Chapter 8

Tuesday:

The day started like most days, with me hearing an aircraft. At least this one did not wake me. I was walking back from my morning trip to the river, when I heard a chopper approaching. Rob and his crew were there to position the back wall of the large Quonset hut. I watched as it was lowered into position, and then went on to breakfast.

Dad and Art Sr. informed me they were getting away from this noise by going to Fairbanks with Tommy and would be back on Thursday or Friday. Jenn gave Tommy a load of gold to be deposited in my account.

Dad said, "I'll make sure Tommy gets it all there."

Before Tommy could reply, Art said, "Maybe we should send a teenager with you to make sure you all get home tonight, alive."

This sally got dirty looks from all three men and Tommy said, "I NEVER have needed a baby-sitter!"

Dad asked Tommy about an incident that happened when he was in the fifth grade. Tommy just glared at Dad, stood up and stomped off to his plane. Art Sr. looked at Dad and said, "Well, there goes our second cup of coffee." as he stood to follow Tommy. Even later, I never was able to find out about that incident.

Art and I finished breakfast and headed for my cabin site with three men. We had determined the back-hoe was about two feet short of the desired depth we wanted. Armed with shovels, the three men dug the additional two feet, throwing the dirt forward to where the back-hoe would lift it out, as it continued to dig the rest of the hole for my cabin.

Halfway through the day, we determined we needed to spread some of the dirt out in front of my cabin to get rid of it and to make a flat area that would work like a small front yard for me. Late in the afternoon, the first hopper arrived to dump gravel to form the bed for the concrete floor. They started in the tunnel end with one of the men spreading it as it was dumped.

By dinner, we had finished the excavation and we would be ready to start with the forms in the morning. When we passed by the large Quonset hut, they were just attaching the front section, which contained the front doors and the rails the doors rolled on. After it was in place, Rob walked over joining us, with a big grin on his face.

I notice that everybody was quitting, so I guessed tonight we were not planning to work late, although we had plenty of light still. As we passed the east end of the basin I noted that the back-hoe was no longer there, and the opening appeared to be completed. In all, it looked like it had been a very successfully day.

At dinner, Jenn suggested we take a boat and go drifting. When I asked what she meant by drifting, Art said "Jenn wants to drift down river, alone with you."

I agreed and we left when the meal was completed and headed for the river boats. As we neared the basin, we could see two of the boats headed downstream, full of fisherman. Jenn and I took the other boat and rode up river beyond the point where the other two streams flowed into the river. In fact, this was further up the river than I had ever been.

After we cut the engine off and had drifted for a while, we saw a moose, then later a she bear with her two cubs. We were a good ways from the bank but still on her side of the river so I made ready to start the boat motor if she should take exception to us. Other than to just stare at us for a moment, she continued with her foraging. Jenn and I talked a lot during the three hours it took us to drift back down. The surprising thing to me was, not once did we get hung up. We came close to the bank several times but we never really even bumped it. Jenn even commented this was unusual.

Wednesday: Unfortunately I was back on track. Yesterday had been a fluke. Once again, I woke to the sound of an aircraft. This time it was the chopper that was delivering mesh, rebar and wood to build the forms for my cabin. After a trip to the river to wash, I went to breakfast. Jenn asked me why I was not taking advantage of the shower in the small Quonset hut. To change the subject, I asked her where she was bathing and she said showers have been built here in the camp. After breakfast, I went with her to inspect her shower. They had indeed built a shower. They had an old water heater that was sitting over a tub, which had a fire in it. A small pump was running, which supplied water to the tank and to the cold water side of the shower. I was impressed until Jenn explained the method used to wash. You rinsed, then turned off the water, lathered up hair and body and then, you had a final rinse to wash the soap off you. I could not see much difference from a dip in the river. Both methods would leave you cold but with the river you probably took less time. Before you judge me crazy for thinking that, each time she turned the water on, she had to adjust it, which meant she had to stand there naked, while she made the adjustment.

Jenn and I then walked up to see how my cabin was coming along. They were busy working and I knew next to nothing about what they were doing. Art asked me if I was ready to install the power to this side of the river. I told him I was, and he asked Frank and two other men to give me a hand.

Jenn and I walked back down to the Quonset hut, where we separated. Jenn headed for her office (tent) and I, to look at the power situation. Shortly, two of the men appeared carrying the auger between them. I picked a point not too far from the southeast corner of the hut, and the men set to work with the auger. Frank showed me where the utility poles were stacked and I used the front-end loader to drag the selected pole from the pile and then carried it over to the hole on the bucket. By the time I got it ready to be positioned, they were done drilling the hole. I used the bucket with a chain to lift the pole and the men aimed the pole bottom and it slid in easier than I expected. I used the bucket to straighten the pole and hold it steady while the men filled in around the base.

Frank then used the back-hoe to dig a trench, to lay the line from where it currently lay, to the utility pole. I stretched the cable out and the two men started to slip joints of conduit down the power line. Sometime later, we were ready to tighten and glue each joint of pipe as we worked towards the utility pole. Then the assembly was lowered into the trench. With the sweep heading directed up the pole; I mounted the wooden housing to the pole and then the disconnect box inside the housing with the main circuit breaker panel above it.

Next I wired the output side of the quick disconnect to the main circuit breaker panel although the actual circuit breakers were not installed. After we cut and glued the length of conduit necessary to reach the main disconnect I stripped and connected the generator wires to the input side of the disconnect.

Now the three overhead cables were to be installed to the large Quontset hut, my cabin, while the last leg would go to Art's and Rob's cabins. The poles were set to the large Quontset first, then the cable was hung. While I was making the connections inside the Quonset hut, Frank and the other two men were drilling the holes for four more utility poles leading to my cabin. The distance between poles was closer than normal but I wanted it that way because of the expected snow and wind load in the area. By the time I was finished wiring in the inside of the Quonset hut, they were ready for me to start bringing the utility poles and erecting them. It took us the next three hours to carry and erect the poles. Only the third pole gave us trouble and that was because it was in the middle of an incline and I had trouble positioning the front-end loader to provide the necessary support, because some trees were in the way. The last pole was about 20 feet from my cabin and we mounted a temporary service box on it.

We stopped for a late lunch, and then Frank used climbing gear to mount the cable to each pole. I used the front-end loader to help stretch the power cable. Once it was tied to the pole next to the cabin I left plenty of length hanging on the pole while I connected the end to the temporary service box.

Now it was back to the pole with the main circuit breakers. We stretched the cable from the large Quonset hut to the pull then hung the cable that would eventually go to the brother's cabin so we could stretch it later.