Searching for a routine...

Well I'm posting from my iPhone again. I have had a difficult time settling into any kind of routine here. I suppose it all started two weeks ago when I went to Glennallen to take some "time out" at the cabin. Our truck broke down leaving us stranded in G-town quite a bit longer than originally intended. Then D and I caught the chest cold from hell and the days became filled with snot, fevers, sore throats, and never-ending phlegm.

The F-250 sat at the Chevron while it was diagnosed by an old high school alumni of ours that is now one of the only mechanics in Glennallen. In the meantime, Dylan and I tried to make the most of it and we were thankful for the use of Dan and Rita's house and their Ford Fiesta.

Side note: the Fiesta is a stick-shift. I have only driven a stick-shift twice in my life and both times I was surprised to make it home alive. This time was no exception. Dylan and I lurched and jerked our way around town in the small, manual vehicle as we ran errands and picked up groceries. D must have sensed the hilarity of the situation because he giggled every time I stalled out or roughly switched gears. And it brought out the giggle in his Momma too, which was good because I really just wanted to cry.

Mineral Creek Dempsey's

But, much thanks to my dear friend, Amber, Dylan and I were able to return to Anchorage to recuperate and pack for our Valdez summer. We rode with her and her baby girl, Dolly, and had one of the better Glenn Highway drives and Mom-visits that we've had in a long time. Being home was great and we tried our best to rest and prepare for our mining summer. However, the cold left me with very little energy and much of the packing was crammed into the short 24 hour period prior to departure.

Dave returned home on Wednesday and we packed the Jeep to the gills and headed back towards Glennallen. Thanks to our very helpful mechanic, our truck was running again and we were able to pick it up in G-town, hook it up to the Free Spirit, and make our way to Valdez.

We arrived here on Thursday and set up our temporary camp. Dave, Dani, Dan, and Randy and John (claim owners) have been working non-stop on the road up to the mine. It is a very bumpy, seven mile journey complete with rock slides, avalanches, and sudden and extreme cliff drop-offs. Dan has cleared his way through 30 feet thick avalanches and we are finally able to drive all the way to Mineral Creek where the mining will be taking place. I drove the road yesterday in the Jeep and I must admit that there was more than one section that made me sweat a little. But our crew is genius and pretty handy with their equipment so I'm sure that they will make it less scary in no time!

Rita and I have been holding down the fort; entertaining Dylan, doing laundry, running errands, bringing the workers their lunch, and cooking dinner for their nightly return to camp. The Free Spirit and I have had a bit of a rough start. As I have expressed in past posts, the Free Spirit is just a little too free spirited for my taste. So far we have experienced water pump issues, hot water heater malfunctions, and sewer leaks. Yep. You heard me. SEWER LEAKS. That is probably the last thing that you want leaking on your camper. Dave has worked on it a bit and so she is running okay for now but I'm a little concerned for her future. But I'm sure Dave, Dr. Dan, and a little TLC will help tame her a bit. Besides, we're about to bump her down the hellish Mineral Creek road so I guess I don't mind having a bit of a "beater."

Mineral Creek Road-the snow gives us a false sense of security as it hides the cliff drop-offs.

Our road crew hard at work

Today the crew is back on the road making preparations to bring the campers in. There is still much work to be done before we can make the big move but I'm excited (and a little scared) to see how the journey goes. Dylan has come down with some sort of stomach bug so we are confined to the camper for today. Hopefully, I will be making a trip to the laundromat at some point because I'm quickly running out of pajamas, towels, and blankets that haven't been puked on. Poor D! I hope this virus doesn't last long! And I hope nobody else gets it! (Stomach bug + camping = no fun. And very messy camper.)

Poor, sweet baby is napping right now so I'm able to have a break and write to my faithful followers. Thanks for reading! Hopefully the days will become smoother and I will be able to establish some sort of routine so I can post more often. Until then, here are some pics from the last few days. Hope this finds you all well!