Every Day is Different!

Bill's day: He drives around the country seeing animals and scenery and talking with interesting people. Sometimes he gets to see something spectacular like this--Windy Arm Lake--Wonderful!

Peggie's Day: She rides her bike to town, opens the quilt shop, and spends time talking with interesting people. Sometimes she gets to see (and eat) something spectacular like this--Lemon-Lavender Cookie--Wonderful!

Got rope?

The day was normal. Except that business was slow for a four ship day. Cloudy, occasional showers, high fifties. We decided to go hunting bear at Dyea in the evening. We kept our ameracays hidden so wildlife wouldn't be shy. Don had a late group of jeepers so he couldn't go. Peggie was tired and had settled in, so Karin and I went. We drove way into the woods and on the way back out a car was stopped on the road, and had a bear sighted. So we got out the binoculars. Our vantage point was about 400 yards away because there was a screen of trees we had to look around. We had been watching for a while when Don called. We had phone service out there, which surprised us both. I tried to take a picture, but the battery for the ameracay was in the charger at the trailer. Silly me. Predictably, just as Don arrived with four of his drivers (they don't have cars to get out and see things)the bear moved into the tree screen. So he decided to drive over to the campground and get a view from the other side. Karin and I stayed where we were to help guide them in. Karin had Don on the phone, we could see his truck a half mile away, and she was giving him directions. The little two track road he was on dropped into the flood plain and the wet spot was softer than it looked...he was stuck. So we headed over there. His crew expressed some worry about getting out, but he said, "We've been doing this since we were teenagers. We're always getting each other unstuck." All we had was some nylon rope. Not the best. But they looped it so it was four strands. I was able to keep my tires dry and he came right out without my tires even spinning. Good thing, too, the skeeters were eating us up. Trouble was, we lost track of the bear and didn't see him again. On the way back his crew got excited about the harbor seals, gulls, and terns, so they still had a good time.
I am doing the Carcross run today. Yesterday and the day before it was snowing on the mountain tops over there, but it is cloudy again today, so we may not see it. I am hoping that the snow pushed the animals lower so we can see them.

Update

Check out the new photos in Bill's Alaska Adventure. A few pictures from both of us. The lynx photo is not too good, but I never expected to see a lynx so I was thrilled just to see it, I barely remembered to grab my camera.
Don's jeeps got to go off-road today, finally. He said the views were amazing from up on the mountain.
Happy Birthday, Alex.

WE'RE TOO EXCITED TO SLEEP!!!!

Okay, you already know we had an unusual, interesting start to the day. Then we did laundry, yada yada yada. Then we went out to Liarsville for the Salmon Bake which Don had arranged (see previous entry for definition) for us. Don had to leave early to attend to some returning tourists, so Karin rode home with us. We decided to head out to Dyea for some wildlife viewing. We decided we were guaranteed good stuff, because we had no cameras. On the way out we got some excellent sightings of bald eagles up close and personal. We went on out to the tidal flats because Karin hadn't been over there before. We stopped to talk to another truck and the driver says, "Did you see the bear?" So he pointed over toward some trees, and, sure enough, there was a GRIZZLY bear. Maybe 50-60 yards away but in some trees. We followed him for a while, even going cross country at one point. Then the trees got thicker and we lost him. But just then we encountered a couple with a toddler and a dog, so we told them about the bear and they headed back to their camp. Getting back to the road from there is kind of round about, but we eventually (10 minutes?) got onto the road, and thinking the bear might have headed toward the river, we looked for him. The road parallels the river at that point, and the area we had been in was about 300 yards away across a grassy area. There he was. Remember I say 'he' since 'she' would probably have cubs right now. He was in the open grass and we could see the people watching him from their camp on the edge of the trees. We stopped to watch him some more. He went into a small creek and was catching fish. He was a good fisherman. We could see him gobbling them down, using his left paw to hold them sometimes. The creek bed is lower than the rest of the plain and we lost sight of him and decided to move on. As we drove away, he came out of the creek running toward the river (closer to us) and stopping to stand up a few times. We decided to turn around and go back to a closer view point. As I was turning around, Roger and Janie drove up. So I told them what was going on. We both pulled up at a good wide spot in the road. Soon there were five vehicles stopped. He kept moving closer and we were hoping he would come fishing in the main river just 100 yards away. Then, and this was so cool, he started to cross the river towards our side. We jumped in the truck and drove to the point where he would have to come out. When he stuck his head over the bank, he saw us and moved a little farther away, but another car was that way so he came up onto the road maybe twenty feet away. We could see the water running off his fur and could see the nervousness in his eyes. He started to climb the near-vertical canyon wall. I moved up a car length and he was right above us. He had to use switch-backs it was so steep. Finally, he disappeared into the woods. Altogether, we must have watched him for an hour and a half counting the time it took us to get back out on the road. It was the best wildlife viewing I think I've ever had. We are never taking cameras again. Karin says we can hide them so that nature doesn't know we have them. That is probably a better plan. But I remember those old commercials about fooling Mother Nature. The best part is that locals say the good grizzly viewing is just beginning. Soon the salmon will return and so will the bears. Don is crying himself to sleep tonight because he missed it. I am writing this so the excitement can wane so I can sleep. And it is working. Good night. Happy Birthday, Becky. The cake was blueberry.

Goat Lake Hydroelectric Project...et al

We did, indeed, arise early on our day off to go see water being turned into electricity. Even though the water must fall about 2000 ft before slamming into a bucket wheel, no water is harmed in the making of electricity. The electricity is very clean and green, but looks just like electricity generated by burning coal. Except you can't see it in those wires it flows through. We also did not see the water in the pipe, but we believe it is in there. I think the whole thing is like a religion. You just have to believe.
It all seems very amateurish. There are parts and procedures that they just cobbled together and it works. The generator we saw is one of three hydros in operation here. They also have diesel back-ups. The water is siphoned out of the lake, but there is a pump if the siphon is ever broken. The pump is electric so the electricity to operate it would have to come from one of the other three sources if the siphon were broken. I never thought about a generating plant needing outside electricity. It's weird. We did not get to walk across the pipe to the other side of the river because it was raining so the pipe was slippery. There are handrails, but they wouldn't stop you from falling into the river if you slipped. We can come back on a sunny day to do that. Roger, Janie, Peggie, Don and I went. Karin had to work. Our guide was Stan Selmer who is the boss of AP&T and descended from a goldrush family. In Skagway, that is equivalent to a Mayflower family in Boston.
We also learned that the canyon is littered with artifacts from the gold rush, things people abandoned, a telegragh line, sections of road, and other stuff, but it is illegal to disturb any of it because it is all in the national park.
The Thomas brothers, Don and Bill, are now known far and wide, though we rarely appear together. The office staff at AP&T, Stan, everyone at the bakery, everyone at the RV park, the staff at the visitor center at Carcross, Ron and his mom at the general store, the people we both work with, and people on our tours know us singly or together by name. That is kind of fun.
Back to electricity, sort of. I had lunch yesterday with an engineer who owned the company that made all the solar panels for NASA during the unmanned phase of the moon missions. I learned that the sunlight in space is so different that a panel in space won't work on earth, and vice versa. Also, that solar power is very good for unmanned, long-term missions where a little power is needed for a long time, but not good for manned missions where a lot of power is needed for a short time. This guy had been head-hunted by Werner Von Braun, himself, and they became good friends. It was neat to talk with someone who was in on the ground floor of the space program.
Wednesday, which is July 1st, they expect to have the railroad repaired, almost a month earlier than projected. Hopefully, we will be able to arrange a ride soon. And by arrange, I mean go for free. It helps to know people.
But not in every case. The power plant is about a quarter mile past U.S. customs, but still miles inside Alaska. On our way back, Stan informed the agent where we had been. So what does he ask? "Are you bringing anything back into the country?" Hellooo, we haven't been out of the country. And besides that, you bureaucrat, you see every one of us on a regular basis because of our jobs. If not for a few others who work there, I'd swear that you have to remove your personality in order to fit into the uniform. Really, would national security be endangered if you just waved and said, "Have a nice day!"

Happy Birthday, Becky!

Hey internet friends, today is Becky's birthday. It's a good thing because I've been celebrating her birthday since June 18th and I'm kind of exhausted.

Happy Birthday dear friend. Today I'm going to eat cake in your honor.

The Bear At The Man Cave

As you know, we are staying in an RV park for our duration in Skagway. We've never taken pictures to show you but trust me, it is another interesting thing. Many of the trailers are here year-round (unoccupied for 7 months) and are rented out to college students and other young adults during their summer employment. The trailers may or may not have running water, they may or may not have gas or working stoves, they may or may not have windows or doors but plywood and padlocks "work" so... These trailers are a sight to see but many of the kids feel lucky to have them as there are also many tents. I'm glad I'm not living in a tent for five months. One of the trailers about 30-40 feet from us has a sign on the outside naming it "The Man Cave". Some of the guys drive pedi-cabs through town so we see them quite a bit. When the guys first moved in, they opened the door (I think it does have a door) and tossed everything outside so they could "clean" and arrange it the way they wanted it to be. Their trailer seems to be one that doesn't have any cooking facilities and they build a fire (out of pallets) most nights to cook dinner. Well, last night while they were cooking an uninvited guest called a BEAR showed up. The three guys were so surprised they all stood up and must have appeared large enough that the bear decided to saunter off and cross the railroad tracks and head up the mountain. The railroad track is about 70 feet away. We heard loud noises last night, kind of like gun shots but not really, and wondered what was going on. Well, Bill talks with everyone in town (and he used to be kind of quiet and shy, can you believe it?) and that's how we found out about the story of "The Bear At The Man Cave". The shots are bear sparks or something like that and are designed to scare the bear off. After that, the police cruiser drove through the RV park--not looking for parties and drugs--just bears!!

Tonight we attended a party about 4 RV's away to celebrate Jake's high school graduation. He's spending the summer with Robert and Lynn (his aunt & uncle) and working at Liarsville. He plays cards with us on some Friday nights and is a lot of fun. Another young man from Bulgaria came to the party and taught me some new swear words so I'd say it was a successful evening.

Tomorrow we're getting up early and going on a tour of the hydro-electric plant that supplies the power for Skagway. Stan, the man, is taking us on tour so expect a post on our experience. Some of our new "friends" think we're kind of weird to be excited about that but that's TWTWS...

And, next week is the big 4th of July celebration. We'll have fireworks on Friday, July 3rd because the fireworks "people" go to Haines and do fireworks on July 4th. That's just another little thing that's TWTWS...And, there is a parade on July 4th with the theme of "Happy Birthday Alaska" since we're celebrating 50 years of statehood (me too since I was born here, ya know). Cool, eh?

We're BA-ack...on the internet.

We've been offline for three days. Did you miss us?
Peggie called AP&T on Monday to switch our modem for wifi so Karin could get online without having to get a phone line. Don had checked earlier to see what needed to be done. So...TWTWS...they told Peggie the new modem would be available Wed. Then they called Monday to say it was done, I just needed to come pick it up. Well, I couldn't get in Monday and that night we couldn't access the internet. Tuesday, I picked up the new modem, which Peggie installed that night, but we still couldn't access the internet. I went back Wed morning, and sure enough, SOMEONE had missed the last step in the change over...flipping our phone line back on! So last night we were finally back on, but there is still a problem with Karin's. We will see.
Maybe Alfred Hitchcock visited Skagway. Yesterday, I was taking some folks out to the pier and we saw a couple walking on the road. The man was swinging his coat over his head in an obvious attempt to fend off some birds that were circling overhead. In the foray, both people lost their hats. I thought they were just being paranoid about the birds. But after dropping off my passengers, I picked up their hats and when I did so, one of the birds swooped at me and squealed at me. I returned the hats to the couple, who had taken shelter in the helicopter office. He said one of the birds had slammed his shoulder when they first attacked. When I got home, I looked in my Alaska bird book and I think they were Arctic terns. But I will have to see them again to be sure. It was a bizarre sight and funny, until I spoke to them and realized how frightening it must have been for them.
Up to now my only fear has been bear attacks. People get out of their cars to see a bear that is two leaps from knocking their heads off. Anybody who drives up here should have done some minimal research on the wildlife!
For instance, I have researched black bears, but nothing said if they get mange. We saw one the other day that was going bald on the whole right side. He looked really unhealthy.
Don is heading for Whitehorse today with his truck loaded with tires and wheels. He finally got the OK to get a bunch of tires mounted and balanced. He doesn't know how either customs will react to his load. We joked that the Canadians will turn him back and the U.S. will, too, and he will roam forever in no-man's land.

You never know who you're going to meet.

So you all know that I see Don on the road from time to time. That is because there is only one road, and even though it passes through miles of wilderness, there are a limited number of vehichles and places to pull off the road. Don's truck is distinctive enough and several jeeps in convoy are attention getters so he is easy to spot. My vehicle is an airport shuttle size bus that says "Southeast Tours" above the windshield, so I am easy to spot as well. But I was pretty surprised to see Peggie on the road today. I knew she went to Whitehorse, but I thought the timing of her trip would put us on the road at different times. As I was killing a few minutes at a pullout while my passengers finished their horse ride, I saw our truck, also pretty distinctive, come over the rise. I told Peggie about an event going on in Carcross that she might want to see and that there might be extra traffic in the area as a result. Later, I went through Carcross, the event hadn't started yet, and I didn't see the truck, so I thought she had gone on. However, she drove by when I stopped for a photo op with my passengers. She had stopped to see the native festival, but they were running on "reservation time" and she didn't want to wait all day. She was then in sight off and on ahead of me for quite awhile. In fact, she was pulled over looking at a bear at one point. I may have mentioned before that vehicles stopped in a non-stopping place are usually a bear sighting. It is good to have a spotter in front of you. We made several photo stops and she eventually got too far ahead to see anymore. Then, just after we passed through customs, I saw Don and Karin coming up the hill. So today was the first time all of us were on the road at once, in three different vehicles, and we saw each other. Don and Karin were trying to watch the steam engine coming back down the canyon.
Peggie fixed a delicious pot roast for us all. Whitehorse shopping can be a good thing. While she was doing that, I sat and watched Don manufacture and install basket brackets on Karin's bike. He used a lot of tools, but not the new five-sided wrench. He also ruined a drill bit. But there was no blood, and no trips to the hardware store in the middle of the job. And best of all, the brackets held the basket as intended. Brian called to wish him happy fathers day at some point in the process. We look forward to comments from Brian and Mel.
I am all excited about being in the paper. Today, I found and turned in a cell phone, so I may have two entries in the police blotter.

The bears are hiding out. It isn't just me, all the tours are seeing fewer bears. Everything has leafed out so they are harder to see, and the dandelions they were eating on the roadside have gone to seed and blown away. So now that I've had my third no-bear day, it isn't worth worrying about anymore.
The lupine has replaced the dandelions, there are buttercups, wild roses, and fireweed blooming, along with flowers I don't know. In town, the cottonwood (not the same variety as in Verde Valley) seeds are blowing around like a snow flurry and gathering in little drifts and piles.
The snow on the mountains is mainly in shaded places like north slopes. The solstice is upon us, so the sun will begin seeking out those nooks and crannies. We are having more cloudy days with highs in the low sixties and occasional light rain, mostly at night. This is the weather we expected and want.
Peggie's lettuce patch is providing us with needed greens, and the squash have started to grow.
TWTWS...we got a strange TV cable bill. First, it was addressed to Wm and Don Thomas. Inside were two identical bills, one for each of us. The first dollar amount ($40.00)is for something not quite clear, then 8-9 lines of zeroes and a total of $90 something. Well, I only taught fifth grade math, but that doesn't add up. There is a phone number to call in Haines, but our phones don't get to make that call. Whaddayagonnado?
But still TWTWS...I saw Stan Selmer on the street one day. He is the supervisor at AP&T who I spoke to in the waiting room at the clinic when I had to get my drug test. So I arranged for Don and I to tour the hydroelectric plant in the canyon outside town. It has to be next week because this week he has to attend two funerals that are scheduled for the same time at two different churches.
Peggie and I both have the day off today. So we get to have fun, right after we wash dishes, vacuum, straighten, do laundry, write in the blog, figure out when Becky's birthday is and the myriad other chores that don't get done on work days.
And I have to be Don's second set of hands to replace the microwave he took out and fixed. Good thing he has the right tools. Margie, don't buy Don the five sided wrench, Karin already did! In a variety of sizes, of course.

Happy Birthday, Becky. Mnemonics anyone?

First, let me wish you a Happy Birthday, Becky. Second, I know today may or may not be your birthday. It could be June 22 or June 27 or maybe even another day. My mnemonic device I rely upon to remember has become dyslexic.

A little background here although I think Becky understands. My left-handed children certainly understand. When one is left-handed living in a world designed (MOSTLY BUT NOT ENTIRELY--THEREIN LIES THE PROBLEM) for right-handed people a few mnemonic devices are important. You know, our brains (left-handed people) are wired just a tad bit differently. When we begin a task that is completed just once in a while, we oftentimes have to think about whether this is something that we have to do opposite from right-handed people or is this something that was really designed for left-handed people and we get to do it in the way that feels normal. That might not sound like such a big deal but trust me, each of us does thousands of little tasks each day. For example, I've always thought the sewing machine a perfect tool for left handed people; the needle is on the left side of the machine and the left hand is the primary hand used for guiding the fabrics. I've learned to put a bottle lid on with the saying "lefty loosey--righty tighty" but get annoyed when I have to attach a hose to the hose bib because I have to remember which is the "bottle" and which is the "lid"--hose and hose bib to anyone not following my thinking. I could give you a bunch of other examples but let's face it, you either "get it" or you don't. I can guarantee that my left-handed readers (no, we don't read differently) "get it".

A few years ago I came up with a mnemonic device to remember the exact date of Becky's birthday. The problem is I can't remember which device was the correct one. Is her birthday the "day after Greg's birthday"? Is it "subtract nine from the numeral of my birthday"? Or is it "subtract the numeral of Jennie's birthday from the numeral of my birthday but keep the 2"? Or is it that she is "almost six months older than me but less one day?" Or, is it just the 22nd and I don't have a mnemonic device?

The cool thing is that I think of Becky and wish her a happy birthday, not only on all these days, but for days and days ahead of time as I try to figure out the correct date.

So, Happy Birthday, Becky. I do remember that you're older than me!!

Happy Birthday, Greg

Does thirty really mean anything anymore? I think this may be the first time your chronological age equals your maturity. So have a happy birthday.
The weather here is finally what we expected. Clouds hanging around the mountains, occasional showers, 60 degrees, and some wind. We observe the weather, but we never complain about it, because it is not 100 degrees.
TWTWYT....YT is Yukon Territory:
There is one road out of Skagway. It goes 110 miles to Whitehorse and goes through Carcross, the only other settlement in between. The tour buses from the 14 or so companies pretty much make the same photo stops. So it is not really surprising that I run into Don sometimes. In Carcross there is a general store that advertises itself as "the oldest operating store in the Yukon." It is operated by Ron. Ron likes to talk and he is a wealth of information about the area. Don met Ron and told me I had to also. So I did. Now whenever I take a tour there, I talk to Ron. The other day I saw a map in the visitor center across the street from Ron that I wanted. It was available at the general store. So I got one. When Don saw it, he agreed that it showed the area better than others and decided to get one next time he went to Carcross. Well, he doesn't get out as much anymore, so yesterday I bought him the map. I told Ron's mom not to sell one to my brother because this was for him. Ron's mom does not know Don is my brother. So I told her I'd understand if she sold him one because I am so much younger and better looking she might not see the family resemblance. At the first photo stop south of Carcross, Don stops while I am there. "I understand you have a map for me." It turns out that he had gone to Whitehorse to get a jeep, stopped to buy the map, was buying it from Ron, who mentioned that I had been in, overheard by mom, who said, "Don't buy the map, I just sold one to your brother." Isn't life in the small town great? Don saved 2.99 and now Ron's mom knows we are related and will remember next time I go in.
Oh, by the way, it was my second no-bear day. But it was Janie's birthday and we went out for pizza. We got the 10% locals discount and the 20% birthday discount from our neighbor who was our server at the pizza place. Ain't small town life great?

Happy Birthday, Janie

Today is Janie's birthday. She received balloons and cards at work. Tonight we're going out for pizza to celebrate. We're never sure how late restaurants stay open so if the pizza place closes we'll keep trying until we find a restaurant open.

She ordered her new top-of-the-line embroidery machine yesterday so she's pretty excited about that. Now she has to keep working in Skagway until the end of the season. I'm pretty excited about that. We laugh a lot!!! And she understands when I say my feet hurt. And I understand when she says her feet hurt. Pretty good, eh?

So, Happy Birthday Janie.

"Did you lose your passport?"

That's what Casey asked when she called during our spaghetti dinner last night. No,pat,pat,yes, I guess I did. The Skagway police called her to tell her they had my passport, could she reach me. I went to pick it up this morning before my haircut. Later today Barry called to see if I had gotten the message about my passport. How did he know? He said to call Carrine at the gas station to let her know the outcome. Okay, so I had lost it while pumping gas? I went to get a copy of the bi-weekly paper, in which my little anecdote about tourists was published, and to ask Carrine how she had become involved with my passport. Someone from another tour had brought it in because the office was closed and they wanted her to hold it for me. She insisted they take it to the police. It had been found on the horse trail! Obviously, when I fell on my head, I lost more than my wits. I didn't even know my passport was missing, but already a)someone else rode the same trail; b)they looked down at exactly the right moment; c)they were returning to Skagway; d,e,f...z) I had my passport back in less than 6 hours and I will need it again tomorrow! Sometimes TWTWS is miraculous.

Haines, the day trip.

See the Haines, Alaska 6-6-09 Photo Album for more photos.

On Saturday, the 6th of June, we made a day trip to Haines. It is 15 miles over water on the Lynn Canal. The Lynn Canal is really a fjord that extends 100 miles south from Skagway. To drive to Haines you have to go 359 miles around on the Alaska Highway. When you see the pictures of the mountains, you can see why nobody ever put a road in. Even the power line (electricity generated in Skagway goes to Haines)is laid under the water rather than an overland line. They have a Fast Ferry which doesn't carry vehicles and makes the trip in 45 minutes. We went with Janie and Roger and rented a car over there because it is much more spread out than Skagway.
Haines is not a cruise ship port, so most tourists arrive in RV's or on the regular ferry. Fishing is still a big industry there. Artists of all types have settled there to work undisturbed. As I mentioned, it is not pedestrian friendly. The town is on a penninsula. South of town are residences and a state park that leaves a lot of wilderness undisturbed. North of town is a state park on a lake. Salmon return to the lake in mid-summer, creating a fishing frenzy on the short river to the ocean. Bald eagles and grizzlies also come for the great fishing. Fort William H. Seward (sec of state who purchased Alaska)was built in 1902 as a show of force as we settled the border with Canada. They wanted to align the border to give them access to ocean at Skagway and Haines. And all these years I thought the U.S.-Canada border was a friendly one. Almost all the old buildings have been converted to modern uses. One of the enlisted barracks burned down. The other is awaiting someone with a lot of money to restore it. The fort was decommissioned in 1947. During the war, the soldiers were moved to Anchorage and Haines was left with just a small caretaker detachment. Skagway had a lot of soldiers to work on the Alcan highway, so the area was not abandoned completely. We really liked the area around Haines. Several glaciers feed the inlets on both sides. The waterfalls and water on the way over are pretty, too. We will have to go back to see the museums and art galleries in town.

Peggie's additions: You can tell from the photo album that I really liked the flowers. What a great variety. It's hard to believe that there is so much green growth especially since it all looked so different here just six weeks ago. Roger and Janie had been to Haines in 2004 during the salmon fishing frenzy and they said it was very crowded. We all enjoyed the quiet beauty--okay, the beauty shouted but there weren't a lot of people to get in the way. We ordered fish and chips at a restaurant by the harbor. The combination platter is usually halibut and snapper but they were out of snapper so they substituted salmon. Can you believe it? They apologized!! We weren't disappointed in the least! It was unfortunate that on Saturday the only ferry times were 1:30 to Haines and 7:00 to Skagway. We would have enjoyed more time there. On the way back to Skagway we were standing on the deck feeling the ocean breeze (okay-WIND) and Roger said, "This is the Alaska I wanted to see!" It was a GREAT day.

Okay, Margie, the real story...

What really happened yesterday. This is the unvarnished reality of a day in the life of some members of the I Choose to Work (but I'm actually retired) Club. Our Tucson friend, Aimee, started that club. It's a good one!


Karin had the day off. She had to do laundry, go to the grocery and hardware stores, make a new curtain for one of the windows (and all she had was this cute puffin material) and make spagetti for all of us. This, after she had fallen off of her bike the day before in a place where people might have seen her. Imagine the embarassment! But she is a trooper and she put up a good front.

Don's driving staff is now complete, so his duties should have gotten easier. You know, just management, repairing vehicles, paperwork, and stuff. But yesterday they had too many Canadians in the group. Canadian law forbids them from driving rental cars across the border. So poor Don had to go along to drive a jeep (he hates that) across the border, then ride as passenger (he really hates that) while the Canadians drove, once across. His group only saw two bears and some mountain goats that were far away across a lake. By the time he got home, we were halfway through dinner and he had to catch up. There was just enough salad (from Peggie's lettuce patch) and fresh bread left for him. (Salad, only because we all shared from our plates.) During the day he and Karin found time to go out to Liarsville to see the show and eat at the Salmon Bake. It is a grueling trip of over a mile, across the river and into the woods, so they had to drive! Luckily, they got to do this for free because it is run by the same company Don works for. So the day wasn't all bad.

Peggie's day started with the threat of rain (well, that was the same for all of us) so she had to ride to work in my bus, which I have to bring home everyday. That meant she did not have her bike at work and would have to either walk home on her aching feet or wait for me to pick her up. The real hardship for her was that Janie was off, so she had to work without her and there is less laughter when that happens. Also, Friday is a slow day with fewer ships, so she had to do more stocking and carrying and climbing and straightening and cleaning but had lots of interacting with customers and helping them make decisions. But, she didn't get off on time, so she had to work at 1.5 times the usual rate for the last hour. All the time she must have been fretting about my comfort knowing that I was waiting outside, possibly suffering (more about that) with nothing to do but watch people. And, it is true, she went all day without someone she knew from the outside world stopping by to say hello. Then she had to whip up a salad to accompany the spagetti the neighbors fixed, change clothes in preparation for card playing at Janie's after dinner, and walk all the way around to the other side of Don and Karin's for a dinner she didn't get to fix herself. Oh, the work of it all. After dinner, we went three trailers down to Janie's. When you play cards with Janie, or do anything else with Janie, you have to laugh a lot. She has a way of telling stories that makes everything hilarious. So we laughed for three hours, which put us walking home in the twilight at 11 o'clock, way past our bedtime. Janie and Roger had forced wine and bourbon on us, I think to facilitate the laughter, and then we had to eat cake that Robert and Lynn brought to celebrate their anniversery. Thank goodness we don't play cards for money! We didn't win. (But Peggie did better than ANY OTHER NIGHT OF CARD PLAYING.

Dave and Barry (not the columnist) both had to go to Whitehorse Thursday night, so I had to man the office alone. In the two and a half hours I had to work without getting to wander around town for coffee and pastry, I had to answer the phone four times and complete paperwork with one of the horseback riders I would be taking to Carcross. Can't you hear Peggie playing the violin blues? Because we had such a small group, (5) I asked Joni, the wrangler, if I could ride, also.


On the long drive through this God-forsaken northern wasteland we only saw two bears. And they were eating dandelions way over by the edge of the road at least 10 feet away! We could barely count their teeth as they ate. We only saw two others on the way back under the same awful conditions, so, yes, Margie, I have to be creative in making it sound exciting.\

While horsebacking, I had to ride way at the back where the dust was. My horse thought she should go when and where she wanted. Luckily, she wanted to follow the horse in front of her. As we were approaching the stable, she thought it would be fun to go really fast. So she did. My foot came out of the stirrup, so when she decided to stop going really fast, I didn't stop at the same time. Fortunately, my head impacted the ground first! (And Peggie thinks I'm a bit hardheaded so...)As it was only about 50 yards to the barn, I made the horse walk the rest of the way on the lead rope and refused to get back in the saddle. I am sure I suffered permanent damage from the fall on my noggin. These next two events are proof.

We made the obligatory stop to photograph the Welcome to Yukon sign. Don was there with those numerous Canadians looking at the goats across the lake. When we reboarded to leave I told my group that the other guide was my brother. One of them asked, "Oh, did he come up here, too?" I completely missed the opportunity. I didn't even recognize it until later (when Peggie said it). Honest!

Then, at dinner, I mentioned my 8 a.m. haircut appointment on my day off. Somebody thought that sounded early and I said, "I don't want it hanging over my head all day." If Karin hadn't laughed, I would have missed that one, too.

So, Margie, you are correct. Things are bad here. I hope my brain damage doesn't interfere with my creative writing. I want to continue the charade for the whole summer if we can all just bear up (intentional) under the climate here.

Something big

I have seen bears again. It was just that one time with no bears. I'm glad I decided not to quit. Yesterday I had two couples from Texas and one of the men was spotting goats all over. Then we got to the last stop up in the Tormented Valley and he said, "There's a bear right over here." I had just opened the door and he was first out. I said, "Where?" thinking I would have to get everyone back on the bus. "On the railroad tracks." Okay, they are 150-200 yards away. It was just climbing onto the tracks and I could tell from the head that it was a grizzly! Then he/she walked along the tracks long enough for everyone to see and get photos before dropping back off the other side of the bank. This was a BIG bear. There are four stuffed grizzlies in the exhibit at Carcross, and this one was bigger than any of them. So now I am happy again. I didn't expect to see grizzlies here.
When talking to the Tagish leaders about off-roading on their land, Don was shown a place where a man is carving totem poles in Carcross, and they want people to come watch him work. So today I am going to go there. Everyone else at my work is going to Whitehorse on Friday, so I get to go up to Carcross two days in a row. I will see more bears.
Apparently there was an earthquake on Sunday. We didn't feel it, but other people did.

Just a few notes.

When you don't look at the port facilities, Haines looks like a small mountain community in Northern California or Colorado. The mountains look 14,000 feet tall, but are really 5,000. The glaciers are a giveaway, but you can't see them all the time.
Don and Karin went to Whitehorse Sunday and got her a bike. The shop girls in the family find that biking helps their sore feet at the end of the day. It is currently at the local bike shop for a seat adjustment. Bike makers seem to have decided that making nuts with five sides is good for something. Even Don doesn't have that tool!
So Don and I went to pick up Peggie and Karin after work yesterday because a new cajun cafe opened up. We were waiting on the street when Mark and Monica Nelson came by. Monica is the principal at Coronado. I knew she would be in town sometime, but not when. It is impossible to calculate the odds of running into someone like that. They knew Peggie was in the quilt store so they were headed there. We couldn't spend a lot of time because Monica had lost a crown and was looking for some adhesive, and we had to get to dinner so Don could be on hand when his last tour group returned.
After dinner (and Don checked his people in) we did the only thing desert rats can do. We went to watch the rivers that are flooding due to the rapid snow melt brought on by our heat wave. This is when the long days are good for something besides making lettuce grow. We were properly impressed by the water flow. The inlet is all brown from the silt being carried down. Today I have to ask somebody how the hike and float tours are doing. The float part would be a lot more exciting and fast if they are still doing it. The Taiya River is normally a gentle winding stream, but now is swiftly flowing and spreading out. The usual take-out point is under water.
There is probably something else, but I can't think of it. Later.

It's Harvest Time

 

Karin and I came home from work today and we both noticed how much thicker my lettuce was today compared to yesterday. I had yesterday off and I watched my lettuce grow, took a nap and then watched my lettuce grow some more. I guess it was good for both of us!! This is my freshly washed first harvest of organic lettuce. I planted it two weeks ago yesterday from small plants. Yummy! TWTWS...

Hey, Let's Take The Fast Ferry to Haines!

It's Saturday and Bill and I have the day off. My co-worker Janie and her husband Roger are going to join us as we take the fast ferry to Haines. Let's go to the Skagway Harbor and find the fast ferry.It's got to be somewhere around here....

This looks like a nice little boat to take us to Haines. But no, that's not it.

This one isn't exactly what I had in mind.

Well, this one looks like fun. But no...

Obviously we found something to take us down the Lynn Canal to Haines. It's the fast ferry. I was so busy enjoying myself that I forgot to take a picture of it!!!!

But trust me, it was FAST!

That's just the beginning. Tune in later for more.

I quit....

Today I decided to quit my job. Some people showed up late for the run, then the credit card machine didn't work and I had a bus full of people ready to roll and we ended up getting out of town 30 minutes late for a run that has saddled horses waiting for some, and lunch for the rest. It is a 65 mile drive and if you drive like a maniac you can make up 5 minutes at most.
I can handle all that.
I entertained the waiting busload with all the info we usually give on the in-town tour. This is known as a song and dance. I knew that Dave would inform the people at the other end of our delayed departure and arrival.
No, the coup de gras (is that French for last straw?) was.......no bears!
What is the point of driving 65 miles thru bear country if you get there during afternoon naptime?
So I decided that no bears meant no driving.
Then I realized that the mountains are spectacular in their own right. The lakes are awesome, especially when they are reflecting the mountains like a mirror. The wild flowers are starting a pretty good display. And I enjoy the passengers.
Okay, I reconsidered before turning in my resignation, deciding that as long as the mountains are there, and the lakes hold water, and the plants are colorful, and the people are, well, people,
I could stick it out a little bit longer. But, come on! No bears??? Preposterous!

New arrival !

Karin arrived safe and sound and even enjoyed the small airplane flight up the inside passage. We went over for dinner after Peggie got back from Whitehorse. She had the day off and needed some things. (primarily new fingernails) She saw three bears, for real. Two of them she thinks were Blaze and Cindy, but they didn't stick around and introduce themselves.
Dinner was our newest invention called "What's-in-the-pot." It is never the same as before, but it is always good. You start with ground beef or chicken, then add rice or pasta (any kind) then get creative. The neat thing is the leftovers can be stretched into a completely different meal by adding beans or corn or tomatoes or onions or potatoes or what ever wasn't in the pot the first time. What's-in-the-pot is a good one-pan dinner to use what you have in the pantry. You serve it with whatever bread you have and finish it off with a turnover or cinnamon roll from the bakery.
Karin has discovered the grocery and hardware stores and made necessary changes in the trailer. She found some things Don had 'misplaced' (he blamed it all on Claudia helping him put things away) and saved her cat from the starvation diet Don had been providing. She is now our best hope for getting a blog entry from Don.
The customs agent went over Peggie's purchases with a fine-toothed comb to be sure she didn't bring in any forbidden fruit. Really, fruit not grown in Canada or U.S. is forbidden. It has to have the little sticker.
Don's job is about to get easier. All of his drivers have arrived and started work. The bad news is that he won't be seeing bears or getting tips now that he doesn't have to drive.
Now I have to get dressed and go to work. The problem is what to wear. The heat wave starts today. Predictions are temps in the 80's this week!!!!