I remember when it was 60 below zero and could not take my gloves off for any reason. Everything froze solid. When it warmed up to 30 below zero I would wear my down vest and shirt sleeves put on my cap and shovel the deck I was actually too warm from the exercise.
In 1976, I believe it was October. I met the owner of this fine cabin in Alaska. He needed a tenant and I had the good fortune to rent this place. I loved it. This was the first time I lived completely on my own.
ReplyDeleteWhen the temperatures dropped to far below Zero I was snug in my cabin. The smell of coal lofting through as that was my heat source. I could bank it up and it would last an entire week end. The comforts of home. I rarely cooked, I rarely cleaned, it all seemed so simple. So many series of first, and the things I had never done before. I prayed a lot in those days. I was thankful and grateful to God and asked for guidance not to screw up. What ever that meant to me.
ReplyDeleteTAPS, The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System was going full throttle when I arrived. My first visit to Alaska was the summer of 1975. Right out of high school I went to work for a Bellanca aircraft dealership. They sold and worked on planes, they also ran a flight school. I was hired as receptionist/ book keeper. Typing was not my strong suite so luckily most things were done in long hand. No computers, Dee ran the office and I tried to do what ever I could and not make too many mistakes. Its seemed easy enough but I still messed things up now and again. One thing I noticed was this is definitely a place of men. The men were coming in to rent the businesses bush planes. The business had 3 supper cubs in their rental fleet. Dee would check the planes when they came back in to make sure there were no green grass staines on the belly, if they did have grass stains she would chew out the pilot and tell they could not rent the plane it they were landing on the tundra. You see you could rent the planes but owners wanted pilots landing on designated runways, not in the bush or on a sand bar somewhere.
ReplyDeleteI did not have a car so I relied on my sister, her car for her bicycle to get to and from work. Lord help me when she go mad at me and told me I could not use her car or her bike. Some times I was late but I never missed a day of work.
At the end of summer of 1975 I headed back to college in Montana. I did not think that I would ever be coming back to Alaska but.... At the end of my freshman year, out of money and no prospects for a job that paid anything. ( I felt girls less fortunate to our male counterparts who always seemed to have a better paying jobs.)
ReplyDeleteIt was in the spring of 1976 I went to the humane society and adopted my first dog, Chabasco. Chabasco was a designer dog by today standards. He was a cross between a Malamute and a german shepherd. Big black dog. In those days a cross was a mutt. My mother helped me buy a little Toyota pickup and a canopy for it. The canopy was insulated and serve as a shelter. My Mom did not want me to go. She said, "Alaska is not the place for you Laura Jean." I explained if I wanted to finish college I needed to go where I could make more then minimum wages. My Father was still up there working for the borough. So I did have some one there if I needed.
My sister Linda made theses very nice curtains for the windows in the canopy. They were blue and white striped and had a gold fringe to trim the bottom. She also helped me make an elevated bed on one side of the pickup box. I could store luggage and items underneath and sleep on the top of the platform. I gathered my camping supplies and loaded up.
The dog proved to be my biggest challenge. Right away he discovered a porcupine on a hike. First lesson was to clip the ends of the quills before I pulled them out. He also loved to roll in stinky dead things. On more then one occasion I had to clean him before I could let him back in the car.
When My father heard I was coming he asked me to stop at longs Big O tires and Bring 4 tires up to him in Alaska. They were truck tires so they took up a lot of room. Chabasco sat in the front seat next to me and away we went. It was Friday night and I hoped to make to the border by 5pm. I had my life saving with me, my new little toyota pickup and Chabasco and north we went.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the country everyone learns on a stick shift so that was my little Toyota , standard transmission. I never gave an automatic a thought, or air-conditioning. You just roll down the window right.
We made to the border at about 5pm as I anticipated. What I did not anticipate was that Canada would never let a young girl drive the ALCAN by herself. After answering a few questions to the guy at the border crossing he had me pull in and park the pickup. I was escorted up stairs to this great big office. The walls were plaster with maps of Canada. The door behind me had a full length picture of the Alaska highway. The ALCAN, over 3000 miles. There was a woman behind a rather large desk. She began to reiterate some of the questions one of the other border guards ask. Where was I going? How long would I be in Canada? What was I driving? How much money did I have? $250.00 I proudly stated. She looked at me and quietly said" you don't have enough money. " She then suggest I go back and get more money. I explained where I was coming from and it was 5pm. on Friday night. Even Shelby Montana banks would be close. Oh no think fast Laura Jean think fast. So... I turn to the map on the door and started explaining my route and where I would fuel up... I had a brand new pickup so I would not be abandoning it in Canada... I had four brand new tires so if I ruined a tire I had plenty of spares. ( I neglected to mention that they did not go to this pickup.) I have a big dog to protect me. (never mind Chabasco was still a pup.) She was very apologetic but I would have to go back. Then It dawned on me one last effort."YOU WON'T LET ME GO BECAUSE I AM A GIRL! If I were I guy standing here we would not be having this conversation" I piped. That is what this is about. "No NO No " she came back at me," I am all for equality in women. We stood in silence for a moment. She took in a deep breath and said "you know to do appear to know exactly what you are doing and where you are going, I think you will be ok." I thanked her profusely and slipped out the door and into my pick up. As I pulled away I looked into the rear view mirror, one hand on the steering wheel and the other on Chabascos head alternating between shifting patting him, "Looks like we Made it fella".
Leaving the border and heading to Edmonton seemed so uneventful, but leaving Edmonton and heading to Grand Prairie, Chabasco and I experienced our first Rodeo. The Toyota pickup which we decided to name Blue had bucket seats. There just wasn't a lot of room in the cab. Chabasco set next to me, often with legs or head on my lap. On one particular moment I was reaching for my water on the floor of the passenger side, Chabasco stretched and pushed the pickup out of gear. I looked up and realized my wheels on the passenger side were off the pavement and pulled it back on the road to quickly. All heck broke loose and I was sliding side ways down a very steep barrow pit. I thought I had on foot on the clutch and other on the break but... I think it was the clutch and the gas. I was not stopping. It did cross my mind that I might roll Blue. I start rolling backwards through a farmers fence and came to rest in his field. I then stalled the pickup. Popped the clutch. What to do, My heart pounding so hard I looked over and poor Chabasco was upside down on the floor. I pushed the clutch in started Blue up and put it in first and drove back up onto the highway. Wow, we are ok. I quickly jumped out and ran to back of the pickup to see if I had done any damage. The fence post I knocked out just missed putting out my back window. There was now and dent in my little topper less then an Inch from the window. Bummer, I turned back to get back into the Blue and immediately fell to my knees. My thighs were shaking so bad I could not walk. I crawled back to the cab of the pickup and open the door, Chabasco was back in his seat sitting up and looking at me for comfort. Funny I too wanted comfort . I sat a minute contemplating what had happened and decided to head on down the road. Keep in mind I am a kid, Kids don't always do the right thing, i.e. find the farm and pay for the fence. That did not fit into my shoe string budget. I was embarrassed the whole thing happened in the first place.
ReplyDelete2018 Itinerary is set up dates are July 1st 2018 through July 8th or 9th 2018 Anchorage to fairbanks. 378 miles. Rest day at Mckinley. Self-supported bike ride for the ladies. Biggest day is 67mile.
ReplyDeleteThere are still many story's to tell but right now I look to future, cycling 2018, Anchorage to Fairbanks. Right around 60 miles a day should be a good work out. Can't wait, most of the planning is in the works. I look forward to the day I jump on the plane and head to the last frontier.
ReplyDeleteWith the struggle for female independents and the freedoms all men of the time enjoyed, I believe I still was waiting for John Wayne to ride up on his Big Horse and say. "Hey little lady, I want to build you home on the bend of the river where the cotton wood grow." Waiting for the that prince from childhood dreams, and struggling for something more, I continues my quest for a place to belong.
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