Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 146 Alaska

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 146

 Alaska

7/11/09 TAUNA’S 30^TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!! ***** <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>WE LOVE YOU TAUNA! -  YES, I AM YELLING THIS OUT!

Tauna

Today memories of Tauna come flooding back. Pictures of her in the paper at birth. She was the first baby born in the new section of the Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland.   Tauna’s feet and ankles (just walking good) framed by the kitchen window as she was climbing the ladder to the roof. Her infamous trip to Fred Meyer, where she climbed the display for toilets – she had to go potty.  Her playing the heart strings of grandparents, Ruth, Frank and Maxine. Tauna singing in the school’s talent show when in grade school –great voice.  Her playing the violin so, so sweetly.  Her love of acting in the school plays.  Her determination and skill at basketball, then baseball – loving the team sports. Tauna starting a career in computer software design, while denying the knowledge or interest in doing so.  Her first date. Her introducing us to her church.  Her marriage to a most wonderful man, Aaron. Her commitment, with Aaron, to create a family that is healthy and whole.  The birth of first son –Jaron, becoming Mom.  First daughter expected in this special year. So many more memories, all so important to us because you are so important to us.  Happy birthday Tauna. We love you. 

Tauna Too

Well, we did not spend all day reliving memories.  We also packed up, had breakfast with Sourdough Joe- his treat- and headed down the road towards Anchorage.  We weren’t sure where we were going.  The view was muted, due to the smoke.  Faint outlines of glaciated mountains. One great view of a huge glacier below us.  We must have viewed almost all of the glaciated places around. We passed lake after lake.  The road was mostly good, with ample passing lanes and pull outs- except where the ice heavings started showing up.  Those areas are always under repair.  We had one major stop behind construction (had been warned up to 45 minutes).  As we got closer to Anchorage, Sam indicated that he had read about a campground with several lakes within driving distance – so we decided to go to Nancy Lake Campground.  We got there in a round about way and the campground was full and cramped and dusty.  We tried another.  We pulled in at the next campground- Rolly Lake campground- and we loved it.  Beautiful, beautiful.  Secluded, still within walking distance of a lake, with dock, perfect for the fold-a-boat.  We set camp, walk around the park a while and put the sun block shades down. 

Glacier Below

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 145

 Alaska

7/8/09 – 7/10/09 Back to the Klutina River

Charter Ride

Sam has fish oil in is eyes.  I, on the other hand, am still almost totally sane.  We decide to return to the Klutina River Charters Campground, even though the sockeye are not running at the moment. We fish for the next three days, evenings and nights.  We do take a few breaks. We bird watch for the grand humungus juvenile bald eagles, and their parents.  They are all over. On one of our breaks, Sam took a King charter and came back with a big, fat, rooster of a King.  Looked like a big red salmon to me.  Tasted mighty fine. We have about 40 pounds of fillets left from that fish. Since major sightseeing was still out due to the fires, we fished. Oh! We did go buy more gear and take a look around a historical loop of road about a quarter of a mile long.  But then we fished. Oops! Maybe just a skoonch of fish oil splattered into my eyes. I only have 2 poles – I gotta get another one – oh nevermind, I already did.

Please Not Me Next - EEEuuuu!

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 144

 Alaska

7/6/09 – Glennallen area - Tolsona Wilderness Campground

We are both dressed in shorts and short sleeve tops.  We have sprayed our exposed arms and legs liberally with skeeter repellant.  We are ready.  Sam reaches out and I grab his hand.  We start walking away from our trailer – leaving Brutus behind. Walking the lightly graveled road, we cross over the bridge that is a part of the entrance to the campground.  It is astounding that with our combined weight, added to Brutus and the trailer (even minus the rocks), we were able to make it over this bridge without it collapsing.  It was even a little worrisome just to walk over.  We continue past other camp spots, turn left and start a steep climb up a side road.  We approach a tent site at the top and walk to the edge of the cliff. We find a stunning view of Tolsona Creek as it snakes throughout the campground.  That is when I discover that we both forgot our cameras.  It was awful pretty.  When our eyes get view full , we turn off the road and proceed on a foot-trodden path through the ‘wilds’.  It was already overcast from all the wild fires, and now the vegetation starts crowding in, taking more of the light.  I put my head down and follow Sam.  The trail continues to be steep in places, uneven, but fun.  At least it was until the hordes of mosquitoes descend. They follow Sam’s head especially and remind me of the Peanuts cartoon character that always had the cloud of dust around him.  Sam was doing a great new dance step that involves taking one step forward, slapping his own face and waving, then quickly lifting each leg up – brushing it – while hopping on the other. Of course then he had to do it all over, ending with the opposite leg.  He does this much better then the two step. Seems more natural for him.

Sam is following the CD discs that have been nailed to trees to show us ‘hikers’ the path.  It tends to disappear due to the marshiness of the area.  It is strange that we are on a side of a hill, not close to a lake, river or creek, and there is swamp all over. After about one grueling mile, we almost decide to go back.  Sam has new contours on his legs and is turning red.  I am not looking at myself.  Just concentrating on the welts in front of me.  On and up we go.  My thoughts go back to the camp manager who recommended this adventure.  Wish she were here.  We again just about give it up when a little brighter light can be seen ahead.  We break out of the swamp and into a dried mudflat.  A large field area that is minus vegetation, but contains the tracks of all sorts of critters.  We identify moose, Sam’s tenny runners, a dog, and other hiker’s. The view up here may be better on years with fewer major forest fires.  Then … we see the main attractions: mud volcanoes.  About 6-8 feet in diameter.  Rough, basically circular, wet and bubbling due to the methane gas exiting the earth.  We spend maybe five minutes admiring all there is to see and hurry to beat the hordes of swarms of incessant buzzing back down the hillside.  We did not win that race.  When we got back to camp, Sam was well bitten in all areas not clothed.  I got two bites.  Naw! That can’t be the reason.  

Sam And Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 143

 Alaska

7/2/09 – 7/7/09 – Glennallen, Alaska – Surrounding Area

Small lakes.  We begin our search for the best lake on which to use our fold-a-boat.  We go back near Lake Louise and as we take the boat down from the top of Brutus, I discover that I have been mistaken … again.  The fold-a-boat is actually and Insta-boat.  Oh well.  It will always be a fold-a-boat to me.  We try it out on Old Road Lake and Round Lake, although they were too small to bother using the motor.  We oared.  No fish.  We went back towards Glenn Highway and tried it on Junction Lake.  No fish. We were done for the day, but stopped and scouted out Tolsona Lake.  We go to town. Sam decides we need to get some discounted fly-fishing gear.  Then, since we know absolutely nothing about fly-fishing, we go on a quest to find someone to teach us a little about this art of fishing. We need the basics, like - rigging and casting.  Everyone recommended Sourdough Joe, who sells not only fireworks at the Fireworks Stand – but sells his own tied flies. (you can check him out on the internet.  

Sam And Sourdough Joe

We talk to him and he arranges to meet us at Tolsona Lake to teach us the basics – for free! Sourdough Joe is a very nice, educated, well-read man, who is … Sourdough Joe.  We really like talking with him and listening to the information that flows from him like the Glutina River.  He’s not quite as pretty as the river, but does a good imitation of some well-known gnomes, with his long, white beard and general demeanor.  We like him. Sourdough spends a goodly amount of time showing Sam the ropes of fly-fishing, while I fish using the very worn jig I used in Edith Creek.  Sourdough gave me a tip in between casts with Sam.  The results were amazing.  I started catching one Arctic Grayling after another.  I released six and still went home with eight.  We prepped some and gave Sourdough a few.  We then met up with him the following day to try more Sockeye fishing.  But the fish were lazing around in the Copper River and not ready yet to come within our reach.  We did watch a young man of about 20 land a King salmon right on the very beach we were fishing from.  He was on a charter raft and had hooked one up river.  They beached the raft next to us and the ‘fish fight’ continued. The 60 pound salmon finally lost. The lucky fisherman was so tuckered, he needed help from a friend to hold it up for pictures. He was able to maintain a huge grin on his red face without too much effort.  We decide to try our luck again later.  We will be looking Sourdough up on our way back home.  Did I tell you that Sam and I like him? 

Arctic Graylings

We fish some and catch some more at Tolsona Lake and try out Tolsona Creek several times.  The creek runs right by our trailer, about 6 feet from our front door.  Sam catches a fish while on the bridge, but gives him back.   Then I cast for a fish that has been nibbling, and plain teasing me at the curve in the creek closest to us.  The problem is – the whole top section (1/2 of my Ugli Stik) goes with the cast and Sam is the one chosen to go after it.  I was too busy gasping and Oh My-ing, to be any help.  I did manage to hold on to the half I still had in my hand and I was pretty good about keeping the volume down on my ‘smile’, as I watched him almost swim after the top of my pole.  He is so nice to me.  I love my Ugli Stik. That pretty much ended our fishing in Glennallen.