The Real Trip Begins

Day 3

Today’s agenda was to finish up panning, pick up Kevin back in Acnchorage, and head south.  Panning went smoothly today with no repeat of Alaska life lesson number 1.  I finally met up with an old timer who showed me how to pan properly and found a few small specks of gold.  I was glad to have a day job to return to, cause if I had to rely on panning to eat I would be one thin mountain man.

Said goodbye to some really cool folks at the mine prior to leaving.  The last night we were standing around the fire talking about the odds of a lady coming to Alaska and finding a man.  One miner said the odds were good, but the goods were odd.  That about summed up my new friends.  Thanks to Andy for being a great host, and to Bill and Ken for teaching me to pan up my two flakes of Alaska Gold.

Kevin arrived, but his luggage didn’t.  However Alaska Airlines was right on the stick and had it in hand within two hours.  This gave us time for Kevin to get the Moho driving orientation, me to learn how to dump black water (a nice term for poop), and to eat supper.  We ate the best pizza I have ever had at the Moose Tooth Pizza.  If you ever go to Anchorage, go there and get a Santa’s Helper.  Side note.  Me, a Seminole fan, 4,000 miles away from Tallahassee, and they sit us next to a Gator Fan with full gator apparel.  God has a sense of humor.

Heading out of town we passed one unusual sight at the Portage Glacier turnoff.  I thought it was a traffic jam, but there were over two hundred native Eskimos with 10 feet long dip nets lined up in the river dipping fish.  It was a mullet looking fish by the name of “hulligan”.  The fishermen would dip out up to 20 or more fish with one swipe and dump them into 5 gallon buckets or coolers.  It was like a big party, with campfires on the shore and families grilling out.  Ended the day pulling into a rest area inside a huge bowl of a valley with snow capped mountains all around us.  What a beaut.  No internet here in the boonies, so this post will be delayed.

Still trying to get used to the daylight.  We were stuffing cardboard in windows,  blankets across doors, anything to make it dark so we could sleep.  Still up at 4:00 every morning for the sunrise.  

Bill and Kevin's Self Portrait

Hauling in the Hulligans

Long Net/Cold Water

Lining up for fish

One Scoop