7/1 Another fun drive with Vaughn

While Dave and I were in Talkeetna this waitress had told us about a drive we should make, but not with the RV. I had mentioned it to Linda and she said she thought it would be another great drive to go on. It wasn’t as long a drive as the day before, it was only 3 to 4 hours. So we didn’t leave until noon, so in the a.m. I did our laundry, Dave worked on his computer, Linda did beading and Vaughn was out with the power washer getting the mess off his truck that we had gotten on it the day before.
This drive was Hatcher Pass Road. On the way to the road I saw a moose way off in the distance, then once on the Hatcher Pass road Vaughn hit the breaks and put it into reverse. When he backed up there was another moose a lot closer then mine was. I quit talking my head off to Linda and started watching for animals. Again a pretty nice road to start with and there was a 5th wheel ahead of us. Vaughn said he isn’t a local, which he wasn’t, or at least the license said he wasn’t. Vaughn said another clue is he is carrying his own spare tires, locals don’t do that, they know better. Anyway, the 5th wheel let us go by and a little bit after we passed them we turned a corner and here in a gulley was a small pickup truck with 2 scared kids. The boy had been driving too fast, we are guessing, and lost control. Once the tire went over the side and hit the ditch there was no way he could pull it back. The boy wanted to know if we could pull them out and Vaughn said there was no way. We would have just pulled their bumper off, he needed a real lift out of that ditch. They had phone service so we went on our way.
We came to a place on the river/stream that Vaughn and Linda have camped at before and then went 4 wheeling. Very nice spot, Dave and I got pictures. Back on the road we started hitting the switchbacks and up ahead of us was the 5 wheel. I was hoping that whoever was driving, that 5th wheel, knew that road and knew what they were getting themselves into. The views were of course great again, but I would be killing Dave if he would have driven these roads with our RV.
We made a stop at Summit Lake and it was still partially frozen. Darn it was cold up there, thank goodness the sun wasn’t out when we started the trip. If the sun is out I put on shorts, like I had the day before, which worked out great. If I had shorts on this day there would have been no way I would have gotten out of the truck. That darn 5th wheel was driving away from the lake when we got there, that guy was a good brave driver.
Next stop was Independence Mine State Historical Park. We got lots of pictures but darn it was just too cold to stay outside for too long. We made a couple more stops along the way for pictures, it was another great ride, again things we would have never seen.
When the road ends you are in Palmer again, and we had all been invited over for a salmon dinner at Linda and Mike’s house. Once there another couple joined us, Linda and Bob. Honest to goodness, Linda and Vaughn, Linda and Mike, Linda and Bob, what is with this group, I have never seen so many Linda’s in one place. How Linda and Vaughn’s other friends, that we had met, Jim and Lorraine, fit in I’m not sure.  Had a great dinner, then a great pit fire, Linda and Linda played horseshoes and the rest of us sat around the fire and talked.
Another great day/evening then back home again.

6/30 Uncle Toads Wild Ride or Sightseeing with Vaughn

Saturday morning and at 9am the 4 of us Vaughn, Linda, Dave and I are on the road. We had packed lunches so it was going to be a full day of touring. Vaughn has a Ford Super Duty 4X4 Truck and we were going into the back country. We were going to see places in Alaska that unless you lived there you wouldn’t even know about the roads to take you there. Vaughn took us to Petersville and beyond. We bounced, we swayed, we drove through creeks, some really deep. We laughed so hard, Dave almost broke his neck a few times bouncing off the roof of the truck. Vaughn even darned Dave to fall asleep on this drive. We drove a total of probably 100 miles, round trip, and it took us 10 hours. And you know the only wild animal we saw was a darn squirrel. We saw a sign that said, RV’s and campers not recommend beyond this point, we did more climbing and bouncing and I’ll be dammed if there weren’t RV’s and campers back there. There is no way in hell our RV would ever get near something this . Those people were nuts, they had their 4 wheelers and were quite happy being back there. You know they were from Alaska because that’s the only way you would know about these roads.
After hours of climbing around this road we run into a truck that is broke down, 2 guys in it, and wouldn’t you know Vaughn knew one of the guys. He talked to him about how his mining for gold was going and if he knew if the person we were going to visit was out mining. The guy said he was out there and had a crew out in the streams dredging for gold. Vaughn was taking us to meet this guy with a dredger so we could see a real operation in the process.
We kept driving but didn’t find the guy. We crossed this one stream and there was a whole bunch of families out there with the kids and dogs. No phone service, no ipads, just 4 wheelers and the kids were in 7th heaven. Healthy and happy and not missing a TV at all, great to see.
We came across one stream that was a little too deep for all of us, so we turned around, or I should say backed up, no place to turn around. We ended up knocking off Vaughn’s mud flap and running it over. Shocked the hell out of me but there was a runway with planes on it, in these back woods. Forgot to mention there were a couple spots where we saw the people out in the streams dredging for gold, they would have someone in a dry suit diving in the water with a hose sucking up gravel then running it through a sluice looking for gold. Anyway, we drove  to the airfield where some guys were working on some equipment they use for mining. If you have ever seen the show “Gold Rush” what they show is true. These guys are very closed lipped and don’t like when strangers come around. If you even thought about panning for gold on their turf they were shoot 1st and maybe asked questions later. A person could disappear very easily in these back  woods. We stopped and Vaughn got out and ended up knowing one of the guys. Jeez, we are in the middle of nowhere and Vaughn knows these people. Vaughn use to own a gas station, many years ago, and would deliver fuel to these guys.
We were kind of bummed we never did find the guy Vaughn was looking for. We found his place but the road was chained off. I don’t believe it would have been very smart to walk the road, like I said they shoot 1st. So we headed back. On our way back we stopped at Cache Creek Cabins. There is an older couple there that have cabins for rent in their house they do cooking for you, if you don’t have anything. Linda and Vaughn know the people so we stopped to have a cup of coffee with them. We sat and talked, they showed Dave and I the history of the place. Come on this is in the middle of nowhere, like I said before, and the cabins are being rented. Too funny.  In the winter they even leave the cabins open to anyone who wants to use them at no cost. Who is going to find those cabins in the winter anyway. The owners leave the water on, ha ha, and the heat on, just in case someone should get lost out there, if they have somewhere to stay then maybe they won’t break into the main house.
After coffee, we headed home. We somehow bounced our way out and did so much laughing, Dave was a comedian, which isn’t like him, he was quicker then me. Thank goodness for an ice cream and bathroom stop on the way home.
We got home and had some appetizers for dinner, ate a late lunch today, then to bed. This is one day we won’t be forgetting for a long time, if ever. Honestly there are places in Alaska that we would never have seen if we didn't have friends who live here. Vaughn and Linda have really opened up our eyes, we need to get off the beaten path and get on those back roads and really see things.

6/29 Touring around Wasilla with Linda

We had breakfast at 7am at Linda and Vaughn’s. Lorraine and Linda were making bacon and pancakes for breakfast, and had fruit too. I had cooked up  and brought over some buffalo sausage and over blue berries. We sat on the patio deck and and the sun was shining. What a great morning, on the lake, perfect views. After breakfast Vaughn had to leave for work, and Jim and Lorraine headed back home to Valdez. Dave and I made a run to Walmart for some supplies.

Dave had taken the water proof camera with us, the one we took White Water Rafting. He wanted to get them developed. It was an hour wait and I was done shopping, so we decided to do some Geo Caching while we had to wait. Oh, forgot, we 1st tried to find Sarah Palin’s house but no luck, so then we went geo caching. Luckily the cache was at the same turnoff that Walmart was at, we just needed to turn, left, not right. It was in a bus waiting area, under cover, up high. I found it and Dave logged it in. We then went and picked up our pictures at Walmart.

We then went back and then Linda was going to drive us around to see the sites. We picked up Abby, there dog from the groomers, then it was on to where Vaughn works, or I should say the place he runs. The company here makes Roof Trusses, had no idea how much work and skills go into something like this. He had such a small amount of employees, in my opinion, but they manage. He works 6 months here in Alaska and 6 months from Maine, via cameras. Must say one hell of an operation, and sorry Vaughn, such a tough life.

Once we left Vaughn’s work Linda took us to Palmer. 1st we stopped at a great viewing spot, then it was on to the Musk Oz farm, we just drove through that and got some pictures of the Musk, didn’t need to pay to see them up close. We then went into the visitor center in Palmer. Luckily we found a parking spot, they have there the farmer’s market going on and parking was hard to be found. Out front was a dog sled team, with trainers giving talks. They had samples of the equipment they have to use and talked about everything. We then went into the visitor center, where they were playing a video of the farmers that the government paid to move there and farm, very interesting. After that we went to the farmer’s market and walked around.

We then drove back to Wasilla, to where the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race headquarters is. They show a great video there, and of course, a great gift shop. They have dog sled rides too, if you want to do it.

After that Linda took us to the park, where you can look at Sarah Palin’s house. If you drove by the front on her place you couldn’t see it from the road, her driveway is way too long. The best way to see it is from across the lake, of course unless you are invited over. The bugs were eating Dave alive, I used spray, so we headed back home.

We got together later, had some snacks, on their deck then headed out for dinner. After a great dinner Vaughn took us to Eklutna Lake Campground to look around.  I think he was trying to give us a hint, just kidding Dave napped a little on that drive. After a day of touring around, big dinner, drinks, it was hard to keep the eyes open.

Have to get caught up

Give me a couple more days and I’ll get caught up on the blog. Been too busy, having fun.

6/28 Anchorage trip

It had rained during the night, but in the morning it was just cloudy. We made breakfast then headed out to Anchorage to find the Post Office. It was a little over an hour drive and the Post Office that we had sent my pills to was one that does not do General Delivery, it gets forwarded. The lady gave us the address and we figured it wouldn’t be there because of another forwarding. We were wrong, it was there, so my medication had finally caught up with us. After that we went to the parking lot and paid for 4 hours of parking, at $1.00 an hour, good deal. Everything was in walking distance and it wasn’t raining so lets walk. We found, kind of, a visitor center in a stand on the street. The ladies there had lots of advice and brochure's for us to take. I had seen a line of people standing at a vendors cart, on the corner, and asked what was up with that. She said the people were waiting for hot dogs, and I said really? She said the vendor on the other corner had better hot dogs, in her opinion, but the one we were seeing did a lot of gabbing with the people and they all seemed to love it. $7.25 for a hot dog, chips and soda seemed high to me and we were going to Costco later and $1.50 from Costco sounded better.
We left there and caught the free shuttle for the ULU knife Factory/Store. It went down hill and when we got there the shuttle over heated and the guy had to turn it off. He told everyone on the shuttle that they would have to either walk back up to the visitor center or call a cab. There was a couple that was panicking and started talking about getting a cab. It was like “really?” it isn’t that far, but oh well. We did their little tour and walked through the store, Dave really wanted an Ulu so he bought one.
After shopping we walked back up to the visitor center and we were still to early for the city tour so we went and did a Geo Cache. Which I found then we had to rush back for the city trolley tour, the trolley was pulling away but they stopped for us to get on. Very informational and entertaining tour, the girl that was talking and driving the tour was very good.
After the tour we walked around a little then decided to leave and go shopping at Costco. It was getting late so we headed for back to Linda’s. After all it was still an hour drive we had to do. We got back to Linda’s and they had the fire going on, by the lake. We were missing “Happy Hour” but we hurried our butts to join them. Linda and Mike, more friends of Linda and Vaughn’s, had stopped by on their way home to Palmer. So now there was Linda, Vaughn, Lorraine, Jim, Dave, Jeri and Linda and Mike, we had no problem sitting around the fire pit. Linda then BBQ’d hamburgers for dinner it was a really great evening.

6/27 Jet Boat ride then on to Wasilla

Happy 14th Birthday Riley.
We were kind of moving slow this a.m. because our Jet Boat ride wasn’t until 12pm. We walked into town for breakfast at the Roadhouse. It’s family style so you sit where ever there is a chair open. We then walked back to the RV closed it all up and moved it to the front of the RV Park. Check out time is 11am and they said we could leave it parked in the front while we were on our trip. Not a whole lot of parking for a large RV in town so that was pretty nice of them. The boat ride was good, not worth 146.00, thank goodness we didn’t pay that. We had the 2 for 1 so helped. We saw 4 bald eagles, one up pretty close, and lots of mosquitos.
We got back and hooked up the jeep and were on the road by 2:30pm. We arrived in Wasilla, at Linda’s house, at around 4pm. She has parking with full hookup at the side of her house. OMG what a house and what a view. Linda’s house if up for sale and if we could afford to live in Alaska this would be the house. It is actually 2 houses, the downstairs is completely livable on it’s own, kitchen and all. It really is a beautiful house, Vaughn and Linda have done a wonderful job on building this place. Anyway, Linda said to go ahead and back in the RV and we decided to pull forward in instead of backing in because of the view of the lake. We just can’t hook up sewer, which is fine because we dumped before we left the RV park. I’m not even closing the curtains because of the view, too pretty.
After we arrived and got set up friends we joined Linda and her friends Jim and Lorraine by the fire. Jim had started the fire in a pit down by the water so we sat out there and visited until it started to rain a little bit. Linda made a great dinner for all of us and we got a lot of visiting in. We went back to the coach after 9pm and Dave started working on getting the computers working.
Tomorrow we are headed into Anchorage to see if my prescription has shown up yet.

6/25 Talkeetna Camper Park

Dave went over to the Ranger’s lost and found and got his coffee mug back. I drove the RV over to the Post Office, to where he was, and we hooked up there. We were on the road again by 10:35am. It was raining, not real hard but enough to wash the RV and jeep down. When we were almost to the cut off for Talkeetna the rain had stopped. We got to Talkeetna at 2pm and had decided it was enough time driving so we found an RV park and decided to park for the day.  We got all hooked up and I started the laundry then we walked into town. The 1st thing we did was start looking for Geo Caches, while walking into town. I found it, the clue was “Kiss the Moose”. It was hidden by the sign, where you could take a picture of you kissing a moose. This was the smallest cache we have ever seen. It was like 1/4 of a size of a thimble. It was a magnet that unscrewed and was the smallest rolled up log, to write on, inside. Then I posed kissing the moose, which Dave posted the picture on Facebook.

I had grabbed some pamphlets at the RV Park that told of tourist things to do, while in Talkeetna. Because of our 2 for 1 book, we had purchased in Fairbanks, we decided to do the Jet Boat 2 hour tour for 6:30pm and booked it. Then we went on the hunt for another Geo Cache, which was at the Roadhouse Bakery. We hunted and hunted and finally a person, that works there, came out and asked if we had lost something. We told her we were geo caching and she said the clue was a flower box that is there all year round, or something like that, and the boxes we were looking at weren’t there all year round. So, it was the flower boxes attached to the actual building, then we found it. It was velcroed underneath the flower box. Dave asked her where the improv place was, that I had seen on a flyer, and if we could make the show if we did the jet boat thing tonight. She said no we couldn’t do both but suggested that we change the jet boat to tomorrow morning and take the 5 hour boat trip and go to the improv tonight. One of the guys that works at the restaurant is in the improv. We walked back to the jet boat place and the 5 hour one was going to cost us more a lot more so what we did was change our boat trip to tomorrow at noon. At 6pm we went to the Sheldon Community Arts Hangar and the show was “How to Make Love Like an Alaskan….Sleepless in Soldotna.” It was a really fun and hilarious sketch and improv comedy. This was another 2 for 1 out of our coupon book. It was fun, and the guy from the restaurant was really, really good.

Afterward we went by a brewery, had a beer and talked to the other 2 couples that were in there. One couple was from Florida and had flown in and rented a small motor home and travelling around for a few weeks. They said they had never done anything like this, motor homing, and he is seeing a different side of his wife like he has never seen before. The other couple was from Mass. and flew in and driving and hoteling for a couple weeks.

We then came back to the RV, 9pm, and Dave fixed dinner. Scrambled eggs with shrimp, onions and peppers. Our schedule is so off lately, don’t know when we will get back on the correct track for us.

Tomorrow, after the jet boat trip, it’s Wasilla. Linda Nadeau, hope you and Vaugh are ready for us.