and I opened the window to talk to the agent I could instantly smell brakes, but the brakes performed fine even if they did get hot. A few questions later and we were back in the USA. Now to find a campground in Skagway. We chose one from a book and drove directly there. True to form it wasn't yet open for the season. So we backtracked and found a less nice site for one night. What the site wasn't the owner was. He was a great help and very nice to us. He was busy with other tasks so told me to just stick some cash under the office door when we left. In many ways that is the mentality in these small towns. Twice I have taken my credit card into a station only to be told to pump the fuel first, then come in and pay.

As we walked through downtown Skagway suddenly we were startled to see an advancing traffic jam in this village. I realized a ferry was in and releasing cars. Our schedule indicated the next ferry was four days away, so we rushed to the truck and drove to the ferry terminal to inquire where they were going and whether there was space available. A helpful young man named Drew said they were booked solid but took our info and the next morning found us a spot on the ferry that day, a day the book said a ferry wasn't operating. Consequently we were in passage down the fjord to Juneau last evening. Backing the 50 foot 5er/truck combination on the ferry was part of the adventure of getting here.

A few hours later we picked up more vehicles and passengers in Haines. Paulette and I decided to spend a little time relaxing in the lounge. A young man sitting alone in the corner of the near empty lounge caught Paulette's eye. She asked me, "Is that Tim?" I said I didn't think so. She persisted and so did I. Finally I was out of argument, got up, and asked if he was Tim Ewing. Yes he was. For the next day Hawkeye loved telling me (with a smile) how I was wrong and she was right. Tim, Paulette, and myself sat together and laughed and talked and enjoyed the view for the next three hours. The funny part is I have known Tim since he was a teenager, perhaps 20 years. I may need new glasses.

The ferry pulled into Juneau around 1 AM. We were both beat after a long day. Because our rig was first on we were practically last off the ferry. We camped in Camp Safeway (Safeway supermarket parking lot) until dawn. In daylight we were able to find a RV park. The weather today was fantastic. We are ringed by snow capped peaks and I am walking about in a tee shirt. Much nicer than the cold days we endured driving the interior.

We have a punch list of things to do before the rig gets barged over to Gustavus. Because we are here three days early we are not pressed. Tim advised that the local Home Depot has a bargain bin. I planned to buy a cheap mud room exterior door here, and a dormer window. On a cart marked 70% off was a special order door. Someone bought it and returned it we were told. It was too narrow for a normal front door so they kept making it down. I got out a tape measure. The door was exactly the width I wanted for the mud room. After all the blessings of appliances, hardware, etc. I hardly expected any more windfalls. We now have a custom door for the price of a cheapie. I stand in awe of the continual blessing of God in our lives on this project. Oh, we did have to pay retail for the dormer window. But it qualifies for the tax credit.

The first cruise ship of the season pulled into Juneau today. We beat the rush! Speaking of beat... I'm going to bed early.

Saturday May 1, Day 3 Alaskan Hwy

2010-05-01T16:01:00.000-07:00

A vista heading into the western side of the continental divide. (click on any pix to enlarge it).

One of many frozen lakes along the route on Friday & Saturday

The signpost forest in Watson Lake. This was started by a homesick worker on the Alaskan Hwy back in the 40s with a single sign saying the name of his home town and the distance to home. Today it covers a country block. There are thousands and thousands of destination signs from all over the world. We found signs for Hesperia, and San Bernardino.

Paulette taking a stretch break along the Hwy. The 5er is pretty dirty with road grime. Hard to tell in the pix but that lake between the rig and the Mountains is frozen.

Ice breaking up on one of the rivers.

We are as far north as we will get on our journey. Tomorrow we turn south for Skagway and depart Canada. I got a lesson in how far north we are when I looked for a RV campground here in Whitehorse, Yukon. The first one was closed; not open for the season yet. That has been the case for most RV campgrounds along our route yesterday and today. The second was open, and though a bit spendy I took it. Once registered and paid for I went to hook up and found the hard way there is no water or sewer service. I walked to the office and asked about it, and said the rates were pretty high for only electric hookup. She said I could have my money back if I wanted, but they are the only RV park in town that is open, and went on to explain that the reason is permafrost (her term, actually it isn't permafrost this far south). The ground hasn't thawed enough yet to turn the water on or to convey the contents of holding tanks to a septic system. I guess I'm thinking like a Californian, not Sgt Preston of the Yukon. Consequently we are parked for the night at the only game in town as the Wal Mart parking lot is full. They do have showers in the main building we can use. I wondered if we came too early, but in actuality we are right on the cusp for up in the interior, so down at lower elevations should be perfect.

Today was fantastic viewing (again). We only had 270 miles to traverse so took our time. We went through snow covered mountains, along frozen rivers, and beside many frozen lakes. The animal count was down today, at least I think it was down. We came upon a small herd of caribou, but they were back 100 yards (ok, meters here in Canada) from the road in the trees and I only managed to count a handful before we were past them. There were many more. It was like the forest was slowly moving. Plus one traffic jam for a black bear. A traffic jam up here is when there is one car pulled over taking pictures. In this case it was a tourist in a rented RV. We both laughed. Bears aren't in any shortage up here. I guess it was the first one they saw on their trip. The roads were better today and the hills less severe.

We crossed the venerable Yukon River today. One thinks of Jack London stories and the gold rushers of yesteryear. A few hundred yards from our camp is a huge sternwheel from an old riverboat.

Tomorrow we drop down to sea level and warmer temps... and thawed ground. Then wait a few days for the ferry. We'll be back in the USA so I'll have the phone turned on.
Mel & Hawkeye

Hawkeye Folkertsma

2010-04-30T21:02:00.001-07:00

Friday April 30.
Hawkeye is my new nickname for Paulette. She spotted way more animals today than I did. The same was true for yesterday. Must be the Cherokee in her. Today's total: 1 bear, 3 deer, 11 caribou, 2 moose, and 6 buffalo. One realizes they are getting pretty far north when one starts to see caribou. They are not as large as I would have thought. They stand about 4 feet tall at the shoulder, and are stockier than a deer. They came down to the road to lick the pavement. All I can theorize is the snow removal crews salt the roads in winter and the caribou come to get the salt residue.

We left Dawson Creek/Ft St John very early and did 11+ hours today to beat the threat of snow, which they now say will happen early next week. The scenery was AWESOME for much of the way. Crossing the continental divide in the Canadian Rockies was a lot of work for the truck. Some uphill grades were 10%. Temps much of the morning were just above freezing and the continental divide was threatening snow. They say mountains make their own weather. I believe it. Lakes we passed most of the day were still frozen, but the ice seemed to be turning slushy on them. River ice was beginning to break up in some places. A different world than what we are use to seeing. We did about 300 miles to Fort Nelson by noon. When we left Fort Nelson after fueling we hardly saw a car on the Alaskan Hwy. I was worried they knew something we didn't about the weather ahead so they stayed in town. Once we went about 25 miles without seeing another vehicle. It's a bit early for tourists up here. Late in the afternoon we crossed into the Yukon Territory and tonight are in Watson Lake. As we dropped in elevation the temp came up to mid 60s. The suspect tire on the trailer got steadily more distended and worn on the side, so when we arrived here for the night I changed it. I figure that is better than fixing a flat on the side of the narrow roads. Now I only have the deteriorating tire for a spare, but think we will be OK. We have 270 miles to White Horse, and then 125 to Skagway where we catch the ferry. So only 400 miles to go. We have come almost 2800 miles since leaving Mentone. The Alaskan Hwy was bumpy for about 200 miles over the Rockies, but other than that stretch the road has been better than I expected.