All of our blog posts lately seem to center around our weekends and this one is no different. After all, when you have to work for a living, you live for the weekends no matter where you are.
Lori is a bit disappointed because she doesn't get to work outside in the flower gardens all day like she wants while the weather has been so nice.
I am disappointed because it hasn't rained much at all (1/4" in the past 8 weeks) so the grass won't grow and therefore, I don't get to drive the John Deer mower as much as I wanted to.
Spaz is disappointed because she has to stay inside the MLS while we are at work.
It's also funny how some things are the same. No matter where you are, there will be some A-holes.
A-holes in the RV park - Fred has had to "call the police" when some guy tells him he doesn't have to follow the rules, he'll do what he wants and nobody will tell him what to do (except his wife apparently).
A-holes with road rage in town - who flipped us off and called us "stupid morons", apparently cause we were riding our bikes on the wrong side of the street in the sooo busy downtown.
A-hole grizzly bears - cruising the RV park at night looking for free food, leaving crap piles we have to clean up. One tried to break into the state troopers mobile home which is next door to the Hitch Up.
So we decided we needed to "get away from it all" and go camping. We headed out the Haines Highway to mile 26 where we turned off, drove 3 miles and came to "Mosquito Lake". There are only 4 campsites on the shore and we were the only people around this calm, peaceful lake. The only sounds were the fish jumping and calling my name (mocking me I'm sure).
We launched the 2 man kayak and took turns paddling around because we are too afraid it will sink if we both managed to somehow get into it. Even Spaz is too scared to get in with one of us and is happy to watch from shore.
We didn't seem to do a very good job of packing for our overnight trip. After gathering some firewood and starting a fire, we thought we should set up the tent when we realized that Lori forgot the sleeping bags (of course it was Lori, what did you expect, I write the blog). We decided if we tried to stay the night anyway we would die, so instead, we decided to make dinner and enjoy the evening before driving home.
That's when we found out she also forgot the spatula and the can opener. We knew we wouldn't die without those items and Lori improvised by using my trusty Swiss Army knife to open the can and then whittle a spatula out of a stick (she is becoming an Alaskan). She saved the dinner but could not find any big game to kill and make sleeping bags with (guess she still has a way to go since most Alaskan women can). Dinner was great and we also found that the lake had an appropriate name.
We still had a great time, beautiful scenery, peace and quiet, fishing and no A-holes. I only caught one fish, a nice 13" Cut Throat trout that we didn't eat for dinner because it wasn't big enough to keep. In this lake they need to be over 14" but less than 24" to be keepers.
We headed home about 10 pm and just a mile from town we came upon a couple of moose on the side of the road. There was a big bull and his cow who didn't seem to mind us getting close by in the truck. It wasn't until I rolled the window down and Spaz barked at them that they went into the bushes. Not sure what she thought of them, she has never barked at other animals (except cats) and has seen horses, cows, elk, bears, etc. She acts like a big tough Alaska dog from safely inside the truck.
This was the beautiful sunset we stopped to enjoy as we headed back into town. That is the Klehini river just above it's confluence with the Chilkat river. It is in this valley that the famed Jack Dalton pioneered the Dalton trail that many gold seekers took to the Klondike gold fields. He was one of the most famous of Alaskan pioneers, to learn more about him http://alaskamininghalloffame.org/inductees/dalton.php
Monday, June 18th
It's also funny how some things are the same. No matter where you are, there will be some A-holes.
A-holes in the RV park - Fred has had to "call the police" when some guy tells him he doesn't have to follow the rules, he'll do what he wants and nobody will tell him what to do (except his wife apparently).
A-holes with road rage in town - who flipped us off and called us "stupid morons", apparently cause we were riding our bikes on the wrong side of the street in the sooo busy downtown.
A-hole grizzly bears - cruising the RV park at night looking for free food, leaving crap piles we have to clean up. One tried to break into the state troopers mobile home which is next door to the Hitch Up.
So we decided we needed to "get away from it all" and go camping. We headed out the Haines Highway to mile 26 where we turned off, drove 3 miles and came to "Mosquito Lake". There are only 4 campsites on the shore and we were the only people around this calm, peaceful lake. The only sounds were the fish jumping and calling my name (mocking me I'm sure).
We launched the 2 man kayak and took turns paddling around because we are too afraid it will sink if we both managed to somehow get into it. Even Spaz is too scared to get in with one of us and is happy to watch from shore.
We didn't seem to do a very good job of packing for our overnight trip. After gathering some firewood and starting a fire, we thought we should set up the tent when we realized that Lori forgot the sleeping bags (of course it was Lori, what did you expect, I write the blog). We decided if we tried to stay the night anyway we would die, so instead, we decided to make dinner and enjoy the evening before driving home.
That's when we found out she also forgot the spatula and the can opener. We knew we wouldn't die without those items and Lori improvised by using my trusty Swiss Army knife to open the can and then whittle a spatula out of a stick (she is becoming an Alaskan). She saved the dinner but could not find any big game to kill and make sleeping bags with (guess she still has a way to go since most Alaskan women can). Dinner was great and we also found that the lake had an appropriate name.
We still had a great time, beautiful scenery, peace and quiet, fishing and no A-holes. I only caught one fish, a nice 13" Cut Throat trout that we didn't eat for dinner because it wasn't big enough to keep. In this lake they need to be over 14" but less than 24" to be keepers.
Monday, June 18th
In the morning, we set off for another hike. Another spectacular weather day, partly cloudy and cool but not cold, perfect for hiking. We packed lunch and headed up Mt. Ripensky which overlooks Haines. The peak is almost 4,000 foot elevation and 5 miles one way. The locals say it can be dangerous at the top if the weather turns and the low clouds move in (which is quite often). We would play it safe (but not because we are old wussies) and not attempt the peak today.
We did however make it to the communications tower which explains why I was able to talk on my cell with Jenny as we hiked. There is something really odd about being on a wilderness hike and having your phone ring.
The tower was about 1,500 feet of elevation in about 2 miles. The trail started out nice with some boardwalks and some steps but was steep and not in very good shape up higher. We walked another half mile or more along the ridge to try and get a view of the town and valley below but the forest was too thick.
FYI...I'm sure bears crap in the woods (so do Lori & Spaz by the way) as I've seen it.
The tower was about 1,500 feet of elevation in about 2 miles. The trail started out nice with some boardwalks and some steps but was steep and not in very good shape up higher. We walked another half mile or more along the ridge to try and get a view of the town and valley below but the forest was too thick.
FYI...I'm sure bears crap in the woods (so do Lori & Spaz by the way) as I've seen it.
We ate our lunch before heading down and then found a sign pointing the way to a McDonald's (too bad we already ate) that said it was only 30 miles. We did find lots of wild blueberries along the trail that we picked. We ate some right then and also brought home a baggie full.
This picture taken from our front yard in the Hitch Up shows (look closely at the point of the big red arrow) where the tower is. Trust me, it's a LOT farther and steeper than it looks in the picture.
Now it's back to the grind and looking forward to the next weekend, HOORAY !!
PS...Happy Birthday my Sunshine !!
TMI on what Lori does in the woods! You really need to be nicer to her or your going to find your sleeping bag and all your belongings in the tractor shed! Nice boots while you're fishing on the dock! Grizzlies in the park - cool!
ReplyDeleteWow, Dave. You are really a pretty good writer. I look forward to your stories. All this time I thought you were just the pretty face in the relationship. LOL
ReplyDeletei hear you on the odd cell phone rings. we were in njoro in middle of a prayer by the pastor in BFE africa when a cell phone rings. really? no toilets, running water, or TV but they have cell phones, better yet- they had reception?! i am switching carriers! it was straight out of a cell phone commercial! in lori's defense wild berries make you poop (I guess because every time i see her eat them she poops)
ReplyDelete