Memorial Day Weekend

This weekend we did some camping out on a lake here in town. We paddled out to an island and killed some beers and had a camp fire. Saturday morning it rained but we were so glad just to be out of the fire house that we really didn't care.

Sunday night a bunch of us drove down to Resurrection Bay and the town of Seward. It was really cool. It's amazing how fast a 5 hour drive goes when the scenery is so amazing.








Me curled up on a wooden sea lion.


The island we went camping on.


The view from the office.



Everything is going really well here. It is extremely frustrating at points because the borough is dragging their feet on a lot of the resources that we are asking for in order to get started on our projects. We've been here fore 3 weeks and still can not log into the computers. The ball is starting to roll a little faster but I still feel like shit sitting around the fire house with the EMT's and Firefighters that are making less than half of what we are and they are doing 4x the work. I am back in physical therapy and the Dr. here seems to think that I will be able to get off light duty by the end of June. That is another extremely frustrating part of this job, I can't stand having to sit and watch the firetrucks pull out without me on them. Now that I am starting to get to know the Medics and Chiefs better I have been bumming a ride off them but still its not the same.

Im going to try and get better at posting again. Its been a little rough because by time I work a 8 hour day and do 4 hours of training and run a few calls its already after midnight. I'll see what I can do.

Suggestions Welcome

So we're starting a list of things to do in Alaska that couldn't be done in the lower 48:

Hitch Hike to Anchorage
Go To Arctic Circle
Be Drunk At Midnight in daylight


open to suggestions

Jack.Norray@okstate.edu

Run into the ground

Its amazing how our day seems to never get started but once it does it goes for 15+ hours. Today consisted of Air Pack Training, over views of the trucks, meeting with borough director and then 5 hours of rescue training. This is the first free time I've had since 9 this morning, its past 11 here.


I did see the coolest thing today, we were cutting apart cars and a moose walked by. I also learned to go nowhere around this place without a camera.

The Man, The Legend

Well it didn't take a week for me to make a name for myself. I am now known to the Forest service as 'The Guy Who Took the Gate'.

Monday during my first call there was a wild land fire climbing a ridge line towards a row of houses. Patrice and I were riding with the chief so we circled up to see what we could do to protect the houses. There was this one house that the fire was headed towards but there was a chain link fence with automatic openers on the fence. I jumped out of the chiefs car went to see if i could get it open, I could get through but i couldn't get it open so the chief said to just push.

Well i just leaned into it and with the amazing power of leverage I managed to bend both of the gates back far enough to get the trucks through. When I did this I did quite a number on the support posts and really effed up the fence.

Luckily the trucks have camcorders on the dash and It has me checking to see if i can get it open and the chief telling me to take the gate.

Apparently during overhaul the home owners got home and were PISSED OFF. The forest service really got their ass chewed out and we had already left the scene.

Today Patrice, Jake and I went down to the forest service HQ and I walked in and 3 people came up to me and once introduced asked if i was the one that took the gate.


And with that A Legend Is Born.

Several Thoughts

-the only thing that keeps people where they are in the world is the thought they can't do something

-Alaska is owned by the US but is not part of the US but strangely enough consists of people from other places in the US

-If you laugh at the jokes someone make at you, you can take a hard ass Los Angeles Firefighter from NH and get him off your back in under a week.

-When it doesn't get dark until midnight it makes going to bed that much harder

-Texas is a long way away from Alaska so you have to flush twice.

-If you bring dogs and or babies into a fire house big bad Firefighters turn in to teddy bears.

-It is possible to go places after Berne, I don't care what so many BKW grads say.

-There are still not enough hours in the day.

Everything is going really well here. We are starting to get settled in and starting to get to know everyone. It is amazing how even in a place with so much sunlight and no real work schedule how there can still be too few hours in the day to get things done.

Some Pics

Entering Alaska



Near Beaver Creek, Yukon



British Columbia



Mile Marker 0



Yellow Stone, Wyoming



Wyoming

Wasilla, Alaska, Central Mat-Su Fire Department Station 61

I finally made it to my destination. After 4000 miles and 6 days on the road with one day of mechanical in Edmonton I arrived last night. The last 50 miles of Canada were brutal on both me and the bike. The frost heaves were about 20 feet long and about 2-3 feet high. The only way to describe it is like riding a jet ski on pavement.

Once I finally arrived in Wasilla, about the second stop light I came to I just happened to see Medic 1s squad car. We exchanged glances and an the next stop light I pulled up next to him and he rolled down the window.

"You the new intern?"
"Yup"
"Ok, follow me"

I had my own private escort to the fire house. I got all my stuff inside and hung out for a little wile before heading to bed. It felt good to get a good nights sleep and not have to wake up a 7am and get on the bike in below freezing weather.

Wildlife Report:
Moose:3
Bears:4
Elk:0
Caribou: 10+
Buffalo: 10+
Eagles: 2
Coyotes: 2


Everyone here is really nice, I don't think I came across as too crazy for making the ride on a motorcycle but I defiantly got some empathy for being tired and scruffy.

I went to wal-mart and got the basic stuff, sheets, shampoo, razer, a new nalgene,the old one got left in Oklahoma ;-( . I am having trouble getting my pictures off my camera but i'm working on it.

Whitehorse, Yukon Terr.

So today I traveled another 600 miles (100K) from Fort Nelson, British Columbia, to Whitehorse, Yukon. It was quite possibly the best day of riding i've ever had. The Cassiar Mountain Range was AMAZING. I only got rained on for about an hour but it is chilling to to bone to ride for hours on end, wet, with an 80 mph wind chill. It def takes alot of you. I still cant believe that I have ridden over 3200 Miles and still have another 800 to go before I arrive in Wasilla. The first day was the worst as far as the riding being painful. I have gotten to the point where even when shivering from the cold I don't get stiff and tense up.

I have some amazing pictures that I'll post up once I get my laptop.

I am spending another night in a Hostel, This one is more like a home so it is quite different than the one in Edmonton. It still seems that we are all in search of work but this house is alot smaller and the total years spent in prison by its occupents is ALOT less if any at all.

Im going to check the weather, i dont know if i am going to drive straight through to Wasilla tomorrow or stop in Tok, Alaska.


Anyway, im still alive and kicking.

This will probibly be my only post From canada and its from my palm so my spellingis going to be even worse.

upon arival i realized i was not going to make it with the bike, the rear sprocket was shot (pics will be posted on my flickr account).

So i spent last night looking up bike shops here in edmonton, I came up with 6. So this morning i set out with no idea what i was going to do. The first bike shop had the parts but would not be able to get me in untill the 23ed. The second shop had the parts but could not get me in until thursday. I was not able to find the other shops so i tryed my last shop on the list. I knew they would not have the parts but i asked if i had the parts would they install them. they said they would so i ran back to one of the shops and got the kit. I droped the bike off and got lunch. before i was back the bike was almost done. I was finished by noon. $300 later the bike was running better than when i left. I am good to go for tomorrow morning.

The hostel has been an interesting experience. I was expecting all travlers but its about half travelers and half people that are looking for work. It is amazing how willing people are willing to spark up a joint or talk about doing cocane. They explained to me how the court system here is not about punishment, rather rehabilitation. It was interesting to see the life style they live. granted i have seen only a very skewed sample of the population, the culture here is def different. I would describe it as a very liberal culture that actually makes money. It seems like the value of their dollar has gone up but every thing is still priced high. It is also interesting to hear all of the bush bashing. I even talked to a guy about his dreams of buying a monkey, a cactus, and picking oranges in florida.

All and all i am looking forward to getting back on the road tomorrow is going to be a crazy day... About 13-15 hours of riding But from what i hear the adventure is just begining.

A sort of less stressful day.

I figured I'd post up one last time before I headed north for the summer. I'll be shipping out my computer tomorrow afternoon so my only posts will be from my Palm if i happen to come across a Hot Spot and some free time.

My Final trip schedule is

Saturday: Stillwater, OK - Denver, CO
Sunday: Denver, CO - Butte, MT
Monday : Butte, MT - Edmonton, Alberta
Tuesday: Edmonton, Alberta - Fort Nelson, British Columbia
Wednesday: Fort Nelson, British Columbia - Whitehorse, Yukon Terr.
Thursday: Whitehorse, Yukon Terr. - Wasilla, Alaska

I did a trial load of the bike on Wednesday




I've done some slimming down and no longer have the back pack on top of the pile.


The Contents of my Trip:
GPS
Map
2 Cell Phones
Palm Pilot
MP3 Player
Camera
Book (Blink By Malcolm Gladwell)
Small First Aid Kit
Passport
Tent
Sleeping Bag
Sleeping Roll
Knee Brace
2 Pairs of Jeans
2 Pairs of water proof riding pants
Tee Shirt
Under Armor
Fresh Socks/Underwear
Tools
2 MREs (thank you Adam(these two MREs have gone to Alaska 3 Times Already))
Gloves
2 2 1/2 gallon gas cans


There will be alot of pics when I get up there so get ready! See ya from the Great White North!