Unexpected workout

There I was riding my three wheeler through the woods last night enjoying the evening air when tragedy struck.  My drive chain decided it was going to come off the rear end and I was stranded about a mile from the road.  I didn't even skip a beat because I knew that a lonely guy in the woods at night in Alaska probably isn't the greatest idea.  I was packing heat because if you are crazy enough to ride on a thirty year old machine with only three wheels in the middle of the night (which if it is really "night" yet here that is debatable) you best be prepared.  So there I was huffing and puffing while jogging behind the three wheeler keeping en eye out for large mammals.  Luckily I did not encounter anything.

When I finally got it to the road I stashed it on the trail in the bushes.  It was only another mile walk to my cabin, but there was no walking going on, only running.  The bugs were so bad that every time I looked down at my hands they were covered with mosquitoes.  I had to constantly slap myself in the face to kill the little bastards.  It was all fine and dandy until my Honda Big Red broke down.  As long as you can stay at a constant speed right above jogging speed the bugs don't get you.  Well they were getting me trying to run the mile up the steep hill to my place.

Needless to say once I finally got back to my place and took my van to go get my rig I was beat.  That is what happens though.  You have to be mentally prepared to just deal with the situation and not miss a beat.  I was off that wheeler and pushing it in a split second.  I don't know if it was just natural quick thinking or the threat of the bugs that got me going to fast.  Whatever it was, it got me home.

This week's shows:

Wednesday - SubZero MicroLounge - Anchorage, AK. - 8pm
Thurs / Fri. - Two day vacation with friends in WHITEHORSE, Yukon, CA.
Saturday - Haines State Fair - Haines, AK.
Sunday - Pioneer Bar - Haines, AK.
Monday - 20 hour drive back to Fairbanks.

Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival

I have been so busy this past week being the ukulele instructor for the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival!  I had a ton of great students and wonderful performances.  The pic at the top of this post is me and Mike Stevens (www.mikestevensmusic.com) harmonica virtuoso and I tearing the roof off the sucka!  That was a fun show!

After a long week of molding the minds of ukulele players I'm off to the Haines State Fair.  The only bad part of the trip down there is the only way to drive there is to cross the border into Canada.  Not that I don't like Canada, but when you look like a wildman and have a ukulele border agents tend to want to "talk to you" a little longer and enjoy inspecting your things.  Sometimes I believe when I'm flying out of Alaska that TSA is waiting, just waiting, to grope me.  They never fail to rub me down with the "backs of their hands".  Arg.

Good times.

Two weeks until my wedding.  I must be getting old.

Why can't I shoot ravens?

It started yesterday.  The ravens have been squawking all day and night about something.  When I first heard them yesterday afternoon I got excited.  Was there some sort of kill in the woods with perhaps a bear or other animal guarding the carcass?  Ravens get a little flustered when they want something.  So I jumped out from my desk, got on my boots, ran outside and gathered my gear and headed toward the horribly loud racket they were making.  I got about 100 yards from my cabin, almost to the edge of the property and here they came.  Three of them following each other around just squawking annoyingly loud at one another as they flew from tree to tree.  This is now day two with them circling in a 300 yard circle.  Thank god I'm loading up to hit the road for a 5 day stint.  There is no way I can get any thinking here done.

All I can do is yell as loud as them and they could care less.

Bears, ukuleles, and Alaska.

This is how I spent the first minutes of this year's 4th of July.  I figured if I was going to celebrate independence day I needed to do something independent like get out in the woods searching for Alaska's apex predator, the grizzly bear.  Unfortunately I did not stumble on or call in a bear.  I thought wounded moose calls would be like ringing the dinner bell, I was wrong or just needed a couple more days.  Even though I did not get my bear I still was reminded of why I live here in Alaska.  Independence and the freedom to do as I please is why I chose to move from the other end of the continent and my family to embark on a life journey in one of the most rewarding and unforgiving places in the world.

They say you will either feel one of two ways when you visit Alaska.  You will either love it or hate it.  About the third summer I came up here a local friend of mine here in Fairbanks asked me, "You love it don't you? Alaska?  You keep coming up every summer." to which I replied, "Yeah I really do love it." he then told me I was screwed and I should just move here and get it over with.  I obviously took his advice.

This next week I am teaching two classes at the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival on ukulele.  My classes were jam packed last year and it appears they are that way again this year.  Perhaps one day I will get to teach at a festival outside of Alaska.  Perhaps a festival completely dedicated to ukuleles.  That would be most excellent.  I have a great lesson on the secrets of the thumb I think many people would be interested in.  Since I cut myself off from the ukulele community I have evolved on my own without the help of saying "Aloha" and wearing flower covered shirts.  I play more of the "what's up?" / Carhart apparel version of the ukulele.

THIS WEEK's SHOWS!

Wednesday - TALKEETNA - Fairview Inn - w/ Dr. Jones - 9pm

Thursday - SOUTH CENTRAL, AK. - The search for salmon begins.

Friday - ANCHORAGE - Humpy's Great Alaskan Alehouse - w/ Dr. Jones and Merrill J. Miller - 9pm

Saturday - PALMER - Combat Vets Biker Club Fundraiser - American Legion - w/ Dr. Jones and Merrill J. Miller - 3pm

Saturday - CANTWELL - Cantwell Lodge - solo - 9pm

Sunday - FAIRBANKS - Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival begins! - 2pm

Let the hunt for America Day begin

Today I pack up my van with all the right stuff for my journey into the vast Denali Highway wilderness with the Parks Highway Band.  I'm taking all the right gear with me that will be needed for such an expedition.  I will be scouting for bears tomorrow since where I'm going has the largest concentration for interior brown bears, otherwise known as grizzlies, in the state.  Fortunate for me and the boys we are rocking the most awesome lesser known 4th of July show in the state.  70 miles down a dirt road through the mountains to about 4,000+ft to the side of a bluff that overlooks the pristine Susitna River valley.  There you will find the Alpine Creek Lodge.(https://www.facebook.com/alpine.c.lodge?fref=ts)

This will be my third year playing this gathering of great people and a marathon 6+ hours of rocking with the Parks Highway Band and our very special friend Mr. Merrill J. Miller
(https://www.facebook.com/MerrillJMiller?fref=ts)

Time to load up the three wheeler, my side arm, my rifle, all my skinning and cutting gear, game bags, bug nets, sighting scope,  and my plastic Jesus for good luck... oh yeah, and my ukulele of course.  It is time to hunt for America and my freezer.  

So come out if you want to know what real freedom is on this Independence Day.  Mile 68 on the Denali Highway.  70 miles from the nearest town or power line.  Leave your cell phone at home.