In 1996 I volunteered to be a Camp Ground Host in Alaska, at Lake Harding State Park. Lake Harding is located about 40 miles South of Fairbanks. I kept a journal of my trip, observations, and feelings so I could share my trip with my family and friends. While trying to edit it again for this I realized that I should have studied a lot more in English when I was in school... :)) But then again, this is not a essay I was graded on. It is just a bunch of letters to my family and friends and notes that I wrote along the way. In reading it the memories come flooding back and I can enjoy the trip again.... I met some wonderful people and if any of them see this perhaps they will get in touch with me and we can reminisce about the trip... I drove a 1996 Dodge V10 pickup and pulled a 28' Starcraft fifth wheel. The trailer weighed about 7500 lbs.

It started raining during the night and has continued throughout the day. For about 10 miles today I was in very serious fog. Fortunately the road was also very bad so everyone was driving very slow. I saw lots of wildlife today. Many caribou, some black bears, wild horses, (I wonder if they are offspring of the animals used when the original highway was built) and possibly a brown bear. If it was (a brown) I just caught a glimpse (bear butt) as it hurried into the woods. When the weather cleared, from a mountain viewpoint I could look out and see for miles. There were nothing but forests. There were more shades of green than I could count. And then, it was like God had finger-painted a river twisting and turning from one corner to the other. While I was in the valley, on my left was about 200 yard of trees and than sheer granite cliffs going straight up for almost a thousand feet. The sunlight sparkled off the edges and planes in over one hundred shades of grays and browns. In some of the crevices there was still ice that may have been there since the ice ages. On my right there was a muddy brown river boiling and bubbling over rocks. The land gradually slopped up and then more huge granite faces with trees and grasses sticking out, like stubble.

Muncho Lake is beautiful. It's deep green and blue waters are the result of Copper Oxide leaching into the lake. I took some pictures, but with the weather so poor I am not sure they will do justice to its beauty.

There was some more road construction with about 15 miles of mud and slush. Some guy in a motorhome must have been in a real hurry because he flew by me like I was standing still. He must have had a guardian angel with him because I didn't see him on the side of the road. He threw up a lot of mud when he went by and I had to stop and clean my window.

I had wanted to stop Laird Hot Springs but it was raining so hard I didn't. I will probably regret it later.

When I finally arrived in Watson Lake I pulled into the line I thought was for the campground. After about 15 minutes of waiting I asked a guy going by in a cart and he said it was the line for the wash facilities. As badly as I (the truck and trailer) needed it, I really didn't want to stand in the rain and wash my vehicle, so I went to the store and checked into the campground. After plugging in I found there was an electrical problem with the GFI. I don't know whether the problem is in the socket or what but I just wired around it and will fix it when I get to Fairbanks. The VCR is also broke. It looked like someone had stepped on it. I wonder if I had an unauthorized rider. I bought some beer yesterday in Ft. Nelson, tonight I think I will have some. Here it is 7:30 and I already have the yawns. I think tonight will be another one of those early nights.

6-7-96

I can't believe I am doing this. My lights were out, and so was I, by 8:30 last night. I slept until 5:30 and only woke then because it was cold and I hadn't turned the heater on. At 6:00 I finally got up turned the heater on and went back to bed and read until 7:30. It is now almost 8:10 and I am still not dressed, but showered and shaved and ready for breakfast. Hopefully I will get out of here by 9:00. There is a place in Teslin called "Mukluk Annie's" that I have read about and would like to stop there for lunch. I guess I had better get to moving.

Well I made it to Mukluk Annie's. I had an all I could eat salmon dinner for about 11.00 and the camping is free. Tonight, because I had the Salmon dinner I get a free ride on a houseboat. This is probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever camped. I am almost in the lake. I am about 20 yards above it right near the edge. In the distance are the Dawson Peaks and some other mountains. I just saw a white bird out on the water. I don't know what it was and couldn't get a good look at it as I forgot my binoculars.

Today's drive was very pretty. I saw the sky for the first time in a couple days. There were some clouds and a rainbow. At first I wasn't sure if it was the sky or just higher overcast. When I came over the top of a hill I could see mountains out in the distance and forests for a far as I could see. Running right through the middle of this dark green landscape was a small scar called a highway. From the distance it looked like the trees came right up to the edge of the road. Way out in the middle of the forest, where it looks like man has never walked stands a microwave tower It is red and white with the large gray receivers on it. At first it seems out of place, and perhaps it is, but it catches your eye and lets you know there is civilization near.

The mountains in the distance are just incredible. The land is various shades of dark green, like a carpet, and than right in the middle of it are these white mountains. Almost like an ice cream. In fact on one of the mountains looks like someone took an ice cream scoop and scooped part of it away.

Riding along side the Smith River. It is very wide, perhaps 300 to 400 yards across much bigger than the Sacramento River. It appears the far side of the river is still frozen. There is a little ice in the middle and the near side is thawed. I drove by a place called George's gorge. It caused me to think of Georgia, as if I needed a reason. Then I thought of a play on words. Remember Gorgeous George, the wrestler. I just thought it was kind of funny. The battery is almost dead on the laptop. I don't know why. I thought it was all charged up yesterday. Oh well, I had better quit for now, I feel a nap coming on.

6-8-96

The houseboat ride, last night, was wonderful. It was a bit chilly, and I forgot my down coat and didn't bring a sweater so I wore two light jackets. It is probably a mile from one side of the river to the a little island and than about 500 yards from the island to the other side. We went around the island. Overall the trip took just a bit over two hours. I met some interesting people on the boat. I spent some time talking with a couple who have been full timing for about four years. They put their rig in storage in Washington and bought a slide in camper for this trip. They drove up and are taking the ferry back. The ferry alone will set them back about 2 grand. They are still enjoying themselves and don't plan to settle down soon. The lady said they still want to see the east coast and Florida. They spent last winter traveling from San Diego to Palm Springs. They would stay about four to six weeks and then drive a hundred miles and do it again. I also met a young couple that were tent camping. They had a baby (5 months old) and I offered to let the lady and her baby stay in the trailer while her husband set up. She declined but both of the did come over later and we visited until after midnight. It was still light outside. They are most recently from Colorado and are moving to Anchorage. He is a singer and musician and feels he won't have a problem getting a job there. I didn't hear any of his tapes but he seems very confident. He was a bit of a (political) conspiracy theorist, but other than that they were both quite pleasant. I had breakfast with them this morning. All you can eat for about 7.15 Canadian. I finally got out of the restaurant and on the road at about 9:30. I forgot to check the gas gauge and passed the next station. I had gone 230 miles when I finally gassed up. It took right at 30 gal so I didn't have a lot left. The tank holds 35 gal.

I started getting a sore throat and I don't feel well and I don't know why. I wonder if I am allergic to something in the truck. My sinuses really seem to get backed up when I am driving. Or perhaps I just notice it more because there is nothing else to do. I think this is the longest I have ever been alone. I have taken trips before even by myself but never this long at a time. It is interesting. I have all this time to think and my mind is usually a blank. Oh well.

I arrived in Whitehorse around 1:00. After I checked into the campground I unhitched and went to find an ATM. This time I found one that took my Golden 1 card. I was low on cash and the ATM in Watson Lake was broken. They only have one and they were flying someone in from Vancouver to fix it.

Took a little mini-tour of the town. I was going to go on their river trip but it started to rain. I will see what is going on tonight although I really don't feel that well.

In one story the town is named for the rapids which resemble the flowing mane of a white horse in another it is named after and Indian named White Horse who drowned in the rapids. After coming over the Chilkoot or White pass the miners navigated the waters of Lake Bennett. The miners had to bypass Miles Canyon and the Whitehorse Rapids. They transferred their equipment to wooden tramways then back onto the river below the rapids. A few tents and log cabins appeared and a settlement was born on the east bank of the Yukon River. Whitehorse's population is presently about 23,000 and is by far the largest city in the entire Yukon Territory. The second and third are Dawson City and Watson Lake which have populations of about 2000 and 1700 respectively. The population of Yukon is less than 32,000 and the size is over 482,000 sq. km. California is about 424,000. Yukon Territory has fewer people that many small towns. There is so much history here. Tomorrow I will probably be in or close to Dawson City another place that has so much history. I can remember those names from my reading when I was in high school.

Well, I bought a ticket for the show tonight in town and it was great. There was a lot of singing Can-can Dancing, and some really great acts. One of the stories (skits) they did last night was the "Cremation of Sam McGee" and it was hilarious. A lot of vaudeville stuff, and they even did some Barbershop. They got me on the stage for the final audience participation (humiliation) segment. I got to remove a garter from one of the dancers leg and then was presented with that, a certificate, and a great big blotch of lipstick on my bald head.

I still don't feel great but I am glad I went. My throat doesn't seem to be getting worse but my tongue is sore. It is 10:40 and the sun hasn't even begun to set yet. Solstice will be in about 13 days I think

6/9/96

After a breakfast of sourdough pancakes, sausage, and coffee I hitched up and pulled out at about 8:30. I still feel kind of crummy but if I am going to spend an extra day somewhere I would just as soon it was Dawson. The trip up was beautiful, except for a very long stretch that had been burned. It looked like a burnt match stick forest. It seemed to stretch for miles. I stopped at one point today on a bluff overlooking a valley. All I could see were forests, mountains and the Yukon River. There were no people, no roads, no farms. There were probably some logging roads because in spots the land had been clear cut, but you could only tell that from on high, and it actually added a bit of relief and color. The dandelions and Jacob's Ladder grow in wild profusion along the roads and their splashes of bright color add quite a bit to the scenery. I gassed up in Carmacks and kept on for Dawson. I felt like stopping a couple of times but I just wanted to get here. My plan was to spend two nights in Dawson. I knew I would be to tired to do much when I got in, but now I will have all day Monday and the evening to see the sights. If I leave here on Tuesday, spend the night at Tok I should arrive at Harding Lake on Wednesday. Then I will have a couple of days to get used to the area before my shift starts on Saturday. Who knows, they may want me to start earlier. I tried to call Georgia when I arrived but no one was home. I didn't want to spend the money talking to the answering machine so I hung up. Tried again later and left a message. I tried again and finally got to talk to Georgia.

The Robert Service and Jack London cabins are here in Dawson. Perhaps up here they will do "The shooting of Dangerous Dan McGrew." I just went for a little walk. The rain had let up to just a drizzle so I thought I would chance it. This is probably one of the most exciting places I have ever been. There is just so much history here that I have read about.

6/10/96

After about 3 cups of coffee and a bowl of cereal I finally got out. My first stop was at the Robert Service cabin. I listened to a bit over an hour of his poetry and stories about him and then took a look in his cabin. No one has lived there since he left in about 1912. My understanding was that he planned, or at least people thought, that he was coming back so they took care of it for him. It was interesting to learn how he got the ideas for some of his works. He was shot at in his own bank one evening and sat down to write the story of "The Shooting of Dan McGrew." He did "The Cremation of Sam McGee" based on a miners tale he heard. Apparently a lot of his work was based, loosely, on stories he heard from the miners. After that it was on to Jack London's cabin. Actually, it is just a replica of his cabin using some of the same wood as opposed to the Robert Service cabin. His cabin was discovered by trappers, in quite a state of disrepair, near his claim on Henderson Creek. It was dismantled and moved to Stewart Island in 1969 where two replicas were built using the logs from the original cabin. One of them was shipped to Oakland and the other is here in Dawson City. Jack only spent a year here but his experiences were the bases for a number of his stories. Then it was on to beautiful downtown Dawson. I realize that the town has been rebuilt a number of times, due to disasters, since the Gold Rush. But, with the dirt roads, boardwalks, and a lot of the old buildings you could almost imagine what it was like back then. I had lunch at Klondike Kate's restaurant. I don't know if it is the original building but where I was sitting the floor was so slanted it could have been. I had a Cuban Sandwich which are slices of beef and ham on a thin, fried French bread. It was quite good. One of the stored sells Mastodon Ivory. When they unearth one of those prehistoric monsters they can use the Ivory from their tusks. It is legal (they have long since passed from the endangered list) and quite a keepsake. I wondered around town a bit more, saw the old Anglican Church, built in 1906, and saw a real live "Mountie" in his bright red jacket riding a horse down the street. They sure were a special breed those North West Mounted Police. I drove up to the Dome. It is about 6 miles from Dawson, high on a hill. From there you can see the city, the river, the forests and mountains. Quite a spectacular view. Tomorrow I cross the Yukon to the "Top of the World Highway" and then back into the USA by way of Alaska.

I just returned from a nice walk with my neighbors. Actually it was my neighbor and his two daughters. His name is Frank and he was a refugee from Czechoslovakia. He escaped back in the 60's, lived in Switzerland for a while, and then eventually came to the US. He (Frank) has two daughters, one is a senior in nursing school and the other (Evelyn) a Junior at North Carolina State. She (the junior) asked and we talked a lot about the service as she is in ROTC and has to make decision regarding her scholarship at the end of the summer. The other daughter and I didn't talk much and she had to take a shower as soon as we returned from our walk. I didn't meet his wife as she never stuck her head out of the trailer. They are on their way back from Alaska, so I was able to get some road information from them.

6/11/96

Up at 6:00 this AM and out of the park by 7:15. When I checked yesterday they told me there was not normally a wait for the ferry. Today there was. There were about 10 rigs in front of me, so I knew it would be a while. I started talking to some of the people waiting and the guy right in front of me lives in Sacramento, near Am. River College. What a small world. He had met up with some other people and they were all traveling together, so I joined their group. Two of the couples are from Louisiana, but one of them are either full timing or gone a lot because they belong to the Escapees. He has a white Dodge that looks like mine and at one point he got in my truck and tried to find his keys that he thought he had left in the ignition. AW and his wife are retired from the AF. He retired in 76 with probably close to 30 years. I think he is pushing 70 but still gets around quite well. I have asked them to call when they return to Sacramento. It is 8:50 and I just got on the ferry.

The "Top of the World Highway" was all that I had hoped it would be. After a long climb the road just goes over the tops of mountains. There weren't any high peaks just rolling hills and valleys. The road is mostly hard packed gravel but there are some paved parts also. It was a bit cloudy and I couldn't see to far but it really looked like the top of the world. The clouds that we see in Dawson that are gray and depressing up here are white and fluffy. At 11:00 we crossed the border into Alaska and the US of A. The roads are now dirt so the ride will be a little bit rougher. We Stopped in Chicken, AK for lunch. I had a reindeer burger. Not much different from a hamburger or buffalo burger. It cost a bit more though. The US side of the highway was no where as good as the Canadian. They were working on it and on it and it was very bumpy and muddy. The snow on the mountains looks like powdered sugar on a donut.

Arrived in Tok about 4:00 AK time which is one hour earlier that Canada or Pacific Time. I have to remember to set my watch back.

When I drove into the Sourdough Campground here in Tok, I noticed a couple of Aljo Trailers. When I stopped to look there were the same people I met in Fort  Nelson, BC. They came a different way and arrived yesterday. About 45 minutes after I arrived the people I met in Dawson arrived so we had a nice reunion. I had dinner and than went to the video presentation of life in Alaska, especially here in Tok. After the video we had a speaker; a lady who moved here in 1945 to teach and is still here. She has written 4 or 5 books on life here. It was very interesting to listen to her. Also, after the video there was a question and answer period. The gentleman providing the answers is a long time resident of Tok. Would you believe they don't have property taxes here? Here in Tok you can own your property, minerals, water and all, and you don't have to worry about the government taking it away from you for taxes. What an interesting concept.

Tomorrow I say good-bye to some of the friends I met on this trip. Hopefully, I will see them again when they stop by Harding Lake State Recreation Area. I am going to have breakfast with AW and Thelma in the AM. I will give them my phone number and Doris's so they can call when they return to Sac.

6/12/96

What a wonderful breakfast. All six of the people I drove with from Dawson came for breakfast. Then another couple sat with us who are from Oregon. They have a son who lives in Fairbanks and have been coming up for the last 20 years. The said the roads are the best they have ever been, and do they have some stories to tell. It is after 9:00 and I have to get ready and hit the road. Today seems like the end of an adventure and I guess in a way it is but it is also the beginning of a new one. Many of the people I met on the way have said they will stop by and see me. There are two couples, both in $$$ 40 foot motorhomes that wanted to know if they would fit in the campground there. They said they will try.

Finally said all my good-bye's and got on the road at about 10:00. It is about 160 miles so I should be there before 3:00.

I saw a moose, a big cow. She wouldn't stay long enough for me to get a picture. I stopped and she headed for the trees. As I was pulling away an Eagle flew right in front of the truck. It seemed kind of low and it didn't have anything in it's talons. Perhaps I frightened it. It sure startled me. I went over Robertson River and it is still pretty much frozen. I stopped in Delta Junction and called the office in Fairbanks to let them know I was almost there. The lady who answered the phone said the people aren't leaving until Sunday and they have the cabin. I told her that I have a trailer and she said to come on ahead. When I got here and met the hosts, they were in a trailer. I think she was a bit confused. The Ranger won't be here until Saturday but his assistant will be here tomorrow. There are no hookups in the campground so they put me next to a shed where at least I will have electricity. Between Delta Junction and here I ran into a real bad storm. I could see lightening dancing from cloud to cloud and then it started to rain. It came down so hard that for a while I thought that I would have to pull over but I saw what looked like the end of the storm so I kept going. Then it started to hail. I haven't looked at the truck closely but I don't think there was any damage. While I was in the hail for about five minutes and it really came down hard it was pea sized rather than chunks. I am glad that I continued rather than stopping to wait out the storm. I would have been in it a lot longer. The storm seemed to be moving south and I was traveling northwest so I got out a bit quicker and didn't get pounded as hard. Once I got out of the storm, the air was so fresh and clear that the mountains seemed to sparkle. But another one moved in and it was rain all over again, all the way to the campground.

Wow, were they ever right about the mosquitoes. When I got out of the truck they were all over me. I'm glad I brought plenty of repellent. I won't be able to send Email tonight. I think the office is locked.

They unlocked the office for me last night so I got to talk to G. After Sunday evening I will have the phone in my trailer so G can call. The well water here has a lot of iron in it so everything gets stained.

6-13-96

I was up and on the road to Eielson AFB about 10:00 this AM. It is about Halfway to Fairbanks, 20 miles from here. I asked at the gate where the Laundromat was and the guard said they didn't have one. I knew they had to have on and fortunately the base isn't very big. I finally found it and got my laundry done. After that I found the PX and got some more film, did a little commissary shopping, went on to North Pole to get some stamps and mail some post cards. On the way back to the campground a Moose ran right out in front of the car in front of me. The driver could see it in plenty of time so he had time to stop. It was in the 70's this morning and just beautiful. It is starting to cloud up now and I heard some thunder a while ago. Perhaps we will get some more rain. I just made a pot of coffee so I will have some while I am typing this.

6-14-96

I locked myself out of the trailer and truck again this morning. Today, I will for sure get some keys made. I started to take the window by the door off, but, realized that I didn't want to do that if there was some way I could avoid it. I checked all the other windows and the only ones unlocked were the bathroom and kitchen. So I continued to work on getting the living room window off. Finally, I had a better ideal. I looked through the kitchen window and saw the keys on the couch. Suddenly, my head began to clear and an idea to form. I had to tear the screen on the kitchen window to get my hand in to turn the knob, to open it all the way. Then I removed the screen and got a fishing rod. By standing on some wood I had piled up I could see well enough to snag the keys with the fishing rod. I had to be careful not to drop them on the floor because then they would have been out of sight. But I did retrieve them. It took me almost two hours, from the time I locked the door until I was able to be on my way and off to Fairbanks. The town has changed since my last trip here. But, then I would have expected it to change in almost 40 years. The city has almost 32,000 people and the borough twice that. There is a K-Mart, Sears, and a few malls. The downtown is pretty much as I remembered it, although with the increase in traffic some of the streets are now one way. I wondered around town, dropped some film off (I hope they will do it) and than headed back "home." I stopped in North Pole, wow has that village ever changed, washed the truck, got some keys made and some screen to replace the stuff I destroyed. I went by Eielson to see if they could do a lube and oil change but they were booked. If there is a jiffy lube, or another place like that I think I would be better off to find one.

After returning I went for a bicycle ride and then talked with Dave Coleman, the Ranger assistant. The Comfor's, the previous hosts, invited us for dinner. After dinner we talked for a while and I got the laptop and tried to get on line again. I finally found someone who knew what the problem was. After making a couple of changes in one of the files I was able to sign on and send the previous portions of this log. Hopefully all will go well now, but I think there might be a glitch if G signs on before I do. I sent Cat and Scott an abridged copy of the log also. I read for a while and than went to bed. I am still not used to the light at midnight.

Being a Host

6/15/96

Well, today I am officially a Campground Host. The Comfor's don't leave until tomorrow but I am on today. I don't know what I will be doing yet as Jeff probably won't arrive until 11 or 12. Jeff is the Ranger I will be working for and he will give me the big tour today, explain my duties, etc. The way I understand it so far is that weekends will be the busiest checking for Campground, boat, and dump station compliance, (make sure they have paid) and then cleaning all the fire pits and grounds when they are vacated by the campers. Somehow I think this will be more than a 25 - 30 hour a week job. Oh well, it's only for a month and I could be wrong.

Jeff got here about noon and I met him about 1:00. We talked for a while then I went with him while he did his rounds. He does the same thing that I do. There was a group of Good Sam's from Fairbanks at the Salcha River Campground. They were a nice group of friendly people. We talked with them for a while and had some Salmon and crab dip that one of them had made. Was it ever good. 

I popped a circuit breaker this AM. I have to remember to turn the heater off when I turn the coffee pot on. The 15 amp circuit won't handle both. Tomorrow, after the Comfor's leave I will move the trailer and wash it. I found out yesterday that there is a power washer here. I could have saved myself about $8.00 for the car wash yesterday. Made the rounds this evening. I have to check each occupied campsite and make sure that they have paid, then go by the boat ramp and see if everyone there has paid. If they haven't I give them an envelope and ask them to drop it in the "Iron Ranger", a box set up for that purpose. Then my day is pretty much done. It is 10:30 and I want to get up early tomorrow so I had better hit the rack.

6/16/96

I got up about 7:00 made coffee, had breakfast did my morning Aes's@.I made my first rounds at about 8:00 this AM. Not much going on. Yesterday was interesting. We caught one guy and his wife not paying. They said all they had was a $100.00 and could we change it. They knew that we couldn't so they said they would get change and bring it back. They really got angry when we said they had to pay. Anyhow they left and do you know they didn't come back. Strange.... Oh well Jeff, got their license number. There was another guy down by the boat launch area that didn't have change either, but he managed to scrape it up among his friends. We told him that he was not supposed to camp there but this AM when I drove through his camper was there. Jeff gave him an envelope and said he had to pay the $8.00 for camping and he apparently found the change because he left the money in the office. There were a bunch of young solders here also, not a problem in the world with them. They seemed like really nice guys. We finished up about 8:30 last night. I think the sunset was about 12:30 AM and Sunrise about 3:30 this AM. So we had about 3 hours of twilight.

6/17/96

I woke up this AM about 5:00 dozed until 6:30 then got up, had breakfast and took a nap until about 8:30. Started on my Monday morning rounds. This is probably the hardest day, physically. I have to police all the campsites, picnic areas, walk in areas, boat launch areas, etc. In other words every place there were people. I also have to clean out all the fire pits. If they have been used I have to shovel the ashes and what ever else is in there out and make it look presentable again. It probably took me a little over two hours. I think it looks OK but I will have to wait until Jeff arrives and see if it done to his satisfaction. I think he said he would be in about 1:00 today. Yesterday the temp got into the 80's and today it is supposed to do the same. We did get about an hour of rain late in the afternoon which caused the air to sparkle a bit more and cooled it down a bit. I wouldn't mind if it rained every afternoon for an hour or so.

Jeff and Dave got here about 1:00. Jeff and I went down to Birch Lake where we have an unimproved site. We just have to police up the area make sure there is toilet paper in the restroom and get the count from the vehicle counter. While we were there I noticed a floating dock. It looked like someone had taken it from the Air Force Rec. Area which is about a mile up the road. We let them know about it and they said they would send someone back for it. On the way back Jeff showed me where and how to gas up the trucks. After a run to Salcha to get the count (I couldn't find the counter) and check the area out it was 5:00 so I started a fire for dinner. I was going to cook out tonight. Jeff had some deer meat and sausage, so I got some potatoes (three for $2.00), wrapped them in foil, did the same with some veggies and that was dinner. At 7:30 I did the rounds for fee compliance then came back and waited for Jeff and Dave to finish painting. We ate about 8:45. The potatoes were way overdone but the everything else was fine.

When I talked to G, I discovered that she had not received any Email so I resent everything. I hope she got it this time. I also had to resend Cat and Scott's letter. It had come back as undeliverable. Oh well. Before I went to bed I called and left a message for Fred and gave him my number.

6/18/96

Woke up at about 5:00 then dozed until the phone rang at about 6:30. It was Fred calling me back. I was nice to here from him. Everything seems to be going OK with his job and he enjoys it. I had breakfast, showered, shaved and did my morning rounds. I walked them this AM. It took about an hour but I enjoyed the crispness of the morning.. I found some people that had come in after I checked last night but they had put their money in the AIron Ranger.@ One of the boat vehicles did not have a receipt so I put an envelope under the windshield. By the time I returned it was time for a morning nap. I don't know why I am so tired today. I slept well and for plenty of time last night. After I took a nap I went to Salcha and checked for fee compliance.

I told Jeff I would help him cut grass today. He said he would get me when he was ready so I went back to the trailer and took another nap. He didn't wake me. I worked on setting up the computer, fax and printer for about a couple of hours or so. They have an old 286 with 2 meg of memory and a 30 meg HD. It takes forever to just write a letter. If I had the numbers so I could install the drivers I would use the notebook. I did my final rounds about 7:30, came back and worked on the computer and form for a while. I went down to Salcha Lodge and had an ice cream with Jeff and David, came back and read for a while and had the light out by 1:30.

6/19/96

I slept well last night. It was close to 8:00 when I finally got out of the rack. A quick shower and off to my morning walk. The mosquitoes were terrible this AM, and I forgot to put any repellent on. Every time I would stop they would be all over me. I probably should put the can by the door so I wouldn't forget when I leave.

A guy just came by very angry and hurt, and I don't blame him. Some one just ran over his dog and didn't even stop to tell him. He said it was in his driveway but it was probably on the street and ran back. I feel so sorry for him. People here don't leash their dogs. They are supposed to but they just don't. I am supposed to let them know about the leash law here in the park but Jeff lets his dog run loose. She normally stays right here at the station when he is here but when he is gone she will try and find him if she is not locked up. She also likes to play ball. There were some people playing ball across the street and she was right in the middle of them trying to catch it. They would throw to first base or home and she would go after the ball. I was worried that she might get hit when the ball was batted but she didn't.

I went to Fairbanks today. Picked up film at the PX and dropped some more off at Payless. Payless will send it to Seattle Film Works. It may take a few weeks but I don't have to mess with it.

When I was doing my evening rounds some people noticed my Sacramento shirt and said they were at the Jubilee and enjoyed it very much. The gentleman also has a brother in law who sings Barbershop, perhaps with the Masters of Harmony. His last name is Custer, I will have to ask Stan if he knew him.

The Campground is kind of deserted tonight. There are only four families here. There is a church group that is having a tent meeting in the day area tomorrow so we might be busy with them but I doubt it. Jeff said one of the kids from the church group was in an accident at the lake. I was sleeping so I don't know anything about it.

I signed up for GNN again this evening. It will make things easier for G if we don't have the same E - Mail address. I will cancel it when I return. It will cost about $6.00 to DL the software and .10 a minute after that and at the end of the first month I will be charged 15.00 for 20 hours. I will try and sign on and get the software after Jeff leaves so he doesn't pick up the phone and disconnect me.

6/20/96

I walked my morning rounds, then had to go back with the truck. Some of the campsites were kind of messy and I needed the shovel and bucket to clean up. When I finished that I had breakfast then took a short nap. Dave got here about 9:00 and I started to work on finishing up the computer setup and the form I wrote up for the hosts to use. I set up the fax machine and had someone fax something so now we know that works. By then Dave had finished what he had to do and we were ready to start on the grass. I filled the tank and took the mower to the beach area and cut under the trees, benches, and other areas where it would be difficult for Dave to reach with the tractor. When I ran out of gas, about 2:30 I came back, sold an annual pass, went to Salcha, finally found the counter and then checked the place over. I got back about 3:30, just in time for my afternoon nap.

It's 5:00 and I am sitting outside my trailer listening to the wind rustle through the trees, answering questions and just enjoying the day, life is good. I noticed a number of people want to have a view of the lake. I don't blame them. The campsites are nice, set back in the trees, but when you are on a lake I guess you expect to be able to see the water. Dave has been on the tractor all day and it beginning to tell on his back and bottom. There aren't any shocks on the seat and it is just a metal pan. He said earlier that his tailbone was beginning to hurt. I can sure understand why. He also got something in his eye and it is beginning to bother him, but he just went back out to do some more.

It's almost 10:00 and I just finished my last walk through. It's amazing. Last night we had three families, tonight we have about 25. I think a lot of them are from a 7th Day Adventist Tent Meeting that we are having in the overflow area.

I did meet one interesting lady. She is from Germany and this is her third trip to Alaska. She brings her bicycle with her and rides. She has been here about 3 weeks and will be here for another 6 weeks. She said she rides anywhere from 15 to 80 miles a day, depending on the weather and terrain. This is her third year straight coming to Alaska and she may come back again. She thinks it is a beautiful country. Before she started coming here she spent two of her vacations in CA. She said she loves to come to the US because it is so easy and the people are friendly. In Alaska she usually stays in State Parks but when she needs a shower and to get cleaned up she will stay in a private campground. She keeps a diary, not so much for the historical points but for her feelings as she is riding. She writes at the end of the day. Later when she goes back and reads it the feeling brings back the memories of where she was. She said she has not seen a Bear, other than on a tour in Denial and doesn't really want to. She did have a close encounter with a Moose though. One was in front of her and she stopped to take a picture, then she heard a noise there was another cow with a baby right near her looking closely at her. No picture, just pedal away as quickly as possible. Most of the Non-Americans I have met are from Germany, and speak some English, but a couple of them haven't. It is times like this that I wish I could speak other languages. Of course if I was in their country I would wish the same thing.

6/21/96

Up at about 6:00 AM and out the door by 7:00. I made my rounds, a couple more people came in during the night and hadn't paid so I left envelopes on their windshields. At about 10:30 the cyclist came by and bought an annual pass. I am surprised that no one has mentioned to her before. She stays in state parks and in a few weeks it will have paid for itself.

About 11:00 I went to Birch Lake. I had to police up the area, put some toilet paper in the restroom and get the count. Then it was off to Salcha to do the same.

When I got back there was a stranger in the office. After we introduced ourselves, her name is Petra, I found out that she is a volunteer at Chena Lake. Her title is interpreter, and she tries to find speakers for Chena and now she will do the same for here. I think I would rather be a host. She does have a cabin at Chena. She said it has a nice little lining room - kitchen, bedroom, and a bath. All the fixtures, sink, toilet, etc. are still in boxes as the pipes haven't thawed out yet. I suggested she go to the tent meeting and ask for help. She thought that might be a good idea.

That tent meeting sure has brought in a lot of people. Jeff said that this weekend could be very busy or very slow. Fairbanks has a lot of things going on for the Solstice so many people might stay in town.

Well I think it will be a busy weekend. I started on my rounds at about 5:00 and finished at 8:30. I could probably still go out and find some more people but I will do that in the morning. We did have a little bit of excitement. A young man was riding his bike and jumping it over some mounds and took a header. He probably just had a case of road rash but they were not taking any chances and called an ambulance. When they arrived they put him in a cervical collar, immobilized him and took him to the hospital in Fairbanks. It was interesting to watch the people work. They are all volunteers, the drivers, paramedics, everyone. I would like to get more information on what they do and how they are organized. The lady who owns Salcha Hardware is a paramedic. I found out the boy broke his Clavicle and Scapula. Before I leave I would like to talk to them and see how they organized, et. all. They seem to be very efficient. It is almost 9:10 and I think I see Dave driving the tractor down the road. He was at Salcha cutting grass this afternoon.

6/22/96

I went to one of the local bars with Dave last night. Interesting place. It was Summer Solstice and the bar was open all night, I guess. We got there after midnight and the sun was still shinning. When we left about 3:00 AM we saw the sunrise. Needless to say I was tired today. The campground was very busy. We ended up with about 66 sites filled and more boats than I could count. It was a good day. We caught a kid breaking loose a channel marker. We had him go out and get it then he had to bring his parents to the Ranger Station. He was not a happy camper, but I don't think he will be doing that anymore. Other than that the day wasn't really bad. I stayed busy most of the day but did manage to squeeze in about 30 minutes for a nap. The SDA church group will be leaving today also. Some of the may still spend the night but most of them are gone. There tent will come down tomorrow. Jeff and I were still checking people at 10:30. What a day.

6/23/96

I just couldn't get up a 6:00 AM today and I don't think I really have to. The guy who was here before me said he wanted to get out there early but as far as I'm concerned if they come in after I go to bed and leave before I get up and don't pay the state will just have to absorb the loss.

The boat ramp was very busy again today. John Z., Jeff's boss, was supposed to be here last night but didn't make it. Jeff says he will be here tonight. We got most of the people at the boat ramp. Only a few got by without paying. Jeff asked last night if I wanted to go out for a beer after work this evening and I said yes. I don't think I will feel like it but will probably go anyhow. He has asked me a couple of times and I have refused. I think we may have Moose or Deer tonight. If I fix it Jeff will supply it. Dave mentioned last week that he wants to take me King Salmon fishing. It is about 130 miles from here, but he said he knows a good spot and I might be able to catch a couple of 50 pounders. Wouldn't that be nice. Of course I forgot the smoker. Oh well.

A guy asked me if I knew the ranger who worked here before Jeff. He said he used to work with him. I mentioned it to Jeff and he said the guy was a prisoner on a work gang. Darrel used to have them work out here.

It has been a very interesting week. I have enjoyed myself and am looking forward to the coming weeks. Especially when G gets here.

I saw some fresh Moose scat on Friday so maybe there is a cow near here and G and I can see her.

6/24/96

Didn't get as early a start as I wanted but I was out the door by 9:00 I busted my butt for a few hours and most everything is done. I got the trash emptied, the campsites cleaned and the fire pits cleaned. Jeff and Dave got here about noon and cleaned up a bit in the picnic and day use area. After lunch I will go to Birch Lake and clean up there, get the counts, put gas in my truck and fill some gas cans. Then up to Salcha to get the counts and clean up there. Mondays are busy but the rest of the week isn't to bad, unless I have to cut the grass or do maintenance. I don't think I will do much grass cutting any more. I think doing fee compliance and cleaning up is plenty. It is interesting I can answer many more questions now that I could a week ago.

I wonder what kind of squirrels are local here. They are about the size of chipmunks and are red. They bury their food in the ground and sometimes the cache will be quite large. Over a period of years their discards will grow to quite a mound. I was watching one this morning watching me. Then he tired of it and started digging a hole. I don't know whether it was to bury something or to find something.

There are also Carpenter Ants here. You can tell when they are in a tree by the sawdust all around it. They eat it from the inside out.

I went to Birch Lake. It was kind of messy. There were a lot of people there over the weekend, in fact there were a lot there Friday when I was out. Not as much trash as you would think for so many people, but, there was quite a bit. There were a number of fires there over the weekend. I don't think that people are supposed to be building fires because of the fire danger here but there were at least five or six. After I got the count and left Birch Lake I stopped and gassed up my truck and filled a bunch of gas cans from here and then it was on to Salcha. The people there cleaned up after themselves quite well. There was almost no trash lying around but the dumpsters were filled to overflowing. I will have to wait until they empty them so I can move them and clean behind them where the is a lot of broken glass. I got the count, stopped by the post office to check mail, I got a letter from Doris, and then it was back to Harding. I talked with Dave for a few minutes, then took a short nap. When I got up it was down to the picnic area to clean the fire pits. Dave said he had already done the general cleanup so all I had left was that. It took about a half hour and I was done. Here it is 6:30 and I am all caught up. I just checked for E-mail and didn't receive any. I guess Georgia doesn't feel like writing. I will wait about a half hour and then do my walk through and then be finished for the evening.

Shadow is here in the trailer with me and she doesn't quite know what to make of it. She sure takes up a lot of space.

6/25/96

A guy from Forestry came by the other day and put a Gypsy moth trap in a tree. It seems they found one a year or so ago and want to make sure they don't get any more. They are not native to this area but will hitch a ride on a Trailer or MH.

I am glad that G's mother is OK. MG, if I remember, is treatable and not life threatening.

I have talked to so many interesting people. This morning I spent about 10 minutes with a couple from Texas. They sold their business, bought a Motorhome and left last April. They say they might be back in Texas in Sept. So far they seem to love it. I think their MH. is underpowered or overloaded but they are having a good time and that is the most important thing. I just saw him go by my trailer with binoculars. I think he is a bird watcher.

The days are getting shorter now. I think we are just slightly over 21 hours of sunlight. I believe that means from sunrise to sunset. It is interesting when the weather report says "Today will be partly cloudy and tonight clear with lots of sunshine."

I did my laundry today. Really exciting watching the clothes tumble in the dryer.

Apparently there has been a big exercise with lots of foreign aircraft here. The runway at Eielson runs along the highway and sometimes there are quite a few vehicles parked along side the road watching the jets going up and down. A couple took off while was going by, yes, I stop and watch also. They were side by side, about 50 feet off the ground right in front of me. If I would have known they were going to do that I would have taken a picture.

I saw a Spruce Grouse this afternoon. It ran right in front of my bicycle in the back part of the campground. I watched it for a while and it watched me, then I guess it decided I was no threat so it fluffed its feathers waddled back to the trees. I think it was a hen trying to attract attention to herself to draw me away from her nest. But then again it just might have been just a dumb bird.

The campground is almost empty. There are only 6 rigs staying the night. A far cry from last weekend and I guess this weekend it will be even more crowded. The next two weeks are the busiest time of the year here. I don't see how we could get much busier than last weekend, we had 67 rigs here and there are 78 sites not counting overflow. Come to think of it we had more than that. I forgot to count the overflow and there were about 5 rigs there.

Jeff said that the party will be on the 15th so G won't be able to make it. I was hoping she would be here for it. But, he did mention another party on the 6th of July. I think he said it is up the river and the guy comes down and gets everybody and takes them up and then brings them back later. It sounds like fun.

6/26/96

Last night was interesting. Jeff and Dave wanted to take me out for a beer so off we went. We closed the Snowshoe at around midnight and then went to Moose Creek which is between Eielson and North Pole. After we left there it was a toss up as to which way was easier for Dave. Just to take me to his house or back home. So we ended up at his house and I met his wife, Terri, at 3:00 AM. What a nice lady. She greeted me as if it was not unusual at all, and perhaps it isn't. We talked for a bit while and Dave made some breakfast but by the time he was finished I was fast asleep on the couch, so, that's where I stayed. I woke up around 9:00 in the morning and Dave was sleeping on the other couch. Terri said he does that quite often. He comes home and turns the TV on and falls asleep, she will turn it down so she can sleep after he has drifted off. We chatted over coffee while Dave was getting ready for work. She is an Attorney and I think she practices out of her house. They also have two Springer's, both beautiful dogs, and a cat, and they all shed. When I left I was covered with animal hair, it made me feel at home. They are both very nice people and I like them.

The sky is gray and appears to be scalloped. It is really quite pretty. When I look up it appears as if there are caves and waterfalls and rocks and statues in the sky. Off in the distance there are patches of blue.

If I could stay warm enough this would be an interesting place to spend the winter. I can picture the icy ground and the trees leaning with their burdens of snow, a lonely Moose wandering through, foxes and other small animals foraging for food. Ah yes, the beauty of solitude. Oh well. In reality it would be frozen pipes, no water, never being warm, frostbitten fingers and toes. Sometimes I forget what cold weather is really like.

6/27/96

It is 6:25 PM. I got back about 20 minutes ago, drove through the park and talked to Dave, got on line, dl'd G's letter and I answered it.

I was at Chena Hot Springs today looking around. They have a lodge and cabins there. Prices are from about 45 to 95 a night. With 45 a primitive cabin with no running water or restroom and 95 a room with 2 dbl beds and a 3/4 bath. I won't make reservations until G gets here but I think she would like it. Some of the activities at the lodge are a dog sled ride, (I think they put wheels on it), horse rides, white water rafting, flight seeing, and a float trip. Saw a few more Moose on the way to the Hot Springs today. They really looked strange with their heads under water. I guess they were feeding on the grass there. I am also seeing a lot more rabbits.

There is a Stern Wheeler in Fairbanks that was recommended. It is about a four hour trip with about an hour spent on an Island where Susan Butcher (Iditarod) keeps her dogs. I have also read a lot about Alaska Land. I think they have a museum and restaurants there. Their Salmon Bake is supposed to be good also. If G leaves on Wed. in the AM I think I would like to go to Chena Hot Springs on Monday after cleanup, spend the night and then go to Fairbanks on Tuesday and take the Boat trip and see Alaska Land.

While in Fairbanks I went by to see if any of my film had come back. Only one had come back and it had a note saying they couldn't do it the way I wanted them to. I will just send it home with G. I sure hope the other one comes back before I leave. I also went by the Fred Myer store. It was huge. They had almost everything we have in Sacto. but it just cost more. Avocados were 1.65 each, and large white onions were over 1.00 each. They did have a good selection though and it looked nice.

Overall the day was nice and relaxing. I saw a few animals, some Beaver dam's and some very interesting scenery. I also heard something about mosquitoes that I had never heard before. They prefer nectar from fruits, the female gets blood and that is for her eggs. It's no wonder that there are so many of those little critters. They seem to have and infinite source of food for their offspring.

6/28/96

I was out at around 8:00 this AM. I seem to be sleeping later now. Of course I don't usually turn off the light until after 1:00. I think that will be a problem when G gets here. I also toss and turn a lot more. I don't know why. I hope I don't interfere with G's sleep to much while she is here.

Scotty, the guy who does the firewood came by this AM to check and see if we needed any. What a character. He is 76 and wants to move into town and buy a condo. Actually he doesn't want to, but he said he is getting to old to shovel the snow from around his house and the hospital is over 45 miles away. In the winter that can be a problem. When he built his house, which is here on the lake, there were no roads so he lashed a platform between two 18 foot cargo canoe's and carried the materials he needed to build it that way. He said he still has one of the canoe's. Now there is a paved road there. It is really interesting to hear some of the people who have been here for many years talk about what it was like when the came here. Some are glad for the change and others don't want it.

Went to Birch Lake to clean up and get the counts. I took Jeff's truck so I could gas it up, as it was almost on empty. Actually Birch and Salcha looked clean. Birch was crowded with almost all the campsites filled. I guess if you had friends you could probably squeeze them in but some of the sites were really tight already. A lady asked if people could come in on Wednesday, and set up their tents for the weekend. It is a free area so I told her they can set up whenever they want. She was disappointed because her favorite sites were taken. She and her family came in Thursday and will be there for about 10 days. I think there were about 3 or 4 families in her group.

Dave said he was coming in at 9:00 the morning but I guess Jeff changed his time. I thought Jeff would be here by now also, as it is 1:00.

Jeff and Dave got in about 2:00. Dave said he tried to call me this AM but the fax kept picking up the line so he couldn't talk or leave a message. I fixed venison tonight. I marinated it and the flavor was OK but I still tend to over cook it. Oh well, I will learn. I marinated it in Apple Juice and wine. There was not a game taste at all.

Dovina Sams, whose son Cullun unhooked our floats last week, was here again. She is really a nice lady. She invited me over for s'more's or banana boat's this evening. I think I will go.

The campground is getting full again. That is so nice to see. I sure hope the weather holds for the Picnic, MDA fun run tomorrow, but I have my doubts. The local HD motorcycle club has this picnic every year.

6/29/96

Well, it rained most of the night and it is now 10:30 and it's still coming down. I feel sorry for those guys who sponsored the picnic today.

I had a nice time last night. Dovina and her brother are both apparently good cooks, at least from the way they were talking, and G and I are invited over to their MH for dinner on Friday. She will be back by then. She said she was going to leave tomorrow but it wouldn't surprise me to se her pull out today with the weather so bad. Her older son Craig (14, I think) is a typical teenager. He got on my nerves a number of times but I think he is really a nice kid. Her brother is probably in his early 20's, she said she raised him, and seems just out of his teens. Dovina is divorced, her ex was West Point (87) but got out like Fred. He has a fairly good job (GS12) in the Corps. of Engineers. They had been stationed her and were transferred to AZ. When he got out he got a job back here doing the same thing he had done before and they both loved it here so they came back. Dovina likes it here and said it is a better place to raise kids than outside. She was talking about a loan she can get that is backed by the USDA. The rate is 2.5%. The restrictions are that you must buy in a town of less than 20,000 and have a steady income of less than 50k a year. She qualifies for a 90k loan and her PITI would be less than 500. I think Noel should look into something like that if she wants to stay in Mt. Home. She said the Gov't supports it to encourage people to move to rural areas.

Well, I just did something I could probably get in trouble for. There is a family gathering with tents, a small MHO and tent trailer. There are probably about 20 of them, mostly under 12. Those in the tents got soaked last night. Their clothes, jackets, shoes, socks, everything is wet. I just got some of their clothes and am drying them in Jeff's dryer. I don't think he would approve, and I am sure the State of Alaska would not want me giving away electricity for the dryer but I couldn't see those kids continue to shake. And after all someone did something similar for me when I was in Holland and my mother was sick and Ronda was a baby. I have a tarp in the back of the truck that I will offer them when I take their clothes back.

The rain is continuing to come down. The latest weather report says it will change to showers later this afternoon. I hope those tents have their family bring more warm clothes and tarp's.

The M/C group got here about 12:30. There were about 35 of them, a far cry from the 150 they expected and probably would have showed up it the weather was nicer. They had reserved the ball field but decided to use a covered beach pavilion instead because of the weather. I hope they do OK. With the weather the way it is we probably won't be to busy this weekend. At least not on the boat ramp. If it clears up though I expect we will get to hopping by Wednesday.

Petra got here and I took her around so she could let everyone know about tonight's program. There was a mix-up regarding the time so we don't know what time the presenter is going to show up. He was told 7:00 but the flyers and publicity all say 8:00 so at least he won't be late. Hopefully he will stay and do the show at 8:00.

I received a Readers Digest from Doris today. That was so thoughtful of her.

The rain continued for most of the day and turned to drizzle about 4:30. The sky are just now overcast and threatening but nothing is coming down - yet.

6/30/96

Well, today it has been 12 years since I married G. Happy Anniversary to us.

I got up to late to clean the pavilion for the Church group, but when I saw them they didn't seem to think it was to dirty so I let it go.

After I went to Salcha I stopped by the lodge for breakfast. It was about two hours before I got out. I didn't realize they were so slow. There were about 12 people in there and none of them had been served. The waitress said something about their grill and they had to use a smaller one and it took longer, ta da, ta da. I told her I didn't care. They harassed me a bit about sitting at the only dirty table in the place so they would have to clean it. I told them it didn't look any dirtier than the others so we started getting along fine. They are nice people, the food is expensive and the service is slow but the people are nice. Attached to the Lodge is the Grocery Store, Post Office and Liquor Store. That is essentially the town. There is a bar and hardware store down the street also. I would like to find out where their Search and Rescue is located. I still want to talk to those people.

The Campground is kind of quiet today. The weather has been rainy and cool so not to many people are out this weekend.

Last night we had a talk by the Fish and Wildlife Ranger from Kanuti Wildlife Refuge. It was really interesting. The refuge is larger than the State of Delaware, it contains an assortment of plant life, from wetlands to desert species. There are almost 160 species of birds, including waterfowl and shorebirds. Salmon will travel over 1000 miles to spawn there, Caribou from the Western Artic herd will sometimes winter there, the ducks banded there migrate along the North American flyways. It has a temperature range from 90F to -70F (160 degrees) which is among the widest on earth. There are no roads or developments on the refuge.

After the talk Jeff called me over and said he was having problems with a couple of families in site 77 &78, the same people I helped this morning. He said they were drunk, yelling and very profane. He had to call John, his supervisor (who is also a Trooper) to come over and help out. They got things settled down somewhat and left but Jeff told me to watch out for them and to call him and 911 if there were any problems. There were no problems. I went by a few times before I went to bed and they just waved and smiled. This AM I asked one of them to move a car that apparently came in after I went to bed and it was done right away, and they were very friendly. It seems to me as though when Jeff says someone looks like they will be trouble it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy. He has trouble. This is not the first time I have noticed this. It was the same, at first, with Dovina and her sons and boyfriend. Because the one boy got in trouble Jeff thought the whole family was bad. I had talked to them the night before when they came in and they seemed like real nice people. Jeff later had a small problem with them, they had their boat trailer taking up a campsite, but it didn't escalate. Now they are friends. Craig comes by a few times a day to say hi or just talk. I think he is about 14 and lonely. He seems to be a very nice kid but he does have a smart mouth.

We went to Salcha this evening and the River is way up. The campground looked clean, we talked with a few fisherman, caught a couple of guys who were trying to get away without paying and headed back.

I talked with G this evening. It sure was nice to hear her voice. By this time Tuesday she will be here. In fact, in less then 48 hours we will be sitting here. It's not like I am anxious or anything.

I think Jeff and I are going out for a beer in a few minutes then it will be beddy bye for me. I have a lot to do tomorrow and I want to start cleaning this place.

Well, we went for a beer or three. I ended up drinking Diet Coke while Jeff had his last beer. So now here it is Monday morning, the first of July and I am ready for bed. Hopefully I can be sleeping by 1:00 but I don't know. I guess I will let the dishes wait until the AM and not bother with coffee tonight. One nice thing about it is I can say that tomorrow my friend-lover-wife will be here. I am so anxious for her to arrive. I hope she is not disappointed in the area. I wouldn't want to live here but I would like to come back in the fall sometime. I wish we had a timeshare here or near here.

With the rain and clouds it is hardly light enough to read outside and it just a little after midnight.Time for bed.

7/1/96

Half way through my commitment. Time flies when you're having fun. It has been just over a month since I left home. In a way it seems like yesterday and another way it seems like I have been gone forever. I miss G but I think I could get used to living like this, full timing. But I have only been gone a month also. I guess I should wait until I have been out longer. I sure can't see right now being home before mid August. I would like to spend at least another week, possibly two, here in Alaska, then 10 days or so to get to Noel's a couple days there and then home. So that is almost three weeks after I finish that I would be home.

Today, I got right up, did the campground cleanup then headed for Birch. Wow, did the rain ever come down there. One of the culverts was apparently plugged and that caused the road to wash out. Fortunately the Air Force Camp is on the same road, so they came out and unplugged it and now the road is passable again. The campground was fairly clean. Someone had left a 55 gal drum there a few weeks ago and it was filled with trash. Better there than on the ground, but the people are supposed to haul it out. I emptied the can and then put it in my truck and took it back with me. I also left a bunch of garbage bags at the campsites. Hopefully they won't need them but if they do they are there for them to use. After I left there it was on to Salcha. The place looked pretty good. I got the count and then came back to Harding, got the count and gave them to Jeff.

I gave Jeff my propane tanks to fill while he was in Fairbanks for his meeting this afternoon. Jeff didn't like the way the phone line was run out to the trailer, it was kind of Mickey Mouse. David brought in some good phone line, I hooked up the new lines to the box dug a trench to the trailer and buried them. I also set up the fax machine so it will receive calls when it is supposed to and not when it is not supposed to. Then I went out with David and fixed some grates in the walk in area. I had to dig a hole deep enough under the edge of the concrete so that I could get to the bottom of the pin that held the grate on so I could put a nail in it. The nail kept the pin from coming out. Then we filled the holes and it was done. David also had to fix some benches. Over all it was a busy and productive day. A lot of physical work, with the digging and trenching but I feel OK. The mosquitoes were very bad in the walk in area, especially when I was digging.

I did a load of laundry so I will have some clean clothes to wear when I pick up G tomorrow. I will go to the Commissary and do another load tomorrow. I hope I remember to bring my checkbook. Jeff got back from his meeting about 8:00. I put in the propane tanks that I had given him to fill for me, ate dinner, played with Shadow for a while, came in and watched a Korean War Documentary David loaned me. Jeff came by shortly before the movie was over and watched it with me. I think he wanted to talk but I am tired and need to get to sleep early (before 1:00AM) because I have a lot to do tomorrow.

7/2/96

Today's the day. I got up before 8:00 AM cleaned the place, put in a load of laundry, went to the commissary and here it is almost 1:00. Now what do I do. I made the bed, vacuumed, dusted cleaned, now all that is left is the dishes and I will do those before I leave.

The day looks bright and the sky look blue, but I can see some rain clouds to the east. I don't know which way the weather patterns blow here so I can't tell if we are going to get rain. Not that it makes any difference. Well we did get some rain, and it came down quite hard for a while but then it let up and turned into a nice day.

I got Dave at 5:00 so we could do fee compliance and he got here at about 5:30. We ran right through it and I was on the road at 6:00. I stopped by Payless to see if my film had come in, it hadn't. I arrived at at airport at about 7:05, G's flight was supposed to arrive at 7:35. At 7:30 there was an announcement that her flight was delayed until 8:10. At 8:05 there was an announcement that it would be delayed until 8:30. I went to a kiosk to read a magazine and went back at 8:20 and G met me at the security check point. I guess her flight arrived at 8:15. She was disappointed that I wasn't there and I don't blame her. She was also a little frightened, rightfully so. The trip back to Harding was uneventful. We made a quick stop at North Pole for some water and beer then back on the road to camp. We arrived at about 9:30 and Dave was still here. He showed G the Ranger Cabin. I asked him if he wanted a beer and surprisingly he accepted. I felt I should make him feel welcome even though I really didn't want to. I fixed dinner and he still stayed and accepted another beer. Finally G said she was going to bed, without dinner, and got up. I guess Dave got the hint because he left, but G is now angry at me. In a way I can't blame her. Dave didn't have the social skills to know when to leave and I didn't tell him it was time to go.

7/7/96

Wow, does time ever fly when you are having fun. I don't even remember what G and I did on Wednesday, other than go for a walk. I did my regular campground stuff and I guess nothing exciting really happened. Thursday was the 4th, Happy Birthday America. We started filling up on Wednesday night, and by Thursday we were pretty full. We didn't have as many as we did two weeks ago, but we did have quite a few. I went to a couple parties after G went to bed. Mostly just food and beer left but I had already had plenty of beer so I just had one more and ate some hot beans. Wow, were they good. Of course I (and anyone standing near me) paid the next day.

About 7:00 AM in the morning on the 5th someone was pounding on the door. We let them go on for a while and they went away. A little later they came back and pounded some more. I finally answered and a lady told me that some drunk had passed out and barfed all over himself and may have aspirated. She seemed shocked when I told her to call 911. I guess she expected me to go down there and roust him or bring him back to life. A bit later Salcha Rescue arrived and took care of the problem. It appeared that he and his friends had imbibed a bit to much had he passed out near the beach. They all slept it off, better there than on the road, and he got sick. He was properly mortified the next day when he was awakened by SAR, but he signed a release and went back to sleep.

Friday evening we went to Dovina's for dinner. She fixed some chicken, we brought the corn. We also had potato salad and Caesar's Salad. For dessert we had Banana Boats. They were delicious, as usual. We were supposed to eat at 8:00 but Norman, her ex, wasn't back from town. Dinner was finally on the table at a bit after 10:00. G and I came back about midnight and I took an available light picture of her at the Harding Lake sign. Then to bed for a good nights sleep.

While making my rounds that evening an lady told me she had a problem. She said her husband had the checkbook because her son was run over. Her husband was driving them to the boat ramp and her son was sitting on the tailgate. He fell off and was run over by the boat trailer. Salcha Rescue was called, again, and he was taken to the hospital. We found out the next day that he had some staples in his head, a few stitches, abrasions and some tire tracks on his body. He will be OK though. Poor lady, she was so worried about paying and her son was in the hospital.

The 6th was Frogmore day. G and I both slept until almost 10:00. Jeff caught the 10:00 boat and we decided to wait until noon. We went to Salcha and sat and waited. There were some people across from us that appeared to be waiting also. We didn't know them and they didn't know us so we all sat there. Finally as they were about to leave they said something to us, we answered, found out where we were supposed to be and away we went. What a beautiful trip. We went up on a jet boat and the river was just gorgeous. When we arrived there were already about 20 people there, Jeff included. I had a tour of the property. They have and old (circa 50's) Mobil home they brought in and fixed up. They are also building a cabin and a workshop. They have an outhouse and a shower they built. For the shower they pump river water into a 55 gal drum on a platform about 10 feet high, heat it with a weed flamer and then it is gravity fed through a filter to a shower head. Very interesting.

The Frogmore stew was delicious. I think I heard Sam say that I was named after a sea captain. They put lots of spices in a big pot, boil them for a while, then add Corn on the cob, Sausage, and shrimp. Let that cook for a while, take it out of the liquid, put it on the table and everyone helps themselves. We also had beans, potato salad, brownies and a delicious cherry cheesecake. There was also all the beer you could drink and plenty of booze.

G went back on the 2:00 boat. I stayed for the stew and brought some back for Jeff and G. Overall it was a wonderful day. I went back on an Airboat which is a flat bottomed boat with an airplane prop behind it to drive it. A very smooth ride but quite noisy. If we didn't have ear protection we could have done some serious damage to our ears. The river is so beautiful.

We met some interesting people. There was a couple from Kentucky who just happened to be in the parking lot and there was some extra room on the boat so they were invited. She is really interested in keeping her lawn up and weeds pulled. She and G seemed to hit it off real well. Then there was another couple who live about 15 miles farther up the river. They have been there since 1978. They were living in So. Central CA when they decided to move here to the interior. They bought a moving van started north. He was flying their plane and she was driving. At one time the van broke down so he landed the plane on the road, found out what was wrong flew off to get the part and came back and fixed it. When they arrived in Fairbanks they sold the van to someone who was heading south. They found a cabin about 30 miles up river from Salcha, bought it and moved in. They have since built a workshop where they built and repaired their plane. They also repair player pianos. Their cabin uses solar panels and batteries for electricity. In the winter they have to run the generator for a while to charge the batteries as there is not enough light. They said they have everything you could have in a city, an entertainment center, TV, computer, and microwave. They use a wood stove for cooking. They have to replace the batteries about every three years at a cost of about $1000. But that is their only electricity expense other than the normal wear and tear. Not to bad. When he was still working in Fairbanks he would either fly in or take the boat to Slacha and then drive. In the winter when the temp. got below -30 they would take a snow machine to Salcha as they didn't want to fly in those temperatures.

When I did my rounds last night everything was fine. Some people who had buried and cooked a pig gave me a plate. The campground isn't full but we probably only had about 20 or so empty spaces. I heard from some people this morning that there was some yelling going on last night but I went to bed about midnight and didn't hear a thing.

G and I leave for Chena Hot Springs this afternoon. We will be there for two nights and then in Fairbanks for a night. At the hot springs G wants to get a massage. While we are in town we are going to take the Riverboat trip.

We left at about 1:00 heading for Chena Hot Springs. We stopped at the Salcha Country Fair for a few minutes. The midway is about 150 yards long with booths on both sides and a couple of rides at one end. It probably took us about 20 minutes to do the whole thing. It isn't very big but the people are very nice. We left there and stopped at Eielson for gas and to vacuum some of the dirt out of the truck and then it was off again, to Chena.

The road between North Pole and Chena Hot Springs Road is not the greatest but once we were on CHS road it smoothed out quite a bit. At one point we stopped and saw a moose eating in a swamp. We arrived about 4:30 and checked in. The room is small but neat. It has a double bed, a single, two wood chairs, a small table, a free standing closet, and a half bath. Two windows let in plenty of light and we were set.

G and I both took a shower and shortly after that I went to the hot tubs.

I sat in the 100o tub for a while and listened to some guys try and out lie each other. I came back took a nap and it was time for dinner. On our way out we glanced to the left and there in one of the pools was a moose. Her nose was in the water as she happily munched away on whatever foliage was down there. Every once in a while would raise her head and look at everyone as if to say, why are you staring. haven't you ever seen a lady eat before? For dinner G had Pasta Primeval and I had Stuffed Chicken Breast with a creamed cognac sauce. Everything was well presented and delicious. G thought her salad was a little limp but I thought mine was OK. For dessert we split a piece Blueberry Pie with Ice Cream. That also was very good.

G called her mother after dinner and we went for a walk, or at least started to. We hadn't put any repellent on and were about to be carried off by the mosquitoes, so we retreated to try again in the morning. We rested for a while and then hit the tubs again. G was not impressed and neither was I but this is Alaska. We got some ice and came back to our room and now hopefully we will get a good nights sleep and be raring to go tomorrow. I think we are going to take a couple of walks, but we will be sure and put repellent on first.

7/8/96

We were probably sleeping by 11:00 last night and woke up at 8:30 this AM. Wow, what a wonderful night's sleep. Perhaps being away from the campground did let me sleep better. Nothing seems to wake me in during the night there but perhaps I don't sleep as well as I thought.

We had breakfast in our room about 9:00 this morning and went out for a walk about 10:15. We started on the trail we went on last night, but the beginners loop was just a bit short so we found another trail and went up the mountain a bit. Over all we probably walked about 2 or 3 miles but some of it was up hill and some down so our legs got a bit more exercise. I could feel it in my calf's this afternoon, but a trip to the hot tub took care of that. We started to drive back to the General Store but I noticed that the Check Engine Light stayed on so we came back. I called a Dodge dealer in Fairbanks and was told that it was probably nothing serious and I could not get an appointment until the 17th, but they would try and fit me in if I came in early in the AM. I explained to them that early tomorrow was not realistic but I could have it there on Wednesday morning. She said any morning would be OK, just early.

After that we went to the restaurant for lunch. We split a salad and each had a piece of pie, G's was with ice cream. We came back to the room, rested for a while then went to the spa's. I sat in the hot tub and G read. I even tried the 105o water. I could tolerate it for a while but not very long. After a while we came back for our afternoon siesta and dinner about 8:00.

7/9/96

We got an early start (for us) and had breakfast and were on the road by 11:00. We stopped by the Fairbanks Visitors Center and checked on some motels. About the best we could find was $105. an night at a Super Eight. There might have been some cheaper but when we asked the lady at the center she said be sure and check the room first. We decided to go with a chain. After we checked in we headed out for our River Boat cruise down the Chena and Tanana Rivers. On the way we stopped by Chena River State Park and Petra was there so we got a look at her cabin. It will be OK when they finish it but it is still lacking the plumbing and window coverings.

We were on the Discovery III, which they say is the only active paddle wheeler in Alaska. It has been in the same family for three generations. Our first stop was to watch a bush pilot take off. He used about 200 feet of runway and was airborne. Really quite a feat. Our next stop was with Susan Butcher (three time Iditarod winner) for a short talk on mushing. It was fascinating listening to her talk about how much the dogs ate, how they trained and how they like to run. I took some pictures but later found out that the film had jammed at the very beginning of the roll and none of the shots were any good. It was very disappointing because I had the one of G at midnight and quite a few of Moose. Oh well. We went on down the river and where the Chena joins the Tanana is very unique. The Chena has relatively clear water but the Tanana has a lot of glacial silt in it which makes it cloudy. Where the rivers come together you can see where each comes from. The Tanana is the largest tributary of the Yukon River and has a current of about 12 MPH. It really moves. When we were ready to turn around the Captain put the nose of the ship in calm water and let the current turn it. It was an interesting experience. The fastest the ship will go is about 15 mph, so against the current of 12 mph we were only making about three MPH.

We slowed down to watch a reenactment of how Salmon were caught, cleaned and smoked by the Athabaskin Natives. From the time she put it on the table until it was ready for the smokehouse it took her maybe 30 seconds. We also had a demonstration of mushing. Wow, do those dogs want to run. When they were in harness all they wanted to do was pull. It was interesting to listen to the musher explain about each dog and why they were in their position, how they were trained, fed, bedded and everything else.

After the boat trip we went back to out Motel and then to dinner. We decided on the Pump House. It was actually an old pump house where water was pumped from the Chena River into an adjacent creek to be used in sluce boxes for gold. The dinner was delicious. After dinner we wandered through Fred Myer's and Safeway and then it was back to the motel because we were getting up early in the AM.

7/10/96

We were up before the wake up call came. While I got ready G went next door to Denny's and ordered breakfast and I joined her a short time later. Then it was back to the hotel, and pack up for G's trip back. She wanted to get there early enough to see if she could upgrade to First Class. That is an option that Reno Air has. For $50. you can upgrade if there is space available. There was and G did. I went back to the hotel and waited for G to call and then went by the main office, to check on some forms that Dave wanted me to check on and then came back to the campground. I guess they were pretty busy on Monday and Tuesday it rained hard all day so the sites had not been cleaned. I spent most of the afternoon doing that.

I called G that evening to make sure that she made it home OK. She said the flight was great and First Class option was worth it. I wonder how she felt seeing stars again.

7/12/96

Nothing exciting happened yesterday. About 10:30 Jeff and I went Salmon fishing in the Salcha but didn't catch anything. I made a couple minor repairs on the Volleyball net, raked the horseshoe pits and that was about it. We started filling up early, which is typical for a Friday. I made some Moose stew and there was some extra so I sent it down to Dovina's. After I did my rounds I went to the lecture on Fish and Game Management here in Alaska. It was very interesting. From this mans point of view it seems as the Federal Gov't is trying to take over all the Fish and Game Management here and do away with the state office. According to him, that would be a tragedy because while the state is motivated by management the Fed is motivated by politics. They issue permits that are in direct conflict with the state and result in very poor management practices. The man who spoke said that he was told by an administration spokesperson that their aim is to turn all fish and game management over to Native Americans, whether they have any experience or not. Some of the examples he gave, if true, are shocking to say the least. Dave and I went to the Snow Shoe for a couple beers and then it was back to the rack for a good nights sleep.

7/13/96

The place had a few more people in it last night when I got back. I made a quick trip through, stopped and talked with Norm and Tim for a while.

When I was making my morning rounds I was told of a noisy party last night. I didn't hear anything when I went through. A lady asked me where the phone was and she tried to call a friend to pick her up. I guess she got pretty drunk last night and now wanted to go home. She didn't know what day it was or if it was morning or evening. She couldn't reach any friends and I started to take her but by the time we got to the Lodge she said she would go back and the people she was camping with would take her home. I took her back and surprise it was the people I had a complaint about earlier. I asked if they were leaving today, they said they were, I told them I thought that was a good idea and left it at that. A short time later I saw them pull out.

The DOT put their pig in last night and I hope the rain didn't cause the fire to die down to much. They said it will be ready at about 2:00 this afternoon and I am invited. They always invite the host and Ranger. I just got back from the DOT Picnic. Wow, was it ever good. We had the pig cooked in the ground and BBQ pig, about four different kinds of salad, Chili beans, French cut beans, and more desserts than I could possibly sample, but I did my best. I am so full right now that I feel that I could go a week without eating.

I saw Dovina, Norm, and Tim a while ago. She said she was being a nasty bitch last night and didn't want to talk. They haven't tried the Moose stew yet. Craig told me she has to go to the hospital for more tests. They want to do an ultrasound on her arm as she may be growing something there. I really feel sorry for her.

7/14/96

Just a boring Sunday. Because of the weather there were not too many people here. It started to drizzle in the morning, then let up. By the afternoon it was cloudy but no more rain.

I saw Dovina, Tim, and Norm this afternoon. She said she is not ready for me to leave. She and Tim offered to let me stay at their place for a while if I wanted to but I think I will just head into town as originally planned. They do want to take me to the Turtle Club, a restaurant they enjoy, so we will go on Thursday evening. I also got their addresses and phone numbers and Norm's E-mail address so we can keep in touch. Craig wanted to go on Thursday evening but Dovina said it will be an adult night. He is a nice kid but I think he needs some psychological help coping with their divorce. He seldom refers to Tim by his name, he always calls him his mothers boyfriend. I met another of their friends. His name is Harlin and he is the boy's Scoutmaster. He really enjoys fly fishing and recently caught a 50 pound King on a fly rod. Amazing. Tried fishing again and had the same luck. Went to the Boondocks after we left the river and then it was back here again and now to bed.

7/15/96

Well, today is my last day.

7/16/96

I am no longer a camp host. Yesterday started out rainy. I did my rounds in the morning with my replacement but couldn't clean up to much because of the weather. We went to Birch and Salcha and got the counts cleaned up there a bit, got gas and then I took a nap because I knew it would be a long day. We tapped the keg at about 2:00 and the party started. It was quite an evening. After everybody ate the awards were presented. We all got a shirt and a certificate of appreciation. They were really nice. The food just went on and on. We had Moose burgers and steaks, Sausage, Hot dogs, hamburgers, sodas, Salads, Halibut, fruit, corn on the cob, smoked salmon. There was more food then people by quite a bit. The keg went dry at about 8:30 so we took up a collection and went for more beer. I don't know how much was bought but there was still plenty left when I finally went to bed at 4:00 AM. There were only two people who got seriously drunk. One female (Jan) who passed out about 1:00 and one guy (Andrew) who should have but he stayed awake until 3:30 or so and kept trying to fall in the fire. Everyone else was very mellow.

It was much harder to leave today then I thought it would be. I have really grown to like Jeff and David and will miss them quite a bit. Before I could leave Jeff made me promise that I would be back to see them before I left town. He also gave me some Moose, Caribou and Deer meat. Hopefully I will be able to bring some of it home. I finally got packed up, we took pictures and I left. Jeff had called earlier in the day and had the host reserve a space for me at Chena in Fairbanks.

I arrived in town about 2:00, found my spot and parked. The site he reserved for me is OK but much nearer the road then I would have chosen. It is a very large single site with nice trees. After I was set up Petra came by for a while and we talked. She has the next few days off so perhaps we will go to Alaska Land tomorrow while my car is in the shop. On Thursday morning Ned and Ellie, a couple from Stockton who are hosting near Chena Hot Springs, are going to come by and we will play Golf. Thursday evening I am going out with Dovina, Tim, Norm and Harlin. We are going to the Turtle Club. It is supposed to be a good restaurant for Prime Rib. I am so glad I met them.

After Petra left I went to the Base, gassed up then stopped by the sport store and bought a 5 gal water holder and some film. I went to Fred Meyer's and bought a hose. The one I had been using had so many holes and bumps on it that it was getting impractical. I also bought dinner as I didn't feel like cooking tonight. Back to the trailer for some chow and a nap. I was so tired that I could hardly function. I would like to get to bed at a decent hour tonight; perhaps before 10:00. I just looked at the clock and realized it is too late to call G. The hour time difference throws me off.

7/20/96

I drove with Petra to Circle on the Wednesday the 18th. It is on the Yukon near the Arctic circle. On the way we stopped at Circle Hot Springs. A bit more rustic then Chena Hot Springs but I would rather have stayed there then at Chena. The rooms were nicer and it wasn't so commercialized. She said that she would have liked to stay at Circle Hot Springs. I wish she would have said it before we got back...

The drive was through some very beautiful country and we were above tree line for a while. Snow still hung out in shady spots, especially on North facing cliffs. It was almost 400 miles up and back and we did not see a single animal. Very strange!

After we returned I was finally able to call G. I tried two or three times but there was someone on the phone. In fact one lady was on for over an hour. I sure hope she was calling local and not long distance.

Ned came by at about 9:30 on Thursday morning for our golf game. He had already dropped his wife and grandson off at the club. We had a 11:30 Tee Time but were able to move it up and we got off at about 10:30. It is a very interesting course and is in terrible shape. I guess it would be hard to keep it in good shape here though. Ned and Ellie are good golfers. They belong to a private club in Stockton and play where ever they go. They are fairly rigorous about their own scoring but don't care how other people play. They would be fun to get together with here. They have our phone number and said they will call when they return. I hope they do.

After I returned, and took a nap, Petra came by and we went to the World Eskimo and Indian Olympics. There was also a craft show there. I bought G some Navajo beads I think she will enjoy. They are supposed to keep away negative things. Petra wasn't feeling well and wore them for a while and said she felt better. We stopped by Alaska land on the way back and took a walk through. There were a few museums some of which were quite interesting.  In a sense the whole place is a museum. What they have done is moved a lot of old cabins, some from the bush, and put them all in one place. The cabins are now little stores. There were also some old homes, and a stern wheeler. The stern wheeler was used as a display for miniature villages. They still have a lot of work to do on them.

When we returned I called Dovina but she wasn't there. I had tried earlier and she wasn't home then either. I called Norm and he said she was in Denali but hoped she would be back that evening for one of their sons games. With my evening plans canceled we went back to Alaska Land for the Salmon Bake. It is an all you can eat Salmon, Halibut and Beef Rib dinner with salads, beans and dessert. I ate all I could and Petra did the same. The amounts were quite different though. I found out a little more about her eating problems. She is a food restrictor and weighs almost everything she puts on her plate. She said she is bulimic but purged through exercise. She would eat and then have to exercise to get rid of it.

I had earlier said I would help her with a computer problem she was having at the office so, after eating, we went there. No one could get the monitor to work, so I turned it on and it worked fine. They didn't know how to turn it on. She did a flyer and I did a form she needed using Pagemaker and all of a sudden it was almost midnight. Pagmaker is a program that I really don't like. It is difficult to use, not intuitive and I couldn't find some of the features that I had on Page Plus. When we came back I checked on my 5th wheel battery which was under the hosts rig being charged and the laptop battery which was in Petra's cabin being charged and both were full. I am so happy I don't have to replace the 5th wheel batteries, and now I can write again.

I think I will call Dovina again today and see if we can get together this evening. I would also like to go back out to Harding and say goodbye to Jeff and David. I may be able to do both.

I called Dovina and got her recording again. I tried Norm but the battery was dead on his cell phone. On my way to Lake Harding I went by her house but no one was home. On the way back I stopped and left a note saying where I was and still didn't hear from her. I hope everything is OK.

It was nice seeing Jeff again. When I arrived he had just returned from fishing. He said he hoped that I could stay and go out with him that evening but I wanted to try and get together with Dovina and I also didn't want to stay up all night as I planned to leave in the AM.

Dave invited me to his place later but I couldn't promise him either. After I returned I took a nap then went to a program put on by a Federal Fish and Game Warden. It was about poachers and other lawbreakers and how they catch them. Quite interesting! Perhaps I should have asked him about the conflict with State Fish and Game, but I didn't. The program was over about 8:30 so I decided that I would go over to Dave's. I arrived and he wanted to go out but I said I would buy some beer and we could stay right there. It was less expensive and not quite as crowded. We had Swiss Steak in a stew made with Moose. It was good except there were a lot of yellow peppers that I pushed aside. Dixie and Elvas (the dogs) loved them and thanked me. As I was leaving Dave gave me some more meat. I have quite a supply of Moose and Caribou now. It will be nice to bring it home to share with G and Doris. I may even try some while I am at Noel's

7/20/96

I got a later start then I wanted to today. I didn't even get up until after 10:00. Petra had left a note on the door saying she was sorry she had missed me. She also left her home address. It was nice to get to know her. I don't think I could ever be really close friends with her because our differences are to great but she is a nice person. John Z also took down my home phone number and said he would call when he was in town.

After getting my eyes open I decided to go out for breakfast. Someone had told me about a great place to eat not to far from the CG, so off I went. The food was all that and more. I just had a Ham and Cheese Omelette, Potatoes, biscuits and gravy. I think they used three or four eggs and there was quite a bit of cheese and ham. The potatoes were OK and the biscuits and gravy were great. With the coffee it came to 7.00, which isn't bad for here. I didn't see a single tourist license in their parking lot and while I was there Anna, the supervisor for the Northern Area, came through. She didn't see me and looked to be in a hurry so I didn't say anything.

It was about noon when I finally pulled out, dumped, filled my water tanks and headed south on Alaska 3. It was a beautiful drive. Along the way I passed a number of Wheelchair racers. Each one had it's own flag car. One that I passed was stopped and the hood was up on the car. I'll bet the racer was frustrated about that. At another point there were about four racers together. I wonder if their cars stay in the same order they do when they are close like that.

I also passed a few people cross country skiing on roller blades. That also looks like a lot of work.

After a nap stop I arrived at Denali at about 3:30, parked in the overflow area and caught a shuttle to the visitors center. I can stay in the park for a three day minimum starting tomorrow. If I didn't want the minimum I would have to wait until Monday and then pay for a pass to ride the shuttle every day. This way I can ride it for free. For the three nights it was $65.00. That includes entrance fees, camping fees, etc. The entrance fee is good for 15 days at any National Park. I paid my money and walked back to the parking lot as it wasn't very far. I went South about 5 miles and found the park where I am now staying. I paid the extra for Water and Power so I will be fully charged and full tomorrow. I will probably dump in the AM and go in with an empty Grey Water tank.

I called and got to talk to G again today. She said she misses me, which is nice to know. I will check on E-mail as soon as I can get to a phone that I can plug into. It isn't even 8:30 yet and I am so sleepy that I can hardly stay awake. I don't want to go to bed until later because I would like to sleep the whole night and if I went now I would probably be up in a couple hours.

I put some gas in the truck after I arrived. At 1.65 a gal I didn't fill up, but close to it. I just don't want to be in the park and not have gas to get out. I also bought some bread so I can make sandwiches to take on the shuttle.

7/21/96

I had planned to get up early so I could vacuum, dust, and clean before I went into the park. I will be dry camping there so I need to get these things done before I leave. I over slept as usual. I think my days and nights are getting turned around. I keep waking up during the night and falling asleep during the day. I still have to do all that stuff but now I will be getting into the park later than I wanted to. I was so tired yesterday during the day but last night I woke up and didn't go to sleep until after midnight. I hope things change when it starts getting dark again.

The day looks kind of dreary and the weather report says it is supposed to rain today, which from what I gather, is nothing new in this part of Alaska.

It was a very interesting day. After passing through a checkpoint I proceeded to Teklanika Campground. After I set up I went to the bus stop to see when the next shuttle would be coming through. It was in about 10 minutes so I didn't have time to pack anything to eat or drink. A few minutes after I got on we made a rest stop. The rest of the people had been on for about an hour and I guess they needed to. Shortly after the rest area the road changed to essentially one lane. One of the busses has to pull way over when another is coming toward it. There are rules as to who pulls over and where and who has to back up if necessary. Parts of the road are very narrow and you almost look straight down for a few hundred feet. It was not an area where G would want to be on the outside.

We would stop when ever someone saw an animal. We saw Dahl Sheep, Grizzlies and Caribou. One of the grizzlies was a sow with three little ones. They were last years cubs so they were a bit bigger and lighter in color than the new ones. Most of the sheep we saw were so far away that you couldn't tell if they had legs, but I assume they did as they didn't roll down the mountain. The caribou had their full antlers and were just awesome looking. You really have to wonder how they can hold their heads up with all that weight. It started to rain harder as we approached Eielson Visitors Center and the Mountain was not visible. I thought I could see it through a break in the clouds but the ranger said it wasn't. Our driver was great. She was a fountain of information and quite pleasant. We learned, from her, quite a bit about the geology of the area. She also had a special interest in wild flowers so we got all of them pointed out whether we wanted to see them or not. The visitor's center was OK but the rangers there didn't seem to be as knowledgeable as the bus driver or anywhere near as congenial. I may go again tomorrow.

When we returned I ate and then found the camp host. He just does National Parks and this is his sixth year. He really seems to enjoy it. He will be here until the middle of September. The talk tonight was on fire. Some of it was material that I had already heard but was presented differently and other inf. was quite new. Overall it was an interesting day.

7/22/96

I didn't sleep real well last night. I tossed and turned. When I awoke about 7:00 it was raining so I turned over and went back to sleep. I finally pushed my body out of bed at 11:30, had some breakfast, made some sandwiches and went to catch the bus.

When I got on I knew that I wouldn't be there long. There were about 20 or 30 teen's spread out all over. I got off at the first rest stop and told the driver so she wouldn't wonder why I didn't get back on.

I went for a walk down by the river. Nothing exciting there.

After coming back from the river I was approached by a young lady who wanted to know if I was a photographer. I told her no, that I just enjoyed taking pictures. She proceeded to tell me that she wanted to walk back to the CG with me. Her name was Ronit and she was from Israel. She explained that she was traveling with some people and things got a bit out of hand. At first I thought they were Americans and she needed to get away. On the walk back she informed me that she was traveling with two other couples and she was kind of the odd person out and needed a place to stay. She couldn't pitch her ten next to me so the couch was opened and she used it to sleep on. She wouldn't eat my food and she walked by herself quite a bit. She said she wanted to hitchhike to continue her travels. I told her that probably wasn't a good idea as hitchhiking was dangerous in the U.S. I told her she could stay with me as far as Anchorage. But she would have to call her parents as soon as we were able to reach a phone. She agreed. She had grown up in a Kibbutz that her parents and started. It was very interesting to listen to her talk about her life in Israel.

7/23/96

What a day! Actually it started last night. I was watching the Olympics outside the MH of a couple who had a dish when someone said look at the fox. It had come out from under the MH and was almost at my feet. Before I could get the lens cap off my camera it was gone. It was exciting though. A few minutes later a guy came by and said that there was a grizzly across the river.Then a couple came by and said that he was in their camp. Or should I say former camp, they moved.

That was all the excitement last night.

This morning dawned bright and beautiful. I was at the bus station at 8:00 but there were too many people waiting so it took three busses before I finally got on. There were lots of grizzly sightings. We also saw a couple of Hoary Marmots (not hairy or whorey varmints) some Golden Eagles, a Moose, two wolves and some falcons. But, the best of all was the Mountain was out. There were some clouds around the base and halfway up most of it was visible. I missed the bus back at Wonder Lake (I was in the bathroom) but fortunately I was able to catch the next one. I even had a better seat. I left my jacket on the seat of first bus so she (the driver) radioed ahead and was able to get them to leave it at the Eielson Visitors Center. When we got there, my jacket was waiting and so was a Caribou, happily munching away in the yard. Needless to say everyone got pictures. On the way back another Caribou was in the road so we had to wait for a few minutes. An interesting side note, the reason the grizzlies are blond here is that they don't get a lot of protein in their diet. When they do, their fur gets darker. That is why the babies are dark, the get a lot of protein from the sows milk. One of the sows had three cubs. I don't know whether they were all hers or she had acquired someone else's but they were probably hers as the sometimes have three.

I walked back from the Tek rest stop. It was probably a bit over a mile and it did me good after sitting for so many hours.

This evening there was a lecture on Geology. It covered primarily this area but plate tectonics cover the whole world.

7/24/96

I wakened at about 8:00 and was up at 8:30. I really slept well last night. I think I was asleep by midnight and pretty much slept straight through. I was beautiful again this morning and I stopped a few times on the way out to take some pictures of Denali. Most of it was visible again this morning. I only went about 65 miles today. I wanted to stop at a place with hookups where I could do laundry also. I cleaned the place, and took the blinds down and washed them also. The laundry was $10.00 but now I have clean clothes and the place doesn't smell so bad. I also used their shower. It was $2.00 for all the hot water I wanted and now I feel clean. I didn't see any animals on the way out of the park.

Ronit called her parents and they told her to call some people they know in Anchorage. She did and they agreed to meet her there.

She wanted to continue on with me for a while but I didn't think that was a good idea.

7/25/96

I woke to the sound of rain during the night but this morning is bright and clear.

I got a map of all the National Parks when I left Denali. I think I will write to the NPS and see about their Camp Host program. I was told by another host that they will pay the Ferry fees for a trailer if I decide to come back to AK. They also have some parks where I would like to travel.

The drive into Anchorage was beautiful. There are snowcapped mountains on both sides of the road.The Glenn Highway is a nice drive also and the campground, King Mountain State Recreation Site is very picturesque. It sits right along side a braided river bed at the foot of King mountain. I took a walk through the CG and it is even nicer than I thought. It has about 25 sites, most of them a bit small for me, but enough so that I had a pretty good choice. It is well treed and fairly well maintained. I think there is a central pump for water. I dropped Ronit off where she told me the people were meeting her.

Today has been a very interesting day and I am tired so I will go to bed a bit early.

Heading Home

7/26/96

I woke about 5:30 this morning and didn't really want to get up so I dozed until about 7:00. I still didn't want to shake my body loose from the mattress but I thought I had better get to moving. While laying there I thought I must be in some kind of shelter from the wind because I could hear it but it wasn't moving the trailer. When I finally got up and went outside I found out the noise was the river running alongside my rig and every once in a while a breeze would bring the sound a little closer. There was hardly a cloud in the sky, but the trees shaded everything so well that it seemed darker than it really was.

I was on the road by 8:00. Driving through the Matanuska Valley was awesome. I stopped for a few pictures of the glacier. With the binoculars I could see the sunlight sparkling of the ice. I used the telephoto so I hope I get the same effect.

I stopped in Copper Canyon for gas. They sure are proud of it judging from their prices. I decided to spend the night at Squirrel Creek State Park and drive the truck to Valdez. So by 1:00 I was unhooked and on my. Everything I have read about the place says it is beautiful so I am looking forward to seeing it. Jeff had some tickets for a cruise that he would have sold me for half price (he won them) but I didn't need two and he had a pair. The whether could have been nicer. It didn't rain but it was cloudy most of the way. That detracted somewhat from the beauty of this place, but it gave it its own special scenery with clouds cascading down over the mountains. I walked out on one of the glaciers that almost came down to the road. It was interesting seeing the little icebergs in the pond at the foot of it. I saw more waterfalls that I could count. The road to Prince William Sound is something everyone should experience at least once. In part there are huge towering cliffs on both sides of the road with waterfalls cascading over sheer cliffs. One of the falls made about six stops before it finally reached the river running along below.. At other times the vista opens up and there are snow covered mountains and glaciers in the distance. Valdez was OK but a bit of a disappointment after all I had read. I don't really know what I expected but I guess it was more than I got. I did visit the museum and it was quite interesting. It had memorabilia dating from before the gold rush. The town was originally in another spot but was destroyed by an earthquake some time back and rebuilt on its present site.

On the way back I stopped at a Salmon spawning ground. There were hundreds of Chum and Pink (I think) Salmon doing their last thing. It was interesting to watch for a while as they wiggled around, making nests in the pebbles, in the shallow water.

I arrived back at my campsite and took a closer look at it. There was a beautiful little brook about 15 feet from my door and it babbled all night. It emptied into a river about a quarter mile from my site. The brook was runoff of melted snow as it was clear but the river it emptied into was from a melting glacier so it was cloudy with glacial silt. On the other side of the campground there was a large pond. It was really a nice campground. I talked with the hosts for a bit. They have been coming to this CG for a while and really like it.

7/28/96

I cleared out of Squirrel Creek about 9:00 AM and headed for Tok, my last stop in Alaska before entering Canada. Tok was also my first stop back in June. I arrived early enough so that I could have continued through and stopped in Canada but I wanted to gas up, get some propane, perhaps some souvenirs and call G. I also looked at my trailer tires and I really do need to replace them. Hopefully I can get at least one in Whitehorse. The CG was small and near the river. The sites were very close together so I took two.

I got a good nights sleep and was on the road by 8:00 AM. The road to the border was OK. It was paved all the way but it had a number of frost heaves. After going through Canadian customs (I don't know why I feel so intimidated by them) I was into construction again. Part of it was loose gravel but for about 30 miles it was like no road at all. In fact there were times that I wondered if I had wandered off the road except the trees were cleared. I had to dodge rocks and potholes and pray the tires held out. I noticed while in Tok that I had a bubble on one of them. I decided to push on into Whitehorse and try and get some new rubber. I stayed at the same campground that I stayed at when I was on my way to AK. The owner said he remembered me and showed me what they took out of the sewer line in my previous site. Someone had dropped a piece of concrete down the line. I got all set up and settled in to watch the Olympics. It was nice to see them. I received them on two channels (they have cable here). I got the US version from Detroit and also the Canadian version. Not only did I get two different interpretations but they also showed different events. I watched the Canadian Women's Volleyball team win for the first time in their history. Later I watched the American Women's team on the US channel. CBC showed more events and less of the background and hype then the US channel. I like that better.

I almost woke G. I set my watch for Pacific time (I thought) and was going to call her when I realize that I had set it back an hour rather then forward. So when my watch said 8:30 it was 10:30. I am sure glad I caught the error.

I drove by Kluane Lake. It is long and very beautiful I couldn't get over all the colors that it reflected. I gave new meaning to the color Aqua. It was just incredible.

7/29/96

I was up and to the tire store about 7:30 AM. They have the tires I need so I will go ahead and get them. I honestly don't think the one's I have on there will make it back. Three of them are almost bald and of those one has a bubble. The other is the spare we had put on in Nevada last year. Fortunately I purchased two before I left so I was able to get by with two. I used the older one as a spare and I now have four new ones to ride on.

By 10:00 I was on the road. By 11:30 I had stopped for my morning nap. All of a sudden I need them again. The trip was just as pretty coming back as it was going up. What I could now see in front of me I previously only saw in my rear view mirror.  I hit some rain but it was while I was on paved or good roads so other then obscure the view it wasn't to bad. It even kept the dust down. I stopped in Swift River for gas. I sure don't understand how they price it here. In the middle of nowhere (Swift River) gas was 5 cents a ltr. less than in Whitehorse and 8 cents less than the Cassiar and Alaska Highway junction where I am now. I arrived here about 5:00. This is the campground that I tried to stay at when I was up here on my M/C, but then, the wind was blowing so hard that I couldn't set my tent up, so I had to stay in a motel. I would like to be in Hyder, AK tomorrow evening, That way if I want to stay another day I can. I am driving farther than I did on my way up. I guess I am just anxious to get home, but I may slow down a bit tomorrow as the Cassiar (Hyw 37) is a very pretty drive.

My original plan was to take a side trip to Skagway, to see the Chilkoot and White pass but I missed the cut off and didn't realize it until to late. Just outside of Whitehorse, I crossed a river and the sign said Yukon. I didn't think it was that far south. The view of the Teslin was almost like a gift from heaven. The way the sunlight sparkled off the water gave it a blue and silver sheen that I have never seen before. I stopped and took a picture but I really don't think it will show up on film.

7/31/96

I was on the road by 7:30 yesterday. I had a bowl of cereal with dried cherries for breakfast. I was so tired by 9:00 that I had to stop and take a nap. The rest stop was very nice, almost like a campground. A sign said you couldn't spend more than 8 hours there. After a 20 minute snooze I was on the road again. Just when I was getting into the most beautiful part of the highway the weather shut down. It started to rain and rain and rain. The weather let up between Ikut and Bell II so I stopped to take some pictures. I sure hope they come out. It came down hard again for a while and then turned to a light drizzle.

Highway 37A from the junction into Stewart/Hyder was gorgeous. Sheer mountains on both sides of the road kept my head turning. The mountains on the south side of the road had glaciers and waterfalls. At one point the glacier (Bear Glacier) came right down to the roads edge. There was also a sign that said no stopping as this was a year round avalanche area. I couldn't see much on the right (north) but the left side, while it had plenty of snow and ice, didn't look threatening. I drove through Stewart and arrived back in the US at Hyder, AK. The population is about 85 and it bills itself as the friendliest little ghost town in America. After finding a campsite and unhooking I drove to the Fish River. Here Chum Salmon come to spawn. These are a different species as they can be 45 pounds while a normal Chum is less then half that. They are protected here. From humans that is. They have a bear viewing area here where the bears (black and brown) come down to the water and fish. I watched a Grizzly sow catch a few and a Black boar try and catch some. The black seemed to be a lot more particular. He caught one smelled it then walked off and left it. I guess it didn't smell good enough to eat. Perhaps he wants them before they spawn. Watching the Salmon spawn is also very interesting. The water is very shallow, so much so that you wouldn't even think the fish could swim there. But, they manage, and then they die. After a while I came back to Atown@ and called G. There is only one public phone in town and this jerk wouldn't get off. After about a half hour he hung up, looked at me and said with a grin AI sure made you wait a long time, didn't I.@ Judging from his phone conversation he was on his way to Alaska, full of misinformation, on how to catch fish.

After talking for a while I came back, fixed dinner, watched the Olympics, they had a special exhibition of gymnastics on and went to bed. When I woke during the night I think it was dark outside.

I was told about a glacier about 15 miles up the road so I will probably go there this morning.

I went to the Salmon Glacier. I didn't get as early a start as I wanted because after I finished this morning I decided to take a nap. It was 11:30 when I finally got up. The weather was not at all what I had hoped for. It was very cloudy and the clouds were low so I was unable to get any good pictures of the glacier or mountains. I tried to drive on to the next one but the clouds (fog) were so thick I couldn't see very far in front of me. The road is dirt and very narrow in spots and there are no guard rails on the side. It is also very prone to rock slides. So, I carefully turned around and headed back down. I had driven about 30 miles on that washboard and knew I had to drive that far to get out.

The trees are interesting. There were some clinging to life on the edge of the hill with their roots at right ankles to their trunks.

When I arrived at the bear viewing area I stopped for a while. A black came out but I don't know if I got a good shot of him. On my way back to the trailer I saw a Bald Eagle in a tree. I sure wish I had my tripod. Using the telephoto I am not sure if I held the camera still enough. If it is still there when I go back I will try again with a different lens.

I changed lenses when I went back so hopefully I got a better picture of the Bald Eagle. When I arrived back at the river there were two Brown Bear cubs playing and trying to catch fish. They were about three years old so they had left their mother and were on their own. One of them wanted to play and the other didn't. They worked their way from the river onto the road and put on a little show for us, then they went across the road and back into the river to try and catch some more fish. There was a Black in the water where they had been and I was trying to get a picture of it when I heard a yell. Both of the Brown's got frightened by somthing and were headed back. The Ranger opened his pepper spray but they ran right by him without even looking. Back across the road and into the water on the other side again. I don't know what startled them but they sure didn't pay any attention to us. I had just read a report on the bulleten board that a Brown of that size had killed a lady in Canada. I wasn't being mean, it was just curious and playful. After I shot up almost a whole roll of film I decided to head back, eat, and try and get a good nights sleep so I can get an early start tomorrow. Without pushing to hard I should be able to be at Noel's by Sunday or Monday. I had better call her tomorrow though to let her know what my plans are. For all I know they will be on vacation and not even home. I hope I can get the kids to stay with me one night and have Noel over another evening for dinner. It would be nice to be able to talk to her without the kids around.

Hyder is an interesting place. I could probably spend a few more days here, especially if the weather got nice, but I had better move on.

I did learn something interesting about the township of Hyder. All the prices are in Canadian. They don't have a bank here so they have to do all their banking in Canada. They don't have schools here either, so all the kids have to go across the border to Canadian schools. I didn't find out who pays.

8/1/96

I was up at shortly after six and on the road about 7:00 this AM. Now that I know that I am going home I am in more of a hurry and the roads seem longer. I know I am driving farther. Today I did almost 500 miles.

After leaving Hyder, I stopped at Bear Glacier and took some pictures. When they built the highway the glacier came all the way down to the road. It has melted about a quarter of a mile and formed a nice little lake. I only wish the weather was better so I could have gotten a picture that would do justice to this place. The Yellowhead Highway is really a Picture Postcard road. The snow capped mountains, when they are not obscured by the clouds are really impressive. It was interesting to be back in civilization for a while. There are a number of towns along the road that had banks and supermarkets. I stopped at a Safeway and a bank in Smits. The bank even had an ATM so I was able to get cash and not have to use plastic anymore.

They did not have a bank in Hyder and the one in Stewart did not have an ATM, so I was unable to get cash while there.

After I passed the nicest part of the scenery the drive got kind of boring. I drove through St. George and stopped at a BC park about 40 miles SE of there. It is a beautiful park but there are no hookups and no phone. I will have to stop tomorrow and call Noel. I had thought that I could possible be there by Saturday but now I think that is unreasonable. In fact I am not even sure about Sunday. I had hoped to arrive for at least one weekend day but I guess that is not to be. Tomorrow the drive should be nicer again. I will be going through Jasper and Banff National Parks. I am going to try and get as far as Radium Hot Springs. I have driven that road on my m/c and with G so I probably won't need to stop and sightsee. It is a beautiful drive though.

It is after 8:00 and it is starting to get dark. That seems strange. Perhaps tomorrow or the next day I can take the foil of the windows.

8/3/96

I was out of the park by 7:00 on 8/2/96. The drive was interesting to say the least. The scenery was gorgeous. I got up close to a couple of Elks that had come to nibble on the plants along the side of the road. Some of the mountains had waterfalls that were inspirational to say the least. There was one that had probably 20 or 30 falls coming out of it. I stopped in Jasper for gas and the place was so crowded it took me almost 15 minute to get out of town.

Once I was in Jasper Park the views were just incredible. There were more glaciers then I could count. Some of them looked like a chocolate cake with white frosting on the top and running down the sides. I didn't notice the blueness in the glaciers in this part of Canada as I did farther west and in Alaska. South of Lake Louise the scenery was still great but not as dominating. In the Northern part of the park the mountains, with their rugged spires and ice caps dominate the area totally.

I passed lots of sheep but after the bears, elk and other animals they didn't seem as exciting as before.

I stopped for the night in Resort Hot Springs at a Coast to Coast park. They didn't have a full hookup site so I camped dry for the night. The Campground is really nice. The regular sites have covered patios, wood decks and gas bar-b-ques. I think they also have cable TV. The clubhouse is also nice. They have an adult area and there were no children there, which is a surprise. They also have two hot tubs on of which I sat in for about a half hour. It was so relaxing. I also was able to take a nice long hot shower.

The rest of the trip out of Canada was the same one I had taken twice before so it was not to exciting.

I was surprised that I could not exchange my money at the border store but I was able to when I got to Bonners Ferry in Idaho. I was able to get the GST back for the tires I purchased in Whitehorse.

The lakes around Sandpointe and Coeur d'Alene are very picturesque. It has been over 30 years since I have been on this road south of Coeur d' Alene so it was interesting to see again. Going south on 95 the road passes through farmland and gently rolling hills. It kind of looks like a picture postcard.

Coming into Lewiston is really an experience. The hill is about 10 miles long and is about a 5 to 8 % grade. Not the kind of place you would want to loose your brakes. From the top the view is incredible with the whole valley spread out and the town of Lewiston there with a river running through it. After driving through town I thought the scenery was going to change drastically. All of a sudden I was in large canyon with a forest on both sides. But, I gradually climbed out and it was back to rolling hills with farms. It was really quite beautiful. About 6:00 I decided I had better stop for the night so here I am in Grangeville less then 300 miles from Mt. Home.

8/5/96

I was on the road about 8:30. I missed my cut off at Prairie Meadows and continued down 95. I wasn't even aware of the mistake and I couldn't find the towns, I was going through on the map. When I finally got to I84 I was able to see where I was, and it was about 50 miles farther West than I thought I would be. I arrived at about 3:00 and am staying in the campground here at the AFB. The cost is $10.00 a night which isn't bad for full hookups.

We went to K-Mart where I had the films developed. After I returned I found another roll that I hadn't taken so I will try get back there today or tomorrow. Most of the pictures were fine but some were quite blurry. I didn't see the wolf so I hope it is on the one I didn't get developed. The pictures of Denali were OK but not quite what I had hoped.

I fixed Caribou stew for dinner tonight. I think it will be OK. Tonight I will also go with the family to Karate, Joe may test for his Orange Belt tonight.

Everybody liked the Caribou stew I fixed night. Joe thought it was great when after he had eaten I kidded him about eating Rudolph. They didn't test on Monday but will tonight. I hope Joe makes it. I don't think Ariel or Dan have a chance.

Yesterday, Joe helped me clean the truck and trailer. Actually he did most of the outside of the trailer while I did the inside. I told Noel I would pay for his swimming today for a thank you, and Joe is thrilled.

It's hard to believe how big they are getting. Ariel is almost as tall as Dan and probably outweighs him. She wears a size eight. It looks like she will be tall like her mother. Dan hasn't changed much.

I wanted to get an early start this morning, so I left Noel's shortly after dinner. After I had taken a shower and was in bed there was a knock on the door. Ed had come by to tell me goodnight and say thanks for coming by. He brought Ariel with him. She had given me a picture to take to G and I forgot it. It was sure nice of them to come by and bring it and say good bye.

While in Mt. Home I also stopped by the Forest Service Ranger Station to pi ck up some information about volunteers in National Forests. Some of the jobs and places sound exciting. I sure hope G will go with me. I want to stop by a station in CA and see what they have to offer closer to home.

It is hard to believe that I will be home tomorrow.

8/7/96

I arrived in Reno about 3:00 after a nine hour drive. This was the easiest drive I have had since I started on this trip. I guess it is because the roads are all OK and I know I am going home. If I wouldn't have stopped to see my cousins I would probably have been home before G this evening.