Susan’s Travelogue Part VIII

[This is a series of blogposts for my friend Susan. I have left all her misspellings included, since they add to the charm of the travel log. I have removed any writing of a personal nature. These writings were given in email form. I offered to post them for her for all her friends on Facebook and others who may have missed her emails because of overactive spam filters. To comment on her log, please go to her Facebook page and comment there. Susan doesn’t have access to comments here on my blog. Sorry.]

The Eighth edition

July 13th 2011

It does not seem like Dave & have been gone 6 weeks.  (and it does not seem too long-so far)  I thought Dave and I would have been irritated with each other by now living in a 23ft trailer but I should have had more faith in our 18 years if marriage and two years of living in sin.

For those of you that don’t already know, the Viewfinder trailer has a queen size bed in the bedroom/rear of the trailer. The room is only 14 inches longer (at the bottom of the bed) than the bed with 24 inches on each side then there are walls. The kitchen is centered on one side and has a small fridge, 3 burner propain stove with an oven that is 18 inches wide with 6 inches of oven space in which to bake.  Cookies bake ok and muffins but don’t think small turkey don’t even think whole baking chicken unless you cut it into pieces.  The sink is double (36×20) but the only drain board is a cutting board that fits over one of two 18×20 sinks.

The couch is accross from the kitchen and can sit three average people if you don’t mind touching elbows. We found extra storage under the couch by removing the kick board under the seats.  Some of you would ask “why more storage space since we have the truck bed covered with a high canopy?”  I will tell you about the truck it is full of; a freezer; generator; fishing stuff; extra gas, tires (one for the truck and one for the trailer), light bulbs for various outside plastic covered lights on both the truck and trailer and a (folded) net covered tent to sit in if the mosquetos are bad.

We did not have room for the 16 foot car top boat and the parts that go with it. (motor, gas cans, oars, seats, cover/ top etc)   Oh, so what is under the couch? (tools, first Aid kit, and games to entertain us)

Also for entertainment, the built in TV/CD/DVD  player is at the end of the couch at a 45 degree angle to the only seating though if our old eyes were up to the distance we could easily watch from bed.

  The bathroom is spacious and is in the “V” nose of the trailer.  Yes “V” shaped front rather than a flat nosed front.  The bathroom is about 3 steps from the mid seat on the couch and the bed is about the same distance the other way from the same seat.  I can sit on the couch, open the fridge and eat on a small collapsible table (in front of the couch) at the same time and not  get up from the couch. Likewise Dave can take off his slippers on the far end of the couch and neatly toss his slippers to his side of the bed with out effort and with deadly accuracy. (I don’t like it much when I am still in the bed and I let Dave know that…with a smile.

The couch is on a small slide which collapses into the center of the trailer and leaves a narrow walking isle when traveling and is useful when needing to fix a quick lunch on the road. At that time I can almost sit on the couch to fix lunch….almost!

So far we are pretty careful not to cause an argument or miss-understandings as there would be no where for one of us go to lick our wounds or hide for a while.   In light of that ..we ask each other if the other needs the bathroom for any urgent nature callings, before we go in to the only room with a toilet.  So far we have had no collisions and no disagreements on the three step voyage to and from the bathroom.

Dave try’s to be quiet in the mornings when he gets up between 3 or 4 am.  If he makes it to 4:30 am he feels like he is sleeping in.  One morning at about 3:30 I heard a sound kind of like a small rodent in a cereal box of rocks. Neither of us can remember what he was looking for at 3 in the morning … by rummaging thru drawers in the very small central kitchen, but the sound went on for what seemed like hours.  I did remind him later (in a nice friendly voice) that he usually try’s to be quiet when I am sleeping and I smiled again as I remind him that he missed the mark that morning. That is the man dearly love…Dave just gets driven/highly focused sometimes!!!

Most mornings Dave is my alarm clock and when he gets tired of being alone he takes the three steps from the couch to the bottom of the bed and leans on me feet.  First he is gentle then he escalates to playing with my toes through the blankets.  By then my eyes are fluttering and he asks if I want  him to fix me hot chocolate with marshmallows.  When I respond “yes” he quickly heats up the water and makes the hot chocolate.  If I am still in bed when he is finished he proclaims “your hot chocolate is getting cold.”. If I don’t respond correctly by getting up or at least giving it a good effort at this point he plays with my toes again until he has my full attention.

At night when, Dave’s head is nodding off and his chin is dipping towards his chest I,  finally agree to go to bed. (about 9 pm or 10 if the everlasting sun has fooled him)  Dave is the first in bed and is soon off to sleep usually after a good night kiss. As soon as I hear his gentle snore I put the ipod Namo earbud into my ear to listen to a audio book. This deters my chatter as he attempts to sleep and I can get relaxed.  The problem is that I fall to sleep and the book is still playing in my strange and dizzy dreams.

Today when I went to town to do laundry I looked up ahead and saw cars stopped. They were not stopping for a light.  I was confused…then I saw a large brown hairy head poking out between the two lanes going towards Homer AK.  I thought maybe it was a large dog in the bed of a truck 4 cars ahead of me.   Then I realized that it was too big to be a dog and too tall to be a stuffed/taxidermied moose in the truck bed.  Then when the head stepped out from behind a car with all four feet, very long legs and proceeded across a four lanes busy city street. I was shocked to see a full grown (live) Moose… calmly/slowly walking across the busy (but stopped) four lane highway.  I started to look for one of our 4 Cameras and the only one on hand was my iPhone.

By the time I turned it on and found the program, got situated to point it at where I last saw the Moose, it had moved into a Wells Fargo bank Parking lot.  I had to think quickly.  So I turned the lumbersome 4 wheel drive extended cab truck into the parking lot, not noticing the one way sign that was not going my way.  The moose was  better prepared than I as she chose the driveway with the sign “enter here”.

I tried again to snap a shot  but this moose was too fast for me.  Then I got really excited.  There, right next to the large calm hairy moose was two slightly hairy but adorable baby moose/s?  Their long spindlly legs helped them to follow at moms moderate speed.  The three of them then lumbered into a parking lot of a motel.  By then I was only (dizzy-out of state) vehicle following the moose.  I got a couple shots before the small nature family found refuge by turning their backs/butts on me and walking into the parking lot of the police station.

Did I tell you that I could not find my drivers license yesterday?  Well , I decided not to follow the alaska wild life into the local police domain as I was driving with out my licence.

Soldotna Alaska is exciting in so many ways.  At the Laundramat they had showers, wifi, ice-cream and lots of tables like a cafe.  I learned a very important lesson today besides the use of front load washers and driers. Drivers licences Wash very nicely but small tissue packs do not wash so well.

Dave, Roy(his local resident/hunting/freightliner friend) and I went fishing in the Soldotna River yesterday and today for a total of 2 hours.  No fish yet but we only stay one hour if we don’t start catching or see others catching fish.

When “Reds” run you only have to put your bare hook (which is a little more than an inch long) with no bate out in the current a couple times and the salmon runs into the hook with thier mouth wide open. Then you set the Hook by a quick straight up pull.  People say the fish will not eat once in the river so the fishing is a matter of hooking them in the mouth when they are not looking.  We can have three “reds” per-day each.  (Sockeye Salmon)

Dave and Roy are out in a boat fishing with local friends of Roy’s.  Dave bought a King salmon tag good for 24 hours so the last half of yesterday and the first half of today they are trying to fill the tag.

Well, this is long enough so I will send it now…please understand that my phone does not have a very good spell check.

Love Susan and Dave

On the cusp of catching fish.

[from the ‘editor’: Susan, I’m loving the (mis)spelling. No need to apologize or feel bad about it. :D]