Free Stuff

Found out that we ain't leaving to Denali until tomorrow. I awoke at 5 AM in the truck, waited... waited... nobody showed up. Then a grad student arrived at 8 to open the doors. Boss came later and said they revised the schedule. Cool beans, lots to do around here. The students had class at 9 and after that they started working on their papers.

I wanted to see if I could get into the university recreation center so I journeyed down the giant hill and came to this... a free market with a bunch of free stuff. At first I thought it was a flea market and I dug through my pockets for change, but then on the mic they said everyone take what you want. Ironic because I had planned on going to clothing store to get some warmer gear and more coffee cups for the crew, but I didn't want to spend any money. This helps.

Here's a cool poster I got a hold of. It's going up in the truck for sure. Brit loves to watch Family Guy and she almost got me hooked on it ;) Where I go it's hard to get TV so I tend to not watch the moving pictures, but even way up north I can't avoid Stewie's lessons. He's my favorite character ... smart, independent, best friend with his dog and trying to take over the world.

Skis anyone? Wok? Tempting... but too small for me and needs a flame burner.

Food? Na, I got plenty of it in the truck.

Then back up the hill to pack it all in the truck.

You betcha.

The Christmas lights will be a blast. When we hook up electric at the RV camp I'm going to string the coloured lights all throughout the inside of my home and create a retro camp kitchen. I've found it much more relaxing to cook when you cover two of the three windows on the inside with trash bags. I love ambience. My favorite kitchens to work in our those that are dim and chill with a dash of ease of mind, especially when I'm near the poles and the sun doesn't set. Gotta create serum melatonin some way for a healthy circadian rhythm.

Cool black hoody but I think it could use a fixin.

That's better. Now I'm going to head back down the hill to the rec. center. Last time it was a marathon, this time it was a free market, who know's what will be there next.

Denali Here We Come!

After I got back from the cabin on Coyote Trail I had to find something to do until it was time to go shopping again. I planned out the shopping list last night, so that was taking care of. Maybe shower? Sure. So I snuck over to the dorm and found a way in. Instantly I threw in my laundry and headed to the guys shower room. After I got in the shower I realized I forgot my shaving stuff and shampoo. I hiked all the way back to the truck, grabbed my gear, then went back to the shower. Before... After... haha don't know why I did this, but it's funny to me. Can't wait to see myself before and after 11 days in the bush in Denali.


After the baptism I ate a sandwich.

Looking out the kitchen/truck window I noticed Prof. Rainer didn't go home last night. Instead he slept on the hood of his car. Smart idea. He probably turned the engine on until the hood got hot enough to keep him warm throughout the morning. This dude never sleeps. He drinks at least 10 cups of coffee a day. Students tell me he popped two energy drinks and a few canned starbucks on the last trek. June told me he had an I.V. bag outside his old office labeled 'Coffee'.

Then I headed upstairs to the geo lunch room. June told me to meet her at 1 to do some shopping. I read a really interesting newspaper on mining and drilling. Why was this on the front desk in the geo lunch room? the only we find gold, water, and oil is through geology and geophysics. You could dowse, but folks don't know about that ;)

June arrived on time and we headed to the store. We loaded up her truck with mostly freshies and meats. She told me I'm picking up a few more scientists on the Denali trip... that puts me at 28 clients, fine by me.

Just before I got back to the computer room I had to sort and pack all of this into the cook truck. Every cupboard is stocked full. I bought some steak, hot dogs, ground beef, pork loin, catfish fillets, chix thighs and drumsticks. That should give us at least 8 good meals.

Time to go for a walk before the sun sets. Haha, ya right, the sun don't set. I have to be up at 6 to pack all the student bags in the truck and then Bill and I hit the road. Guess I'll be sleeping in the truck tonight, no point in blowing 35 bucks on a dorm room when you have a truck full of food and a spot on the floor. Cheerio, be back in like 11 days. Here comes big bear time, thankfully there's a shotgun hidden in my cupboard, but all will be well... this ain't anything like the grizzlies of Kodiak.

A Night of Relaxation

After we unloaded the student backpacks into the bay the students came and picked them up. Once that was finished I scratched my head and thought, 'Do I sleep in the truck again?'... 'Shower?'... 'Laundry?'. Bill comes from behind and tells me that his wife really wants to meet me and hear my stories. There was my answer. Thank you Bill. Bill left to go do some more work and a few of the girls came up and asked me if I wanted to go out drinking at the Howling Wolf tonight. Hmm... sounds tempting, cool name for a bar, but then again I already made a promise to Bill's wife that I'd stay at their place, plus I need to put together a short shopping list for our next buy. I'll have plenty of time to party in the future, life's a party anyway. Later Bill and I jumped into his little car and headed to his visitor cabin... on Coyote Trail.

Pretty AK Huskies. Bill's wife prepared some dinner for us and it was delicious and well needed. During dinner I told her all about my journeys and how I view myself as a traveling cooking school. More or less a Chef that travels and learns from the scientists of the world their ambitions and studies, and then spreads that knowledge by dropping nuggets here or there to other camps. Behind this western knowledge pursuit my primary goal is to learn from natives their food habits, sustainability, wholesome recipes, irrigation practices, and environmental spirituality which I can then hopefully integrate into the modern, developed social matrix. After a chat and din I hiked to the cabin that I was staying at, the cabin Anne built while Bill was doing exploration geology for a mining company several years ago. It was quiet, no mosquitoes, warm... nothing better to ask for. There I planned the next 10 days of our menu. Thankfully I did a lot of work before I came to Alaska, so all I need now is the purchase list.


I've found a free life high up in the trees. No worries and no hurry an ol' soul on the road, no fines, no tolls, just bliss that's all. -lyrics from a song I'm trying to put together

UAF Geo Camp Segment 1: Livengood

Monday morning I woke up in the cook truck and started loading the student bags around 6 in the morning. All night I heard people walking around the truck and realized some folks in Fairbanks really don't sleep.

After that, Bill and I took off in the banana boat. The truck is slow and our 70 mile journey was going to take at least 3 hours since a lot of it is uphill. Our first stop along the way was to pick up some potties.

Here's the geo mafia passin us.

Gold mines were scattered along the highway.

The road we were on followed a major pipeline. After staying a few nights in Fairbanks I know now what the main 'intention' of this town is... gold and oil.

Finally, we arrived at an old drilling campsite in Livengood. The campsite was dotted with rundown trailers and machinery. A few of the buildings had been kept up a bit and housed a gold mining group.

Here's Bill and Lara chatting about the past. She used to be a geology student at UAF and now works for the mining company.

Bill talked with the boss of the camp while I scanned the walls... "Double Gold Resources at Livengood..." Bill hooked up with another guy and he helped us find a suitable place to make our camp.

Hmm...
Hmmm...Hmmm....This site looks cool to me. The students arrived around 3 PM and set up their tents.

Here's the boys putting together the main galley tent.

Folks eating their first lunch. For lunchtime I just throw out sandwiches, wraps, snacks, granola bars, trail mix, veggies, fruit, etc. and they pack it up in a bag for their field bushwack excursion.

Once they started packin up to leave for the field I began deep cleaning the kitchen.

Here they are getting ready...

Adios amigos.

Once they left I checked out the camp.

See the moose terds.

After my little hike I began prepping for dinner. On the first night is was gonna be easy Wawaiin ham n' cheese sandwiches. Nothing to elaborate, just something filling and tasty. My goal was to see how much they would consume and how the kitchen equipment worked.

This dish was actually created by my buddy Franko in Australia. Thanks man.

Always keeping an inventory and notes on what they like and dislike.

They return around 7 PM and get their grub... vulture they are haha, but I don't blame them. For the days after this it was around 50 deg F and rainy the whole time. They are out for at least 8 hours hiking through the bush, in rain, tramping through creeks, while obtaining rocks samples and observations, which they eventually map. So they need all the calories they can get.

After eating they get to work on their maps. The goal of the camp: be able to map geological findings obtained firsthand from the field, and furthermore generate some ideas about processes and history.

I just hang with my second baby... the guitar. They say they like to hear the music while they're working so I'll keep it up.

Morning comes and goes the next day, and they grab their lunch again. The suns out... just for the morning.

When they leave this time I get to writting some lyrics and tanning. Rough this place is... ;) But, keep in mind I'm up at 5 to start breakfast and don't get to bed until 11 once the dishes are done and the students crawl into their tents. My siesta is from 12-2, other than that I'm cooking and planning.

Lyrics inspired by the local enviroment.

Mexican night. Stevo sheltered in the warm and stinky wet clothes drying tent.

Oh ya, the kitchen is my bed too. I love it.
Sunday morning I woke up and everything was wet. So much ran put a giant puddle on the roof and the 3 hatches were leaking, big time. So I cooked in my rain gear.

Good thing about being a cook at the poles... I'm usually always in a warm room.

Eat this.

Great American Breakfast.

GPS.

Setting up lunch. Yes, it's cold and wet, but I'm used to it.

Since it was icky I decied to use the leftover beans and rice from Mexican night, and the leftover ham from the Hawaiin ham n' cheese sandwiches, to make a Louisana Spicey Sausage Gumbo. Don't know if such a dish exists, but I made it haha.

I only have to do dishes twice a day, for dinner the students do it.

Can't wait to go through a winter and get 12 hours of sleep everynight again. I've gone through two years of summer and it's going to continue when I head back to the south pole. One day I'll see the stars again...

Wake up at 5. Coffee.

The old fashioned way.

This morning I got my routine down and am feeling the flow of the kitchen. Time for some bacon, egg, and cheese baggelwiches.

Today was our last day in Livengood and after breakfast everyone packed up.

We broke down the camp.

I took the trash out of the Eagle.

Bill wrote down the gas while I munched away on some trail mix. Can't wait for a shower. When we leave to Denali in 36 hours it will be 10 days without a shower.

The sun started to come out again on our way back :)

This has been the highlight of my trip so far. Beauty in the hillsides. Well, actually, the marathon was cool and writing this one song I got stuck in my head has been a blast, and cooking has been fun too. Everything's been a highlight. Just wait for Denali's photos. Denali will be 10 days without any communication, so bear with me, I'm still here... I'm just hanging with the bears.

Ready to Roll

The truck is ready, kind of, and we're pack, kind of. Tomorrow at 6 AM we leave town and go to Livengood, where we'll be livin' good.

I just got done patching up a few holes in the roof. (The sky looks like that at 11 PM) The truck is now my house and it'd be cool not to get dripped on. Tonight I'm leaving the dorm room and making a bed in the truck just so I'm awake for our early departure.

Here's Bill packing up all the science equipment.

This is all the leftovers for the next segment.

This is the view from the uni.

After this post I won't have any contact for 4 days. What is time? You can always hear me if you open up your mind. Peace.

Midnight Sun Run 10K Marathon

After organizing everything in the banana boat, (note: see the geophysical institute behind it) which was around 10 PM, I heard a ruckus near the campus. I followed the noise and found out it was a marathon with about 4,000 people. Supposedly the coolest thing that ever happens in Fairbanks, or so the locals tell me. So I ran to my room and got changed. I made it to the booth just in time to register even though the race had already started. I was literally the last person to sign up. I dodged people left and right and sprinted. I think I got around to the 1,000 person mark. Wet, chilly.... ain't nothing like the Hut Point Marathon in Antarctica. This was a walk in the park.

Shopping

I awoke bright eyed and bushy tailed at 8 AM, not, and then headed to geo department to catch a ride and credit card to Sam's Club.

I have about 300 items on my shopping list for the 5 week menu plan, and things are always being added and subtracted. Fairbanks is like the last city in the U.S. to receive any goods. It doesn't have too much, but I'm still doing my best to get all the parts for sushi.

June stayed with me for the first 3 hours of shopping and gave me some of her ideas on quick and easy dinners. Reminded me of the stuff my grandma used to cook.

Then she left while Bill made his way over with the truck. I continued cruising through the aisles.

4 filled flatbeds and 6 hours later I sat down to find out how much I've progressed. I estimate I'm about 70% of the way done. I still need meats, produce, more desserts, and dairy. Oh ya, and I also need nori.

Here's the full line of goods. Bill's in the front.

~2500 bucks, ain't too bad. But, I still need about 2000 to make this menu happen.

June came back after visiting her grandkids and we all loaded up the banana boat.

Bill cleared out the gas cans. Note to self: do not cook anything until the gas is removed.

I then loaded up the goods.

That was fun, and I have to do it all over again tomorrow once the freezer gets working. Now it's time for me to walk over to truck in the cold rain and start organizing everything you see below in cupboards and take an inventory :$

More Than A Chef...

The sun never sets and I'm four hours behind the Ohio time, so I don't know when to sleep. The picture above is just one of the amazing landscapes that I witnessed on my 10 mile walk at 11 PM last night. I woke up at around 8 and journeyed next store to the geo office. Bill was walking down the hall and I asked him about the camp layout and hand washing. He invited me to the camp supply room and drew on the blackboard the common layout of the truck and tents. Then he shows me a map of Livengood. Livengood is about 2 hours away from Fairbanks and is a retired mining camp, but these young geologists are looking to see if there may in fact still be gold reserves. Basically, the whole camps purpose is to map out resources on a topographical map. Hmmm... where's the gold at? Then, Bill gets into the REAL purpose of the Camp Chef. In the past the Chefs were geologists, and most of them didn't like not being able to participate in the field studies. I told him I'm an under-the-table geographer and just like to hear stories from the field just to get indirect knowledge about what's going on, thus know the big picture. He tells me there's more to it. The chef is the watchdog of the camp. Livengood is near some native reserves, and in the past there has been some issues of theft. When they are out in the field, I will be guarding the camp. Not only that, but since there are several departments collaborating on this camp, I must be able to mediate between department staff needs and student needs. In other words if the one group has hidden rations of water, and the other group is dying of thirst... then something must be said. Well, I'm off to Sam's Club. Here we go...

Bears and Guns

This morning started off with me wandering to the creek to check out the beavers. Victor drove by and told me I need to get to the uni ASAP for bear safety class. I jumped in the car and we took off. I basically hang around with all the geology department staff and students. Feels like I'm in uni again, wait a minute... I am. Right next store to the geo department is the GI building... the world famous Geophysical Institute that is the parent of HAARP. Wow. The school and research facility of my dreams is right in my backyard, the professor told me to go check it out tomorrow and show my face to those scientists. They are having camps next year and if lucky, I will be able to get to work at HAARP for a month. Hmm...

Here are my clients... a bunch of young geologists and their professors. There's drama between staff and staff... departments and departments, i.e. geological engineers vs. geologists. It's funny.

Off to go practice shooting bad bears.

First we watched a bear safety movie. Use your eyes to scan the environment and make noise always. If a bear charges you must stand your ground. DO NOT RUN. Even if it is 10 feet from you, either shoot it, hit it with mace, use a spear, chainsaw, whatever... if not still stand your ground. Do not collapse until it punches you down. Then lay on your belly, backpack on, hands behind head.. protect head and organs... you may get a few bites and slaps. If it starts to eat you, do something, anything. There are only 3 deaths a year from bear attacts in all of North America. There are plenty more injuries mostly due to people infringing upon the bears territory, like walking up to a mama and her cubs. The lesson of this video was to not scare bears, don't fear them, stay out of their territories, and never back down unless it hits you down.

The shooting range.

Alaska has been pretty much conquered by hunters and trappers. Firearms have been/are an essential element to exploration and development of the Alaskan frontier. This is a very challenging enviroment, things will eat you. But, just think, for thousands of years aboriginals lived sustainably in these arctic lands without gun powder.

How to load a 12-guage.

A riffled slug. Riffled slug = accuracy. The bullet spins.

Dry training.

Target practice. Fun stuff.

The Wagon, Comp Room, and Dorm Room

I got a set of keys this morning for the food wagon. The truck is at least 30 years old, it's much bigger than I thought and for that I'm glad. Not too many bear marks on the sides ;)


But, before we can her out into the field we better fix the engine eh?

Here's my office.

Geologic maps everywhere.

Rocks everywhere.

Right across the street is my dorm room. Helen was having a family reunion and I decided it be best for me to get my own space. There's a big uni gym right down the road from this room :)

Bfast, lunch, and din until we head out into the bush on Monday. By the way, when I'm in the wild I'm in the wild... there ain't no internet. I will have net until Monday, then again on next Saturday for 24 hours, and then again like 10 days after that for three days... after that three day free segment I be gone for 3 weeks in da bush. Smoke signals boys and girls.

ALOHA ALASKA!!!

Yesterday morning Britty, Dumpa, and I got into the van and took off to Dayton airport. Found out an hour later that the flight was delayed for a long long time and I had to get to St. Paul, Minn. by 5 PM. So, we drove all the way to the Indy airport to catch a
different flight.

My bed, closet, guitar, and survival kit.

A few hours into the flight from St. Paul I see mountains.

Then I see glacial rivers flowing into lush, uninhabitated valleys.

5 hours later we arrive to Fairbanks.

Here's the Polar at the airport. News has it that a young lad just shot one a few days ago near Fairbanks.

Helen(Geology Dep. Secretary) picks me up from the airport and takes me to the local hangout joint for a drink and a bite of a Fried Alaskan Halibut burger. Alaskans know how to party. They spend months in complete darkness... and at sometimes it gets down to -60 F, and just think... they still work through it. Crazy, windy storms plague most of May. Then come June, they let loose and prepare to have fun for the next 4 months until the winds and rains come again in September. At first glance it looked like a fun game with drinks and drunkards trying to balance drinks on their heads...

But the background scene drew away my attention. Do the locals take this for granite?

After a nice meal I went to Helen's house and hung with her son Victor (21), the dog with a fat neck, and the two cats, one of which is crosseyed... literally. I tried to get a pic but the dern thing kept running away from me.

Here's the Garfield fat cat.

I was in a comfy daze from the days journey... I was thinking about Brit... I was thinking about the beach... all was at peace.

Map of Where I'll Be Cooking in Alaska in 5 Days

Menu Creation for UAF Geo Camp

In 7 days I fly to Fairbanks where I have three days to purchase all the goods for a 5 week all inclusive menu, separated into three camp segments: Livengood, Denali, and Limestone Gap. The four days in Livengood I will be sleeping and cooking in a kitchen truck, and Denali will be the same except it will be for 10 days. Limestone Gap is my ultimate challenge: 250 lb. limit on goods per week, no freshies, limited freshwater, no oven, and no refridgeration. Not to mention bears. So, all those Chefs out there, what would you do if you only had a 6-burner camp stove and water? What dishes can be constructed? Everything at Limestone Gap must be canned, boxed, bagged, or dried. Let the fun begin.

Going to Alaska, Antarctica... Florida?

It's been a while since I've last spoken in this blog cyber world... my life has been filled with great times with family and friends. Lots of cooking, lots of running on bike trails, and lots of planning. I visited the psychic Raven last week and she told me travel was in my near future. Well, yesterday I got accepted as the Camp Chef for the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Camp: http://www.uaf.edu/geology/FieldCamp/fieldcamp_index.html. June 18th I fly out of here and head north for 6 weeks. For the first couple weeks I will be cooking in Denali in a traveling kitchen truck. My goal will be to cook for UAF students on their first field experience and their professors. They are focused on remote sensing field studies, which is exactly what my BS Geography degree was geared towards. GIS, GPS, surveying, mapping, etc. My room will be either the truck bed or a tent. Showers will be a luxury.

After spending two weeks in Denali I get a 4 day break to restock and then they fly me via bush plane to a remote setting where I will be cooking in a tent kitchen. Right now I have to plan a 5 week menu, keeping in mind that for the last three weeks of the program I will not have fridgeration and bears may be out and about in the wilderness setting. 24 hours of daylight. The students will sometimes be hiking for 10 miles and will return starving and tired because this is probably their first time out in the country. Once again I pack up my boots, knives, and set sail into the wild.

What to do until then? Well, Brittany and I have been giving it deep thought and research, and to be honest we'd like to go to Florida. Ohio is Ohio, and there ain't much going on. I've always wanted to work and live near a beach and she's had the same dream, so why not give it a try? We've come across a few rooms for rent near Destin and if all goes to plan, we may be packing up next week and I'll help her move into a temporary safe, clean enviroment with a couple professional, responsible girl roomates who are in search for someone to move into their empty room. Once she gets settled in her plan is to get a job at a nearby restaurant while I'm away. I should be back August 1 and when I do get back I will have the financial assets to get an apartment/townhouse for us on the beach... near the fine dining district of Destin where we both can enduldge in Florida's culinary scene.

And the story doesn't end there. October 1 I'm set to deploy back to Antarctica to be a production cook at McMurdo Station. All I have to do is get one more medical test tomorrow and then my PQ packet will be done. If you dream it, it will come.

In summary... over the course of a year, as a 'bipolar' cook...

Antarctica (prep cook) > New Zealand (R&R) > Australian (bush camp chef) > Ohio (private chef) > Florida (R&R) > Alaska (bush camp chef) > Florida (beach chef) > Antarctica (production cook)

This is just the beginning.