North to the Alaska "Haul Road" Day Two

The camper worked out well other than the battery draining for an unknown reason thus causing the low battery beep to start chiming around 4am. And since we were without a trailer towing our supplies, much of our gear was now stored in the camper bath. So with the fact that the bathroom was right next to Doug's bed and it was not easily accessible or roomy, I decided to make use of the big wild wide outdoors for the elimination of personal excess from the night and day before.
Originally, I whined enough before we left on the hunt about the use of the toilet facilities. It was brought to my attention that "the guys" never before on these hunts used the camper toilet because it wasted good use of storage area to take more things. This of course was a surprise to me. I was sure that if you have a workable toilet, it surely is a good thing to use and not expose yourself to the elements of the wilderness. Googling the "haul road" even allowed me to see that there weren't a lot of trees to hide behind. It is a tundra and there are wild things out there. Well, Chris agreed after talking to the camper owner, that the restroom would be usable and functionally. Plans changed.
Shovel in one hand and tissue roll in other, I made my way into the foggy morning to experience the ultimate in "haul road" lessons. Find coverage, dig a hole, and hope that a creature in nature doesn't disturb you. Okay, okay, so I'm not really a princess.....

For several hours we sat and watched Caribou several hundred yards away across the river from our camp site. We managed to even see many up on the hills beyond slowly making their way down to the river. Large and small grazing without concern. Their front white manes showed up so well against the Fall colors of the tundra and the grays of the mountains. Tips of red flashed occasionally letting all know the rut season was near. Waiting was long. You could feel energy uprising as the tall creatures made their way across the "Sag" or the Sagavanirktok. Without reason, as soon as they crossed, they headed for the highway in a total different direction than what we anticipated. By no fault of ours. The wind was towards us, we sat so quietly, and no other hunter seemed to be stalking them. They just knew. The river was crossed and it was time for them to cross the most dangerous areas. The Haul road. Truckers, hunters, and wide open spaces......

Day Three

I slept really well in that camper! The mattress was great. I begged Chris to use flannel sheet and blankets instead of sleeping bags. So I stayed warmmmmmm. He thinks I have a built in furnace but I think it is him. Snuggling is so much better in blankets than in Sleeping bags.

This day we saw a few more Ptarmigans, Foxes, and a lot of Musk Ox. It was very cool seeing all the wild life.

North to the Alaska "Haul Road"

Day one

Road trip to the "haul road" started about 830pm Tuesday night September 8th. Chris and Doug loaded the camper totally full. Everything nice and packed tightly for the bumpy road. Doug's Costco trailer crammed with empty coolers, extra gas, several tires for the truck and trailers in case of flats, and fire wood. All I could think was "WOW", I was going to be safe and sound. These guys thought of everything. My only concern was how well I could perform in what I always thought (before I met Chris) was the Man's world up north.

To prepare myself, I had a drink before we left. I was thinking my nerves were a little shot. How was I to know what to REALLY expect. I mean, men tell stories about hunting and I know they elaborate, but I was very aware at 830pm on Tuesday night that there would be no turning around. Once we get there...we are there. If I didn't like it, I couldn't do anything but trudge through. My experience was going to be what I made it, ultimately.

Trouble # 1

My martini with olives and onions was just the ticket to a nice sleeping mode the first three hours on the road. Doug drove first and I could hear him and Chris talking a little but soon I was relaxed enough to not care where we were going. Chris slept a little but since I had the back seat with pillows, he slept sitting up in the front. Then it happened. Three hours into the drive, in the dark, loaded down with all the gear we could ever think we might need.....the truck stops. Now, remember I had had a drink so I am not sure the full story of what happened to make it poop out, but we were in the dark sitting on the side of the Parks Highway and the truck would not turned over. I think I heard them say "ut oh". For some reason, that didn't sound good in the dark. It seems that when you switch to the second tank of gas on Doug's diesel truck, you are not suppose to wait until it is completely empty.

Remember this girls when you drive a diesel with two gas tanks.


After waiting, going through all the fuses because that is what guys do, and attempting to wave down a tow drive that already had a vehicle with man loaded for a fix it place somewhere in the dark; Doug tried again to crank the switch when it worked. Thank you to the angels watching over me. Of course, I was still in a stupor and at that point wasn't sure that it was okay that it cranked due to us pushing forward down to the destination.

Chris drove from Cantwell to Fairbanks. I slept a little more but was now in the passenger front seat. Doug was out in the back. Then my turn came. I got the most exciting part of the drive. It was dark, I had never driven or seen the area above Fairbanks, and I got to enter the "Haul road" being the only one awake. I drove all the way to the Yukon. The sun was coming up over the mountains. Most of the time, I listened to some of the CDs already in the truck but still some of my favorite country music. The Yukon was gorgeous! I never knew it was as wild as it was. You could see land forever as you top the hill before the bridge. At this moment, I was glad to be along with guys and able to experience was they have seen before.

Trouble #2

Then it happened. I heard the "ut oh" again. Now we had another problem. The trailer had not only lost a tire but the rim was completely destroyed. I had driven the haul road alright. And I had driven the tire right off. The weird thing is I never felt the trailer messing up or teetering funny. In fact you couldn't even see the trailer from the cab due to the camper on the back of the trailer. The guys were great. They reassured me that I couldn't have known. We were just fortunate that the trailer didn't dump all our coolers and other supplies. Good thing they brought four extra tire for the trailer.


Ladies, would we have thought of that?

So the extra tires came in handy ....up to this point.

Next we drove into Coldfoot where I ate the biggest pancake ever placed before. Most of my friends know I love french toast from Snow City Cafe, but now I will forever be craving the drive to Coldfoot just to get my pancake!

After I engulfed this hefty breakfast with Chris shaking his head in disbelief, we headed on up the road to make it to the official hunting grounds. Namely where ever the caribou roamed.

Trouble #3

A few miles later, we pulled off the road to take what would be my first of many beside-the-road potty breaks. There we discovered that the advice of a friend to not pull the trailer was the correct advice we didn't heed. The bearing cap on the tire we changed had came off somewhere after Coldfoot. Dirt was on the bearings and grease was splattering out. So the trailer had to be ditched. There we had to choose the most important items from the trailer and what could be left behind. Firewood was important. So were the coolers because we were hoping to get meat. In the end, we stuffed the camper even tighter than we thought we could. It was impossible to walk inside without climbing over tires, supply boxes, and gas cans. Everyone kept their cool and I didn't whine.

Eventually, we headed more into the stomping grounds of tundra, caribou, and true Alaskan Big Sky. The sun was shining from every direction. Trucks, work equipment, and tons of hunting vehicles rambled up and down the dusty gravel road kicking up gray matter with a mission. Now, I was up in my seat. Chris had already made a stop for us to gather our bows, arrows, and release for the lucky chance we might see "something to shoot". The rules were clear. My education in bow hunting gave me insight into what I could shoot, when I could shoot, and when I should or shouldn't shoot. I felt ready and after almost two years of practicing with my Diamond bow, I was ready to be called a hunter and not just a shooter.

As Chris drove, all of a sudden he and Doug were all excited telling me "get your bow!" The next thing I knew, I was walking the tundra trying to sneak up on a few Ptarmigan or as I have always called them...."Snow Chickens". Their breast were white and their top feathers were mottled with gray, black and whites colors. They had long necks and only one could be seen at first as the sentry. Doug and I had to look for a few moments because we actually passed them in the truck and had to walk back and relocate them. Once we had them and I think Doug and I spotted the sentry at the same time, then we lifted our bows. Without as much as a thought, I pulled my string back, aimed and released. POP!! or as some bow hunters say...."thunk!" (small thunk since Ptarmigan are small). Finally, I was a hunter. Then I saw more and since the limit was 20, I went for it. My total was 3 for the day.

Forgot something. Once you kill it, you have to dress it. ........that is for tomorrow.

One more thing, I got kind of crazy with the first caribou I saw. I begged Chris to take me out and try to go after it. Fools choice but Chris indulged me. We scampered over 200 yards of tundra attempting to hide behind every little bush, with the caribou remaining always 200 yards away. Of course, I wasn't alone in the chase...4 other hunters were after him. It was a hoot to see the bunch of us running after it. The caribou probably thought it was usual for the day and made it a habit to humiliate a few hunters every day. But to make matters worse, my overly excited predator persona was really amuse when low and behold as we were driving away we saw a huge caribou standing all by itself. White beard and broad side. Chris put the brakes on. We all lifted our binoculars and then saw a man walking away from it. It was a decoy!.......Hunting is a hoot!

To end the day, we found a pull out, set up camp, and sat by the fire discussing our day.

My Married Life

So, here I am again. Studying away. Joining the millions of 40 somethings attempting to keep their minds active while denying the inevitable aging process. Hoping that the aging process doesn't affect the mind like it seems to with so many. The occassional lost of keys is not what I am talking about.........

.......oh, what was I saying?

Chris and I have been together for over 2 years...almost 3 by December. It has been so easy being with him. Sometimes I wonder if it is because we are really, really in love or because we are just mature enough to recognize that it doesn't work to sweat the small things. I like to think we are really, really in love. Chris probably leans more to the logical thought that we are mature (or at least he is) enough to behave correctly, give room when room is needed, and allow for scratchy behaviors occassionally from the other.

No matter what.....I love him.

Montana

The Ranch was a beautiful way to renew myself, gain some insight about my loved ones, review what is most important in life. There is no way I could ever put into words the settling of my spirit. Big skies, warm weather, gentle beings all around me both in human and various creature form. Even the sound of the crickets were music to my thoughts. I appreciated the nibble of horses....the smell of sage....and gift of love given to me by the grannies.

The Brazilian writer Paulo Coelho once said, “When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change; at such a moment, there is no point in pretending that nothing has happened or in saying that we are ...not ready. The challenge will not wait.”.

Garden

The beggining of radishes. Cute little plants springing forth

Then they grow......

Cute little Zuchini and Lettuce!

All grown up and over the box!

Brocolli first in........

Now look at them!

Russian River Aniversary June 2009

We had great time celebrating our one year aniversary at the Russian River. It was relaxing. Chris even sat and read his book by the campfire for long stretches of time. We got down there Thursday evening and pitched our camping gear after a short burst of rain caught us as we pulled up to our site. I really liked the site Chris picked this year. It was tucked nice and cozy up against the edge of the mountain without exposure to people trampling through your camp to get to their own sites. The people were friendly but we couldn't even see our neighbors due to how the sites are laid out. Purple flowers (Lupin??) were blooming and the weather went from sunny to sprinkling rain to cloudy to windy several times even in one day.

Friday morning, Chris woke up early as usual but with a different mission than heading to work. He made our coffee, got our gear together, and patiently waited on me to rise and shine. Of course, I got up early....well, around 6am as opposed to his 445am time. I was ready though, to get busy with the fishing. This year, after having my eyes lasered last year, was going to be my year to "see" the fish. And I did....I saw the fish. Of course there weren't many to see on the Russian, but fish I saw....3 rainbow trout and one red salmon the whole two days we walked the Russian. Chris being the expert fisherman that he is, caught 4 nice size Reds on Saturday down past the Ferry where everyone else were fishing side by side...shoulder to shoulder....combat fishing away....

Oh, and a side note. Poor Chris got globbered by a flying weight. His neighbor to his left lost a fish and the weight came flying back and knocked Chris down to his knees. OMG, his poor head was bleeding and quickly swelled to a nice goose egg. I was worried. Chris was too somewhat but everyone know the Heman-Superman that he is. The guy asked if he was okay...Chris just said, "I hope so????" I would asked him every now and then ...."Are you okay?" "Do you need to go to get it checked out?", but he would just say "No, just make sure I don't get loopy".

Well, Saturday evening we had friends down and shared a toast to celebrate our one year. I got kind of loopy then, but headed to bed happy to be with my Heman-Superman. The next morning Chris surprised me with a gift (Jewelry) and cards. He had also brought along strawberries and chocolate, but I decided my hang-over wasn't ready for it.

I love him. He loves me. We are happy as we can be. It is so good to be with the one you are meant to be with.

Here is the BIG BEARvideo that we got to view on the Private Island we could not hunt on. It was great watching him. I suppose he would be pretty scary walking up on.......

Dingy lesson part three

Here I learned that rowing forward in a little more difficult than if I had turn the boat around rowed backwards. I look like I am going up hill........lol

Dingy lessons part two

This video is a little longer....but you will see why I put the whole thing in if you watch it all.......

I didn't know that steering the boat would be the easy part. As I got closer, I realized I had to manuver it up to the boat without crashing. Lesson learned..........

Stop the motor before you reach the boat......but not before you get to the boat....and don't wait too long to row with both oars back to the boat!

Dingy lessons part one

So I decided that I should learn the use of the dingy since, who knows, I may need to get back to the boat by myself for some reason.....like Chris needing a beer after he skins the bear or me needing to grab something I forgot (like I always do).

On this inital trip I was able to crank it. A few rips......well maybe more than a few. But it did crank and off I went. Chris decided to film...which I appreciate his care in detail on the next two lessons. And of course he was so patient not to give me too much advice.

PWS Bear Hunt

So Chris and I spent another great May on PWS hunting bear. This was my third trip with him. He has gone many times. We left on Friday morning with decent weather and saw approximately 13 bear in one day. One beautiful, fat, big bear on Chenega Island. We filmed it but had no choice but to just watch it due to the Island being privately owned.
On Saturday we spent all day on the boat hunkered down. It rained and rained and rained. Not drizzle but rain. One thing for sure, it pays to go on these kinds of trips with people who don't mind being around in small places. Chris and I can sit and be around each other without a problem or anoyance. Sometimes we talked....sometimes we read...sometimes I just slept for hours. I really caught up on alot of sleep during this five day trip. Chris even seemed to relax alot. He couldn't piddle around like he does at home.
Sunday was gorgeous after noon. The sun came out and basically stayed out for the next few days. On Sunday, I had my chance at stalking a bear. We saw him on the beach eating the tender grasses which seemed to be fresh and new just waiting on wildlife's attention. The bear didn't seem large but the hunt was afoot just as soon as Chris eyed it. That was our way of finding bears......eat or take a nap....look up....and I would hear Chris say "Bear...get your gear!" I would occassionally spot a bear, but he definitely has the eye for what to look for. Usually my spoting consisted of bear bushes or bear rocks. Anyhow, we loaded up the dingy. My bow in hand and made our way to the beach a ways from the actually spot where the bear was munching slowly near a nice little waterfall. So the waterfall helped drown our noise and we were downwind from him. Perfect for stalking. I was so nervous. You see.....I needed to be able to get within 30 yards of this bear due to that being my best practice shots I have made with my bow with broadheads.
Needless to say...I got there...at least to the last corner prior to where the bear was last seen. Notched my arrow....rounded the corner....but he was gone. Whew! Wasn't sure whether I was relieved or disappointed.

More to come....................

Gold Nugget Tri 2009

So I did it again....4th year......and I am learning new things about myself, about others, and about what I want to be.....

My swimming was good...my group averaging 45-50 jumped in the pool 15-20 seconds apart and swam what they call a "snake swim" weaving up and down the lanes under the ropes until we reached the last lane. Then we climbed out of the pool....ran to where our bikes stood in waiting formations ready and eager to have the owners take them for a spin. My goodness though, the transition from pool to my bike seemed longer, further, yet we got to run past a steady stream of onlookers waiting for their own family member, friend, or love one to come running past them. But still they would cheer most on even though they may not have known them. ......I heard my name....."Go Sharie!".....and it wasn't even my husband's voice.....just someone in the crowd who knew me.
As I got to my bike, I could feel the warmth of the sun. So all the stuff I packed in my can beside my bike to weather the cold didn't seem needed and too much to bother with. I put on my helmet, slipped on my shorts, scurried into my shoes, my number 1023 secured to my abdomen, and my bike gloves jerked on......snapping my bike out of it's wooden holder, I ran it to the bike start. Soon as I heard the chirp of my chip as I crossed the carpet, I jumped on my bike and pushed with all my might against the peddles that would be my stable platforms for another 30 minutes.
Then as I rounded the first curve on the way out of the gates, I heard it. That awful noise I knew was probable....the tire pump I added to my bike the hour before I parked it yesterday in its numbered spot. I freaked out for just a second and did the worse thing a racer could do. By adding something to my bike without test driving it first, I adding minutes to my bike time. The darn pump came loose twice during my travel towards the nine mile mark. So twice I had to completely stop to tighten it making me have to restart with all the energy I could mustard considering my thoughts and words were just.......*%#*....

Hiking Flat top...waiting for his wife!

My handsome man on his 48th birthday heading off to work at 630 on his bike.........My he-man-super-man!

Mexico 2009

Enjoying Mexico as tourists

Honey moon was great..........we fished.....kissed.....and drank while we ate a little.......