ROF= Ring of fire Odyssey MEF-H = Marine Expeditionary Force- Hargus
AK journey
October 11, 2017
Tok Alaska. July 17, 2017 Left Dawson, Yukon, The City, not those quitters that stopped going north at Dawson Creek, British Columbia, the real Dawson's are 600 miles north at Dawson City, THE Yukon Territory.
Took a ferry across Klondike River and set out on the “Top of the World” Highway; Hwy 9. That's another blog post on that one road. Believe me that was an experience. Have done that and I'm glad that's under my belt but I don't want to do it again. Ever! You think you have seen wilderness… You want to see the vast expanse of wilderness; go here. There were no radio signals out there. You’re on your own out there; this IS the edge!
81 miles 8+ hours and am exhausted worn out from driving. ...and come to Chicken, Alaska. What a s***hole. That's an old Marine Corps saying. That's another blog post.
We come out and hit Highway 1, the Alcan Highway, turn north, up to Tok, Alaska.
This is where we learn our heading up into Alaska is taking a new leg of this journey, Not a vacation, to get here is a real ordeal, a lot to see.
But now we're in Alaska and ready to go on into the backcountry wilderness and see this is as like the first Supply Outpost we come to. ...That's big enough to have supplies.
So we spend a couple of days in Tok loading up supplying up getting everything ready fishing gear, Food Supplies, things that we need, and we go by a place on the main road in Tok, it has a sign says - OPEN, and a small yard sale sign and I'm not sure what all kind of business but this is what I liked to stop and do see what's there.
Looked around odds and ends and there was a lady in the little storefront, inside there was more gold type real nuggets, gold mining jewelry, gold trinkets and this was primarily the shop. I noticed the sign that it was Alaska Gold. Now just kind of looking around and ask the lady about a couple of things on display. There were some really nice gold pieces, nuggets, jewelry, etc. Walked outside and brought back in pair of rubber boots, I knew I need them for fishing in Alaska.?How much for these boots.?
$10 would be fine. Sold I'll take them. T-bird found a pair too, Janice said give me $15 for both pair. I said double sold so we're talking. And question comes up? ?This is your home now? … most everybody is from down in the states.
Home... now I've been up here 40 years. She said she'd been gold mining on the “Forty Mile” claim that we had just drove down the road from on the Top of the World Highway. That she was the only woman Gold Miner up there for 16 years. This is a really unique lady.
Now she didn't look like pioneer Mountain woman she's just a nice lady and trying to talk a little with her and T-bird asked ?how did you get up here? we asked where is original home. Janice said Arkansas.
Immediately said well I love Arkansas, we're from Birmingham we're southern people. That kind of broke the ice a little more and we talked a little more about about the gold fields and Jack Wade Creek gold mining in that area.
I said one of my favorite musicians Levon is from Arkansas, and she nodded her head. Yes Levon is one of our favorite Sons. Of course we're talking about Levon Helm of The Band, Bob Dylan's backup band.
And we're talking along and she mentioned that she was studying at the University of Arkansas and she went to Memphis State, I think to see friends that were at Memphis State, but she really went to see a Bob Dylan concert. I think this was about 1974.
Well I knew this was a kindred spirit here. Said I drove to Atlanta to see Bob Dylan and The Band in 1974. ...and Janice just kind of opened up then and started talking about Dylan and Levon and The Band and their music and several things and it was obvious that she definitely knew her music. This was Pioneer Renaissance woman up here in Alaska, I knew that this lady was really unique and I started listening more to her and it just got more and more interesting.
Found a fishing net outside. Oh we will need this, ?how much for the fishing net? $7 take it and we wound up talking about gold mining, about music, more about Arkansas, about The South, about Alaska and we probably talked and spent 30 maybe 45 minutes there with her, a little more than usual when we stop at a small place like this but she was just a nice lady and you could tell that she was glad to be able to talk about The South to two people that understood what she was talking about. About home long ago. The South was still in her heart; it never left.
This lady's name was Janice Hauser. When you go through Tok, Alaska stop and meet her, talk with her, she is a very interesting lady. She says she Winters in Anchorage but she still has a little storefront in Tok, Alaska. Told her I’d send her some Dylan and The Band music. Glad we crossed paths with Janice.
You never drink twice from the same stream.
Just because you wander doesn't mean you're lost.
by Uncle Hargus: Last of the Independents
Have Bear,
Will Travel
StoneBearTracks Copyright Uncle Hargus MCMLXIII ALL blog posts/photographs/video "40 Acres and a Tomahawk" ALL Rights reserved
ALL Blog posts/photographs/video Copyright MCMLXIII ALL Rights Reserved
