I'll bet Beavers don't get blisters when they work hard

June 07, 2013

If one’s diet requires variety, perhaps life outside of civilization is not for you.  I haven’t had bread products or milk and dairy since leaving JUNEAU and I don’t foresee it in my future.  I did buy a dozen eggs for $3.00 but passed on the $6.00 gallon of milk and $6.00 loaf of bread.  My PBJ fix will have to wait but I do get to eat a batch of sourdough hotcakes every now and again to break the monotony of oatmeal and jam (no milk).  The last of the chocolate that Lisa and I stashed is gone and the craving for salt last night was satisfied by some microwave popcorn.  I ate the whole bag and it was okay at best as I usually eat only a small bowl. 

I bicycled to a local rafting business (1/2 mile) and met the owner, Walt who rents rafts for use on the Gulkana River.  That is Walt’s summer job and that turns into his autumn job where he is a “hunt planner” for GMU 23 – Kotzebue (north of Nome) for caribou and trophy moose.  The rafts are available for float hunts in that area.  By the way, that is also a part-time job as he also teaches 6, 7, and 8th grade in Anchorage full-time.  Walt was a big help steering toward fishing spots and techniques for salmon and trout.  Alaskan hospitality at its best, Walt said I can use a spare canoe of his anytime I want one (free).

After lunch I had a plan to build a rustic wood stool.  I’d use a drwaw knife to strip the bark from spruce logs I gathered in the surrounding woods, trim the ends with the spoke shave to fit holes drilled in the seat and I might just have something to sit on.  Five hours later and it is sturdy but needs a couple of finishing touches…cone out the holes, wedge the legs and trim legs to level stool.  I only used a chainsaw to trim logs to length and an electric drill for the four holes in the seat.  The remaining work was done with an axe and draw knife. 

 Stool project – one down, three to go

Finer detail

 Seat, axe and draw knife

 Almost there

 

Will trim and wedge legs tomorrow

 Legs will be flush trimmed at top with a saw kerf for the wedge, holes will bow cone shape (larger diameter at top) to accept wedge, then cut legs to final length for level

V.I.C.T.O.R.Y.

June 06, 2013

Day FIVE but who’s #$&*%@$ counting.  It was an uneventful day in AK but my Fenton Tigers Girls Soccer team kicked butt and beat Haslett, 2 – 0 for the Regional Championship.  I did go down to three different area creeks to feed the mosquitoes and since I was there, I washed a few fishing lures and flies in the water.  Mt Drum looked good so I’ll share the view with y’all.

 12,010 foot Mt Drum (from Gulkana Airport)

Mt Drum with Copper River

"Whatever!"

June 05, 2013

Alright already, it would be acceptable if I drank heavily but REALLY, fourth day with the head spinning, whatever.  I made sourdough hotcakes for breakfast and had a few cold hotcakes after I planted winter squash in Jon’s horseless stable area.  The squash are just for kicks, if they grow, cool, if not, whatever.  Made dinner for the next few days: 4 pounds ground venison, with chopped tomatoes, pinto beans, white and brown rice, and some spices…alright heavy on the spices, especially the fairy dust, whatever!  It yielded about a gallon and a half of Spanish rice with beans?  Whatever. 

Weather the past few days has been mostly sunny, windy at times with daytime highs around 65 and nighttime lows in high 30’s to low 40’s.  There have been however, sudden cloud bursts of MOSQUITOES that remind me of the old OFF commercial.  The aquarium is full of a couple hundred of those suckers and the guy sticks his arm inside.  They do show up at the most inappropriate of times.  “Does a bear crap in the woods?” The answer is of course, YES, and so does Roger.  Get the picture?  I haven’t eaten any yet but I heard they taste a lot like chicken, whatever.

Great news, Lisa has had MINOR surgery and will be off her feet for ten days…she hasn’t been off them that long since learning to walk and she deserves a rest.  “Love You.” 

And so, the second month in the wild begins...

June 01, 2013

After two hard days work, I slept in real good.  Soon after awakening, I learned that our Fenton Girls Soccer team had won the District Championship by defeating the hated Linden team, 3 to nil.  Great start to the day of cleaning and rearranging.  Unpacked from JUNEAU trip and pampered my Habanero plant.  Throw in my first use of the band mill and a table top was constructed.  It was opening day for King Salmon on the Gulkana River but the flow is still heavy and muddy.  Seems all the late snow has melted and this east half of the state has flooded lowlands. 

Celebrating the Fenton Girls Soccer District Championship…I was just a part of the MACHINE

June 02, 2013

I awoke this morning with my head spinning, it felt like I had been at sea for weeks and finally was upon dry land.  Ate some oatmeal, peanut butter and had a green tea then went outside to goof around a bit.  Topped off the water, flushed the gray tanks and rigged a ramp for the gray water tube before lunch.  I found a stand of Diamond Willow, collected a piece and stripped the bark to reveal the diamonds.  Went for a bike ride to the river to check on the status and helped Jim and Debbie (Jon’s neighbors) put the pickup camper on their truck.  The ride to the river was easy and downhill and it had yet to improve…no fishing for another week or so.  Pedaling back, I toured the Village of GULKANA, an Ahtna native village.  It is small but they have positioned themselves around the best subsistence lifestyle area available, the Copper and Gulkana rivers.  Once home, I built a fire and cooked a brat for dinner.

 Gulkana River is DOUBLE wide

Alcohol is Verboten in GULKANA

A few GULKANA residences (Ahtna Native Corporation)

June 03, 2013

Second morning spinning so I must be ill ‘cause I’ve changed up my diet and that didn’t stop the spinning.  The spinning lasted throughout the day but I made dinner anyways.  Sliced up some brats, spiced them heavily and browned them in the fry pan.  Added black beans chopped stewed tomatoes and a handful of oatmeal…wasn’t too bad. 

 One pan dinner ‘cause the dishwasher is on the fritz…

Around 4:30pm I got acquainted with neighbors, Dieter (71 Yrs old) and Hannalore Reizig from Hagen, Germany.  I called Opa/Freddie and let him talk to Dieter while we checked out the Klutina River conditions.  I hope Freddie got a kick out it and he must have because he wants Dieter’s contact information so he can talk again.  Unfortunately Dieter doesn’t use his phone here in the U.S. because it costs a couple of Euros per minute ($4.00+) but he does Skype.  The Klutina looks to be settling down a bit and Dieter plans to try for Sockeye/Red salmon this Friday, I’ll probably be right next to him…should have studied German.  After the drive, we returned to their motor home and the guys had a beer, imagine that.  Their retired life is three months in Germany, three in Mexico, three in Arizona area, and three in Alaska.  They own the RV they are in and keep it at friends in Arizona.  They also have a smaller one back in the old country for touring Europe.

June 04, 2013

Felt better today but some dizziness is still there.  Hand-washed some clothes and hung them outside to dry before I set off to the north to try fishing for some grayling (a trout with an over-sized dorsal fin).  Fished for three hours only had one bite but I did find a caribou calf that had drowned in the flooding waters.  I also saw live caribou crossing the road in several locations.  Had the last of the brat/bean chili and it was fantastic.  Leftover chili has never failed to impress.

Saying goodbye to May

May 27 - 28, 2013

We spent the early hours of Memorial Day cleaning Jerry’s house for the afternoon retirement party for the outgoing Chief and Assistant Chief of Juneau PD.  Jerry made some excellent pork ribs and everyone got a taste from his new hobby, brewing.  Overstuffed, we watched a disappointing display of hockey as our Red Wings fell to the Blackhawks…better result is EXPECTED Wednesday.

Tuesday started out as sunny and hot as any Michigan summer morning in July…watching and learning some of the finer points of the GILL NET.  The net they use mostly has 6” webbing, is 30 feet tall, 1200 feet long, with floats along the top, and lead weighted line along the bottom.  When fishing, it is stretched out perpendicular to the shore and salmon swim into the net.  The webbing catches the fish in the gill plates and undersized fish swim through unharmed.  The fisheries in Southeast Alaska utilize the 6” webbing for the majority of the ten week season but nearing the end, the fisherman have the option of sizing down to their 5 3/8” webbing.  After the switch over, very large fish can be missed but the smaller are caught.  An exception would be the large males jaws begin to hook as they near sexual maturity and they are caught by their teeth becoming entangled in the netting.

A 6” Gill Net measures the long axis of the diamond when fully stretched taunt

 Lead shot filled rope holds the gill net near the bottom

 
 Floats keep the top of the net near the surface

Ian prepping his needle for mending the net

Temperature reached 74 today so we lounged a bit, built three bird houses, shopped for Jerry’s next brew and I bought a new gold pan…can’t wait to try it out next week.  I’ll send everyone a plane ticket when I strike it rich.

May 29, 2013

Up and at it, 5:30am to hop on the HAINES bound ferry.  Forecast predicts this is the last gorgeous JUNEAU day for the next week but who knows, rain always falls sooner or later.  Blah, blah, blah, made it to GULKANA about 12:30 am.  However, I did have daylight all the way…saw several moose, dozens of caribou and my first interior grizzly/brown bear. 

 Miscellaneous shots form the ferry, glaciers and such

Survival boat aboard the ferry

 The ferry after I disembarked

May 30, 2013

I got a good and well deserved nights sleep and started the day with pop tarts.  Moved the Raptor to a better location on Jon’s property then helped Jon for the remainder of the day.  Most of the day we mixed concrete and poured it for his hangar floor then I helped with the brake lines on his Super Cub.  In between, I plugged in the Raptor and filled the water tank.  Jon took his plane for a spin in the area and I was impressed with what a small plane could do in such a small area.  Once everything was put away and cleaned up, Jon treated me to a couple of beers.  I hope to return the favor tomorrow.  

May 31, 2013

Back to work after coffee with Jon.  We started with post holes for the deck to the house and that required more cement mixing.  Finished around noon and began gathering logs for the deck.  Stationed them by the band mill and Jon went to cutting.  Jon had to leave for Wasilla after the two timbers were cut but he did show me where the gold dredging and panning equipment was.  I had lunch then used a draw knife to shave all the bark off four logs.  That was hard work so when I completed, I took a break and washed my truck.  Showered, washed dishes and did a load of laundry.  Bed will feel good tonight and I’ll try to sleep in.

Last Year, Same Time Same Place / 2012

 May 2012, during my Black Bear hunt south of JUNEAU with Jerry, on Jerry’s boat we caught Dungeness Crab and had the crab and coffee for breakfast.

 Random shots of Sea Lions, the curse of Salmon Fishermen

My first Black Bear, she was under 6 foot but biologist found that she was 17 years old.  That is old for a bear.  Explains the absence of hair on her face.

Being Retired is really hard work...

May 23 – 26, 2013

The last four days have been average as far as Alaska is concerned.  Jerry, Ian and I moved a 500 pound plus Gill Net from storage to their house so it could be mended.  We packed for a two day camping/Beerfest in HAINES and early Friday departed on the Ferry for the 4 ½ hour trip.  Dan picked us up in my truck and we made a quick once over in town before settling on the Chilkat State Park.  Ten dollars a day for the site with bathrooms and no showers but a light drizzle fell as the camp was set up.  Waterfalls were plentiful during the drive to the park so a picture presented itself.  With time before the festival available, we visited the Chilkoot River State Park and observed a working fish WEIR.  Alaska Department of Fish and Game workers count salmon as they pass through openings in the weir for spawning.  They count each species and once it is determined that enough salmon have passed into the spawning waters, commercial fishing in the bay can occur.  Good science and practices ensure a thriving fishery. 

Chilkoot River

 Fish Weir

Workers collecting Smolt (young salmon headed for ocean)

Locals contended that the Beerfest was attended by JUNEAU and WHITEHORSE residents, later I concurred with this statement.  Saturday was the festival and all attendees received a six ounce glass for the day’s UNLIMITED samples.  Haines, Alaskan, Denali, Skagway Breweries plus another ten or so, set up tents with their popular brews.  Everyone got their fill from Lagers and Pale Ales to the heavy Stouts and Barleywines.  I tried my first Mead (made with honey as the main ingredient) and was surprised with the light pleasant taste.  Some unfortunate soul set their sampling glass down an hour after the opening, I then was double sampling after that.  The four hour festival was enough for me but the others used it as a primer for the remainder of the day.  The town was full of tents in the public spots but our camp was 10 miles out so noise was not a problem.

Sunday was a lazy drive around HAINES before having to depart for JUNEAU on the 5:00pm ferry.  The sun shown brightly throughout the day and was probably 60 to 65 degrees, untypical for this part of Alaska and certainly uncharacteristic to have six consecutive days of this weather.  Had Ling Cod for dinner on the ferry and was NOT disappointed…the taste was exceptional.  The three of us milled about the boat, spying glaciers, seabirds and mountains all the while we bathed in the summer-like sunshine.  Being retired is HARD WORK.

                                      just an average day on the Alaskan Marine Highway (ferry)