Sneaky Snake

Dedicated to Hunter and Heather.

"Sneaky Snake" by Tom T. Hall

Picture Is Dedicated To Uncle Eric,

Perhaps He Will Color It For You If

You Ask Him Nicely.

(Eric, print the picture before your color it,

Do Not, I repeat Do Not color on the

Monitor Screen)

HITW Spring Report

My eldest daughter, Lady Buff, asked a couple of days ago for an update on spring and the HITW. Consider this an update.

As of right now, there is 23 days until the Anchor River will open for the first weekend of King Salmon Fishing and 24 days before my birthday, in case you were wondering! River conditions, the easiest breakup that I have ever witnessed, not a single ice jam on the river from eight mile to the mouth. Projection, expect adverse conditions on opening weekend, still a bunch of snow to melt down, especially in the headwaters of the river.

As of right now, there is 30 days until the commencement of Memorial Day Weekend and the second weekend of King Salmon season, however, do not forget we also get to fish Wednesday prior to Memorial Day Weekend. River conditions should improve prior to this weekend.

As of this date, we have about three weeks or 21 days (3x7=21) to prepare for the big weekend, I believe once you see the attached pictures, you can see we have our work cut out for us to get it ready, the HITW had a rough winter. Going to try to keep traffic out of the area until it starts to dry out, but I will be using the dogs to pack in equipment and start making repairs as soon as my new wading gear (birthday present) arrives so I can forge the lake.

At 1837 this evening, I tested the remaining snow pack for water content and ran a volume check on the water flowing out of Eagle Meadow, we have approximately 89,576 gallons of water to flow through the area of HITW before the drying mode can commence.

Nice Reflections In the Lake

Buff Wallow Roof Almost Clear of Snow

Wolf and Bear Den Still Snowed In

Easy To Find the Low Spots In The Terrain

Please note the stack of dimensional lumber, prepped and drying in anticipation of being cut up for "firewood" ~ don't forget the we still have the "big tree" on the ground at the top of the ridge that needs to be cut, hauled, and split. As far as the cook tent, the easiest way I have figure out to clean it up is to throw a can of gas on it followed by a match. Then start over new.

Spring ~ Summer ~ Games

Been awful busy putting together an agenda for the forth coming meeting of the clans, minus one but it is hoped we will see the Moose Clan make an appearance for the Vern Harrington Silver Salmon Derby. Come to think of it, in the historical review of the past records, the winners of this tournament has always come from the Homer and Anchor Point area. By the way did I mention that it was the Eagle Clan and Bear Clan that holds the most titles. Going to have an action packed weekend of events come Memorial Day. Being that Lady Buff has got into sled dog racing and the fact that Bull Buff has never really demonstrated his full potential on the playing field. I have come up with a special contest, just for Bull Buffie. I think he will excel in this event and perhaps, next winter Lady Buff can enter him into the Fur Rondy dog weight pulling contest.

GO ERIC, GO, GO, GO

Recreational Home Update

Spent the day at H0me Depot in beautiful downtown Kenai. Could not help but notice the heavy equipment working next door to the store. The new site of Lowe's. Reportedly, Walmart is also ready to break ground in Kenai but we have heard that rumor for a couple of years now. On our way into the city, passed a cabin manufacturing mill so we stop in to look at a couple of cabins. Four wheel drive required, mud was deep so I only looked at one of their samples and sped out of the driveway once I looked at their price list, $40.00 a square foot plus freight to the site.

After spending a couple of hours at Homer Depot, departed the store with enough lumber and assorted materials to build my tackle box at a cost of only $800.00. Someone forgot to tell me the cost of nails for my new airguns. As well, they forgot to tell me that you cannot buy them in small quantities, just boxes of 5,000. Departing the store with 25,000 nails in five sizes and finish. I am ready to nail something!

However, I did take a few minutes to visit a nice lady at the customer service desk with my little computer print out of the Mackinaw Cabin that I posted in my last posting. As soon as she saw my printout, she knew what it was and had a good basic knowledge. I also found out the manufacturer and plan on calling them direct on Monday to get a few answers to my questions.

In a nutshell, the cost that I got off the Internet is applicable to Alaska, for the 12'x20' cabin the cost is $6,604 dollars delivered to Kenai. Home Depot will deliver it to the HITW for $95.00.

The better news is that I can get a 10% discount which cuts the cost to to $5,944 or $25.00 per square foot. If you go to the web site that is linked above, you can also see some options and dimensions.

I will find out when I call the company on Monday, but after looking at the pictures, it appears that the insulation factor is zero as it appears the interior walls are also red knotty pine. A zero factor of insulation is not good for winter, but likely similar to what you have in the trailers now. With the limited knowledge that I have at this point, I am assuming all we need to do is plant a few sonar tubes, run a couple of beams and floor joists to sit the building on. It comes assembled in partitions so with four or five working, we could most likely assemble it in a weekend. Delivery time is approximately six weeks according to the lady at the service counter.

I also inquired after they offered us a 10% discount, if they would discount further if we purchased four of them. She said we could submit it to the bid desk. The small deck railing below the overhang is optional, but in my opinion that is alright, I would prefer a nice cedar railing so you can sit on the porch without the view being blocked.

Despite it being her birthday, (she got five boxes of nails for her birthday) , Terry sat down and drew up a simple floor plan to see if enough beds and etc. could fit in. No problem and plenty of room for small kitchen and sitting area. As you can see in the picture, a bedroom partition wall and even a loft can be installed either with optional kits or on site.

If at all possible, if you could all bump heads this weekend with the "Pope" over a bottle of wine to get his opinion on construction and if we can duplicate this cheaper by stick construction.

The way that I figure it, a decent travel trailer is going to cost $3,000 to $5,000. No doubt, with permanent structures on the property, our property tax will go up but it will not belong before that is also tax exempt due to maturity. At any rate, give it some thought and some feedback or questions so I can call them on Monday.

HITW Cabin

I found this cabin by accident while searching for something different on the Internet. This is the design of cabin that I have had in mind for the HITW. I found this while searching homedepot.com for some other building material. This is a pre-fabricated cabin that is in kit form, everything is included and all the lumber is pre-cut. This particular model is a 12' x 20'. They also make the same cabin style in smaller sizes down to 12'x12'. I would personally prefer a model with a half loft for children sleeping area, but this model may work. Since it is a kit, everything is included except the flooring, including all the nails, hardware, etc. The exterior is knotty red pine and the front roof has a four foot overhang and deck. According to the web site, the price includes freight delivered to the site. Set on a two foot high sonar tube foundation, it has potential to be a very nice cabin. The cost for the 12'x20" cabin is $6,604 and the 12'x16' cabin is $5,730. If all are in agreement, perhaps someone could contact our in house building specialist to price something like this out if we were to build it from scratch. A good floor plan would also be helpful to see if we can get the required number of beds, storage, small kitchen and sitting area into this size space. Personally, I do not think we want to go any smaller. Give me your input and ideas and we can take it from there. It is unfinished inside. It is an interesting concept to discuss.

As a side note, the new fishing regulations are now out. King Salmon season will be open on the Anchor River on May 17 - 19 and May 21st. 2nd opening is May 24 - 26 and May 28th. 3rd opening is May 28 - May 31 and June 2nd and June 4th. 4th opening is June 7 - 9 and June 11th. 5th and final opening will be June 14- 16th and June 18th. Memorial Day weekend could be expanded easily by taking advantage of the Wednesday openings, 5/21 ~ 5/24 through 5/26 and on 5/28th. These dates are on Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Wednesday each week for five weeks.

Just thoughts to ponder.

Spent the day working on cabin designs that can be built economically with materials that are available. We seem to have a good supply of "dimensional lumber" each season. It is likely we have burned up at least a half dozen cabins in our fire pit. A few nails, box of sheet rock screws, a little plastic for windows and we can build our own rustic door to fit the decor of the cabin. total cost in materials $39.63.

The cabin below is my personal choice. It is also made of "dimensional lumber" and constructed on a high piling foundation. We can gain access to enough spruce bark beetle killed trees to provide the foundation. The thing I like about this design is that it can be built on the hillside surrounding the bowl. This will provide better drainage and allow the full area of the bowl for our recreational area. Estimated cost of this particular construction is also less, my data indicates that it would cost approximately .12 cents a square foot or $23.04.

If someone could check with our resident contractor and get a quote on the time that it would take to build a half dozen of these rustic recreational cabins. My data indicates that if all of the material was on site with a crew of six, three units could be built in a weekend give or take a unit or two. My data was somewhat vague.

Still lending aide to those looking for the "right" camper

This trailer is more than just a camper.
It is a very tight package when put away
and it even comes with the kitchen sink!

Water purification system is optional, but a
must for HITW if we are to construct the great
lake. Other desired add-ons include shower,
fridge/freezer, solar power and more.

I didn't catch a price, but I'm sure that cost is
no object for our rich clans and a good, comfortable
time in the Hole In The Wall R.A. is priceless.
Let's not forget to spend time trying out new
ideas yet to be put in motion, as this is one of
the most crucial points of being a dirty pit
dweller and shakes boredom when near
everyone needs a napp but me.

SPRING IN THE VALLEY

Today, the signs of "spring" are starting to show,

The Anchor River is just starting to flow.

The "Forks" is where I prefer to go,

While other Clan Members waste time by fishing down low.

Below the bridge is my favorite hole

While others call it the "Bridge Hole"

In recent years, I renamed it the "Handicap Hole"

At times it can be crowded with anglers and poles,

But, you can find a place to fish on the bar and under the trees

Where few fisherman will go because you have to fish on your knees.

The "hole" is good and will remain true,

Despite the time of day, I always catch my limit of two.

While my sons fish down low, only to get a skunk

I sit at my hole on that nice tree trunk.

I hear their truck

They are returning without any luck.

On the bridge they skid their tires,

As I pick up my fish and prepare to retire.

I then hear a "clunk"

At my truck, I look up the hill, to see a pile of junk.

Venturing up the hill in my truck,

I pause long enough to ask them if they had any luck.

In the ditch there laid a axle and tire

In the road stood three fishermen looking very dire.

I bid them "good luck" and went to camp to retire.

With age, one gains wisdom

The "old man" is still the ruler of the River Kingdom.

You young ones can run the river and may catch a fish

I prefer to wander to the river in a slow pace and catch a limit of fish.

With no fish, you sit around the fire and pine,

All you need to do is learn to read the "sign"

Some day, you will be wise and old

When that time comes, I will move aside and share my hole.

"Have A Good Day On the Water And Good Luck With Your Fishing"

These Pictures Taken This Date Proves That Spring Is Here!