I honestly have had no idea as to how good life can feel and be! This is because I’ve had a chance to decompress and get rid of a lot of stress which includes the finalization of the divorce (you can look it up in AK Court view if you want to see how long it has gone), start seeing what retirement will look like now that I can start planning better, and start looking at life with a healthier prospect both mentally and physically.
I’m probably going to be forced to make this a two-part blog. I’m in a very low strength cellular area. This part will be talking about the last two weeks and then as soon as I can get some connection tomorrow (Monday) then I’ll load the pictures.
All I can offer is that “Hippie Joel” added in some “Wild Alaska Man” qualities and has some fun photos to share…
The trip started on Wednesday 21JUL with me heading up to Kendall Toyota in Anchorage for some servicing on my truck. Yes, it’s all stuff that I can do or that my son and I can do. I still have all my tools and such in storage still. Also, my son has his hands full between family and work so I’m not asking that of him.
I’m sitting in the waiting area at Toyota and a friend of mine from about two decades ago reached out. It was awesome! They have a cabin with a charming dry cabin on their property so, instead of just heading off I spent a couple days with them. They are an awesome couple that is enjoying their lives together and their retirement! They also provide amazing and warm environment, for example, they were totally cool with me just hanging by myself and wandering over for breakfast and enjoying a conversation over a phenomenal meal and then I’d wander back to my cabin or just enjoy hours of conversation. What a great reminder of how good life is and can be!
While I was hanging out with my friends, I received an email from my attorney showing the final parts of the divorce were completed and signed by the judge. Holy shit, I can’t tell you how many times I thought I was done, and something would come up. I thought we were definitely done in June when everything was submitted and that we were just waiting on the judge’s signature but apparently there was a 30-day waiting period and everything got submitted later in July for signing. Geesh! The only thing left now is for her to submit the paperwork to DFAS so that she can get her portion of my retirement sent directly to her rather than me writing checks. I can’t wait to be able to stop writing checks!
I headed out on the road Friday 23JUL with the intent to reach the Tangle Lakes area on the Denali Highway. My son and I drove the Denali Highway back in 2012 when we did our first exploration of the Fairbanks to Delta area in search of Moose hunting locations and then opted to use the Denali on the way back home. It was a great choice! We had a blast, it was sunny, and no mosquitos! Well, I was thinking that it would be awesome to experience that area again.
Being honest, I found the area lacking. I have come to realize that I really enjoy more forested areas rather than the open exposed areas. The area is also federal land, and they have a lot of no camping signs up and rocks blocking off road camping areas that were open when we drove through. I fully understand the reasons why areas are blocked off and use limited so I’m not going to be an ass and violate the rules, so I kept driving until I reached Tangle Lakes. It was late in the evening, and I saw a guy fishing the river. I watched for a bit and then drove farther down and parked so that I could enjoy a section by myself.
I was pulling out my fly-fishing gear and was getting devoured by mosquitos. I fired up my trusty Thermacell which I use all the time and was counting on some relief. No shit, a mosquito flew over and landed on it! Fuck it! I packed up and moved on. I wasn’t in the mood to apply copious amounts of bug dope when I didn’t see any fish in the creek. I then drove to the Tangle Lakes Campground.
Are you kidding me? It is a big flat open parking lot with no view and no privacy, and they want $15 a night?? I also get the pleasure of mosquitos all night?? Nope! Moving on!
I drove for a considerable time and finally found the Dry Creek Campground. Perfect! Or, as many have heard me say, “perfeck.” One camp area had a vehicle, so I drove to the other one which is a circle of about 10 spaces and all of which were empty!! Sweetness, I backed in and was tucking in for the evening. At whatever point a car drove by and slowly looked at the space next to me. I’m thinking no way are you going to camp right next to me??? They drove away and I thought I was safe well, shortly after the departure of the vehicle it appeared again and backed up into the spot next to me! Fuck!!!!
I really wanted to walk over and talk with them about camping etiquette. In an empty campground you don’t park immediately next to a person. For men it’s as bad a walking into a bathroom with three urinals, you take the one on the far right, and some asshat takes the middle rather than the far left. It’s all about social distancing and safety you know! Ha!
Saturday the 24th I headed out for one of my bucket list places! This place may not seem like some “sexy” way out in the bush locations, it’s a place that I have been driving past for several decades, have expressed my desires and interests to go, and it never happened for one reason or another. Well, it’s time to wander and explore baby!
I drove to Knob Lake and camped out! It was a blast! I took a shot at some fishing, set up camp, enjoyed a phenomenal meal, and a nice relaxing evening. This place was cool to see and get off my bucket list but not cool enough to spend another night. It’s going to be time to hit the road tomorrow!
I was in the mood for a simple and satisfying so I pulled out a can of baked beans and a package of hot dogs. It’s a simple meal that is thick, satisfying.
I also learned a valuable lesson that evening at Knob Lake. There were some small dead and hanging Alders nearby so I took my machete and cut some down so that I could make a small fire. I noticed that my blade was dull and wanted to try the installed sharpener on it. This thing is a knock off from an Army machete so the attached sharpener is lacking to say the least and in theory should sharpen as I place it in its sheath however, you get what you pay for. I flipped the sharpener the other way and was running the blade along when it hit a nick in the blade which caused the blade to jump. I thought to myself, hmmm, if I do that again it will jump and cut my thumb, I should change this and get gloves on.
I’ve been doing a good job of listening to myself and intuition. I’ve found if I follow my intuition then life goes well. Well, like a jackass I opted to go for full on hard and stupid and opted to run the blade through the sharpener. Yup! You guessed it; the blade jumped! Not only did the blade jump and land on my thumb between the first knuckle and nail, but it was in a great downward stroke and ran along my thumb into the bone. I knew from the lack of pain and the way the blood was flowing I need to take a break from cutting and do some mending. Out came the “go bag” as I have taught my kids over the years. I keep it fully stocked with everything from super glue to a SAM splint that can be used to stabilize the neck in case of spinal injuries. Some pressure and a bandage worked perfect and with care I was able to avoid a trip to a clinic for stitches.
The moment reminded me of Richard Proenneke when in his book, One Man’s Wilderness, he noted that he injured himself and realized that he needs to be smart in his actions. If I want to wander around and out of cellular service, as much as possible, then I too need to become a lot wiser with my actions and heed my intuition.
I headed to one of my next bucket list locations on Sunday the 25th. This next location is a place that my kids and I have passed numerous years and wondered what it would be like to fish? This location is Wiener Lake and my first place that I caught some Rainbows!! Yes, I’m finally figuring out fly fishing! I was doing catch and release and just enjoying the day when a car pulled up and four people got out.
It was a couple and they had two kids. They immediately asked if it was okay for their one boy to do some casting and it would be near me. I said yes and enjoyed watching the boy. I thought of myself learning how to fish as my grandparents taught me off a dock in Indiana. The boy was really into it, so I offered to give up my spot while I ate lunch. After I ate, I spoke with his dad and learned they were up from California visiting family and driving around. Their one son loves fishing and wanted to try this area. I asked the boy about fly fishing, and he stated that he knew a lot about it which his dad confirmed. I offered up my fly rod for a while and went back to truck for an after-lunch cigar.
The boy did phenomenal, taught me some tips, and caught some fish which he released. They had a blast and finally hit the road all waving and smiling. Yeah, life is good!
I opted to wander to Bonnie Lake next and passed on fishing Long Lake. Bonnie Lake looked like a lot of fun and is a lake in which a canoe is needed. Some wind was building so I took a shot at casting a fly in the wind. I started picking different things around me in the water and targeting it with my casts. This was coming along well; however, evening was approaching, and they had signs posted no camping, so it was once again time to hit the road.
I saw on my Gazetteer that another bucket list location was coming up. I’m getting a chance to go explore King Mountain State Recreation Area. What an awesome spot and great hidden gem! The park is well maintained, barely anyone around, and a perfect place to relax for a bit. I’ve been in rain and wind for about four days, so this was a chance to pull everything out, dry it, and do some maintenance in the field. I enjoyed myself so much that I decided to enjoy a second evening there!
I headed out of King Mountain and into Hatcher’s Pass on Tuesday the 27th of July. What an absolutely breathtaking area and on my list to return to. I need to spend a couple days here exploring but this is not the time.
I went back to my friend’s dry cabin so that I could be in the local area and catch up with my son and his family. Life just keeps getting better!
I’m trying out some dating apps and on one of them I matched with someone. She was in Homer when I was near Tangle Lakes and we were on opposite locations. We were able to meet for breakfast Friday morning and had a great conversation. We had a great connection, so I invited her to go for a road trip with me around the state. I let her know that I have both a tent and the truck to sleep in so a completely platonic road trip buddy would be cool! She said yes so, we made a plan. I already had dinner plans with friends and would then zip home, refit, and pick her up Sunday. The original plan was a couple day trip, and it was agreed upon that we’d hang out as road trip buddies and enjoy the adventure. I dropped her off to the airport yesterday, 07AUG, and will just say that life is really good and there are astounding people out there! I’ll go back to referring to everything as I. That is all, back to the story…
Sunday, 01AUG, evening I returned to Anchorage from Homer and headed to the Matanuska Glacier. It was getting late in the evening, especially after picking up groceries and such in town, so I parked near Hicks Creek. It was good enough for the evening and allowed for an early start to see the glacier.
Since living in Alaska, I’ve never gone to the Matanuska Glacier and especially after going to Juneau and being on so many glaciers then the desire never existed that much. It seemed really commercialized and turned me off, but I thought I would take a crack at seeing it and walking around the glacier. I took Glacier Access Road down to the end and found a gate, store, and sign saying to go inside and pay. It turns out that the whole area is private property, and they only allow tours of the glacier. The very young man told me that “too many people wandered out onto the glacier and that he had to rescue them” so they don’t allow anyone to just walk out there anymore.
Seriously? This is one of the most road accessible glaciers around and it’s locked up tight! Well, kiss my ass kid and I’m back on the road. I know of more glaciers and ice caves, it’s not my first rodeo.
The next spot would provide a glacier and cave. I was hoping to go where my son and I went in 2012 with a cable walking bridge over a river but opted for another spot. It would be too far a drive in one day based upon the current time so I found a great spot off the road and next to pipe with water coming out of the base of the mountain! I love places like that! Also, that means it’s bath time tonight with the extra water supply!
After making a big breakfast on Tuesday the 3rd then it was time to see a glacier and some ice caves! I won’t say where the glacier or ice caves are. It’s in the same neck of the woods as the Northern Warfare Training Center and is on public accessible land. It’s dangerous as hell and if you don’t have a clue then don’t try it. I saw three guys unknowingly climbing on the glacier very close to where the soil has eroded away, and bare glacier is exposed with a nice slide into the ice cave. I let them know they are on a glacier and in a bad spot. They had absolutely no clue they were on the toe of the glacier. Thankfully they heeded the warning. I also saw a man and family with no gear and packing their tiny dog in his pack rather than food or supplies. I let him know it was a tough hike and thankfully they retuned later and said they held off.
What do you do after ice caves you may ask? I say, hot springs! It’s been several years since I’ve been to Chena Hot Springs and my last trip wasn’t much fun so, let’s make a new and happy memory! Alaska is a big place and I’m not going to drive crazy hours to make it to the springs due to the time of day, so I opted for Salcha State Park. What a great place! It is by far one of my favorite and very special places. My son and I used it as a launching spot for our moose hunting trips. Guess what?? That’s some good swimming water too!
It’s Wednesday the 4th and time to see those hot springs! A couple hours more driving and I’m at the springs! There is a good size wildland fire nearby and the smoke occasionally, shifts over towards the springs but otherwise it’s good to go. Those waters are so refreshing! After soaking the evening of the 4th and morning of the 5th then I was in great spirits and feeling awesome! It’s seriously nice to be pain free (anything below a four at this point is pain free) when in those springs.
Talkeetna was next on the list but once again a bit too far to travel to in one day. Yes, it is feasible, and I’ve done that in the past but nowadays, why? Why not enjoy the moment? You won’t every have that exact moment to ever enjoy again. Take the moment and just appreciate what you have.
This is also the summer of taking a lot of items off my bucket list. Near Healy is 49th State Brewery and has been on my list of places to go but never made it. That place is a lot of fun with good brews and food! I wasn’t displeased at all with my choice of stopping!
Several years ago, a section of the Park’s Highway south of Cantwell was redesigned and the old highway section still runs to the river except it has a dead-end sign and deterrents. I did some caribou hunting in the area using snowshoes and a pulk. I love the area and was excited to be back. I camped next to the river. I did notice a generator and water pump nearby and knew it is to refill a water truck. I was hoping that the truck wouldn’t be coming by any time soon. Well, at 0600 on Friday the 6th I heard the diesel engine fire up and the pumping and filling of a water truck commence. I wandered out of my truck and greeted the gentleman with a friendly wave. I did a quick packing and the gentleman apologized for having to fire up the pump, but he needed to. No worries, it’s time to head to Talkeetna.
I was hoping for a glacier sight seeing tour but just as I hit Talkeetna city limits then the text message came in saying the flight was cancelled due to weather. No worries, one more night of road tripping and the perfect place in my mind was Moose Creek. Yeah, you know, I went there a couple weeks ago and really connected with the environment around me. I spent hours watching the river running and just as last time, did the same.
So, my first experience with Moose Creek in 1998 resulted in recovering many vehicles daily from the mud. Moose Creek tried my mettle. Well, it did screw with me on my visit a couple weeks ago but did give me a little reminder of who is boss. When I was driving to my spot then I apparently drove on a rock which was at just the right angle to enter my tire and start a leak.
I didn’t have it in me to tackle the leaking tire at that moment and wanted to watch the Salmon literally swimming upstream and spawning! Also, dinner was needed!
I did take a crack at doing some fishing but didn’t see any trout following them for their eggs. The Salmon are spawning and at the end of their life, so they aren’t really biting on much. Once again though, it was fun pulling out the gear and doing some fishing! I think of a good friend that I took fishing a couple years ago. We were on my boat and fishing the Deshka and he pulled out a fly rod. He talked about just driving along and doing some fishing whenever he felt like it. Yes! I seriously understand!
I finally decided to change out the now flat tire. No biggie, I’m on sand so a normal jack isn’t going to work. I pulled out my Handy Man jack and it said, “suck it.” I haven’t used it in years, and it evidentially needs some maintenance. Okay, no worries. I dragged over a log, jacked up one section using my normal jack on the log that way the weight would be displaced. I had to do that in one more spot and afterwards got the tire changed out. I stopped by Alaska Tire in Eagle River, and they fixed the flat and swapped out the spare and normal tire.
I had some time Saturday morning and went to the Midnight Sun Brewery for brunch. Wow! That place is definitely on my “must go to more often list.” Mohamed, whom I assume is the manager and worked as hard as I would expect of a business owner, squared me away on beer selection and food selection.
I used Saturday afternoon as my refit day. I refilled water, did laundry, picked up some more ice, and am at the Little Susitna Campground. I’ll be receiving some dental work on Monday and Tuesday and am then pointing the bow towards home and heading back to Homer to take a break and enjoy.
My tank is full and I’m up for some very local fishing.
Safe travels and thanks for journeying with me!
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