Another year gone by.

Okay, not quite. But 2014 (pronounced twenty fourteen) is looming large on the horizon.
Casey left yesterday after being with us from Christmas Eve. Peggie celebrated her birthday Saturday and we went to the movies. We were again able to skype with GajT while opening gifts on Christmas morning. I must again express my gratitude for the techie geniuses who developed skype in time for us to use it with our distant family.
Oh, my pneumonia is cleared up.
We recently saw "Saving Mr. Banks," which made us get "Mary Poppins," a movie neither Peggie nor I had ever seen from beginning to end. Over the years we have seen pieces of it, but never the entire thing. Strange, I know. We also saw "Walter Mitty." That was okay, but the result was that we want to go to Iceland.
We originally thought we would begin the upstairs remodel this coming week, but that is now scheduled for March. We are engaged in selecting tiles, cabinets, hardware, lighting, and paint. It is good to have a little more time for that.
Just a silly observation.... I realize that it has taken seven years for me to adjust my thinking from "school years," to "calendar years."
What the heck?  At the risk of giving ammunition to my sister and other smart-alecks, the use of "two thousand" in expressing any year beyond '09 rubs me like fingernails on chalkboard. I don't know why. It is really a non-important issue. I can trace it to Stanley Kubrik who made 'two thousand one a space odyssey' followed by 'twenty ten the odyssey continues' way before the rest of us thought about how to say the years of the twenty first century.

We actually had an adventure

Yesterday, Peggie and I went to Scottsdale for a follow-up on my pneumonia. It is not gone. So, I have new antibiotics and a new inhaler and instructions to get plenty of rest and drink plenty of liquids and come back in two weeks.
We took Casey's birthday presents and called to take her to dinner to celebrate. She had a date with a friend to screen a movie due out in January. He has a part-time job that involves getting audiences for events like that. So, while we were having dinner, he arranged for us to see the movie, as well. He did the whole thing wordlessly on his smart phone while we ate and talked. The name of the movie is "Lone Survivor" and stars Mark Wahlberg. All I can say is that it is a true story of a SEAL mission in Afghanistan. It is very bloody and intense. But, I recommend it to all for the heroism. Think "Band of Brothers" and "Saving Private Ryan."

When is a cold not a cold?

When it is pneumonia.
The cold I came home from NY with morphed into pneumonia. We stopped at our Dr.'s office in Scottsdale on our way to Thanksgiving in Cottonwood last Wed. Peggie had the appointment, but I asked if they could check out my persistent cough while I was there.
Yep. They could. And I got a breathing treatment, X-ray, shot, anti-biotics and cough medicine. My sneak-in visit was longer than Peggie's scheduled one. I have to go back tomorrow to see how all of that worked.
Aside from the pneumonia, Bill, how was your holiday?
We had a good time. We stayed with (brother) Don and Karin at the house they bought in February. It has a wonderful view of the Sedona red rocks. They have a recliner sofa, so I could sleep in a semi-upright position. Better for the cough. We got to go jeeping twice. We chased around Sat. night trying to find somebody with coverage of the Territorial Cup (ASU v UA football) on TV. Nobody had it. The cable provider in the Verde Valley doesn't provide that channel. Casey was bummed. She has season tickets, and would have been at the game, live, if she wasn't in Cottonwood. At half time, Peggie was able to find a  live-stream. So we watched the Sun Devils absolutely cream the Wildcats. Good news is; if the Devils win one more game, they get to play in the Rose Bowl.
The train derailment in NY was on the line that Greg rides, but was not his train. Still, beginning yesterday, he has to find alternative ways to get to work until they get it cleaned up and repaired.

What is going on?

Have I mentioned The Conspiracy to Frustrate Me that is carried out by nameless, faceless, unknown people somewhere?
I like Wildcats basketball. I like watching the games on TV. I like recording the games so I can fast forward commercials and half-time. Before the season started, I checked the scheduled broadcasts to be sure my cable agreement included all the channels to be used. Two channels, accounting for three games, are not on my plan. Okay. That's why sports bars exist.
Fast forward:  Miraculously, I found that I could watch those two channels, and I was able to set up recordings. No need to go out and spend money. The first of the three games everything went well.
The NIT (I think National Invitational Tournament) is a prestigious pre-season event to which the Wildcats were invited. In fact, the first round of two games were hosted right here at McHale Stadium. I attempted to replay my recorded game about 30 minutes into it. WHAT? It came up as Not Allowed. When I set up the recording, I was receiving and watching that channel. Now, it is not there. Aarrrgh!!
Well, I had noticed on the schedule that it could be live-streamed. It took me a few minutes to figure that out, but was able to watch the remainder of the game that way. So, I canceled the following game and planned to live-stream it, as well. Except, the next game time came, and the tabs and links on the schedule were different. After 15 frustrating minutes (see conspiracy title above) during which I exercised, but did not exhaust my vocabulary, it finally became clear that the live-stream was blocked. Why? What was different?
Never mind. There was a link to listen to the game. So, that is what we did. Listen. As in, no pictures. Remember those days? The World Series on radio. No need to know the color of uniforms, just good play-by-play announcing.
Well, I've been spoiled. I like seeing the action. I like instant replays. I like stopping whenever I want to go to the bathroom without missing anything. I would like TV commentators to commentate less and call the action better, but that ain't gonna happen. I would like the games to be broadcast on channels I get without paying the most expensive premium, but I don't think that is going to happen either.
I am certain the conspirators have access to this blog, and are having a good chuckle right now.

The cold.

There is the cold you feel. Haven't had that yet.
There is the cold you get. Got it.
It was teasing me with its introduction on the plane ride home last Saturday. Julian had it. Greg got it. I smugly thought my recent flu shot would shield me. Hah. Cold viruses (should it be viri?) are not affected by inoculations for flu. (it took me four tries to get inoculation spelled correctly)
So I got it. Got it good. It peaked, I hope, on Wednesday. I had to reschedule my teeth cleaning, and decided to sleep sitting up in the recliner. The recliner I had decided to get rid of. Maybe keep it. We had to leave the TSO concert last night because of my cough. Annoying, that.
But the Wildcats were playing the season opener, so the evening wasn't a total loss, entertainment wise. You can cough all you want at a game on TV. Of course, I don't want to cough at all. Anyway, speaking of the Wildcats, I predict a winning season.  PAC 12 champs, with a trip to the Final Four. The player talent is there. This season is the litmus test for the coach. He has no excuse this year. It is lay the foundation for a Lute-esque dynasty, or settle in as a second-rater. I am pulling for you, Sean. It is time to do TV commercials all by yourself, without Lute doing back-up.
Yes, I am doing all the right things to beat the cold. Plenty of rest, liquids, echinacea and Nyquil.

We have returned once again

New York is beautiful this time of year. We had good weather the whole time. We are glad not to have leaves constantly falling and having to be raked. Actually, everybody in Greg's neighborhood uses blowers. And the blowers are handled by the yard guys once a week. I like it.
We got to have nearly unlimited Julian time, and shuttled Ariana to her myriad activities. In addition to school, she has Japanese school on Saturday, she has ballet class, violin lessons, music skills class, suzuki method lesson, and she practices violin and piano every day. Julian pulls himself up to stand at furniture and walls. He learned to go up stairs, but hasn't mastered going down yet.
Greg was off work the first week, so Peggie helped him clean up the overgrown, abandoned garden while I entertained Julian. We took a three day weekend to Auburn and the Finger Lakes. Greg and Tomoko tried various wines, while Peggie and I watched the kids. Many of the wineries are interesting for the architecture and art, as well as the wine. There was an art quilt (really, fiber art) that opened the Sunday we were there, and one of Peggie's fiber artist friends had a piece in it. The show was quite impressive. And next door was a museum showcasing the area history. Ariana and I enjoyed it first, then brought Peggie over. It was fun for Ariana to lead Grandma through and point out what interested her. She also got to play some tunes on the old piano in one of the rooms. The Auburn area (including Seneca Falls) has a history of civil rights activism. Harriet Tubman lived there. Also, William H. Seward, Secretary of State under Lincoln and Johnson, who purchased Alaska, lived there.
Peggie and I went into Manhattan for two days and a night. We really love the city. We went to the 9/11 Memorial. We walked the High Line for its entire length at sunset. The High Line is an abandoned railroad that carried freight to the west side of midtown. It is elevated, so has no road crossings. It is essentially a mile long linear park.  It is planted with all kinds of flowers, shrubs, and trees, has benches, and has art of all kinds. Street musicians play at several locations, though they were packing up when we went through.
We got half-price tickets to see After Midnight on Broadway. It is a retrospective of the music heard at The Cotton Club in Harlem in the thirties. No play, or story line, just the music of Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, and others. And dancing! Wow!
We also walked across Central Park to see a quilt show at the American Folk Art Museum. Then we went to see Gravity in IMAX 3-D. So realistic, we actually ducked the space debris.
On Halloween, we volunteered in Ariana's kindergarten class. We helped at a station where the kids beaded a necklace, then went along on the costume parade through the halls. All the students lined the hallways and cheered as the Kinders and Firsts paraded through in costume. Then we went Trick-or-Treating with Ariana that night. There is a neighborhood in Briarcliff Manor that does Halloween the way Winterhaven does Christmas in Tucson. It was packed. Of course, we had four adults for two children. Ariana was the pink Power Ranger, and Julian was the world's cutest Superman. I took him to one of the houses for his first treat, which I ate for him. Shh. Don't tell him. It was fun to see Ariana greeting kids from her school as we went around. Reminded us of the days Greg and Casey went around our neighborhood.

Going Dark for a while

Saturday, we are flying to NY. We will be there for two weeks, and I don't anticipate having access or interest in posting. It will be our first visit to GajT's new house and we are excited. Julian is mobile now, so that will add an element of interest and maybe some exercise.
We have actually been busy, sometimes we have been busy trying to avoid actual work. There are chores to do, repairs to make, projects to get to. Oh, well. We are retired. We will get to what needs doing. The rest will wait.
The Red Blue game was fun. Visiting with Janice was fun. Seeing the Wildcats playing makes us excited for the season. When was that not true?
When we get back, I will try to catch up on this. We are hoping all our adventures will be the good kind.

First week home

We arrived home seven days ago.
House was still standing, yard looked great. But wait. One of our shrubs is missing. Not a really big deal, but something to ask landscaper about.
Since we left in April with the upstairs in an uproar, and the downstairs full of the things from upstairs, we couldn't empty the trailer until we set things right. So we carried things back up stairs. Made another Goodwill pile. Threw some stuff away.
Then we could empty the trailer. Then CLEAN the trailer. Wash linens and put them back. Wash dishes and put them back.
We took a truck load of friends to see Aimee's art on display, and to dinner. So the truck had to be emptied. We brought three wheelbarrow loads of rock for the patio. We brought four wheelbarrow loads of rusty things for artistic use. We (unintentionally) brought three cups of gravel, sand, dirt and leaves in the footwells.
It was old home week at the art show. Many former teacher/friends were there, so we had some good chats.
Peggie went to the doctor yesterday and received an injection. Opinion is that Alaska doctors should have been injecting, but didn't.
Maybe tomorrow we will go wash the outside of the truck and trailer and put the trailer in storage for a while.
We are ready to start the basketball season. We have tickets to the Red Blue Game on Saturday. We will get to see the new players for the first time, and get an idea of who to watch. We are taking Janice, who used to have season tickets and with whom I attended most of the games one season. She is another former teacher/friend we have to catch up with.
We definitely avoided 100 degree days. Tonight and tomorrow there is a chance of snow in the mountains.
We still have stuff to put away (where it goes, nobody knows). We are not in routine status, yet. But, we have the spa running and have used it. We have most of our favorite, and some new shows recording. We have several to-do lists started. I've grilled two dinners. We are eating healthy again. Experts say you can't catch up on lost sleep, but I think that is what we are doing. Afternoon naps. Siestas. Snoozes.
We are very happy not to have had any baaad adventures on the way home. In fact, the travel was so much fun, we want to do more of it. But not just yet.

Once more in warmer climes.

We arrived home today. Had lunch at El Rey in Globe for the first time in six months. So good.
Almost 3800 miles in 14 days. Not really hurrying. In fact, the red roads turned out to be the most fun. Slow and scenic.
Speaking of miles: slightly more than 3500 on the way up, about 2000 on the truck over the summer, over 16,000 bus miles for me, about 10,000 for Peggie. That's about 1 and 1/2  times around the world in six months.
We had good meals at local restaurants along the way. We had the worst restaurant meal ever at the lodge outside Glacier NP. Non-existent service, under-cooked eggs (yuck), nearly raw bacon, blah bread (toast), so-so coffee. And a great meal at Sparky's Garage in Dillon, MT. BBQ beef brisket, short ribs, pulled pork, and chicken with corn bread, beans, and fries. Took home leftovers for another meal. Went back for breakfast the next day, and had the same waitress. Very good Mexican food in Gallup at Jerry's. Not too hot, which is good in New Mexico, where they don't know what a mild chile is. Good corned beef hash in Dubois, WY. Breakfast pork (uncured bacon) at 7-11 Ranch Cafe in Vernal, UT. Oh, I asked the manager at Smith's for a breakfast recommendation and was taken aback when he suggested 7-11. But he was right.
When shopping for gas by price, watch out in MT, WY, and NM, they have 85 octane advertised, but my truck requires 87, which can be anything from 10 to 20 cents more than the big sign out front. And why can't they put a sign on the pump warning you that it will stop at $75 if you are using a credit card? At nearly four dollars a gallon, $75 doesn't fill it up.
Well, at least we are home. Bathroom sink wasn't draining until I cleaned the trap. Kitchen sink was squirting all over until I tightened the valve screw. Toilet tank wouldn't fill until I re-attached the disconnected flap valve. How do these things happen when they haven't been used in six months? Refrigerator cooled right done, A/C cooled the house down, gas BBQ fired right up, and getting internet only took Peggie 45 minutes on the phone.

Dinosaurs

Last night we stayed in Vernal, UT. It is 20 miles outside Dinosaur National Monument. But you'd never know it. Nearly half the businesses in town didn't even mention dino, dinosaur, fossil, or bones in their business name. Some businesses didn't even have dinosaur statues out front, or on their signs. In a gift shop attached to the restaurant where we had breakfast, they had t-shirts, figurines, glasses, and stuffed animals that were NOT dinosaur related. But you had to look for them.
What they had, were flowers. The city plants flowers all along every business street, every 30-50 feet or so. Beautiful. It looks like spring. Huh. What do you suppose Vernal means in, say, Latin?
Okay. Dinosaur National Monument. WOW! WOWSA! WOW!
Over 400 individual dinosaurs were buried in mud along about 400 yards of ancient river bed, 149 million years ago. Exactly. About 50 yards of the mudstone and fossils are on display in a big glass building. They are partially exposed. The mudstone is now at a 60 degree angle, having been uplifted 50 million years ago, along with the rest of the Rockies. I tried to imagine how excited the discoverer must have been when he realized what he had found. Besides a lifetime of job security. Here it is more than 100 years later, and people (note the use of the plural form) are still spending careers working with these fossils. And semi-bored park rangers are just glad to have jobs. To be fair, they did perk up if you asked interested, intelligent questions. Or, I think they would have, if I had come up with one.
Then we headed south. Deer and antelope play here, but no buffaloes (bison) that we saw. Magpies, ravens, and a variety of hawks and falcons fly hither and yon.
Tonight we are in Clifton, near Grand Junction. We will make it to Cortez tomorrow. Unless we don't.

Lava Mountain Resort

Just a quick note, as we are ready to leave.
Detoured through Grand Teton NP yesterday. Large bison herd, many scattered antelope, finally saw some deer by the road at dusk, convinced us it is time to stop before we run over one. Voila, an RV park. Sort of.
Jackson and Jackson Hole deserve a more extensive return visit. As does Glacier/Waterton NP, Grand Teton, and Yellowstone. We love this area. Very pretty. Prosperous towns.
They have a summer season 'til mid Oct. Close. Reopen for winter sports Dec.-Mar. Close. Reopen May for summer tourists. Interesting.
Going south into western Colorado. May stop at Dinosaur NP. Red roads all the way.

Fog Blodder, and other random thoughts.

Driving leaves lots of time for random thoughts
You know the whole "glass half empty/half full" debate? It is supposed to indicate pessimism or optimism. Malarkey. I have always contended that it depends on whether you are filling it or emptying it. Either way, you are half way to completing the task. A random glass on a table with water at the half way mark is half of a glass of water. No gloom and doom, no rainbows and sunshine involved.
But, that came up today in Montana. Twice, people remarked to us that it "is getting too cool." Once, we were sitting at a sidewalk table having a snack and drinks, and once we were at a scenic overlook. Both times we chuckled and replied that for us "it is getting warmer" since we are returning from Alaska.
So, just like the glass, it depends on which way you are going. We are anticipating reaching the point when we can stop wearing three shirts and the occasional jacket, and the Montanans are just starting to wear more.
We actually counted the wood bison. Eighty four of them were in one bunch on both sides of the road. We had to drive veeerry slowly between the two for fear they would behave like cattle and cross in front of us. The other thirteen were all bulls alone or in pairs scattered along 20 or so miles of road. The bison hang out in the right of way where the trees have been cleared so the grass grows well. Lots of warning signs.
Today we had two negative experiences. Breakfast was the worst we can remember having. Both the food and the service. Then we were informed that the "Going to the sun" road was closed for the winter already. So no Glacier National Park. Some (pessimists) would see the half empty glass. But after some driving on US 89 to the interstate, then some interstate (until one of the above referenced Montanans pointed out a two lane alternate) for a while, we altered our plans and took red roads the rest of the day. So now we are looking for more red roads. Today, for instance, we saw more deer than we could count. Literally. The best I could estimate would be 150, give or take 25.  Both mule and white-tails. They were belly deep in some fields. They were not all together. But often there was no shoulder, so we couldn't stop to count. We also saw a flock of large white water birds we have yet to identify. They were lying down, so we couldn't see legs, but the beaks looked like pelicans or cranes. We also saw antelope a few times. Also hard to count at highway speed.
And fishermen! The alternate we took followed the Missouri for miles. Fishermen in boats, fishermen in waders, fishermen on the banks. Sometimes with deer on the opposite bank.
And scenery!!! The Rockies always in view, sometimes distant, sometimes near, sometimes all around us. Snow covered down to 4000'. I know because we went higher than that at one point and the snow was 4-5 inches deep. Beside the road, not on it. We enjoyed the small towns (above referenced sidewalk snack) and farms and ranches and mountains and trees and rivers and wildlife and the Big Sky.
I forgot the bear! Last night I went to use the park restroom. It was dark out. On the way back to the trailer I stopped to chat with our neighbors who had a fire going. They are also returning from Alaska, but I digress. While chatting with them, at their site, next to ours on one side and the aforementioned restroom on the other, an excited Chinese man hurried from the bushes near the restroom shouting, "Bear, bear." We all replied, "Where?" "There, I have picture." And he pointed at the bushes next to the restroom I had just vacated minutes before. I ran to the truck to get my spotlight. When I returned, the man was showing his picture of the bear running away from the restroom building. I used my spot, but apparently the bear had left the area. Thank you very much. Now I wonder, "What if I had walked left around the building, instead of right?" Answer: bear. In my path. In the dark. Ahhhhh!!! I much prefer my bears to be outside my nice safe bus, than outside my dark restroom. With me on foot.
As we were driving along the Missouri, I realized that Lewis and Clark traveled that exact stretch of river only 209 years ago. We practically waved at each other.

Back in the USA, lower portion

Apparently, somebody failed to mention in an earlier post that Peggie "helped" deliver a baby goat at Caribou Crossing in August. She noticed a goat in obvious distress, correctly diagnosed the distress as kid delivery and ran to notify responsible employees. Then she watched as two young ladies helped the goat deliver what was the first for all three (two girls and a goat) of them. Then a second one, which, unfortunately only lived a few days. The first born, Peggie later got to name Sammy. He is very cute (for a goat). When it was time for the season to end, they teased (half seriously) that Peggie should take Sammy home. Luckily, we have HOA restrictions on farm animals. Not to mention whatever red tape is involved in importing foreign animals.
We are now in Montana, outside Glacier National Park, which we will tour tomorrow. We visited Jasper and Banff National Parks over the last two days. We were snowed on in Jasper, but the road stayed clear. On our way through Canada we saw Wood Bison (97), deer (12), Bighorn Sheep (17), elk (1) caribou (2), mountain goats (6) and lots and lots of beautiful landscapes. We encountered three gas stations in a row that were out of gas (why you always top off when you can), spent a night cold camped at a pull-out, and enjoyed a restful dip in Liard Hotsprings.
Crossing the border into Montana was a breeze, they didn't even act like we might be smuggling. Pulling away from the inspection station we counted a dozen deer grazing on the hill, and didn't count a herd of bison just down the road a ways. The Rocky Mountains on both sides of the border have new snow down to 5000 feet, and lower in some places.
Have I mentioned that gas is expensive in Canada? We paid as much as 1.69 per liter. And we were glad to get it. Nearer the border it dropped to 1.12, and here in Montana it is 4.20 per gallon. Yikes!

Alarming news.

We set the alarm last night, and it went off this morning........for the last time.
Tomorrow we will wake up naturally, hook up, and pull out.
Ahhhh. Retirement.
But first, one final tour. Will we see bears?

The Dark Ages

Last night we were out listening to live music fairly late. 10:00PM.
When we got home we looked up and saw......STARS!!
Yep, first ones this fall. It is the combination of darkness, and staying up (sorta) late, and no cloud cover. Which, this time of year is unusual. We are hoping for some open sky tonight, because we will be out kind of late again, and the Aurora Borealis is forecast to be active. So, if we see stars we will know there are no clouds and we can go up the pass to see the full display of northern lights. And that will mean staying up really late. Luckily, no work Sat. or Sun. Gotta love the end of the season.
Speaking of which, we will be leaving a week early. The last three ship days are so lightly booked that we were given the option to leave sooner. We will depart on 9/20 instead of 9/26. We still want to see Jasper and Banff National Parks and Glacier National Park. And we hope to beat winter to the draw and get out before snow hits the roads. So far, when driving south, we have always encountered snow. I like that. Always. Both times.
So we will see you all sooner than we thought.
Peggie just told me we do have to work a little tomorrow. But no driving. So we can be tired.

Skagwindy

The rain comes and goes, but the wind comes and blows.
The wind began to blow in earnest last Monday. It hasn't stopped.
It isn't too cold, though. Yet.
Peggie went horseback riding today with our friend Heidi. They went to Dyea and rode on the beach at Long Bay. They had a good time. Heidi gave instruction on proper riding technique, so Peggie felt comfortable in the saddle. You all remember what happens when I ride, so I stayed home to clean house. I did not get thrown by the vacuum cleaner. And I was home to skype with Gaj. T was at the store.
Tonight we took Heidi out for burger madness as a thank you, then she gave us a tour of the historic building her mother is renovating. We had had the tour two years ago, but more work has been done. They are using hundred year old wood salvaged from other local buildings, so it is going to look great. We want to move in.

Things must be dull here.

It has been a week, and I haven't written anything.
Could things be that dull?
Well, we are both still fighting that cold that laid us low, and won't go away, so we aren't taking any exciting trips.
But, on my last day off I drove up to see what the scavengers have done to the road-kill moose. It is gone but for a few bones and some hair. So the scavengers had a feast. Then I took a short hike into the forest to find a lake I saw on a map. It is tiny, and surprisingly, it is man made. I decided it must have been created as a water source for the former eagle rehab center that used to be there. It looked like moose habitat, and I saw plenty of moose tracks in the mud. But I have never seen a moose very near there. So go figure.
Today while looking for moose at Moose Flats I saw a pair of swans instead. So it must be time for them to be migrating back south. I wonder how long they will hang around before moving on.
Last Sunday was typical Skagway. The manager of the grocery store was marrying one of the cashiers, so the store was closed all day, and the entire town was invited to the reception at the Elks. Which included free food. Only a few hundred attended. That is nearly the entire town.
In just three weeks, we head for home. Huh. Another summer shot. Wish he had done something interesting.

Another day on the road.

Peggie took her bus to Whitehorse today for some alignment and tire work.
I had another day on the road.
We stopped to take photos at the Yukon border sign. We had our photos (only six people) and were leaving when somebody asked what those birds were across the road. They were ptarmigan. Six or seven coming out of the shrubs and pecking at some squashed road kill. Then they all rushed into the shrubs again. So we turned to go again. But as we did, I spotted a bald eagle about 200 feet above us, soaring in our direction. So I pointed it out. (One of the ladies wanted nothing from the day, but to see a bald eagle.)
You know how birds soar. Wings spread wide, tail twisting slightly to adjust yaw. She (he?) slowed to a stop above the highway, nearly overhead, then slowly turned counterclockwise as we all turned to follow her progress. She turned 180, came back over, blinding us as she passed the sun, then completed the circle and landed on a rock face across the road. Briefly. She spread her wings and dropped off the rock, soaring again counterclockwise right over our heads, now maybe 30 feet above us. She slowed to a stop across the road where the ptarmigan hid, pinned her wings back, dropped toward the shrubs, extended talons, spread wings. We (at least I,) held our breath. She was going to grab a ptarmigan! Nope. She flapped her wings and lifted up and away. Another counterclockwise spin, even lower over our heads. Hover, pin wings, drop, extend talons, abort the raid three feet off the ground. (Now look out your front window, imagine this is happening across your street.) Again. This time over our heads so low we all remarked that we could feel the wind from her wings. Really, we all swore we could. This time, she finished the swoop, grabbed the road kill that the ptarmigans had been after and took it first to a tree, then immediately up to the rocks.
Wow. What a treat. I got the idea she was showing off for us. Look what I can do. And you can't.
I briefly considered grabbing my camera, in case she caught a ptarmigan, but I didn't want to miss anything while I did it. So I didn't.
Another day on the road.

The trouble with coins....

....is that they have a flip side.
Friday night I realized I was getting Peggie's cold, just as she is getting over it. Yesterday, I needed to go to Whitehorse to find a ranch. On Monday, I am to drive a tour of horseback riders for the TV show "Best of America by Horseback." I have done so twice before, but that was to the ranch where we regularly took riders just outside Carcross. I have never been to the ranch outside Whitehorse, and even with Google and Mapquest to help, I felt the need to drive the road and get the timing figured out. So Peggie drove us while I fought the cold. Today, I intend to sleep a lot. Hopefully, tomorrow I will feel up to the drive.
We saw a bald eagle fly low over the truck. We saw a blacktail doe by the road on the way home. That is only my third deer, and Peggie's first up here.
Rainy season is in full swing. Temperatures are cool again. Every time the clouds part I am surprised there is no new snow on the upper peaks. Leaves are yellowing rapidly.

A mixed bag.

Today, Peggie stayed in bed. She has caught a baaad cold and can hardly breathe. She cannot drive and blow her nose at the same time, and talking makes her throat sore, so she decided she needed rest. And she did. She slept most of the day. She expects to work tomorrow.
But I had a great day. Working for tips is pretty cool. Frequently, somebody tells you what a good tour it was and gives you a great tip. Sometimes the tip doesn't matter at all. Like today.
I had an old Russian/Israeli couple who spoke not a word of English and their Russian/American daughter. Both through the daughter and by observing them, I could see that they were having a good time. But my day was made when they stepped off the bus. The old man (70 something) held out his hand, looked me in the eye and said, "I don't speak English. That was a great tour." While his wife smiled and gave me a thumbs up. The daughter said over his shoulder, "He has been practicing that all day."
Yeah.

So, how was my birthday?

I got "Happy Birthday" greetings from my passengers as they got on the bus. I thought it was because Peggie had picked them up at another dock and told them when she brought them over to my dock. But then it became obvious that that wasn't it. Then I discovered that she had taped a "Happy Birthday,  Bill" sign in my bus where they would all see it. So that was cool.
Then I got to Caribou Crossing and got "Happy Birthdays" from people there. Then, I was eating lunch when from behind me I heard "Happy Birthday to you......" and I turned to see half the crew singing and bringing a piece of cake with a candle on it. Peggie had gotten there before me. Then, I got hugs from all the pretty girls. So that was cool.
When I returned to the shop after tour, there was an envelope for me. A gift certificate at my favorite coffee shop from the rest of our crew. So that was cool.
We had previously decided to have king crab for dinner for my birthday. It is expensive, but you only turn 65 once. It isn't like 39. We started with Dennis' famous marguaritas. Then Casey called to tell me she had sent me an Amazon gift card and suggested some music we might like. So that was cool.
We had finished dinner and were on our second round of marguaritas when our boss and his wife came in for dinner. They bought the next round for us, while they had their dinner, then invited us over to enjoy a bonfire and more marguaritas. Well, after two marguaritas, nothing sounds as good as a third. So, sure. When we tried to settle our substantial tab, we were informed that it had been taken care of. Nice gift. So that was cool.
At 1:30 we decided it was time to go home. Luckily it is only a three block walk. Next day we got to sleep until 11:00. So that was cool.
Then Greg and Julian skyped with us for a while. Julian didn't say much. But, still, that was cool.
(Just fyi, Tomoko and Ariana were sleeping off some jet lag having just returned from Japan.)
So I had a good birthday.
Good thing, too, 'cause I'm nearly old.

Happy Birthday, Bill

I remember falling in love with a young 20-year-old boy who, it seems, turned 65 just a few short years later! Still love that "boy" and looking forward to celebrating many more milestone birthdays.

Happy Birthday, Bill

I wish myself a happy 65th.
This is the last birthday with significance attached to it from outside. Only because of Medicare, since I already retired and I already get Social Security. So from now on birthdays will just be what they are: celebrations of living another year. Well, if I live to be 100, that will be significant.
Tomorrow Peggie is taking me out for king crab. Fresh Alaskan King Crab. Served up hot and buttery right in Alaska. And the next day is off, so we might have an adult beverage or two.
Today, I took a jeep to Whitehorse for a new windshield and saw two bears on the way home. Peggie took her regular tour and saw another moose in Tormented Valley. That's two in two days. Both in places where I have not heard of moose being before. It is fun having her doing tours and getting to see these things.
Yukoners are celebrating my birthday, also. They call it Discovery Day and take a three day weekend. (The klondike gold was discovered on Aug. 16, 1896.)

What I didn't see.

Yesterday was a good animal sighting day. I saw a mountain goat, I saw two bears, one of them was a long look. What I didn't see was a big, bull moose, with a large rack of antlers swimming across Lake Bernard, climbing out and shaking like a big dog, and walking away as if it owned the place. But Peggie did. With a busload of pleased tourists.  I also did not see two cubs up a tree. I didn't see the mama bear shake the tree, then climb 15 feet up and swat a cub, then climb 5 more feet and grab the second cub and shake it, then shinny down, followed by two chastised cubs. But Bryan did. I did not see a bald eagle in a dead tree so close you could walk up to it. Which then took flight right overhead displaying a five foot wingspan, while a professional photographer took pictures (which will be emailed). But Peggie did.
On the other hand, I did not see 100+ on the thermometer. But Casey did.

Never a dull moment

Okay, there are some dull moments. But.....
On Wednesday another driver (different company) who lives near us told us he saw a car hit a moose on the highway.
One, he saw a moose. Rare enough to be cool.
Two, he saw the moose hit by a car. Sad for the moose and the car, but cool for the witness. (No human was harmed in the telling of this story.)
Three, the car didn't stop.
How in the world do you HIT A MOOSE and just keep driving?!
The moose rolled over the top of the car, landed on its feet and limped off the road.
So yesterday this driver went looking for the moose to see if it survived. It did not. He found the carcass just off the road. So today, Peggie and I had some off time (tomorrow is actually our day off) so we drove up there and found the carcass, too. It is a calf. When we told customs what we were going to do, she told us the mother had been hit by a car and conservation officers worried the calf wouldn't survive alone. Apparently, he didn't.
Tonight, I was outside talking with this driver when the police pulled up. They wanted the story because the car was returned to Avis with dents and broken windshield, but the driver did not report the damage. He just dropped the car off and got on his ship and sailed away! Does he (she) think nobody knows who rented that car? Does he (she) think to just get away with it? Is this person even thinking at all?
Or maybe he (definitely a he) is embarrassed by the brown, smelly stain on the driver's seat.
Ethical question: do I count the carcass as a moose sighting? Peggie and I both saw it, so we would stay even.
I must admit, I like knowing where there is a moose carcass. And that it is well enough hidden that nobody is going to stumble on it accidentally. So later I can go see it again and watch the decay and scavenger activity over time.
On another subject: Peggie went to gas up tonight and the lady at the station gave her a bag of fresh-caught-today-in-the-harbor shrimp. Never having had such a thing before, she looked up a YouTube video on how to clean and prepare them. Bryan, neighbor and fellow employee (driver) headed and de-veined them and Peggie grilled them. I don't care for shrimp all that much, but they said they were good.
Today was a good day.

Second day off in a row.

This is the first time this season we had two days off consecutively, together. So I was wondering: Is there such a thing as two in a row? Seems like it would take at least three to form a row. If you put two pennies on the table, is it a row? Do two stars form a row? Yeah, I know we talk about two in a row all the time. Doesn't mean it makes sense.
We did laundry and other chores, then headed to Montana Mountain. We got a late start, so picked up lunch in Carcross and had a Thomas picnic at the beaver pond we call the moose pond about four miles up.
Then we did some butt-busting for three hours and turned around at the 12.5 mile point because it was 5 pm. Peggie took the wheel and drove us back down. I was on the downhill side, so I spent the time wishing for a narrower wheel base and a wider road. The only wildlife we saw was a mountain goat that ran down the road ahead of us. We remarked on the lack of snow on the mountain. Last time there were large snow patches and it was later in the summer than now. We didn't even need jackets. Coming down is always faster because we don't stop to look at things as often. We made it all the way home in only three and a half hours.
I don't remember if I have talked about the road construction. Yukon did some paving and chip sealing in the first five miles of road over the border. The first mile is good asphalt. Then the rest is chip seal. At first, they did a regrind on the old asphalt and laid that down. For two weeks in June we had to use oil remover and hand scrub the buses to get the oil/dirt mixture off. Then they laid down oil and gravel and we had major dust and loose surface for a month. One car slid off the road on a gravelly curve and took a few rolls. Nobody hurt. Finally, they swept the gravel and now the lines have been repainted. The road is finally in good shape.
Julian is six months old today. Way to grow, Julian!

Speaking of rare events.....

It is July, the busiest month of the season, and today is a no-ship day. The town is deserted. I did my laundry first thing this morning. The gas station, the pizza station, the book store, the hardware store, the grocery store, and the Sweet Tooth Cafe are open. Except for the weather, it is like winter here.
The Southeast Alaska State Fair is happening in Haines, so the ferry between is busy with everyone here having the day off. Our company is throwing a big picnic in Dyea today. Hopefully, some bears will attend.
Or better yet, will hold their own picnic on the creek, and leave us alone.
We had a good time doing the Bill and Peggie show yesterday. We took a grocery sack of smores popcorn to the crew at Caribou Crossing to thank them for participating in our anniversary celebration on Thursday. I had called them when Peggie left on her tour and asked that everyone wish her a Happy Anniversary. They all did. Even singing to her and giving her a bouquet of wild flowers. She got hugs and kisses. When I arrived I got handshakes and good wishes. No hugs. No kisses. And the girls there are pretty. Sheesh.
But we saw two bears yesterday. Very good since bears are rare events this month, too. And the cook gave us several pieces of left-over bbq chicken. And we went shopping and spent $184 dollars of gift shop credit we earn when our passengers buy optional activities at Caribou Crossing. And we still have almost half a season to earn more credits. Cool.
Smores popcorn is caramel corn drizzled with melted chocolate and melted marshmallow cream and allowed to harden. Oh yeah! It is!

Happy Birthday, Don

Okay, I messed up with Dick, so I am getting in a day ahead with Don to even things out.
He is too old to make jokes about.
Today I had a great moose sighting. She stayed and watched us watching her instead of running off. For such a large animal, they sure are spooked easily.
Tomorrow we are going to revive The Bill and Peggie Show. We are going to tell the passengers that we are celebrating our anniversary by doing the tour together. This time Peggie will be driving one of the regular buses in anticipation of taking the CDL driving test next week. She wants me to talk so she can concentrate on driving. I want her to drive so I can concentrate on talking. A marriage made in heaven.

Happy Anniversary, Us.

Tomorrow will be 43 years since we tied the ol' knot. Funny it only seems like a lifetime. We were mere children or we couldn't be married that long and still be this young.
Yesterday was a good day for bears. We saw a sow with two cute little cubs and she sent them up a tree where we could enjoy watching them climb. They are very good at it. Then she tried to follow, but she was too big or something because she only got three feet off the ground. I mean, she had one of her four still on the ground. The cubs went all the way to the top branches. I was not sure if she was scared of us, or the other bear we saw 100 yards up the road.
In the evening we (Peggie and I) went to Dyea to look for grizzlies. On the way out we watched a humpback in a place called Long Bay. The whale was so close to shore we could have thrown rocks at him. We wouldn't have hit him, but we could have thrown rocks. This was the closest we have seen a whale, including the times we saw them from boats. There were no grizzlies, but the eagles gave us a good show.
Today I saw Peggie's grizzly by Windy Arm. By Peggie's, I mean one she has seen and photographed before.
Oh yeah. One of our drivers quit so we have been short handed. Our friend and favorite bartender, Dennis, is going to take her place next week if he passes the CDL test tomorrow.

Busman's Holiday

Yesterday there was only one tour so we decided to let Bryan take it and we would take the day off. Then we decided to ride along so we could see it as our passengers see it. Also, another employee who just got her passport was going. We would make a party of it. It was fun, but no bears. And it rained the entire time.
We did see Dall sheep for the first time since early May.
When we came back, we all went out for Burger Madness (burgers & fries for $10. 95 instead of $15.95).
Then Mary, Joseph and I went to Dyea to look for bears. Peggie and Bryan can't stay up past 8:30 so they stayed home. And we saw Bruiser. He is the extra large bear I think of as my Sunday morning bear. Last time we were up here I often went out on Sunday morning and there he would be at the mouth of the creek. And that is exactly where he was last night. He is the second largest grizzly I have seen, but I have seen him often, whereas the larger one, I saw only once. One thing about Bruiser is that you cannot get closer than a quarter mile most of the time. He rarely moves to a closer position. I can't (won't) drive closer because I don't want to take a chance of getting stuck on the tidal flats.
So now I will be willing to lose an hour's sleep more often since the bears are back in Dyea. And since we live at the same place where we wash our buses, it is easy to immediately was the Dyea mud off the truck when I get home.

Bushwhacking

For the second time in my life I went gold panning. Or prospecting, since there was no gold. I went with two friends, since we had the day off and Peggie was in Anchorage. We went to Dall Creek where an acquaintance has a claim we can use. Same place I went before. There is no trail. Not even a path. The creek falls rapidly, so it is uphill going in and the undergrowth, and the overgrowth, are very thick. The canyon narrows in some places so you have to cross the creek several times. Dry feet? Forget it. Slippery rocks? Oh, yeah. Thorn bushes? Yep. Spider webs? Uh huh. Fresh, ripe raspberries? Just pick & eat. Other berries? Don't eat 'm if you don't know 'em. Watch for bears. They eat 'em.
Once again, it is fun to do, no gold required. Being that far into wilderness, running water, picnic food, having an adventure, it's all good.
We did see a bear on the way there, in a place where bears are less common, and none of us had seen this one before. A bald eagle delighted us with a low fly over when we came out of the creek.
Went out to Dyea to see grizzlies last night, but only a few salmon are in the creek and the bears were no show. Later this week we will try again.

First of the second.

Half, that is. Today is the first day of the second half of the season. Yesterday was Moratorium Day. Unfortunately, Moratorium Day is not "officially" sanctioned. Too bad. Because on Moratorium Day there is a moratorium on law enforcement, rule following, and just being reasonable. That means you can (should be able to) run down tourists who walk blindly into your path, answer dumb questions (or even good questions) with comic answers, provide false facts about the gold rush (like the whole thing was started as a story in a silent movie).
So yesterday I (imagined I) ran over three tourists who walked right out in front of me as I was leaving a stop sign. I was already moving, and they stepped right in front of me. That is just the sort of thing that makes you want a moratorium. I explained the large boulders at the quarry by calling it the prison yard where the absence of small stones proved Skagway's low crime rate. And of course I told the morning tour that the water pipe at Pitchfork Falls was keeping the falls flowing.
I had a good time with it, eventho it is not "real."

New (this year) stuff

Yesterday some whales appeared in the harbor. We heard it first thing in the morning and I was able to watch them for a while during the day, then we both went down in the evening and watched. The harbor was also full of boats. Apparently the salmon are in the harbor waiting for whatever the signal is that starts them up the creeks for spawning. So we wondered if some third thing attracts both the whales and the salmon at the same time.
But the excitement isn't about the salmon, it is the fourth thing. Grizzlies. Yep, salmon means grizzlies. Within the next week, we will be able to head to Dyea and watch the bears.
Speaking of bears, I had a fun sighting today of a sow with two tiny cubs. The cubs were tumbling around like puppies (or cubs) and fell off a rock. Too cute. On the 4th, Peggie saw a grizzly on tour and her passengers emailed her the good photo they took of it. And told her it was the best tour they had ever had.

Missed adventure

Sunday's attempt at Panacea was only partially successful. We had a wonderful time and saw some great scenery. But, we did not make it to the top. Back in '09 Don tried to take us up there in an ATA jeep and we spun out on a wet, loose rock section. Sunday, we spun out in the exact spot in the truck. Believe it or not, there is a very recognizable rock in the road, so I know the spot. I want to try again later when the road will be dry. This is a time when I miss the locker on the jeep.
We examined the core sample stack and saw that the boxes are stamped with dates in '02 and '03. And our memories tell us that they have been rearranged and possibly some stacks have been removed. ???
Today both of us took tours up to Caribou Crossing. It was the calmest (no wind) day I have yet seen. Peggie has posted some pictures on facebook of Summit Lake. This is the only time I saw Summit Lake, Tutshi Lake, and Windy Arm all mirror-like. And they stayed that way all day. Normally the wind will come up by afternoon. Not today. Silly me, I told myself I didn't need pictures, so took none.
Monday, I saw a moose standing on the edge of Emerald Lake. Previously, I have seen bears from the overlook, and the wrangler where we used to take riders near there told me they had trouble with moose spooking the horses, but I hadn't seen moose in that area before. We drove around to that side, but the noise must have spooked her because we only saw tracks in the mud when we got there.
Yesterday's after-work rumor was that the train killed a sow who tried to cross the track to her cubs at the last second. Every one responded, "Oh, now the cubs will die, too." We don't know where this supposedly happened, or if it was one of the bears we have all seen or not.

Happy Birthday, Margie

It is always nice to have a birthday on a non-work day. Perhaps you can get that husband of yours to fix Sunday breakfast for you. I must admit, he fixes a darn good breakfast.
We are going up to the mountains again today. This time to Panacea, past Mineral Mountain on Tutshi Lake. It looks like the weather will cooperate with us. We would like to see some bears, but previously have seen Dall sheep and mountain goats up there.
This past week has been a lot of late nights. Good live music three nights in a row. Really good live music. Now things go back to normal.
Ah well, we get to look forward to Moratorium Day next Monday.

BOOM! POW! AAAHH!

Happy Birthday, USA.
We decided to sleep last night, instead of attending the fireworks. We missed the display, but made the right decision. We awoke at 11:11 when they started, and fell asleep again at 11:30 when they stopped. It sounded like a good, constant display. Getting up to go drive all day was easier for having slept.
Today is the parade and other activities. We will miss most of them while on tour. In Canada.
Oh well, we missed Dick's birthday, I guess we can miss this one.

Happy (Belated) Birthday, Dick

I can't believe I let such an auspicious occasion pass without comment. I mean, Dick is OLD.
How old is he? Well, I'll tell you how old he is: He's so old he wasn't allowed a cake due to the extreme fire danger.
He's older than that joke. He's older than I am.

Up the mountain

Today was the first day we both had off together since the snow has melted on the road up Montana Mountain. So, of course, we went up the mountain. The truck performed every bit as well as the jeep. I only had to adjust the truck's width inward on one short stretch. Most users of the road are ATV's so you can't keep a full size truck on the tracks unless you suck it in a little.
Unfortunately, it is a three day weekend for Canadians (Canada Day is 7/1) so too many people had the same idea. That means no bears or caribou to see. And some tight squeezes for passing. But it should come as no surprise that we found interesting rust and rocks to bring home. And we did see one bear on the way home. Traffic on the road was also heavy, and Skagway is full of Yukoners taking time off. We will both probably encounter heavy traffic on tour tomorrow as they all head back north. So, again, probably no animal sightings.
Everything that gets green is green. Flowers are outrageous, and the fireweed is just starting, so it will get even better. The lakes are at peak levels and the greens and blues in the water are really pretty. Today, visibility was unlimited, so a good day to be at altitude.

Happy Birthday, Becky

And that is the most important thing in the world today.

Apocalypse? Global Warming? You decide.

Clue # 1: The bears are scarce.
Clue # 2: It is hot here. (80's)
Clue # 3: Thunder and lightning in Skagway
        Ancillary: Locals say its been ten years since last time. (I believe that is anecdotal estimate,
        not actual data.)
Clue # 4: Thunder and lightning in Skagway, again,  after only 24 hours.

Clearly, the frequency of T&L is increasing at an alarming rate regardless of the accuracy of the locals' recollections. Clearly, the number of bear sightings by drivers of tours in the area has declined. (The data are irrefutable, ask any of us.) Clearly, temperatures in the 80's are extreme in a place where buildings are not air conditioned.

But, are these signs of The End of Times? Is it Global Warming? Is it a terrorist plot? Is it creeping Socialism?
We must each search our souls, ask our friends, neighbors, and acquaintances, Google it, pray about it, meditate on it, and arrive at a consensus.
WE MUST TAKE ACTION! Fewer bears is unacceptable. The rest we can live with.

Lightning and thunder.

We are having another adventure. A thunderstorm.
So what? Right?
Skagway doesn't have thunderstorms. The rain just falls here. No need for hot air to rise and form clouds, then raindrops. Nope. High humidity and water just drops.
A while ago we heard thunder. So we went outside and sure enough there is a thunderhead over the mountains. We actually saw a bolt of lightning strike the mountain. Thunder. Then thunderstorm rain. Big drops falling like they've been thrown by Thor. I expected hail, but no. The mountain across the harbor actually disappeared in the heavy rain. Now it is reappearing as the rain subsides. The clouds are so thick that it looks like late evening outside eventhough the sun hasn't set yet. As I write this, another flash and nearly instantaneous thunder. Just like at home. Except it was followed by a ship's foghorn announcing departure. Ships never depart in Tucson.
And just like a thunderstorm, it has passed. Lasted less than ten minutes and moved on.

But did Peggie go with me? Noooooo!

So today was Peggie's day off. She had the same dilemma I had the day before. But she chose to do all those chores that I blew off. So the Peggie & Bill show was cancelled. (she gave me a haircut yesterday) And I really appreciate that she chose to do the chores.
But she missed out. I saw five bears today. I don't believe, based on location, that I had seen any of them before. So, again, I am hopeful that they are just awakening later than normal and will soon be more plentiful. The cub we saw today was also tiny, supporting the late awakening theory.
But, alas, I finally got my camera out and ready, so naturally we saw no more bears. I would never reveal my complicity to my customers, they might want their tips back. What I want is for the counts to even out. Thirteen bears in three out of four days is not as good when you've gone eight days with none. I am putting in my request to have the bears even out, and throw in the occasional moose or caribou. A wolf, or lynx would be good.
On a sad, serious note:  I go to Caribou Crossing every day (almost) and pass the billboard advertising Moon Lake Outfitters (a hunting guide concession). The first was built and run by Chuck and Marilyn Buchanan until they sold it and retired last year.  The latter was owned by their son, Shane, and his wife. Ten days ago Shane and Chuck died in a fiery plane crash. Shane was the pilot. So everyday (almost) I take people through the museum that holds Chuck's life's work. Everyday (almost) I drive through Shane's concession land. Everyday I think about Marilyn's loss. I never met Shane's wife, so I am more removed from her grief, but they have two small children. Eventually I will get over it, but for now I grieve.

What to do, what to do?

I have the day off today, but Peggie has to work. Tomorrow is the other way 'round.
So what to do. There is a HUGE town party to celebrate the solstice. The laundry needs to be done. The trailer needs to be cleaned. I need a haircut.
I know..... I will ride with Peggie on her tours. She has two today that she has not done by herself before. Her voice is husky from the cold she has been fighting all week. So I will go be the voice on her tours. We will do the Bill & Peggie Show.
Okay, we did that. It was way fun. I got to tell the stories without worrying about driving. She got to drive without worrying about telling stories she hasn't told before. I got to look for bears without worrying about keeping the bus on the road. She got to concentrate on driving in pea-soup fog without having to remember what she was talking about. We make a good team. We might carry it over into our personal lives. Who knows?
And we did see a bear. One we both agree we have not seen before.
But one big question. Who gets to keep the tip money?

Ho Hum, Been There, Done That....

I saw seven bears on my tour today. So like my first year.
NOT!!!!!
It has been eight days since we saw a bear. All drivers are questioning what is going on. Where are the bears? Well, it has been hot (for here), that is one theory. But it was cold longer, perhaps they aren't out of hibernation yet, is another theory. It was a colder (or warmer) winter than normal, so many died, is another theory (or two). Peggie's theory is that they didn't hibernate hard enough, so their kidneys were not shut down and thus don't need the dandelions to kick start them.
But today, we saw seven. It was a sow with two cubs first. The smallest cubs I have yet seen. If I can learn how to, I will post a short video I took. Then we saw a big male doing what bears are supposed to be doing, eating dandelions by the road. Then we got a traditional viewing, ie: another bus was pulled over first. Another large male in a dandelion patch that had mostly gone to seed, so his face was coated in dandelion seeds. We were all very excited having seen five bears. We stopped at the Yukon sign and headed back, still talking about the five bears and wondering if any of them would still be there. So I quoted the official rule of bear counting, ie: on the return trip, all sightings are new bears and get to be counted as such. Within a mile, a large light colored cinnamon bear crossed the road and paused just long enough on the bank to look back at us, before going into the woods. (And everybody knows what bears do in the woods.) Six! People were giddy. Almost immediately another bear crossed the road going the other direction. He was running and the people in the back seat didn't get to see him. No matter, we still count seven.
None of the first five were still visible, so we stuck at seven. But that ties my record from '09.
Just after viewing number five, we passed Peggie going the other direction, so I called her on the radio to tell her about the bear. She would have seen him anyway, because he was out in the open, but it was fun to be able to communicate on the road.
Okay, you all know I name the bears I recognize. But as far as I know I may have seen number four or number five before, since they were both close, but in opposite directions from, a large black male I have seen before. But other than territory, I have no distinguishing way to I D them. So I think these were at least six bears I haven't seen yet this year. It is very cool, because of the rarity of bears this season, that perhaps more are actually appearing. I hope so.
Enough snow has melted, that we may have to go hiking again soon. This weekend, though, we have different days off. Just a fluke in the scheduling of ships.
Solstice tomorrow. Big local party on Saturday to celebrate it. It is the "official" start of summer, so you Arizonans can finally expect it to warm up. hahahahahahahahahahahahahahah...hahahahah....ha ha.
I make myself laugh.

Happy Birthday, Greg

Hope you have a great day, even though the day off comes later in the week.

For Dads

To the Dads of all the people I love.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all you dads out there. Hopefully you got to cook red meat on an open fire to celebrate.
Or got a phone call from an offspring or two. Or a card. Or an e-card. Or an actual gift that you don't tie in a knot around your neck.
It is nice to be remembered in any form on any day.

A new way to have fun.

We went to Whitehorse Friday night. We arrived at 10:15, about an hour before sunset. We got a hotel right away and zonked out. We were supposed to be at the repair shop (air conditioning) promptly at 8:00 am. So we arrived at 7:45. The owner and three employees proceeded to move several vehicles around. They used a forklift as a tow vehicle to move one old car. The forklift was left running while other things were done. We think other things were done, as the four men were all moving about from place to place. A truck was moved out and parked on the street, and left running for at least an hour that we know of. The forklift was still running, but no longer in use. The owner asked me to move one of the buses into the first bay of the garage. There was a minivan on the lift about four feet off the floor, so I just stuck the nose of the bus in. Then Peggie and I sat in the other bus and watched the fun. One of the young employees lifted the hood of a pickup, then went inside the garage. Nobody did anything to our bus. Then the young man came out and looked for something that he apparently couldn't find in the engine compartment of the truck. Then he went into the garage. The owner and another youngster put air in the tires of a derelict and pulled it out of what looked like the waste and junk pile along the back fence with the forklift. Which was still running. On the hood of the derelict 80's model was a box with what looked like a transmission in it. The owner and the young man messed with the driver's door for a while. Then they both went somewhere else. Then one of them carried what looked like a tank of freon (or whatever they use nowadays) over to our bus. They opened the hood. Then they went somewhere else. The kid with his head under the hood of the pickup still couldn't find what he wanted, so he went inside the garage. Then he came out and looked around some more. After about six repeats of this procedure, the owner stopped by. Words were exchanged and the owner tapped something in the engine compartment and walked off. Apparently this was what the kid looked for, because he went into the garage and returned with some kind of electronic meter, hooked it up and stared at it for a while. Then he did about three more repeats of the look under the hood, go into the garage routine. Then he came out with twelve feet of cable, which he coiled on top of the engine. Then he looked at the ends of the cable. Then he looked at the engine. Then he got under the engine. Then he got back out and looked at the ends of the cable. Then the owner, who by now had hooked the freon (or whatever they use nowadays) to something on the bus, came over. Words were exchanged. The owner showed the kid where the cable ends plugged into something and disappeared again.
Two hours went by like this while Peggie and I visited and watched. I have never seen four people accomplish so little for so long. It was like a staged comedy. Then the owner came over and told us the bus was ready to go. So we took it and went shopping and to lunch. Then we got a call to return to the shop. The other bus was missing a key piece, which can be in Whitehorse by next weekend. So we paid and left at about 1:00 after a quick stop at the Superstore.
We stopped in Carcross to have coffee at Heike's. She took us over to a museum and we watched a video about the Tagish people and looked at the stuff in the museum. Then we continued to Skagway. We saw a bear just out of town. Then another one beside Tutshi Lake. When we got back to Skagway and stopped to refuel the buses, we spoke with another driver who had seen three bears on her tour today. She was pumped. Then we had to wash both buses. But the road construction zone was dry today, so the oily mud was not too bad.
Now it is bedtime again.

Happy Flag Day

We have no flag to fly. But I will remember that if I was at home, I would fly the flag tomorrow. Or today if you are reading this then. Or yesterday, if you are reading this the day after tomorrow. And so on.
The weather continues to be unusually warm. We love it. Not like being in Tucson when it is unusually HOT.
However, the heat seems to keep the bears out of sight during the day. Bad.
Worse, the road, which badly needs to be repaved, is being repaved. Washing the buses after going through the oily mud is impossible. We think they may be getting permanently stained. And it takes 3 times longer to wash them, eventhough we can't get them clean. Frustrating.
But the weather makes for great views of lakes and mountains, of which there is no shortage. And I believe I have mentioned that our new buses have air conditioning. That cuts down on customer complaints. Two older buses do not have a/c. Peggie and I get to take them to Whitehorse on Saturday to see if we can get the a/c fixed. We will get to have a nice meal at company expense. Cool. If you need anything from Whitehorse, just get us the money and your list before Saturday at 6 am.

Foxy Peggie

Peggie's tour saw a fox today in Carcross. Okay, Carcross isn't much of a town, but it is a town. With dogs all over the place. So it is surprising that a fox would feel comfortable trotting down a street.
I saw Candy and Billy today. Candy was without any cubs, so I guess all three have moved on. Or at least they were deeper into the shrubbery.
Road construction begins tomorrow on the Canadian side of the summit. They will tear up and reapply the asphalt. It will be messy for a while, but the road is so badly potholed that it will be a relief to have graded gravel. Even mud and/or dust.
The last of the ice is disappearing on the lakes in Tormented Valley. I expect it will all be open by end of the week. We are having a heat wave. I don't know the "official" temperature, but it feels like 80. Remember that is very hot for here.
Besides the dandelions, that don't seem to be attracting many bears, lupine, showy jacobs ladder and many other flowers are blooming along the road. Fireweed has started showing the green part of the plant. All the trees are leafed out now, except the alder at the highest altitudes, which are budding.

internet woes

Sorry to be so slow in posting, but we have such inconsistent internet connections that it is hard to get on.
That should be fixed on Monday when we get a router that is hard wired to the system. This was supposed to be done in May, but we finally gave up and got it ourselves.
So, Peggie has been driving every day this week and having a ball. The other day she was at a stop on Tutshi Lake when she saw a family of five caribou swimming across the lake. She also got a great bear sighting including a cub that climbed up and down a tree while they watched.
We had friends from Tucson in this week. They are riding the ferry and spending time in each of the towns and are now going to Anchorage and Denali. They rode along with Peggie yesterday and saw no animals. Today we took them on a drive and saw two bears. We had a picnic on West Creek under the glacier. It was a beautiful, mild, sunny day. We went all the way to Carcross, where we got coffee to go with Dave's birthday cake. It was the perfect day off.
Tomorrow is one of those slow work days. Peggie will man the office until all three rental jeeps go out, and I will drive a summit tour with six guests. (It is my turn.) Then we will have the rest of the day off. Of course, tomorrow we have a 60% chance of afternoon rain. That is not a complaint, just an observation.
Oh, I have named two bears, so far. One, near Fraser is Candy. Because she has (had) three cinnamon cubs. One is Billy (or Billie) because he (or she) hangs out near William "Billy" Moore Bridge.
And, we got our coffee in Carcross from our friend Heike who now has opened a coffee shop/sandwich shop in addition to her duties at the B&B she and her husband operate in Tagish. I first met her in '09 when she was wrangling at the ranch where we took people to ride horses. Peggie and I stayed at the B&B in '10 when we drove south at the end of the season.

Rarest of all sights.

On Thursday we got to see two bears on tour, bringing me to nine.  On the ferry, Peggie got to see a sea otter sleeping outside the terminal, and two whales on the way to Juneau. 

But, I also got a very rare (not seen by me before) sight: a caribou swimming across Windy Arm.  We watched while she swam the last third of the distance, came out, shook like a dog, and trotted into the woods.  Everybody was very excited. My camera didn’t know what to focus on, so it didn’t. One of my passengers had a better telephoto lens and agreed to email me her photo.  If so, I will post it.

Now that the first month is over it is clear that Heath has been able to greatly increase the business. Most days I have two tours with full or nearly full buses.  Usually, all four of us have at least one tour, with all but Peggie getting two. The timing of her tour prevents her from getting two. But for her first year, that is probably a good thing. The new buses are great.  They have A/C for those hot (72) days.

The ship schedule has the busy days from Tu-Fr  so we often will have a day off with one or two days on either side that are so slow that only one driver has to work. We take turns.

Is heat like pain?

It was hot here today. Well, really all this week.
How hot was it?
It was above 75.
We remember that 75 is hot here. Maybe like 95 is hot in Tucson. But remembering isn't the same as feeling.  Like pain. You remember that it hurts, but you don't re-feel it during the memory. Otherwise women would each have only one child, and nobody would have more than one tooth pulled.
So, when I picked Peggie up from the popcorn shop where she works on the reservation system after driving her tour, I took her down to the harbor. It was probably closer to 100 in the shop. Not only is it enclosed, but they have those poppers putting out steam all day. A/C?  Nobody here knows what that is.
So we drove down to the harbor where the wind off the water reminds us that it is cool here. We didn't have a thermometer (except the one in the dashboard that I didn't think to look at until just now) but I think it was more like 45 there. We could only stand it for a few minutes. But it sure cooled us off as well as an A/C.
So the tours are going well. We are seeing a few bears. I am up to seven for the season. Saw the same sow and cubs I saw the other day. No, I haven't named them yet. Peggie has seen one. But we aren't keeping score. wink wink

Happy Birthday Jane

I tried to do this yesterday, but couldn't get connected. So it's a day late. But, you're young so you will get over it.
We are enjoying the sunshine and warmth and watching the snow melt. We are wearing short sleeves. The natives and young seasonals are wearing shorts and tanks. Kids were playing in the melt-water at Lake Bennett. Not me. The air is warm, but that is cooold melt-water.

Temporal anomoly

I just noticed, from reading a few previous posts, that another week has passed. I seems to me that it happened more quickly than is normal. My current working hypothesis is that at higher latitudes time passes more quickly because the circumference of the earth is smaller. I will try to design some experiments to test this theory. Since this journal is peer reviewed, I welcome input from other temporal observers. At the moment, I am discounting the temporal distortion created by sitting at a computer, since I get very few chances to do that with our iffy internet hookup. It has been well documented that being busy has an accelerating effect on time, so I will factor that in as well.
It is a day off, and laundry has to be done. Laundry is the kind of busy-ness that actually slows time down. It should create a nice balance to the speediness that causes a day off to pass by so quickly.
So t t f n, I hope your Saturday does not go too quickly.

Finally!!!

Today Peggie was stuck in the office, which is happening too frequently since Heath found out she is good at it, but I went out on tour. It was the day I have been waiting for. Yes, bears. We had a fairly close look at some dall sheep. We saw a moose in the road, but she ran into the woods when we were still 50 yards off. Then, in the section of Tormented Valley where bears are rare, we rounded a curve and three buses were stopped. Atop a twenty foot cliff face was a black sow with two cinnamon cubs. They stopped right above us and the sow stood up to grasp a small tree and bring it to the ground so she could eat the new growth at the top. The two cubs emulated her in typical child-like clumsiness. My passengers were afraid they would tumble down the cliff. They were on the right, so I had to practically lie on my back to get a look. Couldn't shoot movies, which is too bad, because it was so cute. I like that stuff when I'm not on tour. I would have stayed for hours watching if I could have.
On a sad note, our friend and fellow rust gatherer from two years ago is leaving tomorrow. She was just here for a month helping get the quilt and yarn shops up and running. We took her out for dinner to say goodbye.

Just like before

When we came up first in '09, we were amazed how the weather could change so quickly in a day. We still are. This morning we were snowed on at the summit, then this afternoon the sunshine had us seeking shade. Peggie got to take a fun group on tour today. They saw a moose. My group yesterday saw three moose, a cow with two calves. All we saw today was a lone mountain goat. This afternoon, Bryan came into the popcorn shop with four people who had gone on his summit tour, and who had been promised a special additional private tour to Dyea. He didn't know anything about Dyea. So I offered to go along. He eagerly accepted my offer. So I talked as we drove out there, mentioned the possibility of seeing harbor seals and bald eagles. We stopped to watch some harbor seals when suddenly a huge bald eagle swooped down and tried to grab a duck on the river. Right if front of us. It was spectacular. He missed the duck, but landed in a nearby tree. I looked up and saw the mate just a little higher up the hill. Then we went to the head of the Chilkoot trail, took photos of them at the beginning and told them they could now claim to have hiked a section of the famous Chilkoot trail. So the group were thrilled with their little bonus tour and excited to have seen the eagle so close up. Bryan really appreciated my help and the learning he got from it. I liked being a tour guide on the Dyea road without having to pay attention to the driving. Later, the road will be better, as it is being widened in some of the narrowest places, and some of the curves are being straightened.

Follow up on hiking the Trail...

Like 70% of gold rush stampeders, we did not go all the way to the end. We went about 4 miles and it was a walk in the park.
Really. The Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park.
The first quarter mile is a 200 foot climb and descent back to river level. The rest is level. It is also pretty wet.  Look at Peggie's photo album. We walked across several beaver ponds. Did not see beavers.
Oh, and after hiking 7 3/4 miles, the LAST quarter mile is a 200 foot climb and descent. We were sore in places when we got home, but two Tylenol and in bed at 8:00 and we woke up fine. Mostly. But in an hour we were really just as good as new. So we will probably go again. Hopefully on other trails, also.
We rewarded our hardiness with beer (root beer for me) and burgers.
And, we finally got to skype with our wonderful granddaughter, who showed us her first permanent tooth! And her little brother, who is toothless.
That's a pretty good day off.

Can you guess what we're going to do?

Yep, we're going to hike the Chilkoot Trail tomorrow. NOT the entire 33 miles, in case you're wondering. AND, we're not taking 2000 lbs of goods so we won't have to make 40 trips.

Stay tuned for results and pictures!

Why me?

Today I volunteered to drive the one remaining "old" bus to check out a perceived problem Bryan had yesterday. To wit, 2nd gear did not hold back enough on the downhill.
It was a summit tour with 18 on board. Got to the summit with all going well. Tried to leave the summit and the ignition did not connect. No clicking of dead battery. No grinding of starter. No nothing. All other electrical systems worked fine. I tried jiggling the neutral safety switch. I couldn't even find the starter. I moved the shift lever in and out of every position. Nothing.
The code of the trail. Another driver tried to help. But it came down to him going on up to Fraser and getting the train master (our friend Allyson) to call back to town and inform our office. That meant we could expect relief of some kind in about an hour or so. So, since it was windy cold outside, we all stayed on the bus and I regaled them with tales of the gold rush that would have come on the return to town. Three fell asleep. I thought I was more interesting than that. When I ran out of material, two men got in a joke telling contest. That was fun. Luckily, I was surprised when Jack drove up with the old-I-will-never-drive-it-again Ford. We gratefully loaded up and he entertained us on the way back to town. I promised everyone free popcorn for their inconvenience. One woman asked me privately and I think only half jokingly, if we could leave her husband there. Only 9 took me up on the free popcorn, and two groups actually gave me tips.
Not to leave you hanging, Heath took me back up in his Suburban, sat in the driver's seat, pumped the gas pedal 10 times hard, and the darned old thing started up! That was not the problem. Based on my experience with our Wagoneer in '95, I think it is a computer issue. Either way, if I have to drive it again, I will leave the engine running at stops.
Meanwhile, Peggie got to get out of office work and drive her second tour today. Then she got to do office work when she got back in town. Long day.

Congratulations Peggie

Long story, short version.

Peggie and I are both supposed to be driving tours this year.  But we got here and learned that we needed to pass a drug-screening urine test before we could start.  So an appointment was made, and we did our thing. Now we are still waiting for results five days later.  Meantime, tours have been sold and drivers are needed.  Yesterday, (May 10) we only had 2 guests on “my” tour so I was allowed to take them in one of the green jeeps, since the CDL is not required for that. Jaimie has to go home for the oldest son’s graduation and will be gone two weeks.  Michelle, who is supposed to be here managing the office, is delayed in Wisconsin. So Peggie, who can’t even take her CDL driving test until the end of the month, was tapped to learn the office routine while Jaimie is gone.  The small bus she is supposed to drive doesn’t require a CDL, so she could be driving.  She is disappointed, but she’s a team player. She has been studying all the gold rush lore, riding along with other drivers, including me, on both practice and actual tours. Yesterday, Jack sold a city summit tour (2.5 hours) for five people.  All the drivers were out, so Jack would have taken it, but they offered it to Peggie.  She took it.

It was the best way. No time to get nervous. Even less time to panic. When I got back in town I learned that she was out on a tour. We went to celebrate and rehash the tour at Brew Co. Since Bryan also took his first solo tour, and I took my first this season, we had much to celebrate, and good stories to share.

Now THIS is FUN!!

Peggie has created an album to go with this post. Check it out.
Today was the orientation at Caribou Crossing and Peggie, Bryan, and I were the only ones who chose to go. I was just curious to see if the new owners had changed anything, and Peggie and Bryan needed to see it for the first time. We had been there twice with passengers, but didn't get any of the inside on what is new. Peggie drove the mini bus for the first time, and I sort of gave my narration, with many modifications caused by questions. Also, I haven't done this in two years so there was some rust in my delivery. We arrived in good time to see a ring of drivers from a competitor company standing in the parking lot. I know and like most of them, but three of eight were new to me. I met the husband side of the new owners for the first time, also. As soon as introductions were done all around, including some of the CC staff, the owner got attention and asked, "Is there anyone who does NOT want to take a helicopter ride." We all looked at each other and saw confusion but no raised hands. Why is he asking that?
Well, one of the new "staff" we had just met has a heli-ski company in winter, and looking for a way to get year round income thought that offering short rides to our passengers might work out. And to help us sell it, he gave us a free 10 minute ride around the Carcross area. In a helicopter, you can cover a lot of ground in ten minutes. We went into the mountains and over Bennett Lake and the town. They haven't worked out the price yet, but when they do, we both can enthusiastically sell the ride. I mentioned it was worth going today for free lunch and beautiful scenery. I didn't expect the aerial view of that scenery.
Speaking of scenery, it has only been three days since our last drive there, and the loss of snow is amazing. Water is running off everywhere. Rocks are pushing through. Soon there will be.......ANIMALS!

Day Off, no ship, no tour, no problem

I just decided that I will take some pictures today of our little RV park so you can see where we are living.
In the meantime.......
We are parked next to a long yellow-brown storage building. The slideout is about two feet from the wall. So one of the things I got at the hardware store on Wed. was a thermometer to hang on that wall so we could see it when we eat. It is always good to know how to dress. I drove a nail into the wall and stuck it up there. It was raining, and water dripped in my face as I did it. Within an hour it blew down. It came with a hanging strip that clips in place. So I attached that, got another nail, stood in the roof drip, and hung it with both the original and the new nail, on opposite sides. It blew down over night. Thursday, I asked Macky if he had any loose screws. Well, he is a Skagwegian, so there is an obvious answer. Badumpbump. He did. So I put two screws through the hanging strip and the thermometer has been solid ever since. It showed 46 when we went to bed and 48 when we got up. It will be a few days before the temp changes enough for us to see if it is an accurate instrument.
Oh yeah, the hardware store did not get in the sewer piece I needed, so I adapted and put it together differently. It required some cutting and gluing. You don't need the details, but we have sewer hooked up now. It looks very Skagwegian, but it works.
We are across the street from "Gravel City" rv park, so we went over there after work yesterday to do laundry. There are 10 regular washers. At least two don't work. The soap dispenser took my four quarters but produced no soap. There are three oversized washers, one is broken. But a man taking his clothes from another one offered us his soap. That is also typical Skag way. There are eight dryers, six work. The office is not only closed, but the junk piled in it shows that it has been closed for a while. Next time we will go to the laundry at the gas station. All their machines work, and there is always someone there to refund money or make change. But we did run into another old friend and got caught up on her adventures. We like our adventures much better.

Day Two, with ship and tour

Today went the way yesterday was supposed to have gone.
Peggie got to ride along on the 8:00 summit tour with Alyssa training Brian because there were some empty seats. I stayed to help Jaimie and Heath with whatever might come up. Alyssa locked the keys in her bus, so I had to run to the bus lot, get the spares and bring them back to her. Then Jaimie and I got to spend some time getting acquainted while manning the desk. She had to run out for coffee so I hung out alone for a while.
The streets were empty. It was raining pretty hard so most folks just stayed on ship.
When it came time to take the Carcross run, I decided to go along again. Free lunch, beautiful scenery.
Not surprising me at all, there were visible changes in the snow cover. One of the things I always say is that the scenery changes every day, all summer long. When there are moving clouds, it changes while you are watching it. I love getting to see it without the distraction of driving and talking. We will all go up again on Tuesday for the driver orientation since new owners may have made some changes. Free lunch, beautiful scenery.
Today's trip, Brian took the wheel while Alyssa did the narrative. It is a good way for a new driver to make the connection between the story and the various stretches of road. On the return, he tried to contribute bits to the narrative, but he botched it every time. The passengers joined us in teasing him and laughing. He is so good natured that he usually laughed first and last.
We have Sunday and Monday off. No ships. Peggie will get some training in. No ships on Tuesday, that's why the orientation is that day.Peggie and I should be cleared to drive by Wednesday. She can drive the smaller bus without the CDL.
Our friend Barry, with whom I worked the first two years, has been desperately hunting a place to park his trailer since Mountain View has shut down. Tomorrow I will tow him to the site he landed at Pullen Creek which normally does not take seasonals. He does not have a truck, since he just leaves the trailer here year 'round
We won't be going to Dyea soon, since bears aren't out yet and the road is reported to be a muddy mess while it is being widened.
I will keep y'all posted (get it?) if any adventures crop up.

First ship day

Photo Album Should Post Soon:
We had an employee meeting yesterday to communicate procedures and expectations for the near future while Peggie and I are unavailable. I have worked for this company for three years, but that was softball compared to the hardball we are now playing.
Apparently there are DOT rules and regulations that Dave did not bother with. In 2011 he was audited by the DOT. So now all those rules have to be followed. Hence, I need a drug test before I can drive. We have paperwork to fill out for every run which I have never seen before. We have to keep a log. Two logs. One for our driving time, and one for the vehicle miles and maintenance and fuel usage. We have a maintenance man who will fix things at the end of each day. No waiting for three weeks when it is that vehicle's turn to take Dave for his weekly Whitehorse weekend. We have two new-er buses (2006 and 2010) to replace the 1999 "new" buses (one of which literally burned to the ground on the last ship day last year) and the 1991 piece of $&#@ "old" bus that cost me hundreds in tips in 2011.
So, back to the meeting. Everything seemed so squared away. All the pieces were in place, and each person knew what to do and where to go today. We all meet at the buses(which are conveniently located 30 feet from our trailer) and do team pre-trip inspection, both for training the two newbies, and because it is difficult to see your brake lights working while you are in the driver's seat with your foot on the pedal. This would happen at 6:40 so we could drive the buses to the popcorn store for our daily 7:00 am staff meeting.
Good plan.
At 6:40 Peggie and I walk over to the bus parking lot. One of the buses is missing.
Time to introduce the cast:
Heath and Jaimie  ----own the popcorn store, bought the company at the beginning of the season last year after not completing the sale the year before. Over the winter also bought the green jeeps, including the land where we live, and opened popcorn stores in Juneau and Ketchikan.
Macky---born and raised Skagwegian (yes, that is what they call themselves, and it is a nicer term than I would use) our maintenance man.
Jack---seasonal who has been coming here since 1991, which means NOBODY CAN TELL HIM ANYTHING ABOUT ANYTHING because he has seen it all and it was better then.
Brian ---40ish semi-retired engineer who sold a successful company two years ago, ran into Jack on the Appalachian Trail, was talked into taking a job driving tours in Colorado, followed by coming here.
He lives in a "bunkhouse trailer" next door to us that he helped Heath, Jaimie, and Jack drive up here along with the two new buses and the two new green jeeps. We like him.
Alyssa ---twenty?something high energy, efficient, returnee from last year who previously drove the big buses and is married to a man who still does. She was training Brian before we got here and is now also training Peggie. We like her, too.
Okay. One of the buses was missing.
Jack shows up. (He lives in one of the six trailers, Jaimie and Heath in one, and the other two are leased to kids who work for Sockeye Cycles) We ask him how he wants to do the pre-trip inspection. He pooh poohs the idea and reaches in to start the small bus that will be Peggie's later. Dead battery. So he starts the new bus that is still there. At this point Alyssa shows up on her bike. She says to Jack, "Why are you starting my bus?" He says the other one is dead. She says how am I supposed to check the oil with it running. He says the oil has been checked 14 times in the last two days while you guys have been training.
This is the oil and water relationship Jack and Alyssa have already established in the last few days. She was trained by the big bus companies to follow the letter of the rules, he is....old school Skagway.
Upshot, Alyssa, Peggie, and I get in the running bus and head to the popcorn store for the daily staff meeting. Jack stays to help Macky get the jeeps ready for the prebooked renters. Oddly, they have not been cleaned and stocked prior to this moment.
At the popcorn store, Jaimie is putting together last minute paperwork and juggling phone calls with Heath, who stayed to help Macky and Jack.
There is no staff meeting.
Alyssa heads to the dock to pick up her passengers for the 8:00 summit tour. The "missing" bus and Brian are at the popcorn shop, he took it to get gas because it was the training bus and hadn't been filled up. He goes with Alyssa because he has to learn the tour. Peggie is given a green jeep to run some errands for Jaimie because half the office work is still down at the old Southeast office and half is at the popcorn store. I am dispatched in the "missing" bus to shuttle jeep renters up to the lot (remember, I can't do this yet, because I haven't done my urine test) so I make three trips, including a pickup at the dock, wherein Peggie has to go stand in the cold with a green jeep sign, so I can stay with the bus in a loading zone where the driver can't leave, or it is called parking.
Finally, Alyssa and Brian are back from the morning summit run and Peggie and I are allowed to join them for the Carcross run.  This has been accomplished by Jaimie convincing two people to change from a 9:30 to an eleven that also only had two people, and moving four people from a shorter tour to a free upgrade to this one, so that Jack could use the other running bus for an eleven o'clock summit run. Jaimie is a good juggler.
This is only the second time I have been a passenger on this tour, the last time was four years ago. It is a great tour. Alyssa did a great job. Not as good as me, but who is? The passengers were happy and that is what counts. It was good for me to get a refresher after missing a season. Peggie and I got a free lunch.
Sgt. Brown was our customs officer when we got back and he came on to check passports with his customary (no pun intended) query: "Hi folks, did you see any critters today?"
No. We did not see any critters today. There is snow everywhere. Bears are sleeping. Sheep and goats are invisible. Moose and caribou? Probably somewhere with food.
But we had fun.
Tomorrow? Are you kidding? I (he means "we") am planning to meet Alyssa and Brian for pretrip at 6:40, drive to the 7:00 staff meeting and roll with the flow. Just like today.

May Day, May Day!

It is Wed., the first of May. We don't have internet, so will post this later.
We arrived in Skagway at about 5pm last night. We had blizzard conditions the last five miles in Canada and the first two miles in Alaska. Apparently it was just above 3000' or so. Snow is falling in Skagway, but really light.
We were met by Macky, "our maintenance man," and he showed us our spot and helped back me in. Other employees, two drivers and the popcorn manager, who live here also dropped by after a bit to say hi. One of the other drivers, Alyssa, drove for Heath last year and for the large bus companies before that. She is
"in charge" of all DOT paper work. She has been training the "new guy" and immediately took Peggie under her wing, also. She went with them today to see the pre-trip inspection and some practice driving. (I am posting this on Thurs. and Peggie passed all three of the written portions of the test today. Yay!)
While she was out training, I finished leveling and setting the trailer up. I need a piece for the sewer pipe so that is the thing the hardware store is out of.
In running errands, primarily getting our Post Office keys, I ran into 6 people I know and like. Huh? Must be a small town. Speaking of the PO, I reserved our box last month so we could start getting some things sent directly here. But, somebody went online and reserved the same box. Really? Why wasn't my "reserved" box made unavailable for somebody as soon as it was assigned to me? If you had our first number and need the new one, let me know.
This is the coldest, wettest, windiest, May we have seen. Even the locals are complaining. Rain, mixed with snow off and on all day. High temps in the forties. We were told to keep water running to prevent freezing.
Some things are the same. Last minute painting, sign hanging, boardwalk building, and stocking. The bad weather made the barge 3 days late and everyone is panicking. There are new businesses in "what used to be there?" and closed businesses with FOR RENT signs in the windows, HELP WANTED signs everywhere.
Some things are different. The owner of the Pizza Station, that was the gas station when we were here in '95 has filled the tanks and sells gas by credit card only, with no personnel on hand. Twenty cents cheaper than the other "only station in town." There are some strong feelings about that! We saw all new faces at Customs, and the officer who checked us through was really friendly. We have since learned that three of the  crew from our last visit are still there.

Thursday, May 2
First ship is tomorrow. One on Saturday. Then three empty days, then it starts to pick up. Neither of us can drive yet, because Peggie still needs to do the driving portion of the test, (only done on Thursday) and we both have to have a urine-drug test that can't be done till next week. (Because it is the Skag way.) I never knew how lax Dave was with some of these requirements until I see it being done "by the book." So we will ride along tomorrow and Saturday. I will start driving next Wed. and Peggie on Friday. She will get to practice driving during those off days. I don't know what I will do. Maybe help teach her.