Chapter 15

Noon Saturday: An Air Force Chinook arrived, with a drilling rig mounted on a truck, hanging underneath. After the truck was on land again, the cable was released, then the Chinook landed. The two men who made up the drilling rig crew, climbed out after the engines had shut down. The Air Force Pilot said that they would be back next Saturday to pick up the rig. The pilot and crew of the chopper borrowed a riverboat and spend 2 or 3 hours fishing before heading back with their dinner in an ice chest.

Attached to the rig were enough pipes for the well they needed to drill for the hanger. Rob and I went into a quick discussion. Was it better to have the drillers drill two more wells and order the associated pipe? Or dig trenches and run the pipe to the cabins? We chose the latter, but also decided we needed to drill another well on the north side of the river. Rob and I talked to Terry Myers and Tom Barrett about drilling the second well. We settled on paying the going rate per foot, which meant the well would cost between one and two thousand dollars.

Sul called Junior on the satellite phone and asked him to buy a good pump and pipe for the second well. We also asked him to buy 1½" NSF Poly Plastic pipe for the waterline between the cabins. Junior told Sul, he would get it all together and would deliver it to Roy's as soon as possible. Sul and Junior talked for awhile. Junior was starting a new job on Monday but was still sure he could get the items we need without a problem. He already knew where to go to get the parts.

Our next stop was to talk to Sergeant Matt Ortiz. We asked him where he was going to have the well drilled. Matt said, "I'm not sure, but it needs to be far enough away from the river and the septic field, we do not have to worry about the well becoming polluted."

"What if we scraped a well site half way up the hill, below the bench?" suggested Rob.

"That sounds like a good place. But can we get it level and get the truck up there?" asked Matt.

We found Terry and Tom and asked what they thought and what their requirements were. Their requirements were quite simple. The area needed to be level and firm enough to be able to set up and support the drilling rig. With that answered, we decided to use the bulldozer to level the area out further. We would keep the bulldozer handy, to help the truck up to the site if it was required. We found out it would take between one and two days to drill each well, so we asked Terry and Tom if they would like to be our guests and use one of the riverboats to go fishing this afternoon. Both men readily agreed.

Almost as an afterthought, Rob asked the men where they bought their supplies. Terry told us that he would be glad to buy them for us at cost. Sul called Junior back, told him to forget about the supplies. He explained that Terry, who was drilling the well, would get them for us, at cost. Junior gave him some prices that he had been able to get so far, for comparison.

Matt later confided to us, both men were working off their community service time for DUI. Both were more than happy to be getting paid for drilling the second well, while getting credit for time worked. We laughed at that and I said, "At least they will not be driving drunk here since one of the rules is no alcohol allowed at the mining site."

"When did that become a rule?" asked Rob as we headed to the plane basin.

"One, I do not like to deal with drunks! Two, what you do on your property doesn't bother me. Lastly, if we set up a hunting lodge, I know that guns and booze do not mix and we don't need that type of trouble."

"Okay, I can live with that. I keep a fifth of whisky for medicinal purposes." stated Rob.

"You have no taste." I replied before adding, "I keep a bottle of rum, so I can make Hot Buttered Rum when I'm in need of a medicinal aid." By then we both were chuckling.

Rob dropped me off on the north bank and I drove the bulldozer back across the ford and up to the area we were going to have the well drilled. Rob and I discussed the exact location and moved it slight further east to avoid hitting the sewer line when we ran it back down to the hanger. It took all of fifteen minutes to scrape a flat area that would be large enough for the drill rig and well. I shut the bulldozer down after moving it up the hill, out of the way.

Later Rob started at his cabin and dug the ditch for the water pipe towards the well, using the backhoe attached to the front-end loader. I started from mine and worked towards the well too. By the end of the day, I was past the well and about half way down to the hanger. Sunday Rob and I finished digging the trenches.

Monday: Tommy flew Art, Pete and Gary out to go black bear and caribou hunting. They planned on being gone for three to four days and would call in twice each day. We were still a little concerned about the militia from Idaho although no one had seen a trace of them during the last couple of weeks.

Since Pete and Gary were out of camp, hunting and the drillers were staying in the barracks, Jenn decided that we would cuddle again. Sometime since my furniture had arrived, Jenn had managed to get my sheets and towels washed and returned, so we had a bed to sleep in, instead of the sleeping bag.

Jenn suggested we needed to get the mine working again. I told her it would most likely be next week before that could happen since we would need the equipment to install the water system for our cabins and the Quonset huts. We both noticed the days were getting a lot shorter as we approached the third week of August. Jenn and I talked until just after midnight when we both fell asleep.

Tuesday: I woke to a different sensation, I thought I was dreaming but then it dawned on me. It was Jenn and she was giving me a blow job. Damn that hurt and I blurted, "Jenn, careful with your teeth!" I heard a mumbled "Sorry" emanated from under the covers but she kept right on working on me. Shortly my hips were involuntarily rising up off the bed. I warned her twice before I lost control and came in her mouth. Jenn must have swallowed, because the bed was not a mess and she did not spit it out. When her head appeared out from under the covers, she had a smile that lit up half of Alaska.

"That wasn't so bad. In fact I liked it." Jenn commented.

I just pulled her to me and gave her a big hug and started to kiss her face and neck, planning on working my way down but she stopped me.

"We need to get up."

"Why?"

"Because I have to make you breakfast."

"Breakfast can wait."

"No it can't! Let's go!"

Jenn now had a determined look about her so I backed off and agreed with her. I had the feeling she had ventured as far as she felt comfortable with, for the day. Later, after we were dressed, she laid a kiss on me and said, "I'm sorry. I should not have stopped you."

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. I received a wonderful surprise this morning. So let's have no regrets."

This got me another hug and a big smile. Then, after I got the fire in the stove going good, she cooked us breakfast. It only took a few minutes for the stove to take the chill out of the cabin.

That night Terry and Tom gave me enough fish so Jenn could cook dinner for me, her parents and Aunt Nukka. Rob reported that Tommy called in and he would be flying back with meat from two caribou in the morning. Tommy had also asked us to contact Bob and see how much he would charge to fly the heads out.