Salty Dawg

Up way too early in the morning because somebody's dog was going nuts, this is why I hate this type of camp site.

We we made it down to Homer about 11am and had a quick lunch at a little dinner on the Spit, the town of Homer is just another little town but the spit has a lot of character.  The Spit is nothing more than a 4.5 mile narrow piece of land that extends out into Kachemak Bay in the Gulf of Alaska.  The spit is also home to the Homer Boat Harbor and several local business most of it local tourist stuff and fishing charters.  They also have the Salty Dawg Saloon.  A very unique bar with a little history to it too, click here.






It was only noon but I had to stop and have a beer.  I'm on vacation right?

Yes, I had to leave my mark there too.  According to the bartender their is an estimated 20k hanging on the walls!  But it also goes to a good cause too, there are about 150 life preservers hanging on the walls.  Any money pined to the life preservers goes to charity so they donate 3-5k a year to local charities.  Very cool place, it was worth the trip just to see the Salty Dawg Saloon

This area is also very famous for the amount of eagles there too.  We took a bunch of pictures of eagles in flight but I have not gone through them yet so maybe I will update this post with a a eagle picture if I was lucky to capture a really good picture of one.

Exit Glacier & Seward

Finally had time to take my first day trip, well actually overnight trip.  First I should introduce the Ranger Assistant in the park, Theresa.  There are actually two RI jobs but the other RI will not be here until July sometime.  Theresa flew into Anchorage last Wednesday just in time to sit through the entire day of training.  I thought her head was going to hit the table several times during that day.  I should ask her before I post a picture.  I think eventually there will be a total of four volunteers working in the park with one more host coming in too.

We took a overnight trip away from the park down to see the Exit Glacier.  We got a really late start and we had to drop off some water samples in Anchorage and go to the DNR headquarters before we really got started.  Linda the office worker at HQ recommended a campsite near the Russian River for the night, finally we were on the road but still didn't make it to the Glacier until right at 5pm, they were locking the doors as we walked up.  This will probably have to be a return trip because the hike up to the glacier will take more time then we have right now.  I took a picture of the actual glacier but it is all washed out white.  So this one will have to do for now.

Next stop was Seward, AK which is "Mile 0" of the Iditarod trail which is a dog sled race held every year to Nome, AK.  That is the Gulf of Alaska in the background, it was a little cool and windy near the water so really just snapped a few pictures and then found a grocery store to pick up something for dinner.

The plan was to camp near the Russian River and have dinner but as we drove north on the Seward highway we missed our turn to Homer and drove quit a bit further north so we got to see the same sights three times that day.  It is amazing the different view you get by just going in the opposite direction!  Everywhere you look here you see something amazing!  This is a lesson learned, no matter how simple the route I will plug my destination into the GPS an let that annoying voice tell me when to turn.

Dinner that night turned out to be grilling our sausage in a view point parking lot.  Never did make it to the site that was recommend to us so we just pulled into one of the many campgrounds.  Theresa had to set up her tent on a pea gravel slab so I gave her my mattress the carpeting in the camper cap is comfortable as-is anyways. 

This was the first time I was actually able to sit around a fire since I have been here, it was a cool night but comfortable enough to enjoy the fire and an Alaskan brew.

Backcountry cabins

Eklutna Lake has one private cabin, two backcountry campsites and backcountry hut that can be rented out by the bunk or the entire building with a couple different groups sharing the hut.  This first picture is of the hut looking at Serenity Falls from inside the hut

 We did not spend much  time at the hut, it was getting late and not all that warm yet, as you can see we still have snow in places.

We had to receive our training to authorize us before we could use the 6 wheeler (above) or the 4 wheeler.  The 6 wheeler would be great for hauling stuff but the 4 wheeler is a lot more comfortable to drive especially over rough terrain.  On this trip we made a stop at the first cabin, Yuditnu Creek Cabin.  This one is only three miles down Eklutna Lakeside Trail so I have ridden my bike there twice already.  The fire extinguisher needed to be replaced so after swapping that for a new one we continued down the lake, another 10 miles to Serenity Falls Hut.  All we had to do here is a quick inspection to see if everything was in order.  It was a cold trip which wouldn't have been so bad if I remembered to put gloves in my day pack.  Trust me, as soon as I get back!

There are also two established campgrounds on this trail.  We made quick stops at both of them, I was impressed that they were both clean.  These sites are accessible by Mountain bikes and foot travel every day but Sunday - Wednesday ATV's can also use the trail.  ATV's haul in an amazing amount of stuff so I am surprised that they haul it back out too.

There is also a grass/gravel airstrip at the end of the lake too.  There we had to stop and pick-up some barricades that were used to direct snowmobile traffic around the airport.  Snowmobile and ATV's are not allowed in this area but as we were picking up the barricades we caught one.  Not that we can really do anything about it but for the most part they have no idea that somebody in a Chugach State Park ATV has enforcement power or not.  Next trip maybe bring something to secure the trail a little bit better.

This was our last stop, time to head back and get some dinner.

Bears! oh my :)

The three bears were spotted here today just outside the main entrance to the campground last night.... well three cubs were seen poking around a garbage can so they will be visiting soon.  Yesterday was a busy day, they had a marathon in the park in the morning then by noon I had 30 miles to drive so I could do my laundry so I didn't get back until little after 4pm.  Last night we filled up the campground and it looks like tonight will be another packed night.  Quiet crowd but a few just can not understand that you can not leave your coolers sitting out, and they are all from Alaska too!

About 8p we started prepping the park boat to get it in the water finally getting it down to the lake about 9p for a cruise around the lake.

The lake is 8 miles long so we didn't make it back until almost midnight, it was almost dark then!

Today is ATV and 6 wheeler training. 

Training Day

Today was the official training day for the volunteers working in the park.  Very friendly group, only one person is a repeat and he lives in the area.  The most interesting part of the day is when they had the bear expert come in.  We watched a movie about bear behavior, ways to avoid bears, defense and use of pepper spray on bears.  Then we all went outside to practice using the spray and as anyone would expect the wind shifted bringing a little of the cloud of pepper spray back into the group.  A couple people looked like they got a better dose or was it because I have been maced before and knew more what to expect? 

Well tomorrow is opening day for the campground and they are lining up already.

I have Internet

Monday I went into Anchorage to get some parts for the trailer, laundry, grocery etc. and another stop was at Home Depot and picked up 500' of Cat5 cable.  Only way I might get wifi to work here is to purchase special antennas to cost of cable vs the convenience of having internet in my trailer is worth it.  The cable is not so bad but that special tool needed to crimp the ends is expensive!  Decided on another route it involved a short cat5 cable with the ends on it (have that) a pair of side cutters, wire strippers and a soldering iron.  I soldered each of the 8 wires that make up the cat5 cable.  The splice is a little ugly but as you can tell........ it works just fine.  By the time I ran that cable out of the ranger station, under the road through the drain pipe and through the woods I had maybe two extra feet of cable.

Today I had to address a park-to-do list, few things that have to be done before opening Friday.  The weather was nice so first I took the skis off the rescue sled and put the wheels on so it could be towed by an ATV.  This wouldn't have been such a bad job if they had instructions so a good portion of the time was figuring it all out.  This one hour job only took two hours and then a little more to sit down and type it out so the next guy won't have to do what I did.  Next major job was to use the leaf blower and make sure the area was clear around the fire pits in all the camp sites.  It has been very dry here and there is a high fire danger right now.

I started about 8am done about 2pm now a quick shower, lunch, relax a bit then a bike ride down the lake.  There is a park cabin about 3 miles east of here on the lake and two more one at the end of the lake (8 miles) and one about a mile past that.  3 miles is good enough for today.

A picture of the cabin, from the trail.  Will take better pictures late but right now it is in use and they probably would not appreciate me taking pictures right now.  Also notice the lake, all the ice is gone! 

Dinner tonight I decided to use my left over chicken and make a chicken salad sandwich but last night I put the lid of the slow cooker over the bowl, it fit nice.  Well it vacuum packed itself, I could not get that lid off, it wouldn't even budge.  My solution:

I don't think that small hole will effect the slow cooker :)  Ahhhh dinner at last!

Internt Problems

Just a quick note because it is 8pm and I am really hungry.  All I want to do is go back to my home on wheels and cook some dinner.

First I still have to go to the rangers station to use the internet and when I do that I get interrupted so it just does not get done.  I can get wifi (from the ranger station) but it drops terrible.  Working on a solution, hopefully in the next day or so.

Today I was able to do my first hike up Twin Peaks.  They say 2.6 miles up, I think it is farther or I am just really out of shape right now.  Will have to use the GPS next time.   This is a picture of Eklutna Lake from about half way up.

My camper is in the lower right corner at the end of the lake....... you see it?  :)

OK, dinner time then maybe work on the internet problem again.

First full day on the road

I made 627 miles today but it took me 16 hours to do this.  Even though I was on the road at 6:30 I stopped shortly after getting going for coffee at Mc Donald’s then several stops to check the trailer, stretch my legs etc.

In Ashland, Wisconsin they have “The Old Firehouse & Police Museum” that would have been interesting to see but they were closed so I had to settle for a picture of the building. Next visit maybe. 

I need to do another adjustment on the trailer hitch because it is still not quite level but the weather is not all that great so it will wait until tomorrow.

I made it to mid state Minnesota before I needed to stop for fuel.  1075 miles on that tank, I had a couple hundred miles on it before I left home.  I have been averaging about 12 mpg.  Not too bad considering the load.

Tonight my camp spot is going to be a rest area somewhere in Minnesota.

Mile 0 Dawson Creek

Well I didn’t think I would have internet tonight so I set up a couple entries to add automatically for tonight and tomorrow.  But I arrived at Dawson Creek about 5pm tonight and pulled into the Walmart lot.  I am totally self contained so I joined a couple other RV’s

The first thing I did tonight was to go for a bike ride, I really needed to move my legs after sitting in that truck for so long for the past few days.  523 miles today, now I will be in the mountains and time to SLOW DOWN!

This morning I was going through Elk Island Provincial Park and I saw several hundred Bison all grazing.  These guys were all fenced in but still great to see and get a couple pictures.  Shortly after that I saw a baby moose, kinda jumping or walking over a fence, couldn’t get a picture of that one.

It was a nice day so about noon I pulled off into a rest area and installed my sway bar, it only took about 30 minutes but required some cutting and drilling so I have been putting it off.  I still only drive 60 but does help the handling, feels tighter.

Tomorrow I will be at Liard hot springs campground, it’s only a little more than 400 miles away so I should be there early afternoon, have to look at the map and do some calculating but this may be a two night stay.  How many more miles to go?

Will let you know the next time I get a chance to post.

Mile 0 monument in Dawson Creek

Day one problems

Day on of my Alaskan Adventure. 

I did not get an early start due to some paperwork that needed to be finished before I could actually depart but after many months of waiting and countless delays it is finally finished and at 5:30 pm I was on the road.  Yea, that is a really late start and most would just wait until the next morning and get a fresh start.  But I am not unaccustomed to driving long distances at night and I need to be on site in Anchorage by the 15^th so I needed to reduce that 4000 miles between me and Anchorage.

My shortest route and normal route North was changed in Durand, a detour.  So I took I-69 to 127 north.  This turned out to be another one of those accident or design events in life.  On the express way I was experiencing so sway so I stopped in at Becks RV in Saint Johns.  They were closed but they re-opened their doors and I purchased a sway bar to install.  They also gave me some advice on making an adjustment to the hitch setup.  They directed me to another parking lot where I could make the adjustments.  I also noticed that the front left wheel was very hot.  This concerned me as a major problem even though I had a spare wheel bearing with me it would still take me time to replace it.  But I wasn’t convinced that the bearing was the problem because I had inspected and re-packed all the bearings.  So I drove another 10-15 miles or so stopping at a rest area to check it again.  It was still hot, so hot that I could not hold for more than a couple seconds.  I poured a little water on the hub to help cool it down then jacked the trailer up to spin the tires and find out if the breaks were too tight.  They seamed to be fine so I put it all back together and drove another 20 miles or so into Clare convinced that I would have to get some repair work done in the morning but to my surprise the wheel was cool to the touch.  It must have been that the break was hanging up somehow.

I made several stops that night to check and re-check that wheel but when I stopped that night shortly after midnight just north and west of the Mackinaw Bridge I didn’t have any more problems.

This was a boondocking night, kinda stealth camping with a 26’ travel trailer.  Blend in and nobody will think you do not belong.

Border crossing

Yesterday I crossed into Saskatchewan Canada in a little border town called Portal.  I was making good time until then!  I have never had any difficulties crossing into Canada until now.  Now I did expect a problem because I was bringing my Remington 870 shotgun with me on this trip but I had all the required paperwork filled out and handed it to the customs agent as required.  She started asking me all the normal questions including my employment and then true to every other crossing she asked me “Do you have a handgun?”  I told her no and she snapped back at me “Don’t lie to me, I know you have a handgun” Biting my tongue I told her that I have several handguns but NO I do not have a handgun with me.  She then told me to pull off to the side and go inside to register my shotgun and pay the $25.00.  So now I am handed off to a different agent and after he is done registering the shotgun he asks where my vehicle is.  Then he has me pull it into the garage for inspection.  So now I pull it in, unlock everything and he has me have a seat as he shuffles through the trailer.  Finally satisfied in the trailer he starts in on the truck, when he get to the camper cap he says to me “Where is your handgun, she told me you have one”  I told him that I told her I have several handguns but none with me, only the shotgun.  He shows is first bit of emotion, one of disgust and hands me back my passport telling me I’m OK to go.

So I finally make it out of customs.  On the map they are showing a camping spot only a few miles (km) away.  I find the sign and turn down the road, after about 10 km I finally find………. A golf course, thinking they will not let me camp there I turn around and head back to the highway.  The next town up is Weyburn and they have a campground but surprise it is closed!  Tired and needing to find a spot to stop I see Walmart and I see a couple other RV’s in the lot.  For those that do not know Walmart is a very RV friendly store more then willing to let travelers us a corner of there lot for the night.  I go inside and as the greeter who I should talk to about staying in there lot for the night, he tells me no problem just go to any place out of the way of customers.  Simple rules apply like do now set up awnings, expand slideouts etc.

This morning I was up early, largely due to a semi that decided to park across from me and left his engine running so I was on the road just before the sun came up.  I made good time going across Saskatchewan stopping in Moose Jaw and again in Saskatoon.  I stopped early tonight in Lloydminster, Alberta.  I stayed at Weaver Park which is a small campground with a new very nice bathroom facilities, hot water and very good pressure which felt good on my neck.  Bonus, great wifi so I could start this blog!

   

Pre-trip information

I think a little background on this trip and the start of this blog.  I have always wanted to travel, see whatever I can see and do whatever I can do.  In particular go to Alaska, I planned a trip one other time when I exited the Air Force back in 1979 but due to gas prices I put that trip on hold….. well it is off hold now.

That being said this trip did not come to life until just a couple months ago, March 11^th to be exact.  I always believe that everything in life happens for a reason and it appears by accident or design this is no exception.  You see in October of last year I was driving down a road that I usually do not go down and noticed a travel trailer sitting out next to a friend’s house.  I had time so I stopped to take a look at it, the price was unbelievably low but the trailer looked like new.  I could see some damage to the wood frame structure on the trailer door side but I gave him a call that night and arranged a meeting.

The next day we met and he showed me the damage, it was extensive but it was all inside the walls.  The trailer belonged to his family, they took it in to get an estimate to repair and the labor was too high.  Being retired and handy with tools I paid the man and towed it home.  I put it inside the barn and by nightfall I had the siding removed from the door side of the trailer.  The damage came from around the windows, the seals had failed and water leaked between the aluminum siding and the wood studs.  A lot of the wood was rotting along with the sill plate.

I could see why the estimate was so high, I have a lot of hours re-framing and re-sealing all the windows.  All the wall studs had to be cut to size to match the original wood a few even had to be planed down to a specific thickness.  Then as most projects go a few extra tasks popped up.  Like the carpet had to be cut out to make the repairs so new laminate floors were put in, well here is a list of modifications:

• I insulated the exterior walls inside the closets and lined with 1/8” cedar panels.
• Shelves on either side of the queen size bed to hold small items.
• Interior lights were replaced with LED lights.  I can have every light on for the same power consumption of one (1) bulb that I took out.
• 1500 power inverter
• 4 trojan T105 batteries to replace the one automotive battery that was no good anyways.
• A extended bumper rack that holds a plastic cargo box, a 2000 watt generator and the spare tire.  This was modified again to accommodate a second spare tire and a bike rack.
• I flipped the axels to give more ground clearance and to have it be level with the truck.

Well those are the major modifications, lots of smaller ones.  Maybe I will do a more detailed mod page if anyone is interested.

So I now had a trailer but still no plans to use it, if anyone knows me I am more of a backpacker than a travel trailer type person.  But I though I could get some use out of it or maybe just sell it and make a couple dollars.

That all was good up until around February this year.  I started think of taking that trip to Alaska again and on the internet I found where the Alaska DNR was accepting applications for campground hosts.  So I submitted my application and on March 11^th I got a phone call and was hired for the position of a campground host.  Not a lot of money but what the heck, I am going to Alaska for the summer!