Good Times in a Ghost Town

After our initial plans for a fly in sheep hunting trip were thwarted by a crooked deal from Copper Valley Air out of Glennallen we were able to regroup and turn some lemons into lemonade. A little brainstorming and some previous scouting landed us out near the old Nebesna Mine site for base camp. We stayed at the mine site the first night in the field and just enjoyed the history of a place that almost seems frozen in time.


When we walked through the different buildings and cabins it was amazing how good the condition of everything was. There was original material there from the 1930's as well as other dated goods from squatters, explorers and researchers. One thing that remained consistent throughout the decades of use is that when people left the facility, they felt no need to bring anything out with them.


A fiscal report from the Nebesna mine company in 1934.

After our stay at the mine we hiked out and found an area for a spike camp and started glassing for some legal rams.

We found a pair of legal rams the following day, but had to wait them out in some interesting mountain weather. Mother Nature served up sunshine, rain, sleet and snow over a matter of four hours.

Once the rams came back out to feed a couple of accurate shots was all that it took to dispatch the noble critters. Recovering the animals took hours of difficult climbing, but after another long day we were able to get back to base camp and enjoy some sheep loin over an open fire.

A couple nice sets of ram horns back at the mine. Lady luck was on our side after all!

Got Walls?

I just wanted to give a quick update on the progress that has been made over the past few weeks.



After a crummy 4th of July weekend I finally had my footings and piers level and ready to support a house. Luke and Holly came over to lend some assistance in lifting and setting beams.

Once the floor joist were laid out I ripped and placed OSB in between the joist to reduce moisture and prevent rodent intrusion.

I spray foamed any voids in the OSB , laid out the fiberglass insulation and capped it off with an inch of polystyrene. I should be sitting pretty with a R-Value of about 40 on my floor.

Last night I got a pretty good sized crew out to help raise the walls. Allen, Rene, Steve, Ann, Luke and I made up the crew.

Once the last wall was raised we moved over to the saw horses and enjoyed some great Wisconsin Brats and a few cold ones to finish off an exciting night.

The Land of The Midnight Sun

On Solstice I dropped my tool belt around 8 PM and headed for the hills to enjoy the Midnight sun and get Josie some exercise.

There were assorted alpine flowers in bloom which added some nice color to the landscape.

I hiked in on Quartz Creek Trail until I felt like stopping and pitching my tent. The temperature was perfect and there was a fairly strong wind to keep the bugs at bay. Both Josie and I enjoyed getting away for a little while.

Aroused Over My Progress

I found this excitable fugal body next to my building site. It seems as excited about my progress as I am.

The cabin with siding

Josie approves of her new dog house.

Building for the Future

The content of my blog is probably going to slow down a little over the next few months. I bought a piece of land last fall and construction has started. I fear that weeknights and weekends will be booked through November. I am almost finished with a small cabin that I will live in while I build my house. The cabin is certainly a no frills structure, but now that I have a doghouse, an outhouse, and a cabin I guess I can start referencing my land as my home.

Here it is...at 8 x 16 I don't think that I'll have to worry about getting lost inside.

Josie had a good day...she has been running off as of late, but this time she returned with a prize. Rotten leg of moose anyone?

The interior

The living room will someday become a sauna.

And this clear space will be converted into a 26 x 28 house. I hope it happens before Christmas.

Wurst Meister Wannabes

Ahh, the sweet science of sausage production! Last Saturday Luke and I loaded up our caribou trimmings and headed over to Ed’s to go through the entire process. Ed is known as a true Wurst Meister and was kind enough to share his wisdom with us. So, on Saturday we were simply interns at the School of Sausage.

Luke with a nice roll of freshly stuffed garlic ring sausage

Ed demonstrates the delicate dance between the hog gut and the ground meat during the stuffing process.


The students are graded on their sausage handling techniques.

Turning the gut is a tricky operation. It requires patience and skill. Once the end of the gut is turned, water is injected into the pocket of turned intestine and hydraulically pushes the gut inside out.
We had lots of gut to turn.

Luke and I stand proudly with some of the spoils…bratwurst and garlic ring sausage.

My Favorite Place to Run...

Generally, I would have to say Fairbanks is my favorite place. The running community here has provided me with lasting relationships, constant motivation and hundreds of hours of recreation. Specifically, I would have to say the trails and roads on Murphy Dome. I guess I am a bit biased since this is where I live, but once ski boots get replaced by running shoes it does not take too much prompting to get people to make the drive out to my place for a nice twelve mile trot. The chosen route this time provides some great views and a soft gravel road. The barbecue and the beers afterward probably don’t hurt either.



After a rather difficult three mile climb you get treated to a great view of the Tannana Hills and a gradual eight mile decent.

Fernie takes a break in the back of her truck after the run.

Sarah, Steve, Michele and Suzanne chat over a beer or two.

Some Alaskan bounty: Copper River Red Salmon, and some Central Arctic Caribou. Yum!

It was nice to have people over for a run and some fun. I would have to say that this marks the start of spring for me.