June 6: Seattle work has descended

I had an interview to do this morning at 8 am, but the reliable phone connection is 5 miles south of the cabin and a creek-crossing away. The tide would be high at 7:39 am - a 24 footer. Uh oh. The beach becomes a very narrow strip of sand and clay when the tide is that high and the creek that must be crossed swells dramatically. So that meant going in ahead of the tide. Still, it was very high at 6:20. I'm wishing now that I remembered to pull out my camera (once I got across) to show the challenge. Somehow, though, I figure I'll have more opportunities as the summer continues.

I've heard that Pedersen Point paid to have another overland road put in between the cannery (3/4 of a mile north of our cabins) and Ralph's Road, a couple of miles out of town toward King Salmon. I'm told it's a one lane road, but it doesn't matter how high the tide is, their trucks can make the trip. I'm sure it's open to others as well, but I wasn't ready to explore it at that time (though it was in my mind as a plan C, after plan B which was to huddle in front of the creek with my computer and spotty cell phone on its last day of service, hoping for the best).

After completing the interviews I went to King Salmon (about 15 miles from Naknek - at the other end of the only road in the area, the Alaska Peninsula Highway) to arrange for cell service for the season - and here, that means for the year. I ended up getting three cell phones for the camp - one to stay with me, one to stay in the crew cabin, and one to go into town when someone makes a trip in. That'll also give us one for each boat while keeping one in the cabin. The phones aren't exactly cheap, but transportation is so difficult and expensive (I spent $179.13 filling up the truck yesterday - $5.61 per gallon), if we can overcome some of that with communication technology, it seems like a sound investment.

The beach is in excellent shape this year - I forgot to shift into 4 wd on the way back to the cabin and made it all the way, only having to shift into 4 wd to drive it through the sand and into the grass at the base of the cliff.

My brother, Harry, picked out a new used four-wheeler for us and took it to Northern Air Cargo tonight to have it flown into King Salmon. The other one is on its last tires, but we will nurse it along to keep it going as long as we can. I bought the original one in 1990 - it took a few years off when someone stole the bottom half of it. Eventually (1997?), I gave it to a friend who put a new bottom half on it for his grandson, but then decided it was too much bike for him and so sold it back to me for the cost of the parts. I think I got lucky on that one. Thanks, Glen (and rest in peace; you were a good friend).