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Joined: 2/23/2007
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I have recently bought a log cabin in Tok, Alaska. I would like a couple or family that would like to visit Alaska to stay with my granddaughter and me in return for some help. I need to start some small gardens, build a smokehouse and a cold cupboard out of stone. I just want to have fun doing it and not be in a rush. There will be plenty of food to share and expenses will be very few. I will cover the cost of room, board, and teaching a few things if wanted. I grew up subsistance farming, make my our bread, don't use commercial food, ie/canned, and know how to tan hides, make jerky, dry food, etc. keep chickens and rabbits. And more. Anyone that is interested can respond to my email and I will give a phone number. Come in the spring. If you want a real Alaskan experience come up this winter. lol
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 518
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Such a deal for someone wanting the Alaska thing. Wish I could go, lol. Hope you find someone to help you out.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1957
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I know! Won''t that be a fantastic opportunity for someone? To experience Alaska *and* benefit from working with this very capable and knowledgable woman - what a deal! Nantinki, please tell us about your activities from time to time. I''m sure we could all learn something from you, and many of us like living vicariously through the homesteading experiences of others :)
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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Things I intend to do around the log cabin once I really get started. Use bucket brackets such as the kind found in an equine supply or pet store. Attached to the wall or walls behind a wood stove such as mine they are an excellent way to heat a small water supply while not using the top of the stove. The brackets hold a 5 gallon galvanized or stainless steel flat back bucket. Having these between the stove and stovepipe gives a gift of warm to very hot water. It is also a very nice way to humidify.
I intend to have a large cistern box made of pig iron, used, and on an elevated frame placed above the wood stove. Attached to it I will have a cooper tubing coiled many times around the stovepipe. At the bottom I have a spigot to drain water from this tank. The heat from the stovepipe and the tank being above the stove heat the water quickly. The first water to leave the tank is usually boiling. This water heats backwards and makes the water really hot!
My ex-husband made our wringer washer turn using an ornamental windmill. Think I might try that too. On days that weren’t windy we pedaled a bike that would turn the motor.
Building a cold cupboard. Nice if your nights go down to 45 ish on average. Not any good in the south.
I do have electricity but won’t use much of it if I can help it. Just so I don’t need a hot water tank I did purchase a water heating tub, to have in the bathroom. They are in equine stores and on the net too. Mine cost 59 dollars and will cost lots less in the long run than a water heater. Summers when the wood stove wouldn’t be practical I will use it.
Maybe when I feel really ambitious I will explain a cold cupboard. They are the biggest energy saver of them all. Many places used springhouses. They are nice too but the cold cupboard is great. My grandparents had one. Never lost a bit of food either.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Things I intend to do around the log cabin once I really get started. Use bucket brackets such as the kind found in an equine supply or pet store. Attached to the wall or walls behind a wood stove such as mine they are an excellent way to heat a small water supply while not using the top of the stove. The brackets hold a 5 gallon galvanized or stainless steel flat back bucket. Having these between the stove and stovepipe gives a gift of warm to very hot water. It is also a very nice way to humidify.
I intend to have a large cistern box made of pig iron, used, and on an elevated frame placed above the wood stove. Attached to it I will have a cooper tubing coiled many times around the stovepipe. At the bottom I have a spigot to drain water from this tank. The heat from the stovepipe and the tank being above the stove heat the water quickly. The first water to leave the tank is usually boiling. This water heats backwards and makes the water really hot!
My ex-husband made our wringer washer turn using an ornamental windmill. Think I might try that too. On days that weren’t windy we pedaled a bike that would turn the motor.
Building a cold cupboard. Nice if your nights go down to 45 ish on average. Not any good in the south.
I do have electricity but won’t use much of it if I can help it. Just so I don’t need a hot water tank I did purchase a water heating tub, to have in the bathroom. They are in equine stores and on the net too. Mine cost 59 dollars and will cost lots less in the long run than a water heater. Summers when the wood stove wouldn’t be practical I will use it.
Maybe when I feel really ambitious I will explain a cold cupboard. They are the biggest energy saver of them all. Many places used springhouses. They are nice too but the cold cupboard is great. My grandparents had one. Never lost a bit of food either.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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A cold cupboard can be made from almost anything but if you have stones I suggest you use them as they make the very best cupboard you will make.
These are attached directly to your home so if this isn’t possible I’m not sure that they will be of any use to you. It is a thought though.
Ours was made directly off the kitchen.
If you have a window or a door that you can spare then all the better.
The best size to begin with might be that equal to a large orange crate. This will fit around you window area and can always be undone if you find it unsuccessful. Many of our neighbors had window size but we were a very large family and it never would have done for us.
Building a cold cupboard.
Ours was the size of a small bedroom closet. It was large enough to be the size of a frig but taller. Make an opening of a door with sliding doors on the inside. The width of each door should be about 20” and the height should be tall enough to make the outside window slide easy to reach. On the outside of this closet nearest the very top you should have a slit window of nine or ten inches tall and eighteen inches wide. It should have chicken screen on the very outside to keep coons etc. out. Next it needs regular mosquito screen and the next layer needs wood or glass. The wood should slide back and forth so that it can be opened at night to let the cold evening air inside. This cools everything down and helps to get everything staying fresh.
On the inside you need to make you door with wood that will be able to slide back and forth. On the inside of this you will need a screen door also. Mostly to insure that no mice or other critters will be visiting your food. On the very coldest nights of winter we put a glass of water on the top shelf of our cupboard. As soon as we saw the slightest bit of ice form we closed the outside slide for the winter. Now it’s time to open the other slid from the inside. Just a few nights and you soon learn how much to open this at night and sometimes in the day to let in enough heat to keep things from freezing. Sometimes it takes more than an inch or two of opening. It depends on you winter climate. Stones stay colder than wood, that’s why ours was built with them.
Some of the neighbors backed up old refrigerators to openings and did it that way, some used two layers of wood with sand in between, some cinder block. Some used asbestos back then. (wonder what they would think of it now?)
We also had a spring house, (fun to play in in the summer) but not as nice in the winter. It would freeze over completely. Our cold cupboard was always cold.
(Don’t build it on the same wall as your kitchen wood stove.)
The other things we did to help keep things cold in the summer:
My grandfather cut ice in the winter and buried it deeply in sawdust. In the summer he dug from the side to get the blocks, not the top because the dust it’s self froze and he wanted to keep that seal.
We found a small block of ice two years after he died. This will tell you how useful the sawdust is.
Our sawdust crib was about twelve feet long and four feet high. At the end of every summer we loaded the dust around the house to bank it up for the winter. We also used some to cover some of the plants for the winter. It really had to be old dust and well near rotted because he knew that sawdust has arsenic in it and old sawdust has all the arsenic leached out. He didn’t want us eating food from the garden that was contaminated and he didn’t want it to get into the well.
I will try to answer questions if anyone is interested in this cupboard. Hopefully I didn’t confuse to much.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Hi All,
I have had several inquires but to date still no takers. Come for a week or two, come for the whole summer, come for whatever suits you.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Sugar and I are leaving this dreadful place and job to head out in 12 days.!!! I can hardly contain myself. Being a motel manager isn''t all it is made out to be. We will drive from here to the Florida panhandle and then across route 10 to El Paso Texas. From there we go north through Albuquerque, Denver, Billings, into Canada and on up to Tok, Alaska. I think we are going to freeze to death. Tok is the coldest inhabited city in The USA. It has been record hot here in southern Florida. I''m ready for the good life and Sugar is too. She''s singing we''re going to Alaska.!! lol. Wish me luck. This is a huge adventure. I haven''t even seen my log cabin yet.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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I have gotten very many wonderful replies. There will be plenty of time between visits and if there isn''t then we will simply make do. Pitch a tent or throw down a sleeping bag. I have met lots of strangers who were friends. I''m going to have lots of work to do also. Just a little bit at a time. Thanks for the response.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Today is the fourteenth and with only three to go we are having a really hard time being patient.
The responses to our posting have been so posative and wonderful it is hard to believe it. There are so many good people out there that give so much and take so little. My life is feeling very full.
I am posting an excerpt from some of the emails I received from a person or two. I was blown away by. This was because I had mentioned I would like some dogs or pets.
:"I do have perfect dogs for you, especially if they will be loved, given attention and get to run. You can turn all of my dogs loose and they will stay with you. I take them for walks all the time.
I do think that sled dogs will nip at such a young child. In fact I wouldn''t let her near them unless you knew for sure that they wouldn''t hurt her. I feel like I can tell which ones would and wouldn''t, but one can never be 100% accurate.
Would you want them permanently? I would be willing to do that, give them to you for no charge either for the year or permanently. I am having a baby in December and am trying to be realistic about what I will be able to do in the next 3 years. I don''t want my dogs to just sit here. It would be hard to let them go, but I would feel really good about them going to good places
And another one….
I will work with the
rabbit railroad (do a "Yahoo!" search for "Rabbit
Railroad" or "Rabbit Transportation", a Yahoo! Group
will show up in the results. All arrangements for
transport would be the responsibility of the buyer.
You might be able to hook up with people at the Rabbit
Railroad who can help transport for little or no cost
And another
We are both VERY interested in all of the things you described in your post. xxxx is a mechanical engineer by training, and can take apart and put back together almost anything w/ a motor or engine. He also has talked many times about eventually rigging up systems in our home that would heat water w/ our woodstove, etc. He also enjoys stone-work, carpentry and many other "handy" things like that.
I am not as skilled as he is, but I am willing to help with just about anything. I would also be so thankful for any learning opportunities (it is very frustrating trying to educate one''s self entirely by trial and error
This is just a little bit of what was sent.
I am very grateful, more than words can express.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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I will love to go, I am nearly to the point of unemployed, but how do I go there from Miami, FL?
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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I think theres a song, North to Alaska!
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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" and the rush is on.. la la la. I love it. Sugar sings it all day long.
We are so excited and scared at the same time. Especially about receiving the dog team. I just can''t wait.
My life was blessed when I was a child. I was allowed to live with my grandparents growing up. They were very old when I joined them. Both were born in the eighteen hundreds.
They saw so many new things happen. The birth of cars, electricity, etc. But basically they were not as fortunate as most people so they lived without many of the more modern conveniences.
I was taught so many of the old ways. I even was taught how to English shuttle tat. This is an art, which is lost today. I never met another that knows how to do it.
We grew up eating chickens, rabbits, wild game, and all fresh food. We made our own everything. Salt pork, horseradish, all the crockery food, canned and smoked, and jerked meat. I did not have much other than fresh or homemade food in my growing years.
When they passed away they took many of their old home medicine and remedies with them but I do remember a few. If I were not so lazy I would try to write down what I do remember some day.
Things we ate kept mosquitoes off us in the summer but I can''t remember what that was. I keep trying to think of it but can''t. I will need that more now than ever. lol
When I get to Alaska I am going to try to keep a journal of what it is that we are doing and how it was done. Hopefully I will do it right.
I am going to have so little money that in the beginning I will probably not even have the electricity turned on. That is if I can help it anyway.
I will be out of touch soon and will not be making to many notes but at my daughters house I will do the first few then when we get to WM I will do more then finally the last before we hit Canada I am stopping at the home of people that are going to come to Alaska to stay with me for a month to help out and to explore the Last Frontier.
Hopefully we will be able to do things that are good for the soul, spirit, body, and the earth. No more washing machine, no dishwasher, no disposable razor, no more microwave, no more no more no more.
Now guns, dogs, candles, wood, tallow, treadle, knitting needles, etc. soon no computer, just trips to the library…
Wish us luck…………………………………………………….
More later,
Nantinki and the Sugar Bear
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Well,
we are in El Paso, TX. This wouldn''t mean to much if the weather wasn''t so bad. Over 100 degrees all the way and we don''t have any air conditioning. The motel we stayed in last night was so cheap, I should have checked it out before paying. No A/C. No sleep last night so we are relaxing because tomorrow we both go to the dentist in Juarez.
Turtlehead, you were given such a kind warning. God is good.
Next is Albuquerque.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1957
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El Paso!? The journey is on! And then Albuquerque (thank goodness you spelled it in your post so all I had to do was copy it). I''m tickled you had a chance to post a little update to us. My thoughts are with you and Sugar. Safe Journey.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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Thanks so much for that Turtle. We are happy. I have been released from house arrest! lol. That''s what being a motel manager makes one feel like. Sugar sang "we goin to Nalaska" all the way here.!!! That and other news, we are still on the consideration list for the series. Dunno if that will happen though. If it does I want all my buddies from the MENF to make a visit when they are filming. It would be so much fun for us all.
I have been gifted a gun for hunting my own meat. Hope I don''t shoot myself in the foot! Never before have I killed. I wonder about this. There must be some way to not have the hurt feelings? I feel that I will be sentencing something to a death sentence so that I no longer have to eat plastic covered meat. Any feelings on this. I really do have to furnish my own food. Gardening has always been a major love of mine but that I have never done in such a cold climate either. I will need major prayers as well as all the faith of others. I really do want to do this in a good way.
Nantinki and the Sugar Bear
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1149
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Nantinki--
Your journey is on! How very exciting[:D]! Keep us posted on your progress...I want to make sure we are not out-of-town when you cruise through!!
As for the hunting quandry. Jim and I have existed off of deer, antelope, rabbit and the meat of 1 wild turkey for a couple of years now. It is traumatic, as it is hard to think of what the animal is giving up so that we might live. I wish that Mother Nature had designed a gentler system. But she didn''t, and if one chooses each animal carefully, one can help contribute to the overall health of the herd.
It is good, in our opinions, to see first-hand the real cost of one''s meat. Being removed from its source, as we are by the sterile environment of most supermarkets, makes it too easy to forget how we are still part of Mother Nature''s grand design (predator/prey). Knowing the animals that become your nourishment helps us remember to be grateful for their sacrifice. In a way, their lives continue as they provide fuel for our bodies. Hence, the circle of life[:)]...
Anyway, that is how we think of it here. I am sure each individual must deal with it in his or her own way though.
We are wishing you safe (and cooler!) travels!
Erin
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Thanks for that Erin. We are in Albuquerque having a wonderful time. The prices here are amazing and I have purchased a few necessary things. We still need so much more but we are on a very tight budget. I was hoping to get some used tools, saw, hammers, hand tools that come in handy, shovels, etc. but no luck on that.
I already have a few kerosene lanterns and lots of candles, strikers, but no water buckets, (not the kind that I want) and other items that will be used instead of electricity. I will need battery-operated drills, other things like that, and some utilities that are battery operated.
One thing is for sure: we have lots of blankets, quilts, and the necessary bedding so we don’t freeze if the stoves go out. Hopefully that will never happen.
I am not sure about food yet. Although it will be pretty late when we get there I still want to can and freeze what I can. There won’t be a problem with meat and fish. There is always something to hunt or fish for.
It is getting pretty close to us being in the cabin and I am starting to get anxious and excited.
Hopefully I won’t have trouble at the border with all the stuff.
Soon we will be in Denver then on to Cody then back to Billings and on up 87 in Canada to Tok.
Thanks you all for all the wonderful letters and encouragements. We are blessed to have it! Thanks for the goodwill and prayers too.
Nantinki and the Sugar Bear still on the road to Tok
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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is the offer still available by chance?
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Big question here???? Does anyone know how to render and purify tallow? I will be making as much as is possible while I am here because tallow and lard are fed to the dogs in Alaska. That will make it impossible for me to get enough to make my candles. That will be new for me too!
Today we are going to all the stores around here to ask for as much beef fat as we can get. Now we need to know how to clean it.
as always, many thanks,
Nantinki still in Albuquerque.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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Nantinkir--
Try posting your tallow question in its own topic...That way, maybe, more people that are learned on the subject might see it? Just a thought...Wouldn''t want you to end up w/ a carload of spoiled beef fat :-0!!
Safe travels to you!!!!!!
Erin
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Hello All,
We were about to leave Albuquerque in a day or two but now I am not sure of what we should do. Maybe gas will go down if we wait a little while.
I am so anxious to get to my cabin in the wilderness but may have learned a little lesson here.
I believe that I will concentrate on tools that are strictly used by hand.
Getting back to the wild is looking more each day as if it will really be.....
getting back to the wild.
Nantinki and Sugar
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 23
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Don''t count on the gas prices going down, at least not anytime soon. To be honest, it looks like they are going to keep on rising. It is sad, and I feel really bad for you to be traveling so far during this time. Good luck!!!!
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Hi from sunny NM,
We leave here tomorrow for the second 3rd of our trip. This section has not been without some surprises. As you all know, long before the Europeans found it, complex communities were living in this river valley. (Albuquerque.). Although in reality, the people have become very sophisticated and developed their existing communities, they still have put down roots that will probably not disappear for another millennium.
I love to go as far back into the reservations as is possible and visit my friends in the Pueblo’s. The gardens are mammoth, with chili, corn, and other more notable vegetables. Some of the corn is almost 15ft high.
I tried to be conservative with my purchases but it isn’t easy. I loaded up on so many of the things that are common here that I had to ship most of it up to Tok. I bought chili, tamales, beans, colorful pottery, and some clothes for Sugar, and yes, one of those off the shoulder dresses that we all know about. The flea markets, and the swap meets, yard sales are so wonderful. The prices are unreal.
We are leaving 4 days before the state fair starts and I am glad for that. It would be an expense I can no longer afford, and having been to the NM state fair before I guess it’s a good thing to do. Miss it.
As I stumbled around doing things I did manage to check out one very important way of making a fence that is very solid and probably almost bear proof. Taking 4 inch metal pipe and welding it together to make frames, then adding the toughest fencing one can afford is so much cheaper that doing an anchor fence.
I really need to have a fence or Sugar will not be able to play outside in the summers. This was such enlightenment. This part of the trip will care of it’s own expenses because I will save so much when building. I saw so many other things too.
The communities here especially the ones living next to the river valley are doing so many things that are earth friendly. I wish I had taken some pictures. Solar power is abundant, a few small windmills, wood stoves, etc.
By the time I get to Billings I will be a wounded and enraged person again. The cost of gas is already so ridiculous. For the most part it is way over 3.00 everywhere and I haven’t even gotten to the bad places yet.
Well, our next stop is coming up, Denver here we come tomorrow, then Billings, MT on Monday. Next will be Tok by Thursday because I need to be there before Sept 15th to beat the studded tires or four wheel drive laws.
Hopefully I will be able to get to a computer again soon.
Nantinki and Sugar on the road again.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
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Well, Nantinki--
Jim (hubby) is on the road down in WY, and he said the lowest octane gas (85.5, which is what we use...all we can AFFORD to use!) is $2.79. While that isn''t great, it is better than the $3+ you mentioned in your post! Hopefully those prices will come down for you a bit as you travel north! Safe travels!!
Erin
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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We are in Billings MT.
The drive from Albuquerque was grueling. The wind blew our little Merc Topaz all over the place and all I did was hang on to the wheel with an iron grip. The truckers got me white knuckled. They come too close when passing.
The drive is beautiful, all the high plains flowing with the tall grasses, looks like a welcome wave.
I am at the following telephone number: 406-248-8842. Super 8 just off the highway.
Nantinki and Sugar, resting until Monday. Leaving at noon to meet Mark at Costco then on up the Alcan to our new old Log Cabin.
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Nantikir I found you here. I knew you had a post where you were Journaling your trip.
I shall follow and look forward to your posts and adventures.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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http://www.ruralalaskarealestate.com/house.html
The above is where I found my cabin. I wanted to live in Tok after having lived in Anchorage, Eagle River, and Dillingham.
The weather is the absolute coldest in the state. Whatever, if it''s under zero, it''s under zero. Just keep the wood fires burning.
I will send more information later. Sugar has ants in her pants so I am taking her to the Billings Zoo.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1149
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Nantinki--
You and Sugar have my sympathies...Trying to drive thru that wind. It seems to be blowing in the fall weather, as we have a beautiful (windy), sunny fall day out there right now. Jim probably drove right by you on his way home from WY yesterday, and he bemoaned the blustery gusts he had to weather as well.
I hope that tomorrow brings a calmer day for the next leg of your journey. You are getting closer!!
Erin
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would love to talk more with you about living/helping with you in alaska...where is tok alaska. tell me more.
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Meghandmama and all, HI, and ERIN!!!!
I am pulling out this morning, going to meet Mark, and will be out of touch with the net for a week. Just can''t wait. Geez, I hope it isn''t to much of a nightmare in the beginning. I would love to do some garden ready stuff: getting mulch and peat, whatever it will need to get it going. For now, the ground in the pictures looks as if it is just coarse sand.
We are bringing loads of long hour candles, Wally''s,.... because I just didn''t have the time to make any. Soap too.
I have some MRE''s left from when I lost my home that will last for a little while too.
The next road will be bumpy and loads of turns. It will be very interesting to watch Mark and Sugar and their reactions. They are both interstate babies.
Meghandmama, do you have an email I may send you a note to? I will not have the time this morning but would like some corresponding with you. You must have questions to ask, things needed to know, etc>???? I of course do. That and of course there will be other people now too.
Bella, Far, Crownlady, when I get north I will post as much as is possible without being boring.
Erin, see you later on this afternoon. I am very excited to meet you and Jim!!!!!
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1957
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Meghandmama,
You can search for Tok at http://maps.yahoo.com
It is nearish the eastern border of the state, about 320 miles NE of Anchorage.
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Last 3/3''s. We are out of here and on our way! Hope gas isn''t unbearable!!!!
Much happiness and all good things to all of you ...
Until Tok,
Nantinki and Sugar off to Tok, singing all the way, North to Alaska!!!!
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quote:
Originally posted by nantinkir
Last 3/3''s. We are out of here and on our way! Hope gas isn''t unbearable!!!!
Much happiness and all good things to all of you ...
Until Tok,
Nantinki and Sugar off to Tok, singing all the way, North to Alaska!!!!
I love reading this lady''s stories. You are my kind of gal. You don''t sit and say what if. You don''t sit and ponder your situations. You don''t sit and moan and groan "whoa is me". You make it happen.
You never bore us. You are most interesting and I hope you, like Silent, are keeping journals.
Your lives are so exciting.
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Nantinkir--
I know you probably won''t see this post for a while, but I just wanted to say that it was wonderful of you, Sugar and Mark to stop by on Monday!!!!! How amazing that your journey brought you right past our front door!
I bet you are more than half way through Canada by now? I hope that your way has been smooth, and that your new place in Tok is all you imagined it to be, and more!!!!
Safe Travels!
Erin
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TOK TOK TOK finally.
I will take time to journal tomorrow. We finally have DSL
Nantinki and Sugar, home at last and loving it!! Much better than I ever expected!!!!!!
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HURRAYY[:D][:D]!!!!! I was wondering if you''d made it yet!!! I figured you had, and just had to get your phone, etc hooked up. Wow, I''m looking forward to hearing how the Al-Can highway treated you. Was it a beautiful drive?? And, of course, what do you think of your new abode?? What do Sugar and Mark think? Is it what you all had hoped for? I guess, no matter its condition....It is still in Alaska, and you are finally there[:D]! So glad to hear that your journey was a safe one....[:D][:D].
Erin
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You''re THERE? That seems so fast!
You even have DSL - spectacular.
I am SO excited. I was afraid you''d find it lacking and be up there hungry and freezing but "Much better than I ever expected" ... WhooHoo!
I am on pins and needles waiting to hear about your trip, and your adventures as you begin settling in.
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So glad to hear you made the trip ok. Not that there were ever any doubts. Who''s Mark?
Looking forward to your posts and adventures.
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Posts: 445
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Cruising along the Alcan, listening to acoustic music and watching the world go bye.
I didn’t have a hard time letting go as I might have been expected too. Who would know that as many times as I have seen the rivers, the trees, the mountain tops, that I could still be blown away by them.
Summer is almost over now, up here, the tractors have all been put away, and the hitchhikers have stopped showing up.
There is the promise of winter snow in the air already, the berries are gone off the bushes, and I am glad I am home. Every night I go out and watch for the Aurora, the magic lights, and every night I hear the wolves. Someday I would like to look one straight in the eyes.
Tomorrow is another day, a day to wake up to all this.
I watch Sugar grow and I watch as she learns it all. It was magic to watch as she saw flocks of Stone Sheep, Moose standing in the roads, and Caribou everywhere. More, more, more grandma, I want to see more. I love her tiny self, and I am happy to be bringing her to the most wonderful of the states, the last frontier. She is a wonder and I pray for us that we do have time together and that she grows well and healthy.
We got a room in Billings; Mark has finally decided to join us on the trip north. We met and then started our journey north to Alaska.
Our time in Roundup with Eric and Jim was short but wonderful. Many thanks for the food and visit and we hope to see you soon.
Next was the long miserable customs border. They are so rude now that they got all the flack about letting the terrorist over last year. The woman in the window asked, “What country are you from?” USA I said. “Go around the building and murmur, murmur, and murmur.” What? “I said, and she started yelling as if I was deaf…….” This was getting off to a really bad start. “Whose kid is that in the back?” Mine I said. You should have seen the glare. Lifted eyebrow and all. “What, do you want me to believe that?” OK… now I am mad. My heart really was going down the shi..er. This child is mine I screamed back. If it is one thing I really dislike is assumption. I could see her wheels turning. You know, this woman is nuts. She isn’t young enough to have a child. Well I just let her hang herself. “ Go around to the window, etc. she roared at me. She left the window and ran around to where she told me to go, whispered something to a woman there and stomped out.
Now we all know that there is no age discrimination anymore. Before the new lady could say a thing I pulled out the papers giving me Sugar. She laughed, I laughed and had a good time laughing really loud so old grouchy could hear.
So, did this end it? Nope. Mark. Dear sweet son-in-law, ‘but not the babies father comes in.’ Sweet Jesus old grouchy murmured loud enough to be heard by me. Thinks she Demi Moore. Lol. Oh my, lol.
Now the real trouble begins. Either one of you have guns? Mark says yes he does. How many? I dunno, five or six. Well what is it? Five or six?. What? You don’t know how many guns you have. For Christ’s sake. You two ever been to the border before? Well maybe when it was nicer but not since the SS police started working there.
They marched Mark out to the truck, wrote down serial numbers, measured barrels, and then turned his truck upside down. Whew. They are rough.
When we were finally through there I couldn’t help but look back to see if they were really gone. All I saw was Mark’s truck behind me so it was true. They were gone.
The first part of the trip through Canada was so different from what it was when I went through many years ago.
Boy the food and rooms are horribly expensive now. They give enough in one meal to feed a family of four but it just isn’t good. I got stir-fry that was raw vegetables mixed up with smoke bar-b-q sauce and soy sauce. I couldn’t even take the smell of it, never mind eat it.
Gas is around $5.00 American for four liters. Sometimes I couldn’t even catch my breath it was so bad.
The roads are bad again, moguls, bumps, holes, loose gravel, and all that you can imagine.
I was in my own old beater car when it started snorting shortly after crossing the border. I though, it’s that demonic witch at the border. She hexed me, but it wasn’t. The water pump was going bad. I kept pushing it anyway and it kept getting worse but oh well. It made it all the way here because GOD took care of me because he felt sorry for me because of all the trouble with the demonic witch. He made it last all the way to Alaska.
Now for some of the great stuff. I saw Caribou everywhere including the middle of the road. Flocks of sheep where all over the place. A sea of them on the sides of the road. It was a mighty sight to see. Anyone would love that sight. It made my hands clammy. Sugar would scream, more sheep, more sheep. What a little trouper. She will be a great hunter.
The seasons are changing fast there in Canada. The trees are beautiful; the rivers high, so it was good to drive slow anyway. Kept us from falling off some of those bad cliffs. Lots and lots of animals, some raven, mink, moles, coon, etc. but still all fun and beautiful to see.
While it might sound like an episode of the Sopranos Mark and I got into another hassle. A man I will call “the director,” of the Canadian roads, pulled up with a flagman, passed us and then told us that we had to sit and wait for the pilot car. What pilot car I wondered. Well, in about 15 minutes I got out and asked how long before they though he would be back? “ he’s out to lunch and I dunno” Gritting teeth I asked him why we had to wait if no one was working then? “Cause I said so” OK. I am peeved again. I turned the car off and told him that if Freddie or what ever his name is was gone so was I. I am going to take a walk and will be back later. “ Nope, can’t do that. I can have you towed.” Arrrgh. I lost another battle to our embittered neighbors again. I put my feet up on the dash and pretended to go to sleep.
I was oblivious to most problems after that but another encounter was inevitable. When the first loop of the so-called tightened road around the lake was taken it was bellowed to the other side of the road that they would be going first. I lost the battle and the war.
Now we had many wild animals on our range of vision and that is enough to make anyone happy. After many intellectual discussions with the Sugar Bear we figured out that we would be happy in spite of all.
We saw a half starved to death cub and I wanted desperately to stop and help it but was warned not to by Mark. Surely the mother has been killed I begged but Mark was the wiser. I didn’t try to help.
We were not prepared for some of the towns. One restaurant asked if we were local, we said no, then the waitress left, said she would be right back and returned with a different menu. A proven method of making an extra buck on us.
I was riding with the seat back, passed to state parks rangers, sucked in my breath and waited for the lights but none came. Ahhh. Success at last.
There were not many radio stations so there were long periods of silence. Beautiful silence. I made many plans during that silence.
The glaciers are receding, it is so sad. Ice is gone, ground is melting. Now I know that my brain won’t get frozen I feel better.
Since we got here we have done 5 cord of wood, the neighbor says we need twelve. I went to Anchorage, a 328-mile trip each way and got supplies after I looked around town and found that everyone was gone to get supplies. Didn’t want to look to dumb, being new and all. I really wanted to go hunting or fishing but at lest that is taken care of.
I really like my cabin home. It needs lots of work but we will settle in and see how it goes. Mark doesn’t know how long he will stay. Maybe he will last and maybe he won’t.
My feet are cold and it is still sunlight so I am going to dry my feet and go back out to do something more. Maybe wood, and then write again tomorrow all about this wonderful place.
I am gonna drink a small glass of wine, look out at the mountains and reflect at just how lucky I am when I get back in. I guess.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 384
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I am so jealous! You have DSL out there where you are??!! I am smack in the middle of PA and can''t get DSL!! LOL
Enjoy your life and have some great times with Sugar.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1149
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LOL Pookie--We have DSL here in the little ole town of Roundup, MT too!! :o)
Nantinki--
Wow!!! What an odyssey it sounds like your journey was!!!! You said you were journaling it? I imagine that would be a priceless thing for Sugar to read when she gets older! What a lucky little girl she is to have the opportunity to grow up in such a place! Imagine how different her life would have been growing up in FL...Not bad. But different, for sure.
You can hear the wolves calling every night?! WOW. I once heard wolves howling in Yellowstone. We are lucky to have befriended a gentleman and his wife that spend their vacations wolf-watching in the Park. Through their spotting scope, we watched a lone black wolf sit on top of a rock outcropping as he threw back his head and howled and howled. It was a surreal sound...One I almost remembered somewhere deep down, even though I''d never heard anything like it before. Maybe it was a touch of what the quote in my signature describes. I often think the wild things that share this planet with us still have a place in our consciousness. Some have an easier time burying it than others, I think.
I hope that you enjoyed your glass of wine and your view of the mountains and auroras (is Tok very mountainous? Or is it a flatter part of the state?) You sure have earned your time to reflect. Please keep us posted as you settle into your new Alaska home! We are so glad that you made it there safely!!
Erin
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Oh, I have just been going like crazy. We put up 4 cords of wood already.
Back to the tale of the Alcan.
Anyway, the people in Canada were so nice, so help full and obliging. They did so much to help. They also give excellent directions. Except for the restaurants.
When we got to the USA border it wasn’t much because we are citizens. We did chat a little. They loved my little Sugar.
As soon as we got here I tried to find my house. It was dark and near impossible to find anything, finally I asked directions, no help there so I took sugar and we spent our first night in our new home not in it. The next day was a bit easier. I called the realtor and she had someone show me the way.
When I got here we almost drove bye the place. I yelled that’s it and the lady bringing me didn’t think it was the right house but we stopped and the key fit. It is 2 times nicer than I expected. O it needs work but it is nice. The water comes to the house only, enters into the bathroom, so called, and goes to two places. The toilet and the tub that hold all other household water. The stove is made from a huge old air brake pressure drum from a locomotive. It will hold a 3 foot and 15” log. This worries me. (I must be needing one heck of a fire). I got so concerned that All I have done now is cut wood.
We poured water into the sink in the kitchen and it immediately went onto the floor. No plumbing and no bucket. There are only two windows that open on the first floor. More on the second though. It’s so the bears can’t enter uninvited. I am the proud owner of 3 sheds in the front, one sauna, 2 sheds in the back, 2 ladders, some equipment, don’t know what for, one shed complete with another barrel stove, one full of junk, a dog sled on the roof of one of the sheds, 20 empty barrels, 20 or more tires, wood everywhere, a strawberry bed, some raspberries plants, an old enamel pea green tub in the back of the house, an outhouse badly in need of repair, and a son-in-law that will babysit for me and that’s it. Not to much on the manly labor there. I am very satisfied with the babysitting. Nothing else matters. I still have no idea how long he will stay. He doesn’t carry wood, put it in the stove, no carrying water there either, no washing of dishes, no cooking, yes, some whining, some complaining, some of the “I can’t stand the smell of wood smoke” every time I have to open the front of the thing, it rolls out a little when I open it only.
Just really good about the babysitting. He loves her as much as I do and he is the God-father. Wonderful to have him, I get so much done. I had to take the car to the garage, it is costing a bundle here, labor being 79. an hour. To get it winterized was 284. Argggh. We have had some nice days, some rain, some clouds, some northern lights, and some snow. Just a little. We missed hunting season so I will buy meat for a little while. A new neighbor gave me some king salmon. I love it. Taking a bath in a bucket is no different than it was when I worked on the ship and water was short. I love the constant heat, and am settling in somewhat.
I will tell all about the house and some of the things that are cool about this town, and the people soon.
Nantinki, pooped out and going to bed worn and wasted soon.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1873
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Sounds like after a while it will be a wonderful place to live! My brother moved to Maine and in his first year ran out of wood. He and his family were living in a Yurt. Now that must have been a rough winter for him getting wood in the snow! I think your priorities are absolutely in order. Keep us posted, it has been a good read. Just like life, with its up''s, down''s, villians and friends.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 1957
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Nantinkir,
I am amazed and your flexibility and resourcefulness. It sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you, and also a fabulous life.
You got 4 cords of wood already? I''m curious... how did you do that? The chainsaw we have is so heavy. I can lift it and carry it okay but I couldn''t control it. It would be too dangerous for me.
And did you split the wood yourself? We are so pitiful (desk jobs all our lives) we forked out the bucks for a log splitter recently. At least we won''t be cold.
You just blow me away.
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Turtlehead,
A response from the inhabitant of Tok Alaska. Lol
I feel like a termite chopping away at the house basement. When I got here the first thing that I felt necessary was food. After that wood. Just as soon as I made the trip for supplies I attacked the wood problem. The office of Natural Resources is right here in town. They allow 10 cord of wood to be taken off Sundog Road or near the old airport. OK, I will find these places. That was the hardest part of getting the wood. The easy part is that the forestry department has cut the trees down and stacked them in piles of a cord. All I have to do is cut them into length I can handle and then load them onto the pickup. A cord just fits. Next I made the garage become a woodshed. When the doors are closed for the winter I will crawl out the bathroom window and throw the wood in. This will save me lots of heat loss and be much easier than carrying an armload at a time around to the door. I have found out already that the stove is nowhere near as voracious as I had first imagined. I did ask neighbors how much I would need and was given very many different answers. I figure about 10 cords will be enough and even if it isn’t the effort to get this wood isn’t bad. If I have extra wood for the next year I will be happy about that.
I am not terribly sanguine about some of the things I have to do so I am doing this first because it is something I love. It is from childhood memories.
When little we used horses to drag the logs down to the skid. One time when I was told by my grandfather not to run the horses because of snow on the ground, as soon as I was out of sight it was the first thing that I did. Well, the logs slid around, hit a small pine tree, caught hold, stopped us dead, dropped the horses down to their knees, and I flew off the log I was riding like a rocket. Fortunately I didn’t break the horses legs, or mine, and just collected a few scrapes and bruises. My grandfather when he saw me, the tracks from the whole mess in the snow, my cuts, etc. never said a thing. But I saw the twinkle in his eyes, the slight smile, and I realized he had let me do this to learn a very important lesson. I always loved him for not saying anything..
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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Yesterday was such a challenge. The wood was so hard to get. I must have handled 4 cords 3 times in order to get a cord. My hands are killing me, my whole body aches, and the Sugar hates me. I had to leave her in the truck with some toys, music, and attitude. What should have taken a couple of hours took 7. Arghhhh. The miracle was that I got the last cord that I need; the day was so beautiful that I worked in my shirt, actually got hot, and then last night it snowed. I really don’t like to get wood in the snow, it freezes, I usually have to kick it so hard my feet hurt, it gets heavier, and it is slippery. Ssooooo, it truly was a madcap day, especially for Sugar, but we did the wood. Done.!!!!!
Now all I have to do is split and stack it. It was a stupid idea for me to take so long to do this. A feature now needed is a splitting maul and an axe. I am feeling great trepidation about this because of swinging a maul once and missing the wood, hitting my chin on my right leg and limping for a very long time. Sometimes this makes me really nervous too because if I get hurt no one will know for probably hours, I do get Medicare now though so that’s good anyway.
The snow is still coming down. it’s really beautiful. It’s the first time that I have seen snow in years, Sugar never has, and Mark is complaining again about it already. He wants to go skiing.
They (neighbors) have already been here or called, offered Sugar home visits, (some kind of pre-head start thing)some elderly program and senior citizen stuff for me, (I don’t feel elderly yet) and what ever. The proposed things and the people are such a nice greeting but we are not really ready for any of it yet.
Woops, I am still upside down, time to go to church. It’s so much earlier here. Still snowing. Yes!!!!!
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 4490
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Glad to hear you have made it safetly to your new home..now some
Mom thoughts to you.
If you get stuck way out there alone how are you to handle it. If you are ill or hurt will you be able to crawl out the window for wood? Is there any place you can put "emergency wood" in the house? If you need help because of the baby..how will that be taken care of?
They do have something you can wear around your neck that alerts the police of your predicament. I think medicare would pay for one for you. You can make it I know but little Sugar might need some assistance.
Just my cautious nature kicking in.
Do be careful.
By the way...who is Mark..lol. I know he is a son in law but not Sugars dad???
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 445
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I may have needed that reminder Crown,
Sometimes I feel more capable than I really am.
(shin not chin) Anyway, from now on I will let people know where I am going when I do these things.
Some wood is already in the mudroom. It is right off the kitchen. When it is possible I will add to the pile but if not I will manage somehow. I just hate cell phones; everyone reminds me that I should have one.
I think that the big issue here is that if I was 45 or 50 no one would think another thing about me but it’s that old age barrier. Or at least when they take their toddlers out not a soul says, “do you have a cell phone? Or what if?” But when one hits the ole’ 65 then it’s oh my gosh, will she survive that? Or worse than that: (she must be nuts)
As soon as I get the time I am going to start running with a pack, small at first then gradually I will increase the weight. I want to be on the Indian firefighters list. I have already applied. The minimal requirements and the secondary requirements are a cinch but the maximum is more than I can handle yet. 40 pounds, three miles, in 45 minutes. I can do 5 miles in an hour easily but the pack thing would slow me down. The secondary was 20 pounds, two miles in 45 minutes or something close to that. I will look it up or go back to the BLM. It’s right down the road. They had no problem with me signing up. That was a pleasure, to be treated as an equal.
Thanks for all the concern Crownlady. It is much appreciated.
Erin thanks for all the lovely letters. Time is so short now with winter coming that I forget my manners, don’t answer or go to bed so exhausted and worn that I just don’t write.
Soon I will tell you all what a magnificent journey into the fixer-upper lovely old log cabin house it has been so far.
The priest’s assistant came after church and offered his chainsaw for our use. I was blown away. I met him at the dept of forestry and we were discussing the size of mine. His is somewhat bigger! How wonderful of him. He had it in his car and offered it right after mass.
Tok people are soooo great.
Nantinki
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Joined: 2/23/2007
Posts: 4490
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Nantinki please do not think I even brought age into my concern for you and Sugar. No not at all.
This was my thinking...she is all alone with a small child, she has to crawl through the window to get wood, she might get flu and not be able to make that little trip through the window, they could freeze without the wood.
Never once did I think, she is old or she cannot do it..no never.
My only concern was your being all the way out there an alone. If you were 22 I would have been concerned with those circumstances and said the same thing.
I am very much admiring of you and your trek, adventure, lifechange. I say you go girl and I think I have told you that already. I would never dishonor you by thinking you cannot do this after all you have already accomplished.
I am so interested in you and Sugar and wish only the best for both of you. I tend to say what is on my mind at the moment..I must learn to think before I speak.
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