Alaska_Trip3

6/15/96
Well, today I am officially a Campground Host. The Comfor's don't leave until tomorrow but I am on today. I don't know what I will be doing yet as Jeff probably won't arrive until 11 or 12. Jeff is the Ranger I will be working for and he will give me the big tour today, explain my duties, etc. The way I understand it so far is that weekends will be the busiest checking for Campground, boat, and dump station compliance, (make sure they have paid) and then cleaning all the fire pits and grounds when they are vacated by the campers. Somehow I think this will be more than a 25 - 30 hour a week job. Oh well, it's only for a month and I could be wrong.
Jeff got here about noon and I met him about 1:00. We talked for a while then I went with him while he did his rounds. He does the same thing that I do. There was a group of Good Sam's from Fairbanks at the Salcha River Campground. They were a nice group of friendly people. We talked with them for a while and had some Salmon and crab dip that one of them had made. Was it ever good.
I popped a circuit breaker this AM. I have to remember to turn the heater off when I turn the coffee pot on. The 15 amp circuit won't handle both. Tomorrow, after the Comfor's leave I will move the trailer and wash it. I found out yesterday that there is a power washer here. I could have saved myself about $8.00 for the car wash yesterday. Made the rounds this evening. I have to check each occupied campsite and make sure that they have paid, then go by the boat ramp and see if everyone there has paid. If they haven't I give them an envelope and ask them to drop it in the "Iron Ranger", a box set up for that purpose. Then my day is pretty much done. It is 10:30 and I want to get up early tomorrow so I had better hit the rack.

6/16/96
I got up about 7:00 made coffee, had breakfast did my morning "es's".I made my first rounds at about 8:00 this AM. Not much going on. Yesterday was interesting. We caught one guy and his wife not paying. They said all they had was a $100.00 and could we change it. They knew that we couldn't so they said they would get change and bring it back. They really got angry when we said they had to pay. Anyhow they left and do you know they didn't come back. Strange.... Oh well Jeff, got their license number. There was another guy down by the boat launch area that didn't have change either, but he managed to scrape it up among his friends. We told him that he was not supposed to camp there but this AM when I drove through his camper was there. Jeff gave him an envelope and said he had to pay the $8.00 for camping and he apparently found the change because he left the money in the office. There were a bunch of young solders here also, not a problem in the world with them. They seemed like really nice guys. We finished up about 8:30 last night. I think the sunset was about 12:30 AM and Sunrise about 3:30 this AM. So we had about 3 hours of twilight.

6/17/96
I woke up this AM about 5:00 dozed until 6:30 then got up, had breakfast and took a nap until about 8:30. Started on my Monday morning rounds. This is probably the hardest day, physically. I have to police all the campsites, picnic areas, walk in areas, boat launch areas, etc. In other words every place there were people. I also have to clean out all the fire pits. If they have been used I have to shovel the ashes and what ever else is in there out and make it look presentable again. It probably took me a little over two hours. I think it looks OK but I will have to wait until Jeff arrives and see if it done to his satisfaction. I think he said he would be in about 1:00 today. Yesterday the temp got into the 80's and today it is supposed to do the same. We did get about an hour of rain late in the afternoon which caused the air to sparkle a bit more and cooled it down a bit. I wouldn't mind if it rained every afternoon for an hour or so.
Jeff and Dave got here about 1:00. Jeff and I went down to Birch Lake where we have an unimproved site. We just have to police up the area make sure there is toilet paper in the restroom and get the count from the vehicle counter. While we were there I noticed a floating dock. It looked like someone had taken it from the Air Force Rec. Area which is about a mile up the road. We went up there and let them know about it and they said they would send someone back for it. On the way back Jeff showed me where and how to gas up the trucks. After a run to Salcha to get the count (I couldn't find the counter) and check the area out it was 5:00 so I started a fire for dinner. I was going to cook out tonight. Jeff had some deer meat and sausage, so I got some potatoes (three for $2.00), wrapped them in foil, did the same with some veggies and that was dinner. At 7:30 I did the rounds for fee compliance then came back and waited for Jeff and Dave to finish painting. We ate about 8:45. The potatoes were way overdone but the everything else was fine.
When I talked to G, I discovered that she had not received any Email so I resent everything. I hope she got it this time. I also had to resend Cat and Scott's letter. It had come back as undeliverable. Oh well. Before I went to bed I called and left a message for Fred and gave him my number.

6/18/96
Woke up at about 5:00 then dozed until the phone rang at about 6:30. It was Fred calling me back. I was nice to here from him. Everything seems to be going OK with his job and he enjoys it. I had breakfast, showered, shaved and did my morning rounds. I walked them this AM. It took about an hour but I enjoyed the crispness of the morning.. I found some people that had come in after I checked last night but they had put their money in the "Iron Ranger." One of the boat vehicles did not have a receipt so I put an envelope under the windshield. By the time I returned it was time for a morning nap. I don't know why I am so tired today. I slept well and for plenty of time last night. After I took a nap I went to Salcha and checked for fee compliance. I think I will try and design a form so we don't have to use envelopes for notes.
I told Jeff I would help him cut grass today. He said he would get me when he was ready, so I went back to the trailer and took another nap. He didn't wake me. I worked on setting up the computer, fax and printer for about a couple of hours or so. They have an old 286 with 2 meg of memory and a 30 meg HD. It takes forever to just write a letter. If I had the numbers so I could install the drivers I would use the notebook. I did my final rounds about 7:30, came back and worked on the computer and form for a while. I went down to Salcha Lodge and had an ice cream with Jeff and David, came back and read for a while and had the light out by 1:30.

6/19/96
I slept well last night. It was close to 8:00 when I finally got out of the rack. A quick shower and off to my morning walk. The mosquitoes were terrible this AM, and I forgot to put any repellent on. Every time I would stop they would be all over me. I probably should put the can by the door so I wouldn't forget when I leave.
I went to Fairbanks today. Picked up film at the PX and dropped some more off at Payless. Payless will send it to Seattle Film Works. It may take a few weeks but I don't have to mess with it.
When I was doing my evening rounds some people noticed my Sacramento shirt and said they were at the Jubilee and enjoyed it very much. The gentleman also has a brother in law who sings Barbershop, perhaps with the Masters of Harmony. His last name is Custer.
The Campground is kind of deserted tonight. There are only four families here. There is a church group that is having a tent meeting in the day area tomorrow so we might be busy with them but I doubt it. Jeff said one of the kids from the church group was in an accident at the lake. I was sleeping so I don't know anything about it.
I signed up for GNN again this evening. It will make things easier for G if we don't have the same E - Mail address. I will cancel it when I return. It will cost about $6.00 to DL the software and .10 a minute after that and at the end of the first month I will be charged 15.00 for 20 hours. I will try and sign on and get the software after Jeff leaves so he doesn't pick up the phone and disconnect me.

6/20/96
I walked my morning rounds, then had to go back with the truck. Some of the campsites were kind of messy and I needed the shovel and bucket to clean up. When I finished that I had breakfast then took a short nap. Dave got here about 9:00 and I started to work on finishing up the computer setup and the form I wrote up for the hosts to use. I set up the fax machine and had someone fax something so now we know that works. By then Dave had finished what he had to do and we were ready to start on the grass. I filled the tank and took the mower to the beach area and cut under the trees, benches, and other areas where it would be difficult for Dave to reach with the tractor. When I ran out of gas, about 2:30 I came back, sold an annual pass, went to Salcha, finally found the counter and then checked the place over. I got back about 3:30, just in time for my afternoon nap.
It's 5:00 and I am sitting outside my trailer listening to the wind rustle through the trees, answering questions and just enjoying the day, life is good. I noticed a number of people want to have a view of the lake. I don't blame them. The campsites are nice, set back in the trees, but when you are on a lake I guess you expect to be able to see the water. Dave has been on the tractor all day and it beginning to tell on his back and bottom. There aren't any shocks on the seat and it is just a metal pan. He said earlier that his tailbone was beginning to hurt. I can sure understand why. He also got something in his eye and it is beginning to bother him, but he just went back out to do some more.
It's almost 10:00 and I just finished my last walk through. It's amazing. Last night we had three families, tonight we have about 25. I think a lot of them are from a 7th Day Adventist Tent Meeting that we are having in the overflow area.
I did meet one interesting lady. She is from Germany and this is her third trip to Alaska. She brings her bicycle with her and rides. She has been here about 3 weeks and will be here for another 6 weeks. She said she rides anywhere from 15 to 80 miles a day, depending on the weather and terrain. This is her third year straight coming to Alaska and she may come back again. She thinks it is a beautiful country. Before she started coming here she spent two of her vacations in CA. She said she loves to come to the US because it is so easy and the people are friendly. In Alaska she usually stays in State Parks but when she needs a shower and to get cleaned up she will stay in a private campground. She keeps a diary, not so much for the historical points but for her feelings as she is riding. She writes at the end of the day. Later when she goes back and reads it the feeling brings back the memories of where she was. She said she has not seen a Bear, other than on a tour in Denial and doesn't really want to. She did have a close encounter with a Moose though. One was in front of her and she stopped to take a picture, then she heard a noise there was another cow with a baby right near her looking closely at her. No picture, just pedal away as quickly as possible. Most of the Non-Americans I have met are from Germany, and speak some English, but a couple of them haven't. It is times like this that I wish I could speak other languages. Of course if I was in their country I would wish the same thing.

6/21/96
Up at about 6:00 AM and out the door by 7:00. I made my rounds, a couple more people came in during the night and hadn't paid so I left envelopes on their windshields. At about 10:30 the cyclist came by and bought an annual pass. I am surprised that no one has mentioned to her before. She stays in state parks and in a few weeks it will have paid for itself.
About 11:00 I went to Birch Lake. I had to police up the area, put some toilet paper in the restroom and get the count. Then it was off to Salcha to do the same.
WHEN I got back there was a stranger in the office. After we introduced ourselves, her name is Petra, I found out that she is a volunteer at Chena Lake. Her title is interpreter, and she tries to find speakers for Chena and now she will do the same for here. I think I would rather be a host. She does have a cabin at Chena. She said it has a nice little lining room - kitchen, bedroom, and a bath. All the fixtures, sink, toilet, etc. are still in boxes as the pipes haven't thawed out yet. I suggested she go to the tent meeting and ask for help. She thought that might be a good idea.
That tent meeting sure has brought in a lot of people. Jeff said that this weekend could be very busy or very slow. Fairbanks has a lot of things going on for the Solstice so many people might stay in town.
Well I think it will be a busy weekend. I started on my rounds at about 5:00 and finished at 8:30. I could probably still go out and find some more people but I will do that in the morning. We did have a little bit of excitement. A young man was riding his bike and jumping it over some mounds and took a header. He may have just had a case of road rash but they were not taking any chances and called an ambulance. When they arrived they put him in a cervical collar, immobilized him and took him to the hospital in Fairbanks. It was interesting to watch the people work. They are all volunteers. The drivers, paramedics, everyone. I would like to get more information on what they do and how they are organized. The lady who owns Salcha Hardware is a paramedic. I found out the boy broke his Clavicle and Scapula. Before I leave I would like to talk to them and see how they organized, et. all. They seem to be very efficient. It is almost 9:10 and I think I see Dave driving the tractor down the road. He was at Salcha cutting grass this afternoon.

6/22
I went to one of the local bars with Dave last night. Interesting place. It was Summer Solstice and the bar was open all night, I guess. We got there after midnight and the sun was still shining. When we left about 3:00 AM we saw the sunrise. Needless to say I was tired today. The campground was very busy. We ended up with about 66 sites filled and more boats than I could count. It was a good day. We caught a kid breaking loose a channel marker. We had him go out and get it then he had to bring his parents to the Ranger Station. He was not a happy camper, but , I don't think he will be doing that anymore. Other than that the day wasn't really bad. I stayed busy most of the day but did manage to squeeze in about 30 minutes for a nap. The SEA church group will be leaving today also. Some of them may still spend the night but most of them are gone. There tent will come down tomorrow. Jeff and I were still checking people at 10:30. What a day.

6/23
I just couldn't get up a 6:00 AM today and I don't think I really have to. The guy who was here before me said he wanted to get out there early but as far as I'm concerned if they come in after I go to bed and leave before I get up and don't pay the state will just have to absorb the loss.
THE boat ramp was very busy again today. John Z., Jeff's boss, was supposed to be here last night but didn't make it. Jeff says he will be here tonight. We got most of the people at the boat ramp. Only a few got by without paying. Jeff asked last night if I wanted to go out for a beer after work this evening and I said yes. I don't think I will feel like it but will probably go anyhow. He has asked me a couple of times and I have refused. I think we may have Moose or Deer tonight. If I fix it Jeff will supply it. Dave mentioned last week that he wants to take me King Salmon fishing. It is about 130 miles from here, but he said he knows a good spot and I might be able to catch a couple of 50 pounders. Wouldn't that be nice. Of course I forgot the smoker. Oh well.
I saw some fresh Moose scat on Friday so maybe there is a cow near here and G and I can see her.

6/24/96
Didn't get as early a start as I wanted but I was out the door by 9:00 I busted my butt for a few hours and most everything is done. I got the trash emptied, the campsites cleaned and the firepits cleaned. Jeff and Dave got here about noon and cleaned up a bit in the picnic and day use area. After lunch I will go to Birch Lake and clean up there, get the counts, put gas in my truck and fill some gas cans. Then up to Salcha to get the counts and clean up there. Mondays are busy but the rest of the week isn't to bad, unless I have to cut the grass or do maintenance. I don't think I will do much grass cutting any more. It is interesting I can answer many more questions now that I could a week ago.
THE squirrels here are kind of interesting. They are about the size of chipmunks and are red. They bury their food in the ground and sometimes the cache will be quite large. Over a period of years their discards will grow to quite a mound. I was watching one this morning watching me. Then he tired of it and started digging a hole. I don't know whether it was to bury something or to find something.
There are also Carpenter Ants here. You can tell when they are in a tree by the sawdust all around it. They eat it from the inside out.
I went to Birch Lake. It was kind of messy. There were a lot of people there over the weekend, in fact there were a lot there Friday when I was out. Not as much trash as you would think for so many people, but, there was quite a bit. There were a number of fires there over the weekend. I don't think that people are supposed to be building fires because of the fire danger here but there were at least five or six. After I got the count and left Birch Lake I stopped and gassed up my truck and filled a bunch of gas cans from here and then it was on to Salcha. The people there cleaned up after themselves quite well. There was almost no trash lying around but the dumpsters were filled to overflowing. I will have to wait until they empty them so I can move them and clean behind them where the is a lot of broken glass. I got the count, stopped by the post office to check mail, I got a letter from Doris, and then it was back to Harding. I talked with Dave for a few minutes, then took a short nap. When I got up it was down to the picnic area to clean the fire pits. Dave said he had already done the general cleanup so all I had left was that. It took about a half hour and I was done. Here it is 6:30 and I am all caught up. I just checked for E-mail and didn't receive any. I guess G doesn't feel like writing. I will wait about a half hour and then do my walk through and then be finished for the evening.
Shadow is here in the trailer with me and she doesn't quite know what to make of it. She sure takes up a lot of space.

6/25/96

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