Exit…stage left.


In my last post, I forgot to mention we met up with a couple we met in our first year on the road.  We met at the Virginia Beach KOA and have remained in contact through IG and email.  They also gifted us a stay in Denali last year when they couldn’t make it.  We had some dinner and drinks at Valdez Brewery and then attempted to catch some fish.  Good conversation was had, but the fish didn’t cooperate.  


Fast forward to Monday, Katy and I went back over by Allison Point to fish for Pinks.  The action was a little better, we caught 8 fish in an hour.  The weather was perfect and the water was calm.  There were fish everywhere.  We caught three by the mouth and snagged 5.  The seals and sea lions were also having “great success”!  


Tuesday morning we got up and packed for a short three day trip to Blueberry Lakes.  As we were leaving the campground, one of our managers texted and said she could hear something rattling in our trailer, but not sure where.  We pulled over and I had Katy drive for a minute so I could listen.  I could hear a slight rubbing and it sounded like a brake was hanging up and nothing was hot.  With a 25 mile ride, I figured I’d check it out when we arrived.  


We made it to our site in great weather with an amazing view of the valley.  We got the back axle off the ground and I got to work to remove the pass side drum.  This is the one that was hot coming back from McCarthy.  The black flies were next level in our site.  I haven’t seen them this thick since Pt Abbaye or The Mouth.  My Yoopers will get that reference.  It was 73 in the shade and I had a hoodie on with the hood up and gloves on.  


I found the pass side rear brake assembly to be in disrepair.  The adjuster had broken off and was free floating in the drum.  The magnet also was severely damaged.  I took the loose parts out, re-greased the bearings and called e-trailer.  The brakes were under warranty and we paid the $126 shipping to get them here by the 28th.  The driver side brake assembly was still in good shape and I re-greased the bearings over there.  We have a 25 mile drive back to the campground and I’ll replace the brake assemblies before we leave.  


After inspecting our issues, we leveled out and took the dogs for a walk in the campground.  On our return, we tried to sit outside and enjoy the view.  The flies were still buzzing like a horror flick so we retreated inside and read a bit.  We made dinner, watched some movies and just hung out.  Best part…no neighbors within arms reach.  


The past few days up here have been good, the flies were still a nightmare, but the Thermacell and the campfires seemed to help.  The dogs swam, but we didn’t get around to fishing.  I drove back into town on Thursday and helped a retired Austin TX Detective with a catastrophic water leak.  The outlet side of his water heater developed a leak and he tried to remove the plastic check valve.  It was Teflon taped and glued in place so it broke in half.  After two hours, I got the old plastic valve out, threads cleaned and new brass valve installed.  Another happy customer exploring AK.  


Friday we woke to low fog and temps in the low 50s up here on the pass.  The 7 day forecast looks pretty favorable for a second try at the Lulu Belle on Sunday.  We hope to get a few more fishing trips in and get our work done on the rig.  We got back to the campground just before noon and set up as it started to rain.  It came down like a cow peeing on a flat rock for the better part of 18 hours.  


The clouds parted by Sunday and I had an amazing trip on the LuLu Belle.  This is Captain Fred’s last year at the age of 86…I think.  He handles the boat like a master and pulled us and the boat into three caves.  We saw an Orca, lots of salmon, sea birds, seals, otters and sea lions.  We couldn’t get close to Columbia glacier because of all the bergs so we headed over to the other two we stopped at last year with Stan Stephens.  The largest berg we saw was hitting bottom in 230’ of water and was leaning over due to the outgoing tide.  The top looked like a Portuguese Man of War Jellyfish.  All in all, it was a great day on the water.  Three trips out on Prince William Sound and three Orca sightings.  


We went back to work today and have three more days of work in Deez.  























































































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