Memorial Day

Memorial Day is a day for remembrance, and for me, it is a day to remember those who have served, and are serving and those who have fallen.  In particular, I always remember a guy with whom I went to college in 1964 - 1965, David H. Warner.

Dave was a roommate of a high school classmate, and that is how I met him.  We played cards together, and drank beer together, and hunted together, and hung out together.  The first time I got drunk at college, Dave was there.  He was probably with me the last time I got drunk there as well.  Dave was smart as a whip.  He and Lanny Rudolph would often team up to make sure I lost at Hearts, Pinochle, and Bridge.   He also had a sense of humor that matched mine, and practical jokes were played on each other (as well as Lanny and Ray Gallant, another high school classmate).

I didn't do well in college that first year.  I started when I was 17, and I was immature.  Lacking self-discipline, I quickly made my way onto academic probation.  By spring, I knew I was flunking out.  In April 1968, healthy males who lost their student deferment popped right to the head of the draft board's list.  That meant it was a certainty I was going to be drafted and ultimately would wind up in Viet Nam.  I read Guadalcanal Diary at a young age and was forever impressed by the courage and persistence of Marines in combat.  That was what I wanted to be.  So I joined the Marines to avoid the draft.  However, that makes me a different kind of draft dodger than Bill Clinton, George W> Bush, and Donny Trump.

On May 8, 1965, I took one step forward, raised my hand , and swore the oath that inducted me into the Armed Forces of the United States.  I did not have to report to San Diego for a month, so I rode the Greyhound Bus back to Ellensburg and Central Washington State College, and partied the rest of the school year away with Dave, Lanny, Ray, and others long forgotten. Dave and Lanny and Ray rode me like a rented mule, deriding my decision to enlist in the Marines.  They teased me and belittled my ability to ever become a Marine.  It was really without mercy, but I'm sure they were doing it in fun, as we had all given each other a hard time about everything from drinking abilities to choice of girlfriends throughout the school year.

At the end of May, I flunked out.  In June, I went to boot camp.  In July, I received my draft notice.  In September, I graduated from boot camp and went to Infantry training.  BY October I received my MOS designation as a field radio operator.  The following year I attended and graduated from a Vietnamese language course.  In October 1966, I landed in Viet Nam.

I lost touch with Dave, Lanny, and Ray.  Lanny became a stoner, at least for awhile (the last time I saw him in 1974 he was so high he could barely stand on his own).  I know Ray went into the Air Force, but I don't know anything else after that.  The next time I heard anything about Dave was on my flight back from Viet Nam to San Francisco in 1968.  On that flight, I met a guy, and somehow Dave Warner's name came up.  The guy said he knew Dave, and Dave had been killed in action in the Tet Offensive earlier that year.  That sobered me up to the point that I forgot that a flight attendant had given me her phone number.

Time passed, and eventually, Al Gore invented the internet, and the Viet Nam War memorial was built, and Larry and Sergey built The Google and finding friends, whether living or dead, became a matter of a few keystrokes.  I answered the question that had been bugging me for years: Was Dave really killed in Viet Nam?

Dave is on the Wall.  I have visited his name there twice.  I have visited his memorial on the Virtual Wall.  You can visit it here.  I urge you to read through that memorial.  It isn't long.  It is a memorial to a life ended by Dave Warner's own sense of duty to others.

Dave was full of life, a life he lost in true service to his country.  It is meet and right to honor men and women who have given their life for their country through dedication to the fundamental ideals set forth in the Constitution.  Whether the Viet Nam War was a just war will be debated long after I am dead and gone, but the men and women who served there, and those who died there in service, did so out of their sense of duty to others.

So if you don't have anyone special to remember who gave up their life in service to our country, I urge you to remember Dave Warner.  He was young, he was smart, he was funny, he was dedicated to service to all of us.  I remember him often.  And I do so with guilt.  I made it home, Dave did not. And that will always bother me.

Mice Don't Like Me

They've used my plywood as a toilet. 

Need sharp pencils. 

Sides are laid out. You can't see the lines very well, but they're there. 

Baby Steps

Today I found some supplies I needed (took a while, but now I know where to go), glued up the floor, built a strong back to build the trailer on, and rearranged the shop for better work flow. At the end, I sat the wheel wells on the floor for an idea of what it will look like. 

Progress

Making wheel wells. 

Wheel wells assembled!

Floor mocked up. I need to do some more trimming before I glue those little wings on. The wheel wells go into the gaps on each side. 

And the LED lights need to go on the ceiling so I can see. 

Parts!

Cutting out the wheel well pieces. 

What Have I been Doing?

Trying to get all the parts and supplies together, that's what!  I think I am finally done, except for saw blades. And some Sika-Flex, but I can't find it anywhere locally and may have to go to Tacoma to find it.

In Anchorage, I know where all the suppliers are, and most of them are within a mile or two.  Here, I have no idea who sells the supplies I need, and have to search the interwebs - and then drive 10- 30 miles to find the supplier.  I've driven 500 miles or so just finding the supplies I need for this project.

After spending three hours doing that this morning, I returned to brother John's house for lunch and to check in.  I found him with an ankle injury and in some intense pain.  He was able to hobble around, so I went off to the shop to start cutting some wood.

First, though, I had to clean and tune the table saw.  It had some deferred maintenance issues that had to be addressed before it could be used, and it took a few hours to get that sorted out.  I put a new blade in a Skill saw, and laid out and rough cut some pieces of the wheel wells.  When I started to trim them to final dimensions on the table saw, it was "Whoops! New blade needed here too!"  So I stood down for the day and went back to John's place.

There I found Baby Brother with his foot in a tub of ice water and in lots of pain.  He is restricted from taking anti-inflammatory medications and pain medications due to other medications he his taking, so ice, compression, and elevation are the only treatment options available.  We got those all going, but it looks like a bad sprain or maybe a fracture of a metatarsal.  I will take him to the doctor in the morning, and while he is being evaluated, I will get new saw blades for the table saw and the sliding compound miter saw.  I am determined that I am going to cut wood.  Or rather, at least I hope I am going to cut wood.

Coming Along

Frame is coming along. 

You can see the tongue is on, and the suspension is tacked in placed. The frame has not been closed up yet while we discuss where to put the wiring loom. 

Slow

Yesterday I inventoried the parts. 

Today we moved the wood inside. 

This is why. 

On the way to Tacoma for a surprise birthday party for my brother John's mother-in-law. 

Quick Update

After the wood was delivered, my brother John and I drove to Portland where we visited and stayed with our sister Sandi. We all went to Portland Mercado (food trucks!) for dinner. I had to have some Cubsn, as there's not too much of that available in Anchorage. 

Wednesday morning we were up early and drove to Salem to visit Compact Camping Concepts and pick up the suspension. It was all  packaged and ready to go. We loaded up and had a nice drive back to Lofall. Glorious weather all the way, but we could see nasty looking clouds ahead. 

Just as we arrived at Lofall, it started to drizzle, so we grabbed a tarp and drove up the hill to cover the wood. Good thing we did, as it has been raining off and on all day today. 

Today, Thursday, I drove to Port Townsend to get some electrical parts, then to Sequim to get the wheels and tires, then to Wayne the Welder's house in Port Angeles to drop all the wheels and suspension parts off. 

All the frame parts are now in one place, ready to be fixed to the frame. Progress is being made. Tomorrow I will cut some wood!

Got Wood

More Delays

Wayne the Welder has been working overtime on his day job, so no progress on the frame. Real jobs interfere with recreational pursuits far too often. But I was able to pick up all the other parts for the body of the trailer. 

Then the lumber yard called this morning and left a message that the 1/2 inch birch plywood was back ordered and about two weeks out. So I checked at the local box store and they have plenty. I will get it there and cancel that part of the order at the lumber store. It will take a lot less time than two weeks to find six good sheets at the box store. I hope. 

Shop space is cleared for cutting and assembly. 

Hope to at least build the strong back for assembly this week too. 

Waiting And Working

While waiting for lumber to be delivered and the suspension to be ready for pick up, I've been finishing some details on the Subaru. Today I applied finish to the plywood and installed the drawer pulls, the latch, and the all important bottle opener. I'm pleased with it, notwithstanding the many imperfections.

The sleeping platform is on the left. There is storage under the hatches, the holes are for finger pulls. C'est bon. 

An Update On The Trailer Build

In typical trailer build fashion, I'm off to a slower start than I planned.  I ordered the wood yesterday, but it can't be delivered until next Tuesday.  After working on the frame this coming weekend with Wayne The Welder, on Monday I will drive to Sequim to pick up the wheels for the trailer, and bring them back to Kitsap Powder Coating for powder coating.  On Tuesday, I wait for the wood to arrive, then drive to Portland and Salem to pick up the suspension and other parts, returning on Wednesday.  Then up to Port Angeles to deliver the suspension parts to WTW.  On Friday, I can cut some wood, but then it is back to Port Angeles to work on the frame with WTW.  It is going to be busy, but I really want to be making some sawdust.  To paraphrase Helmuth von Moltke, no plan survives first contact (with the enemy).

Still pretty excited about getting started in any fashion, and the logistics are coming along.  So pictures no later than Monday of the progress on the trailer frame.

The Home Stretch

Getting out of Ft. St. John, I drove down to Dawson Creek.  I wanted to see some of the city, as in the past I usually have just skirted the city.  So I went downtown and tried to see the visitor center.  It was closed.  Apparently, there are not enough visitors in May for them to bother opening the Center.  Fooey on them!  I took the picture posted earlier and stopped to refuel.  Since there was a Tim Horton shop attached to the gas station, I thought I would check it out.  I am not a fan.  However, I must note that the employees of the shop were very, very nice.  I just did not care for the coffee OR the doughnuts.

After the previous day's events, this day was a drag.  It was just driving through some admittedly beautiful country, but just a drive.  The roads are all paved, and other than some slight delays for construction, it was no real challenge.  I ended up at Lac La Hache at a campground right on the lake (The Provincial Parks were all still closed).  I opted to pitch my tent for the night because there was a very nice lawn.

Plus, I was right next to the facilities!  Bonus!

But the real bonus was falling asleep and then waking up to the loons calling on the lake.  I believe it is one of the most beautiful and haunting sounds of nature.  What a way to start the day.

From Lac La Hache, it was a drive through the Fraser River Canyon, one of my favorite parts of this drive.  In the upper reaches near Ashcroft and Spence's Bridge, it is through dry country.  In the lower reaches, it is through the canyon and trees, leading you finally to Hope, and the flat lands of the coast.

Near Abbotsford, I encountered what would be the first of several traffic jams.  On a beautiful Saturday, everyone was out and driving.  The traffic was backed up for a few miles, but finally cleared, and I was able to get to the border at Sumas and cross with no delay.  The agent at the border, like so many others, wanted to know what the orange things on the roof were for.  I told him they were so I could find the car in the parking lot.  Fortunately, he had a sense of humor, and let me in.  I did relent and tell him they were like sand ladders to help get out of sand or mud or deep snow.  

My original routing plan was to cross Deception Pass onto Whidbey Island, and take the ferry to Port Townsend and drive over Hood Canal to Lofall where my brother John lives.  Ferry waits were two hours nd going up, so I decided to drive around.  That is, drive south through Seattle and Tacoma, then up into Kitsap County through Bremerton, Silverdale, Poulsbo, etc.  Great idea, right?  Well, it was the only alternative, but it was a lengthy, stressful drive.

The traffic was awful.  I was not happy, and part of the unhappiness was related to a faulty tire pressure sensor that kept telling me I had a low tire.  Checking the pressure on the left front tire near I-5 does not rate high on my "Things I Like To Do" list.  (By the next day, it had sorted itself out).  

But in the end, I wound up here where my brother John "works" as a caretaker.  As you can see, it is right on the water.  I am angling for a job as an assistant caretaker because (a) he clearly (in my mind) needs help and (b) I like it here.

On Sunday, we drove up to see Wayne The Welder.  He wasn't home, but he had started on the trailer frame.  This is what we found.

It's a start, the next step in the adventure.

After Leaving Watson Lake . . .

I left Watson Lake fairly early, after a good hot shower.  At this time of the year, wildlife is abundant along the highway.

f

I also encountered a caribou near Stone Mountain, which wanted to race me.  It ran along the side of the road like I have never seen a caribou run.  It was a close thing, but I finally won the race . . .  

I was suffering a caffeine deficiency, so I stopped by the Liard River to have a cuppa.  With my little espresso maker, I concocted a Shot-in-the-Dark.  Using Starbuck's coffee of course.

The Toad River is a nice place.  Beautiful Mountains, nice river, convenient services.

Like, drive up fuel for your airplane.

After dinner in Ft. Nelson, I saw a sign informing me that the highway was closed near Ft. St. John due to a wildfire.  I didn't believe the sign, so I kept on driving.  After all, since I could not see smoke, there could be no fire.  Wrong.  There is the fire up ahead.

When I arrived at the roadblock, the nice man informed me that indeed the road was closed, but "We have an alternate route for you if you would like."  With some vague instructions about the route, I took off.  It was, as the song says, "A long and winding road . . .".  Two hours and a metric ton of dust later, I arrived back on the highway.  The route actually took me between two wildfires.  This is the other one.

And I found another gravel parking lot in which to camp!

This gravel lot had one of the nicest bathroom facilities I have seen in North America.  However, they were guarded by a cipher lock.  I called the number on the office door, and they gave me the code, but the lock was a stubborn mechanism.  After a jabillion attempts, it finally yielded, and allowed me to pass.  Which was fortunate for all involved as a gastric event was imminent.  However, it refused to open for me the next morning.  Happy I was not.

Dawson Creek

Camping in Watson Lake

All the campgrounds are still closed, but I am tired and decided Watson Lake was as far as I was going today. This is it:

Downtown RV Park. 

Look, it has trees!  And the bathrooms are nice and have hot running water. Showers too!  

Traffic Control In Teslin

Whitehorse

Quaint town that I have never connected with, although many people here are very, very nice. Like Bishop Buckle. And the young men who think this Subaru is "Awesome, man!"

Had to stop and take pictures of the Klondike. 

Nice little park where she is laid up. 

Almost makes a person think this is a lovely place. Almost. 

Oh, Canada!!

Okay, still in Alaska at Delta Junction, but then. . .

Campgrounds are all closed!

No problem. Have Subaru, will camp. 

But before camping, Oh, Canada!

Beautiful North Country!