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Old 05-08-2010, 07:33 PM
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Ayatollahgondola Ayatollahgondola is offline
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July 1st

Back to the showers early enough to beat most of the people from the convoy of vans that we had passed so many days back on the trip here. As I passed the telephone on the way back, I saw no fewer than 4 people waiting with laptops in hand for the only 2 data ports available in the campground. Back at the trailer, Elaine had already started breakfast comprised of English muffins with a cheese slice; scrambled egg, and topped with a piece of cooked ham. It was a home made egg Mcmuffin. After breakie I made only one phone call which lasted far too long. An angry customer trying to exploit an already distorted problem. I could do very little here, being this far away and unable to communicate with everyone involved. This did not stop the problem for those at the site though, and I became hostile towards the customer and an employee for getting me involved so deeply in this project for no good reason and then just abandoning them before all was done or at least collected. Now we have done all this work at their store for no reason and no money. I have now wasted an hour and still made no progress on my trip, or for work. At this point I am very disturbed over losing precious time from my life and getting nothing but stress for it. I am once again angry to start out the day this way and see no way to get resolution for, or even respite from this. To compound it, the washing bay for vehicles at the campground is always busy with people trying to make their motor homes spotless before they leave. I am just trying to get the bulk of the road mud off, and have been interested in doing so for a week. It was quite annoying to see someone taking the time to polish screws and buff to a lustrous shine, a giant motor home which will get covered with dust a few miles from the campsite. We leave with our dirt once again. On the way out, we had to send the payroll from the post office. Guess what? .....A line that snaked nearly out the door was our greeting. I reached into the depths of my paperwork bulging wallet and pulled out an express mail stamp I had purchased in Haines for an occasion when the post was closed or something. This didn’t qualify as an emergency, but it was a dilemma, and that lowered the standard a little to make it excusable to dip into the stamp fund. After this, we went to Safeway for some supplies and some sugarless pie.

Back on the road, we made good time to our next stop at Denali national park. Upon entering, I found out there would be no contact with the world once we had driven the 20 or so miles to the campground. Once in, you weren’t allowed to drive your own cars out until you left for good. As the song went, ...No phone...No light...No motor car.....Not a single luxury.....Like Robinson Carusoe....... I’d be out of touch as one could be. So... I went for the telephone as Elaine and the kids attended the park greeting seminar. All’s I got there was bad news. I just wanted to close the place down and freeze everything from that day forward until we got back. This is what is now my main goal and seemingly the only one that could let me enjoy the trip. I would have to write off the 2 jobs that were already disasters. Just finish the move with as few people as possible, and get the third job done without losing money or another customer. Cut the payroll was first. Second was securing and holding on to what was not already damaged. Third, collect and protect the remainder of the baseball association money that was due from the city any day. All’s I could think of right now is all those greedy, self-interested people using that money as their own personal safety cushion to comfort them while apathetically going through some of the motions of their jobs until I got back. It is now my mission to convince them they would not be party to even one thin Canadian dime of it since they were not insuring any part of its’ future any longer.
When this was set into motion, We entered the campground that immediately presented a most wild and scenic atmosphere. There were Caribou and Sheep sightings from the road. After reaching the campground, we found a covey of Ptarmigan replete with very young chicks. They were not too fearful of us, allowing Sara, and later most of us, to come within a few feet of them. We capped the night off by seeing a whole herd of Dall sheep on a nearby mountain, and breaking rocks from the road in an effort to find more jade for Sara’s new collection.



July 2nd

Everyone but I had the breakfast of champions this morning. Sweet crunchy cereal. I ate cold leftover steak with a bread and butter. Weak coffee was on the stove too. Then, we headed to the river for some rock collecting. No jade was found, however there were a few crystals needing identification and some agates. After that, we packed a lunch, some snacks and drinks, and headed off to the bus stop with the cameras and binoculars to make the trip to a lake about 60 miles away. In this park, You are not allowed to drive the road by yourself to get anywhere. Park and resort owned buses seem to have a monopoly on the trips back and forth. These buses seemed to be packed with travelers and they are hard to see out of if you don’t have a window seat. The windows go only half way down, so there is a dividing line in the center. Also, they do not break with the seats, so some seats have a “cross” in the middle to obstruct the view. The seats are OK for the first 40 miles or so, and then they get a little uncomfortable. Windows are closed a lot so the dust doesn’t get in and at times, it gets a little stuffy in there and you must also contend with the ever present odor of insect repellent. I had a difficult time seeing anything through the binoculars when we are moving because of the bumpiness. There were Caribou and Sheep spotted within the first hour. Some stops were made for 20 and 10 minutes to use the facilities along the way. I climbed about 250 feet up a mountain side to get a better view of the glacier at one of these. This is a long trip and not quite as interesting to someone used to better things under more desirable conditions. I especially do not like to be cooped up with too many strangers and have to cow tow to their every whims. But, there is more wildlife and the only way now to see this area is by one of these cattle cars, so it is best to try to make the best of this. A bull moose is seen in a small pond with a cow close by. Wander lake is the turnaround point and we are allotted only enough time to walk to the edge of the water and feed the starving mosquitoes. Getting back into the bus the air seemed humid and stale. On the trip back, we saw Grizzly Bears and more Caribou. While seeing this vast open land nearly completely void of any man made structures, I remember coming here over 30 years ago and seeing most of the state that way. When it was time to hunt, we had only to pull over at a convenient dugout and camp for a few days. while we pursued Moose, Caribou, and Mountain sheep. No one around for miles with the exception of a very small handful of other hunters. Now we have to be chaperoned through areas where there are rules that prohibit personal entry so as not to disturb the declining wildlife habitat. Busses pass each other every 15 minutes or so on this trip making it so very clear to me that there are far too many people on this planet at once, and all of us are encroaching into these types of areas making all this regulation a basic necessity. If we keep multiplying at the current rate, Our children's children will only be able to see videos of areas like this one.
I was anxious as hell to reach the campground after being cooped up from 10:30 a.m. through 7:00 p.m. with only 10, 20, and one 30 minute breaks. Once back, Sara needed a jade “fix” after being away from the hunt for so long. So we had some dinner first and were only interrupted by a couple of volunteer rangers giving us a bear warning. After they left we grabbed hammers and went to the roadway only 100 or so feet from our trailer where some pea gravel had been graded into a barely used service road. After only chipping 20 or so rocks, A ranger visited us and warned us that breaking rocks or, for that matter, even collecting them was not allowed. He went on to give us justification for the law by telling us that if everyone came in and broke rocks, pretty soon there would be no more unbroken rocks. I had a hard time visualizing the rock shortage in this part of the world, and the application of the law as it pertained to this situation, but heaven forbid that I or my family should contribute to the next extinction of a species in this area. We moved back to our site and I tried to start the generator to charge the batteries for an hour or so. But the generator was not working properly so I began a diagnostic.
After about an hour, a pair of volunteer rangers, and seemingly campground type “hosts” walked up just as I had just shut down the generator. Seems they were here to tell me to shut it down because there was a quiet time beginning at 9:00 p.m.. It was about 5 minutes before and I told him I knew the rules and was tracking the time. But one of them continued to “advise” me about how some folks arrive off the airplane, and because of the long daylight hours, think it’s party time 24 hours a day. Both of them kept interjecting as I tried a couple of more times to assure them I was aware of the time, and the attitudes of some tourists, thereby wasting the few last valuable minutes of repair time I had left. I spent the last few hours of the day scouting with the binoculars and doing some inside the trailer work, then went off to bed. There was no radio or t.v. stations to hear this far out, so sometimes it is better to catch up on some sleep.



July 3rd

We awaken in Denali park a little later this morning. There is nothing on the agenda today, so languishing in bed is not unforgivable, even if we are in natures domain. Breakfast of Eggs Goldenrod was enjoyed by all, and complimented with some fresh coffee. Some of the brekkie is stored for later, but coffee is completely consumed. The whole family gathers drinks and snacks in a pack, and then set of on a hike up a nearby hill. The trip immediately becomes somewhat steep by city slicker standards, and there are some slippery spots where the dust acts like a lubricant. Everyone makes it up the hill though, and that exposes a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and valleys. Lush vegetation carpets the hills and flatlands where trees are all but nonexistent. It is a good feeling to see so much open land without any power lines, roads, and other man made obstructions. No wildlife shows up on this hike with the exception of the mosquitoes that were silently waiting for us at a pond near the bottom of the hill. These bugs go off like a swarm of bees when they are disturbed, and attack relentlessly until you are far away from their watery habitat. The hike has encouraged everyone to forage for food when we get back to the trailers. While this is happening, some of us spend the time prepping the trailers for the trip out tomorrow. As pretty and remote as this place is, the atmosphere is still a little too tense for our tastes due to all the restrictions. Unless you have a penchant for hiking or a passion for photography, this place can be a bit of a bore.




Because we want to leave early tomorrow, we get to bed pretty early. But not before one last walk up the wide rocky river bed that is a short walk from our camp. The riverbed is about 4 or 500 feet wide and , but flat all the way across, save for the small fingers of babbling waterways splintering off in several directions. The kids find the soft mud that pockets in the bends of the streams and get the greatest thrills of past several days by letting it squish between the cracks of their toes. They become so enthralled with this that they are careless and end up slipping and sliding into the mud. Joey ends up needing an outside shower before he can be allowed in the trailer.
We have a slight snack around the campfire and then get off to sleep.

July 4th

This day begins early and with a troublesome discovery. During the clean up after the previous days breakfast, part of the coffee pot found its’ way into the trash can. We mount up with a minimal breakfast and set off for Anchorage with a secondary goal of coffee on the road. (Who knows how long it would be before coffee became our primary goal.) On the way out, some moose, Caribou, and rabbits are seen. Only a half hour into the trip and we find fuel for Ray and Ann’s rig and coffee with cream. The scenery on the way to Anchorage is mountainous and a bit more busy on the roadway. Just outside anchorage, a little town called Houston comes into view. Their are huge signs advertising fireworks all over, along with giant blow up gorillas, and other animals. Very soon, a large pocket of fireworks stands appears with one semi-circular one standing out among the rest. A replica of the Bat mobile sits out front for camera shots, and people in gorilla suits motion for passers-by to stop in. As we approach the stand, it reveals a veritable cornucopia of pyrotechnics that even a fire Marshall could be swayed by. Being a bit ignorant of the local laws on such things, I was compelled to ask one of the sales people if we could light these off in or around Anchorage. Although she was evasive of the question, she did offer enough of an answer to give me at least the impression that what I was doing was not illegal. Especially if I was in their town. We bought some Roman candles, a package of rockets, and a box of assorted fireworks. Since we spent over $40.00, she threw in some free sparklers and smoke bombs. The kids could hardly wait for the evening, and had started dividing up the stuff for lighting privileges right away.
The trailer park we found was more resembling a parking lot, but it did have hook ups and laundry. We hunted around town a little and visited the earthquake park. This large area of town dropped about 30 or 40 feet and turned the area into a silty muddy mess for nearly 2 miles along the bay front. Because there was little else that could be done with that area, they just made it into a local park. The kids found the area too irresistible to ignore and coerced me into making a foray down to the waters edge. Guess what they found? The closer to the water, the muddier it got. Too much fun and frolic was happening and dirt was getting all over the kids within minutes, so we had to head back up the hill. On the way back to the trailer, we check out some future trailer sites but are not encouraged to move. Once back at the r.v. park, we load up everyone and head out of town to shoot off some fireworks.
About a half hours drive across the river, and on a small island, smoke and flashes signal us in as a fireworks friendly area. There is a small beachhead with approximately 100 or so people firing off everything from sparklers to mortar fired “flowers” from the waters edge, with cars passing on the bridge only a hundred feet or so away. The beach is littered with shell casings and firecracker carcasses, and sticks and spent packages floating by us in the fairly swift moving current. We opened our chairs and boxes of rockets to join in the revelry, and lighted up one by one, everything we had purchased only a few hours earlier. I tell you, there is nothing more enjoyable for a kid on fourth of July such as firing off rockets the likes of which are completely forbidden by law in your home state. Joey and Sara were excited about this too, since this is their first and possibly only exposure to this type of unregulated pyrotechnic expression. Both take turns reloading the launch pad we made from an empty non-alcoholic beer bottle and lighting the fuses. The air around us is filled with the smell of burned powder and thick smoke.
Everyone on the island is concurrently setting off fireworks from their own arsenals. The sky overhead is like a war zone with small explosions going off 50 to 100 feet from the ground. Bits of paper and plastic fall like shrapnel, on and around us. Towards the end of our stash, a trio of teens are observed walking among the gathering carrying some sporty model souped-up looking 22 caliber rifles haphazardly in one hand. Many people in the area cast more than a casual glance at them. It seems at any festivity, there is always a single or small group of people prone to express themselves more forcefully than everyone else. Although guns are part of the very background of this holiday, it seems just a bit out of place within this area. Firearms are a very accepted part of American culture. But similar to skinny dipping or passing gas, things of this type are better experienced among a small group of acquaintances or friends that you feel more comfortable with.
As we pack up and leave, there are several more cars arriving to fill the void we left. This celebration will carry on until the wee hours of the morning since during that time, the only real darkness will happen in this part of the world for a fleeting few hours. From our trailer, we here the deep sounds of mortar based fireworks display put on by permit inside Anchorage. This is heard even as we get to bed at 1:30 a.m.






July 5th

9:30 am is the unscheduled wake up today. Breakfast is out again at what turns out to be a very busy place. The food and menu was pretty decent, but it was just barely clean. Afterwards, we went to Sam’s club for a little shopping. Sam’s is good for when you're at home, but the packages are just too large for our trailer. Then, home for some laundry and fuel siphoning. Then, Joey and Sara wanted to visit the GI Joe Surplus store, so we walked around eyeing some old military gear. Joey felt compelled to purchase a stainless steel officers flask with Soviet insignia. It was fun to stare at all this paraphernalia and wonder just what was all that stuff used for anyway. After that, a trip to the grocery store while some dinner was barbecued. We ended the day with a couple of rented videos and then went off to bed.

July 6th

Golf is first on the to do list this morning. The course is just a quarter mile away and breakfast of pancakes and eggs with coffee perked in our new glass coffee maker. I dropped Elaine, the kids and Ray off at a pretty quiet little park and an UN-populated golf course by California standards. After that, I ducked in to the lube shop for an oil change. There was too many people there at the time so, I came back later, only to find that they lacked the necessary parts to complete the work. So I did a bit of computer work and went back to pick up the golfers. Off to burger king for lunch and then we washed both of the vehicles. Thousands of miles of forced air had plastered every bug in the northwest on the fronts of the trailer and truck, then the sun baked them on like an enamel finish. It took hours and hot water with soap to get down to an acceptable layer of outer skin and bug remnants. Next, we visited the downtown area and shopped enthusiastically. T-shirts, jewelry, and pullover sweaters were purchased along with syrups in little boxes. The downtown area is one of the more attractive areas in Anchorage so far. When our bags are full, we head off to the fish viewing platform where we saw some huge Salmon moving about in the frigid fast moving water. 2 teenagers waded into the waist deep, rushing water in an effort to net some of the fish as they work their way upstream. Next, we headed back to the trailer for some dinner and a rented movie. I am eager to get back into the wilds again, and especially so towards the ocean. We’ll get off to bed early tonight.


Continued soon

Last edited by admin; 05-24-2010 at 06:25 AM.
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