Today my dad celebrated his 96th birthday! We called him this morning, and he said he was ready to party! My brother and sister called me after the party and said dad was a real trooper and seemed to enjoy this party. Both of our daughters' families were able to make the drive from their homes in Nebraska to Brookings, SD, and party along with their grandfather/great grandfather. I'm glad they were able to make the trip to see him!
And of course it being a Sunday, I watched the NASCAR Sprint Cup race which started at 9:00 a.m. Alaska time. My racer, Jeff Gordon, had a mediocre day finishing 17th. He needs to really hustle the last races if he wants to qualify for the Chase to the Championship. I may need to find a young, hungrier drive to start rooting for.
It rained on and off throughout the day. We needed to fuel up the pickup so we made a dash to the filling station. The latter part of the afternoon we got a pause in the precipitation so Peggy and I got Joey the hangar cat out to exercise and get some fresh air. It was fun to watch him as he got in the lawn grass, would strike a stalking pose, and then run as fast as he could for a short distance and seemed to pounce. I'm sure in his mind Joey was pursuing a mouse!
I've started reading a book, "The Golden Grindstone", that Grant lent to Peggy, but she is reading another so gave it to me. It is about attempts in 1898 at finding an inland route to the Klondike goldfields rather than having to contend with the Chilkoot or White Passes coming up from an ocean voyage used by most of the Stampeders.
Because of the persistent rain we were unable, or I should say, unwilling to go for a walk. Good thing we both have books to read!
August 19 I think we have entered a monsoon season as it rained all last night and most of the day today, and the forecasters are saying more of the same for tomorrow. Makes us really appreciate the nice, sunny days that have made up a majority of our days in Alaska.
With the rain it was pretty much stay in the camper, read, watch some TV, read, eat, read, watch some TV...you get the picture. Because we are responsible for Joey the hangar cat this week, Peggy checked on him this morning, and I accompanied her to go care for him this afternoon. While she did that I got the mail from the street box. All of it was for the Chapmans. Peggy did make a batch of brownies this afternoon!
This evening wasn't much different from the day's activities because of the rain. I'm still reading "The Golden Grindstone". I'm amazed by what gold seekers would endure on their quests. The book gives very good insight into the exploration of the Peel River drainage in the Yukon Territory as men looked for a land route to Dawson City.
And with that, it's "Say goodnight, Gracie!".
August 20 Guess what? We woke up to rain this morning. We keep commenting that we're glad that the rain is coming now rather than when we were often out to other areas of the state vacationing.
The rain quit mid-morning so I grabbed my bucket, long handled brush, and soap/wax and proceeded to wash the camper. I hadn't been able to do so as is was raining all the time, and I wanted to get the road grime off of it since we had driven back from Ninilchik in the rain last Saturday.
After lunch Peggy and I went grocery shopping at Fred Meyers Supermarket. Fred's is a subsidiary of Bakers Supermarkets in Omaha. This store in Wasilla is massive with clothes, shoes, hardware, electronics, and of course groceries.
When we got back we got the trimming tools out of the hangar and went to work starting to cut brush and tree limbs that were overgrowing a section of fencing surrounding the property. We had told Grant and Debby that we would be willing to do this since we have had such good treatment during our stay with them.
We got Joey the hangar cat out and let him exercise. While Peggy did that I got the mail. Grant got a package that I'll bet is his purchase from eBay- an antique 12 volt siren. The neat thing about the siren is that it was manufactured by the Chapman Co. and has "Chapman" in large lettering on it. I think Grant plans on putting this working siren on his jeep.
After Joey went back into the hangar Peggy and I walked the grounds. But it wasn't much later into the walk that it began to sprinkle, and by the time we got back in the camper it was a fairly good rain again. There was no grilling our dinner nor walk for us tonight.
August 21 I checked between my toes and much to my relief I am not growing webs! And we haven't been requested to start building an Ark...yet. We have had 5 days in a row of rain. Fortunately nothing heavy, but it has been persistent and constant.
We cared for the hangar cat, Joey, checked for mail, and walked the grounds. I didn't even hear any planes take off or land today. We did get away to eat lunch out (Peggy had a coupon for buy one/get one free chili cheese dogs) and do some quick shopping. But the soggy weather has kept us indoors again.
The forecast remains rain through Friday, and then supposedly the weekend is to clear up. Time will tell!
August 22 We're like a broken record (to those of us old enough know what that means)...it rained again for much of the day. There was a brief lull this afternoon. I was a little cabin crazy so grabbed my gloves and a trimmer and went back to work clearing a border on the outside of the fence perimeter.
Peggy took care of Joey while I got the mail and walked the grounds. Other than that we stayed indoors and listened to the rain falling on the roof and watched more TV. We put out our awning and moved the grill beneath it so that I could grill our dinner.
The NWS has issued a flood advisory for our area for small stream flooding. We are glad that the property sits comfortably above the level of the lake as I'm sure it has slowly risen this past week of rain. Depending on how much credence you can put in weather forecasts, they are saying tomorrow should be the last of the rain. Time will tell!
August 23 And on the 7th day of rain...the sun shined! However, overnight we had the hardest rain we've experienced all week. Ch. 2 TV out of Anchorage said that this was the 3rd wettest August on record which is saying a lot as August is the wettest month of the year here.
After a damp beginning to the morning the clouds parted, and we had sunshine! Peggy went to the laundromat while I opened the property gate and sat with Joey the hangar cat in the office. We had missed a delivery yesterday from UPS, and we didn't want to miss him again today. UPS left a note saying they'd be back today. I'm sure that Joey liked all the attention.
When Peggy got back from doing the laundry she took over sitting in the office. I got my work gloves and a lopping shears and went to work clearing the fence line of small trees and brush . I am about 20' from having it done.
Around 3:30 this afternoon Grant, Debby and the dogs returned from their vacation to areas around Dawson City, Yukon, Canada. Although they did get some rain there it was nothing like what we had. They really seemed to have had a nice time touring around. They said that Peggy and I should consider taking the Taylor, Top of the World, and Klondike Highways on our way back. Not only is the scenery spectacular from the Top of the World, but the history associated with Dawson City and the gold rush would be special to see, also.
We grilled our supper. After we finished eating and the dishes were done we were going to go for a walk. However, in just a short period of time as we ate the clouds built back in, and it started raining. So, we have assumed a familiar pose...sitting in front of the boob tube while the rain goes pitter patter on the roof. And, for the first time we heard thunder! We've been told that thunder is a rarity around Wasilla.
Maybe tomorrow will be rain free. One can always hope!
Today's Photo Uploaded to Picasa
August 24 Woke up to nice sunshine today. Grant and Debby walked over to our camper and visited with us about their remaining summer plans. If things work out, we may be able to leave before the Labor Day weekend.
Peggy and I went to Walmart to pick up a few groceries. On our way a fog bank rolled in from the Chugash Mts, but by the time we got back to the camper it had blown off. When we got back I replaced the truck's fuel filter, and Peggy started working on cutting some of the brush along the fence line. When I finished with the truck I grabbed a lopping shears and worked with her. We were able to finish this job!
Grant worked on getting his eBay purchase installed on his jeep- his Chapman siren! And it works and works loudly! Now all he needs is a blinking red light, and he could get cars to pull over. :o)
When we finished clearing brush we were invited over to Grant and Debby's for a late lunch. What a spread of food! She had 2 different kinds of salmon spread, smoked salmon belly fillets, pickled asparagus, a pepper loaf made of elk, and crackers. Man, it was all good! What a nice treat!
After we ate and were sitting outside visiting, wouldn't you know it, it clouded up and began to rain. Funny thing is you could see blue sky around, but there was a band of clouds coming over the Talkeetna Mountains directly to us. Good thing we got our chores done!
So, we went back to the camper and watched the NASCAR race at Bristol, TN, and more. I have since learned that August is the month of the most precipitation. It certainly is living up to that reputation.
August 25 Bright, blue skies again today. Wonderful! We visited with Grant and Debby this morning. They are making their last trip to the cabin. With that, they have given us their blessing to leave Tuesday or any time thereafter.
So Peggy and I are planning on leaving our gracious hosts and making our way back towards home Tuesday. Since we will be leaving about a week earlier than we originally planned, our departure itinerary will include the Taylor Highway, the Top of the World Highway, and the Klondike Highway. This will take us to new, fantastic scenery, and through Chicken, AK, and on to Dawson City, YK. We're especially excited about the Top of the World for the scenery and Dawson City for its large part in gold mining and its history.
Today on our walk we noticed another significant change in the local fireweed. It has transitioned from being the bright, fushcia colored blossoms, to dull pink pods, to cottony white seeds. We were told that these wildflowers are used to forecast the changing seasons. Hope the white, cottony seeds don't mean any immediate snow!
We decided we need one last Alaska splurge so went to the local ice cream shop and got large chocolate milk shakes! I know I'm going to have to cut back when I get home as my waistline has grown. Must be all the good Alaskan food!
Now that we know when we depart, we have set about doing the kinds of things one does to make preparations to get on the road: checking over the pickup and the trailer, buying groceries, filling the fresh water tank, emptying the waste tanks. Having a short timeline, we are anxious to leave, but more so, we are also so thankful for the opportunity we have had to make new friends and see and experience new places. And our time here seems to have gone by so quickly.
August 25 Bright, blue skies again today. Wonderful! We visited with Grant and Debby this morning. They are making their last trip to the cabin. With that, they have given us their blessing to leave Tuesday or any time thereafter.
So Peggy and I are planning on leaving our gracious hosts and making our way back towards home Tuesday. Since we will be leaving about a week earlier than we originally planned, our departure itinerary will include the Taylor Highway, the Top of the World Highway, and the Klondike Highway. This will take us to new, fantastic scenery, and through Chicken, AK, and on to Dawson City, YK. We're especially excited about the Top of the World for the scenery and Dawson City for its large part in gold mining and its history.
Today on our walk we noticed another significant change in the local fireweed. It has transitioned from being the bright, fushcia colored blossoms, to dull pink pods, to cottony white seeds. We were told that these wildflowers are used to forecast the changing seasons. Hope the white, cottony seeds don't mean any immediate snow!
We decided we need one last Alaska splurge so went to the local ice cream shop and got large chocolate milk shakes! I know I'm going to have to cut back when I get home as my waistline has grown. Must be all the good Alaskan food!
Now that we know when we depart, we have set about doing the kinds of things one does to make preparations to get on the road: checking over the pickup and the trailer, buying groceries, filling the fresh water tank, emptying the waste tanks. Having a short timeline, we are anxious to leave, but more so, we are also so thankful for the opportunity we have had to make new friends and see and experience new places. And our time here seems to have gone by so quickly.
August 26 Another beautiful day in Alaska. Bright, blue skies accompanied by a few wispy, cirrus clouds. This is our last full day with Grant and Debby as tomorrow we begin the journey back home.
We were happy because we got to Skype with Shelly, Macy, and Halle! Macy told us about being in Kindergarten. She even referred to the Principal as "the boss"! Halle sang to us a couple of songs. It will be nice getting back so that we can see the grandkiddos in person.
We were happy because we got to Skype with Shelly, Macy, and Halle! Macy told us about being in Kindergarten. She even referred to the Principal as "the boss"! Halle sang to us a couple of songs. It will be nice getting back so that we can see the grandkiddos in person.
Peggy cared for Joey, the hangar cat, and watered the flowers. After catching up with Grant and Debby who flew back in from their 2 day stay at their cabin, we had to return our cable box and Internet router to MTA. We also filled the truck up with fuel and made other final preps for our departure in the morning.
We have finalized part of our route back to the lower 48 states. Tomorrow we drive as far as Tok, AK. The next day we take the Taylor Highway to Canada and the Yukon Territory where we get on the Top of the World Highway to Dawson City, YK, where we will most likely spend a couple of days. We then take the Klondike Hwy down to Whitehorse, YK, and pick up the Alaska Hwy heading towards Watson Lake, YK. However, just before Watson Lake we will turn onto the Cassiar Highway and take it through British Columbia.
We hope to swing west off of the Cassiar and go through Stewart, BC, re-enter the USA and go to Hyder, AK. Supposedly there is a late summer/early autumn run of salmon at Hyder and the bears can be viewed catching fish. Of course, our plans could change if the weather turns bad, especially on the drive from Tok to Chicken to Dawson City as much of that route is hardpack gravel.
Debby came over and gave us some parting gifts: salmon fillets, smoked salmon, and squaw candy, a kind of sweetened smoked salmon. Having had these before I know how tasty they are. How generous of the Chapman' to have shared some of their bounty!! These are the kind of people Grant and Debby are- very generous, hospitable, and fun to be around. They will be missed!
Debby came over and gave us some parting gifts: salmon fillets, smoked salmon, and squaw candy, a kind of sweetened smoked salmon. Having had these before I know how tasty they are. How generous of the Chapman' to have shared some of their bounty!! These are the kind of people Grant and Debby are- very generous, hospitable, and fun to be around. They will be missed!
No comments:
Post a Comment