On top of the world, Thunderbird Mt in Alaska.

These letters are about my Alaska trip.

 Thanks Denny, Judy and Shirley for saving these and getting them back to me.

 Thu, 30 Sep 1999 11:44:59 -0500 (CDT) Subject: headed home 

 Saturday night, on the banks of the gulkana, camping for the evening. Raining again. Today was beautiful. Last night I drove to McCarthy, another 60 mile dirt road. Well worth the drive. At the end of the road, a foot bridge across a rageing river to town. A very nice little town. After camping out five miles up the road on a nice little rise with a view of the Wrangle mountains, I got out the mountain bike this morning, crossed the foot bridge and rode the 5 miles up to kennicot copper mining town, explored the mining mill and other buildings, then biked a couple more miles up to kennicot glacier. Hiked on the glacier about a mile, wished I had crampons, and then coasted down hill 8 miles all the way back to McCarthy. Had an ice cream cone in town and back to the car. On the 60 mile trip back the dirt road had flat tire number 6. Now up to 5600 miles in alaska, add to that 4000 to get here and 4000 back, I'll have racked up quite a few miles in a little over two months. Even with the tire problem the day was great. Add that trip to a must do list for anyone wanting to experience alaska. In the last week I didn't go dip netting. But I saw the copper river yesterday and drove the old railroad grade south toward Cordova out of Chitna then back and off toward McCarthy. Since the last letter, I went to yard sales in Anchorage on friday night. I got 3 more kayaks for free. They're older fiberglass, damaged but repairable. 2 are actually C2's, two place decked canoes, most people would call them kayaks, the only difference is that you kneel instead of sit. The other is an older white water kayak, very easily fixed. It took a long time to decide if I wanted to take them all the way home. I wanted the kayak but it was a package deal. I could have thrown the C2's away, they are more damaged, but hated to do that. I made a new 2x4 rack for the roof and there all on top with room to spare, actually could get about two more boats up there. After 600 miles there riding very well. I'm coming home with six boats, four on top and two foldables inside, should be enough for one person. After loading everything to leave I went down to Homer, a very nice little town, another must do, and drove the east end road to the end and camped a night there. I talked with the ferry people about the seward to valdez ferry and found out two problems, no ferry this week to valdez and a 6 1/2 foot height restriction, that means $15 extra for each kayak on top. The poor mans prince william sound cruise just got pretty expensive. I'll have to come back and do the cruise from Prince rupert all the way to kodiak with a bicycle and a pack sometime, stopping for at least a day at every little town, should take about a month. While in Homer a military C130 was doing touch and goes, I took some photo's, since it might have been Craig, my sisters husband flying it. Since no ferry trip was now planned, I went back through Anchorage, I skipped Seward, leaving it for another trip. I went to Valdez by car instead of ferry. The scenery on the valdez road and at the town is spectacular. I spent the night camped out five miles up mineral creek valley on the mineral creek road by a huge waterfall (another dirt road). There are lots of watefalls near valdez and mineral creek valley is a must do if your in the area. Then up the road to McCarthy, Thompson pass is spectacular, And worthington glacier state park would be worth the stop but it's closed for repairs right now. You can drive right up to the glacier, less then a mile from the highway. Off to Tok and Canada tommorow, don't know which way I'm going yet, other than the general direction of south east. It's been great, I'll be back. Jon

Tue, 5 Oct 99 10:15:46

All we'll up here in Alaska, back to Anchorage area. I still haven't seen Denali up close. I'll probably go dip netting on the copper river with sister and friends friday and saturday. Then head south next week to Homer and Seward. I spent 7 hours in a meusem of transportation in Wasilla today, old cars, trucks, tractors, boats, trains, planes, etc. They said I had the record for longest stay. I got to know the curators real well, had private tours. I danced at The four corners bar between Wasilla and Palmer last night. That gets all three western dance bars in the state that anybody knows about. Later. Jon Here's some INTERESTING things. --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- ---- More Household TIPS To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before squeezing. Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in tomato-based sauces-no more stains. Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful, glossy finish. Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up. When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the corns natural sweetness. To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it away. Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your forehead. The throbbing will go away. If you have problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy. Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw potato on the stains and rinse with water. To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area for instant relief. Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a chalk line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever ants tend to march- see for yourself. Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar Wait a few minutes, then run the hot water. If your VCR has a year setting on it, which most do, you will not be able to use the programmed recording feature after 12/31/99. Don't throw it away. Instead set it for the year 1972 as the days are the same as the year 2000. The manufacturers won't tell you. They want you to buy a new Y2k VCR. Pass this along to all your friends

Tue, 5 Oct 1999 10:53:46 -0500 (CDT) Subject: north slope 

 I went up to the north slope this week. On monday I drov e out to point Mckenzie, on the other side of the knik arm, 5 miles from downtown Anchorage but 140 miles by road. It looks like a nice place to have some land. I then drove up to big lake from the south on some very unused dirt roads. Then I caught boat ride out to a nice restaurant on an Island in the middle of the lake and had dinner. Then off to the north, I drove up to petersville on a long rough dirt road almost impassable, for a view of the south side of denali, hopefully the weather would clear by tyhe morning. No such luck, it's been raining every day for a couple weeks now. Then off toward Nenana and Fairbanks. Nenana has some interesting meusems. Idrove around Fairbanks long enough to figure out the city and where the dance bar is. I drove up north on the dalton haul road to the north slope, A 414 mile long gravel road, actually the best gravel road I've driven yet, 60 mph with a couple of hard bumps every once in a while. I kayaked the middle fork of the koyukuk river, north of the artic circle. At the atigun pass in the brooks mountain range I stopped to climb the closest mountain. Actually I was just going to go up fifty feet to look at a Wyoming rain gauge, then I decided to go up the next rise to see tover the pass, then the next and pretty soon I was at the top of a snowy 6100 foot mountain. Then down the north slope 20 mile out on the north slope plain to see the midnight sun. On the way back down the dalton I saw a wolf next to the road. I stopped and It just hungaround and was curious enough to circle the vehicle. A few miles down the road a few red foxes were chasing rabbits. I stopped in the rock quary where they ran and stopped, in five minutes they were back and checking out the van within 2 feet. I also saw a couple of moose and a cross fox and thousands of rabbits. I drove out to Manley hot springs on the way back, an extra 160 miles of dirt, a total waste of time and gas. I also needed gas but the station at manley was closed. I had to drive back the 147 miles on only 4 gallons of gas. Every last drop from the extra gas can and camping stove and camping bottle. I drove up the hills at 35 mph and coasted down with the engine off. I made it back into Fairbanks on the last fumes in the tank. I think five more miles would have been impossible. I figured it would be close and might have to do the last 20 miles on the bicycle. I wrote a sign in the mud on the back window, I need gas, for any passing helpfull motorist, everybody has extra gas on the dalton, even me, but mine was being used up. I only saw two other vehicles the entire trip and they were going the other way. Back in fairbanks friday morning, after a shower and laundry, I stopped at the university and then did the normal tourist things, later driving around found a couple of yard sales, a foldable canoe this one 45 lbs and looks like a regular conoe but I had to wait till morning to get the $250 cash from the bank, dancing at the silver spur friday night, a great time. Saturday, a beautiful day, back to canoe yard sale, and helping a new friend get ready to move, then back to the silver spur. Sunday morning I'll head back towards Anchorage. Next week Looks lie a good week to go to denali and see the mountian. This morning I saw It inthe distance from fairbanks. I might stop on the way back If it's clear. Later Jon 

 Wednesday, August 04, 1999 9:26 PM Subject: transportation

> All we'll up here in Alaska, back to Anchorage area. I still haven't > seen Denali up close. I'll probably go dip netting on the copper river > with sister and friends friday and saturday. Then head south next week > to Homer and Seward. I spent 7 hours in a meusem of transportation in > Wasilla today, old cars, trucks, tractors, boats, trains, planes, etc. > They said I had the record for longest stay. I got to know the curators > real well, had private tours. I danced at The four corners bar between > Wasilla and Palmer last night. That gets all three western dance bars in > the state that anybody knows about. > > Later. > Jon > > Here's some INTERESTING things. > > --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- > ---- > More Household TIPS > > To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature > and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before > squeezing. > > Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in > tomato-based sauces-no more stains. > > Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful, > > glossy finish. > > Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up. > > When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the > corns natural sweetness. > > To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted > water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it > away. > > Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your > forehead. > The throbbing will go away. > > If you have problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. > They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy. > > Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw > potato on the stains and rinse with water. > > To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area for > instant relief. > > Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a > chalk > line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever > ants > tend to march- see for yourself. > > Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer > tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar Wait a > few > minutes, then run the hot water. > > If your VCR has a year setting on it, which most do, you will not be able > to > use the programmed recording feature after 12/31/99. Don't throw it away. > > Instead set it for the year 1972 as the days are the same as the year > 2000. > The manufacturers won't tell you. They want you to buy a new Y2k VCR. > Pass this along to all your friends > > >

Date: Sat, 23 Oct 1999 16:29:26 -0500 Subject: Fw: north slope ---- Original Message - Saturday, July 31, 1999 11:06 PM

Subject: north slope > I went up to the north slope this week. On monday I drov e out to point > Mckenzie, on the other side of the knik arm, 5 miles from downtown > Anchorage but 140 miles by road. It looks like a nice place to have some > land. I then drove up to big lake from the south on some very unused > dirt roads. Then I caught boat ride out to a nice restaurant on an > Island in the middle of the lake and had dinner. Then off to the north, > I drove up to petersville on a long rough dirt road almost impassable, > for a view of the south side of denali, hopefully the weather would clear > by tyhe morning. No such luck, it's been raining every day for a couple > weeks now. Then off toward Nenana and Fairbanks. Nenana has some > interesting meusems. Idrove around Fairbanks long enough to figure out > the city and where the dance bar is. I drove up north on the dalton haul > road to the north slope, A 414 mile long gravel road, actually the best > gravel road I've driven yet, 60 mph with a couple of hard bumps every > once in a while. I kayaked the middle fork of the koyukuk river, north > of the artic circle. At the atigun pass in the brooks mountain range I > stopped to climb the closest mountain. Actually I was just going to go > up fifty feet to look at a Wyoming rain gauge, then I decided to go up > the next rise to see tover the pass, then the next and pretty soon I was > at the top of a snowy 6100 foot mountain. Then down the north slope 20 > mile out on the north slope plain to see the midnight sun. On the way > back down the dalton I saw a wolf next to the road. I stopped and It just > hungaround and was curious enough to circle the vehicle. A few miles > down the road a few red foxes were chasing rabbits. I stopped in the > rock quary where they ran and stopped, in five minutes they were back and > checking out the van within 2 feet. I also saw a couple of moose and a > cross fox and thousands of rabbits. I drove out to Manley hot springs > on the way back, an extra 160 miles of dirt, a total waste of time and > gas. I also needed gas but the station at manley was closed. I had to > drive back the 147 miles on only 4 gallons of gas. Every last drop from > the extra gas can and camping stove and camping bottle. I drove up the > hills at 35 mph and coasted down with the engine off. I made it back > into Fairbanks on the last fumes in the tank. I think five more miles > would have been impossible. I figured it would be close and might have > to do the last 20 miles on the bicycle. I wrote a sign in the mud on the > back window, I need gas, for any passing helpfull motorist, everybody has > extra gas on the dalton, even me, but mine was being used up. I only saw > two other vehicles the entire trip and they were going the other way. > > Back in fairbanks friday morning, after a shower and laundry, I stopped > at the university and then did the normal tourist things, later driving > around found a couple of yard sales, a foldable canoe this one 45 lbs > and looks like a regular conoe but I had to wait till morning to get the > $250 cash from the bank, dancing at the silver spur friday night, a great > time. > > Saturday, a beautiful day, back to canoe yard sale, and helping a new > friend get ready to move, then back to the silver spur. Sunday morning > I'll head back towards Anchorage. Next week Looks lie a good week to go > to denali and see the mountian. This morning I saw It inthe distance > from fairbanks. I might stop on the way back If it's clear. > > Later > Jon 

 Sunday, July 25, 1999 11:07 PM Subject: denali > I sent an e-mail like this but I don't think It went out. > > I went up toward Denali park last week. It was clear when I left and I > got some pictures from 100 miles away. It was cloudy by the time I got > there. I checked out the park and found out the best deal is to get a > back country permit for a couple of days, go in a set up camp and then > ride the buses as much as you like all for only $15.50 for as many days > as you like. > I them drove the denali highway, a 130 mile dirt road through the center > of the state. Very scenic, lots of varied sights. Great moose territory > but didn't see any. I saw 3 caribou when I was in the park. I camped > near the susitna river crossing. The next morning I drove a side road to > the town of denali and did some gold panning. First pan ever had gold in > it. The town now consists of one log cabin the I was told used to be the > post office. > > Further down the road, the road rides on top of an esker, winding raised > silt and rock deposited by river flowing under a glacier, It was in a > kettle lake region. Kettle lakes are depressed areas where a large chunk > of ice left over from the glacier melted and left a depression. > > I felt my first earthquake last week also. Five miles from the center of > a 5.3. It felt like someone was shaking the house real hard for 30 > seconds, lots of noise from vibrating things in the house but nothing > fell over and it was no problem to make it to the door. > > talk to you all later. > Jon 

Monday, July 19, 1999 12:16 PM Subject: weekend and Perspective > Howdy all. > > Not much new to report from Alaska. Went to dinner at the Double Musky > in Girdwood last night. I wasn't impressed, My steak was good but the > other two were not. The service and food presentation on the plate > definitely were not up to the price and claim of fine dining. I had > lunch at the Chair 5 there the other day. That's definitely the choice > restaurant in that town. Had a great time dancing friday and saturday > night. Need to head up toward Denali soon, waiting for a clear day so > that I can actually see the mountain. It is now 65 degrees, misting rain > most every day here. Probably go to Fairbanks later in the week. > > > Some of this next stuff is hard to believe from where we sit. > Jon > > --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- > Subject: Perspective > > If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 > people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would > look something like the following. There would be: > > 57 Asians > 21 Europeans > 14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south > 8 Africans > > 52 would be female > 48 would be male > > 70 would be non-Christian > 30 would be Christian > > 89 would be heterosexual > 11 would be homosexual > > 6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth (and all 6 would > be from the United States) > > 80 would live in substandard housing > > 70 would be unable to read > 50 would suffer from malnutrition > > 1 would be near death > 1 would be near birth > > 1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education > > 1 would own a computer > > When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the > need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly > apparent. > > --------- End forwarded message ---------- > 

Saturday, July 17, 1999 10:23 PM Subject: busy week > I went up to Hatcher pass and Independence mine on monday and tuesday. I > did some mountain biking up to a gold mine on the reed lakes road, one of > the roughest dirt roads I've been on, some people later on told me it was > impassable for 2 wheel drive vehicles, It wasn't that bad, you just had > to pick your route carefully and slowly. The mountain biking was a > little too steep. 1 1/2 miles, 1000 feet elevation gain. I could make > it up some of the steepest hills, just barely, front wheel lifting, > leaning full forward, but had to walk the bike down them since the old > bike doesn't have enough braking power to come down controlled and the > consequences of uncontrolled was undesirable, 200 foot cliffs. I also > did a couple of short hikes that day. At the pass, there was a person > para gliding the winds coming up the pass. The winds were sufficient to > land where you took off from if you did everything just right. One bad > maneuver though and you loose the best wind and down the pass to the > bottom of the hill, 1500 feet, I was driving down there to find a > campsite for the evening so I offered a ride back up to the top since no > on else seemed to be coming to pick her up. Interesting, 50 something > woman that could effectively use some time with a bar of soap and laundry > detergent !!! Anyway back down the pass again and up the next road to > the new independence mine, also deserted, but worth exploring, and a > place to camp for the evening, upper willow creek. > > next morning, back over the pass to the old independence mine historical > site. Walked and climbed around the deserted equipment and buildings for > 3 hours waiting for the visitor center to open at 11:00. Just about the > right amount of time to thoroughly explore the place. In the visitor > center I read a few books on the history of the mine and hard rock gold > mining and prospecting. You can check out gold pans here for free if you > want to try that out. Maybe next time. I talked to a few people who > acted like they knew what they were doin, panning, they just learned > last week in fairbanks at a tourist trip up there. > > On the crow creek pass hike last sunday, the 24 mile one, my sisters > neighbor gave me there cold. It had caught up with me monday afternoon, > I went to bed early and slept a lot, tuesday afternoon I drove the road > to Willow, found a few good campsites for the future, and then back to > Wasilla. Stopped at all the thrift stores in Wasilla, pretty picked > over, got some ice cream fro dinner and headed back to my sisters home > for another needed good nights rest. > > Wednesday, home at my sisters, getting over the cold and trying not to > give it to her kids. Lots of hand washing. Thursday, toward the Kenai, > down to portagage glacier lake with the kayak, found an alaska cap, > souvenir, in the lake, hugh icebergs floating around close to shore, good > stop, visited the visitor center. On the way out stopped at a few good > campsites along the road , future ref. and on down to kenai and cooper > lake. Wanted to kayak around the island in kenai lake but couldn't get > access to the lake close enough to the island to do it in the time left > before I had to get back to my sisters to watch the kids. So I just > paddled around for a couple of hours. Cooper lake wasn't worth the > drive, very rough, one flat tire, a water reservoir, level low this time > of year, very wide rock banks. > > Friday, up early, back to the Kenai, watched the bore tide come in on the > turnagain sound, a 3 foot breaking wave at places, kinda neat, I'm told > at the right time of the month it get twice that size, then down to > Girdwood and Aleyeska for the prettiest hike yet! Winner creek trail, > behind aleyeska resort, the most northern sitka spruce rain forest. 4 > 1/2 miles, only 300 feet maximum elevation gain. A must do for anybody > in the area. Absolutely beautiful. Totally soaked, out by noon, 9 miles > in and out, lots of very fresh black bear scat and prints hours old in > the mud, some pretty good sized. Off to lunch at the chair five (it's a > ski resort) restaurant, blackend halibut wrap, salmon chowder and a > Fosters. Recharged, on down the Kenai to the town of Hope and the > national forrest up behind it. A very nice free national forrest > campground, Coeur D'Alene, a nice creek, five picnic tables and a potty, > beautiful view. > > Friday night into anchorage for the normal cw dancing, early saturday > morning, raining again, 4 days in a row now, partially clear down on the > kenia, woke up to a call and a loop hike up at the eagle river nature > center with the neighbor and kids. 6 miles, total soaked again, did a > little bush wacking, this loop wasn't quite done yet. Back home, a > shower, lunch and a nap, ready to go dancing again. > > talk to you all later. > Jon 

 Thursday, July 08, 1999 12:33 PM Subject: day hike > I took a little day hike yesterday! > More then 20 miles. > > One of the friends that went on the backpack wanted to hike up to a > glaicer. That was also one of my goals, to get up on a glaicer while I > was here. We hiked the south fork of the Eagle river trail to Eagle > lake, one my other goals, and then went another 6 miles up to and a mile > onto the Flute glacier. It involved 2500 feet elevation gain, had to > cross the knee deep ice cold river 6 times, a little bit of rock > climbing, a short stretch of alders, and a couple of boulder and scree > fields. Still no bears, we did see a pile recently left by a good sized > grizzley though. > > We left at 7am and got back at 9pm. It was a good tiring day. > Lot's of pictures. > > My next trip will probably be up north to independence mine, Hatcher pass > and maybe Willow. A good day or two day trip if I do some hiking. > > Talk to you all later. > Jon >

Monday, July 12, 1999 4:55 PM Subject: hike > Howdy all > Another long day hike. > A neighbor invited me to join them for a 24 mile hike of the the crow > pass/ Iditarod trail led by a 72 year old man that has hiked, rafted and > skied everywhere. He's well known around here. He's done things like > skiing unsupported for 85 days in the northern tundra and leads a raft > trip of the grand canyon every year. This day hike his extended family > and friends does every year. There were 16 this time. > > It involved a quick elevation gain from Girdwood trailhead to 3100 feet > then a long 20 mile downhill to eagle river nature center. We took a > shortcut that is actually the way the original Iditarod mail trail went. > It meant we had a river crossing instead of a bridge but saved a few > miles of trail. This shortcut also allowed a stop at a little used > forest cabin that very few people know about. It's not on the maps, > don't need reservations. The glacial eagle river crossing was, as > always, cold and was the deepest and bigest river yet, a well placed > fallen tree kept it from being a swim. I Finally got to see grizzly and > black bears in the wild in alaska, I saw them in canada, but not in > Alaska. They were a good distance away, that's how it should be. We > also so a couple of moose. It was a good trip, I tried a piedometer the > I got the day before at a yard sale. It worked great, kept track of the > miles and It's hard to believe that a trip like this involved 52,000 > steps. The math works out correctly. > > I also met a someone who is putting together a fox island kayak trip in > resurection bay near Seward for beginners and wanted some more > experienced kayakers along. > > talk to you all later. > Jon > 

  Sunday, July 04, 1999 12:01 AM Subject: Alaska life and important info > howdy > > I'm back from a 30 mile backpacking trip, no trails, 3 nights, 12,000 > feet of gained altitude, two glacial river drainages and mountain passes, > one peak climbed, many very cold river crossings, fresh bear scat but no > sightings, lots of mountain sheep, lots of high steep snow field work, > very intense and tiring, this morning started at 3000 feet and came > through a mile of alders down to 800 feet, wade across the eklutna river, > 13 miles total and out by 2 pm. FEELS GREAT. A husband of a friend of > my sisters I met at a barbeque mentioned this trip he had planned with a > friend. I'd just talked about climbing a local peek that afternoon and > wanting to do some packing, that was a stroke of luck. Normally people > wouldn't consider taking an unknown into that kind of trip, I'm glad > they took a chance on me. They gave me quite a work out but I kept up. > They pushed me much harder then I would ever push myself. > > talk to you all later > Jon > > --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- > > From: Morris Bennett > > This is something we all need to be aware of regardless of AGE.... > > Let's say it's 4:17 p.m. and you're driving home (alone of course) > after an unusually hard day on the job. Not only was the workload > extraordinarily heavy, you also had a disagreement with your boss, > and no matter how hard you tried he just wouldn't see your side of > the situation. You're really upset and the more you think about it > the more uptight you become. All of a sudden you start > experiencing > severe pain in your chest that starts to radiate out into your arm > and up > into your jaw. You are only about five miles from the hospital > nearest > your home. Unfortunately you don't know if you'll be able to make > it > that far. What can you do? You've been trained in CPR but the > guy that > taught the course neglected to tell you how to perform it on > yourself. > > > HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE > > (Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, this > article seemed in order.) > > Without help, the person whose heart stops beating properly and > who > begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing > consciousness. However, these victims can help themselves by > coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be > taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, > as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and > a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let up > until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating > normally again. > > Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze > the > heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the > heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack > victims can get to a phone and, between breaths, call for help. > > Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save > their lives! >

 Friday, June 25, 1999 2:32 PM Subject: alaska > My sisters family and I are going to take a cruise around the Prince > William sound tommorow to look a glaciers, whales, otters, etc. All is > going great. I'll head out to do some more exploration monday on my own. > probably head up north to the denali /Faribanks area. I'm planning on > running the eagle river in my kayak sometime and I have to get the new > klepper type canoe in the water sometime. > > Tonight I'll be dancin at the only country and western club in anchorage. > Fishing is pretty expensive up here for an out of state licence, I'll > probably skip that, $100/2 weeks with king stamp, too much else to do and > see, maybe next time. > > I found a great deal on an olympus XA camera at a thrift shop, $5, flash > included, batteries and it works. Some of you will appreciate that > value. I've been searching thrift shops for years for one of those. > > talk to you all later > Jon 

 Monday, June 28, 1999 2:27 AM Subject: Fwd: Halloween Party] > Went for a glacier cruise around prince william sound an saturday. > Saw a huge chunk of ice fall off of surprise glacier. The crew said it > was the largest glacier calving they have ever witnessed. A 30 foot tall > wave immediatedly after it hit the water, still 8 foot a thousand feet > away where our 80 foot long boat was. He had to rush manuever it to let > the wave hit head on. We saw many eagles, and sea otters. They have the > finest fur of any animal, up to 1 million hairs per square inch. > > I climbed Harp mountain (5001 ft) this afternoon, just south of eagle > river. a 3000 foot climb in two miles, 2 1/2 hours up 1 down, great view > of the other mountains and anchorage in the distance. while resting on > the way up I noticed a very heavily used trial in the valley. I stopped > at the trailhead after decending and talked to some of the people comeing > off the other trail. One has an aunt in manhattan, KS, someone I've > danced with before. Small world. They have a hiking club that hikes > often, got info also on a canoeing and kayaking club. I went to a kids > birthday party/ cookout and meet someone maybe doing a two day backpack > this week, I'll know tommorow. It's much more fun then going alone. > > talk to you all later > Jon > Here's a good joke also. > > > --------- Begin forwarded message ---------- > > > > A couple was invited to a swanky masked Halloween Party. She got a > > terrible > > headache and told her husband to go to the party alone. He being a > > devoted > > husband, protested, but she argued and said she was going to take some > > aspirin and go to bed, and there was no need for his good time being > > spoiled > > by not going. So he took his costume and away he went. > > The wife, after sleeping soundly for one hour, awakened without pain, > and > > as > > it was still early, she decided to go to the party. Inasmuch as her > > husband > > did not know what her costume was, she thought she would have some fun > by > > watching her husband to see how he acted when she was not with him. > She > > joined the party and soon spotted her husband cavorting around on the > > dance > > floor, dancing with every nice chick he could, and copping a little > feel > > here and a little kiss there. > > His wife sidled up to him and being a rather seductive babe herself, he > > left > > his partner high and dry and devoted his time to the new stuff that had > > just > > arrived. She let him go as far as he wished; naturally, since he was > her > > husband. Finally he whispered a little proposition in her ear and she > > agreed, so off they went to one of the cars and had a little bang. Just > > before unmasking at midnight, she slipped away and went home and put > the > > costume away and got into bed, wondering what kind of explanation he > > would > > make for his behavior. > > She was sitting up reading when he came in and asked what kind of a > time > > he > > had. He said, "Oh, the same old thing. You know I never have a good > > time > > when you're not there." Then she asked, "Did you dance much?" > > He replied, "I'll tell you, I never even danced one dance. When I got > > there, I met Pete, Bill Brown and some other guys, so we went into the > > den > > and played poker all evening. But you're not going to believe what > > happened > > to the guy I loaned my costume to!" >

 Wednesday, June 16, 1999 3:06 PM Subject: great day > sunday evening. > camping just south of grand prarie, alberta. > I just got done driving over 80 miles of dirt road, saw two moose and a > yearling grizzly, maybe 300 pounds. It's easy to sneak up on them when > your doing 60mph on a road that's not travelled often. I didn't get a > picture, seems that was the last thing on my mind on that road at that > speed. I was fighting approaching darkness and wanted to knock this road > off before the logging trucks hit it in the morning. Done. > > I think I've seen more different kinds of wild animals in one day in the > wild then most will ever see in there lifetime. It'll be hard to top. > Started out with the mule deer, then four big horn sheep, soon followed > with the black bear, almost hit a mountain lion crossing the road, a > lull till afternoon, then some mountain goats, a herd of elk, in velvet, > the two moose, and the little grizzly. Not bad for all these rare > animals, most people don't see the moose and bears, the only about 50 > of each in banff and it's a big place. It helps to get off the paved > road. That's where I saw those real rare ones. > > talk to you later > Jon > > I found out later that I didn't need ot drive tha dirt, my older map 3 > yrs old, shows two dirt roads, the second is now paved. Not much on the > radio, just clssical and gregorian chants. 

Wednesday, June 16, 1999 3:06 PM Subject: here > I'm here > Got there about 10 pm local time tuesday. > 4080 miles in 6 days with a day of play in yellowstone and idaho. > time to change the oil again and I just did it a week ago sunday. > > Thank goodness for 40 cassette tapes I bought at a yard sale a couple of > weeks ago. > Classical and gregorian chants on the radio while driving the 100 mile > dirt road, only thing on the radio and I wanted to save the tapes for > when I really needed them. Saw another black bear, a porcupine, some > bison, more elk, and a couple of coyotes. > doing wash and relaxing for a day. It's light 20 hours and twilight 4, > sun sets about 11:30, looked like 5pm at 10, but nobody was in there > yards like you'ld expect for 5. > > talk to you later. > Jon

Saturday, June 12, 1999 5:38 PM Subject: hello > I'm south of the Canadian border, north of Coeur D' Alene, Idaho. > It's hard to find a phone to hook the computer up to check my mail and > send this. I was also in a hurry to get up here because I had told a guy > that I'd be up here at a certain time to look at a foldable canoe. I > bought one, a three person model, fits in two suitcase packs, actually > got two skins, the most important part, so I could make another two man > model if I made another frame, or use the frame for the three person one > and leave out some of the parts (that's how it intended to be used). > > I spent yesterday morning is yellowstone park, I have a year pass so I'll > stop in most of the parks I get near. Old faithfull is still spouting. > I'm heading toward Banff park in canada next. see you all later. > > Jon

Sunday, June 13, 1999 7:09 PM Subject: banff > Banff park BC. sunday noon, > honey and bagel for lunch sitting under beutiful Wapata glacier, > mountains and ice covered Bow lake. Saw two groups of big horn sheep > this morning, a black bear, a mountain lion, lots of deer, all within 50 > feet of the car. Still having hard time finding a place to hook into the > phone. > Finding some beutiful back country drive in campsites. It's a lot easier > now that I have a decent map. > Continuing my travels north, > until next time.

 Wednesday, August 04, 1999 9:30 PM Subject: transportation >All we'll up here in Alaska, back to Anchorage area. I still haven't >seen Denali up close. I'll probably go dip netting on the copper river >with sister and friends friday and saturday. Then head south next week >to Homer and Seward. I spent 7 hours in a meusem of transportation in >Wasilla today, old cars, trucks, tractors, boats, trains, planes, etc. >They said I had the record for longest stay. I got to know the curators >real well, had private tours. I danced at The four corners bar between >Wasilla and Palmer last night. That gets all three western dance bars in >the state that anybody knows about. > >Later. >Jon > >Here's some INTERESTING things. > >--------- Begin forwarded message ---------- >---- >More Household TIPS > >To get the most juice out of fresh lemons, bring them to room temperature >and roll them under your palm against the kitchen counter before >squeezing. > >Spray your Tupperware with nonstick cooking spray before pouring in >tomato-based sauces-no more stains. > >Brush beaten egg white over pie crust before baking to yield a beautiful, > >glossy finish. > >Place a slice of apple in hardened brown sugar to soften it back up. > >When boiling corn on the cob, add a pinch of sugar to help bring out the >corns natural sweetness. > >To determine whether an egg is fresh, immerse it in a pan of cool, salted >water. If it sinks, it is fresh-if it rises to the surface, throw it >away. > >Cure for headaches: Take a lime, cut it in half and rub it on your >forehead. >The throbbing will go away. > >If you have problem opening jars: Try using latex dishwashing gloves. >They give a non-slip grip that makes opening jars easy. > >Potatoes will take food stains off your fingers. Just slice and rub raw >potato on the stains and rinse with water. > >To get rid of itch from mosquito bite: try applying soap on the area for >instant relief. > >Ants, ants, ants everywhere ... Well, they are said to never cross a >chalk >line. So get your chalk out and draw a line on the floor or wherever >ants >tend to march- see for yourself. > >Unclog a drain. Clear the sink drain by dropping three Alka-Seltzer >tablets down the drain followed by a cup of Heinz White Vinegar Wait a >few >minutes, then run the hot water. > >If your VCR has a year setting on it, which most do, you will not be able >to >use the programmed recording feature after 12/31/99. Don't throw it away. > >Instead set it for the year 1972 as the days are the same as the year >2000. >The manufacturers won't tell you. They want you to buy a new Y2k VCR. >Pass this along to all your friends >

Saturday, July 31, 1999 11:08 PM Subject: north slope >I went up to the north slope this week. On monday I drov e out to point >Mckenzie, on the other side of the knik arm, 5 miles from downtown >Anchorage but 140 miles by road. It looks like a nice place to have some >land. I then drove up to big lake from the south on some very unused >dirt roads. Then I caught boat ride out to a nice restaurant on an >Island in the middle of the lake and had dinner. Then off to the north, >I drove up to petersville on a long rough dirt road almost impassable, >for a view of the south side of denali, hopefully the weather would clear >by tyhe morning. No such luck, it's been raining every day for a couple >weeks now. Then off toward Nenana and Fairbanks. Nenana has some >interesting meusems. Idrove around Fairbanks long enough to figure out >the city and where the dance bar is. I drove up north on the dalton haul >road to the north slope, A 414 mile long gravel road, actually the best >gravel road I've driven yet, 60 mph with a couple of hard bumps every >once in a while. I kayaked the middle fork of the koyukuk river, north >of the artic circle. At the atigun pass in the brooks mountain range I >stopped to climb the closest mountain. Actually I was just going to go >up fifty feet to look at a Wyoming rain gauge, then I decided to go up >the next rise to see tover the pass, then the next and pretty soon I was >at the top of a snowy 6100 foot mountain. Then down the north slope 20 >mile out on the north slope plain to see the midnight sun. On the way >back down the dalton I saw a wolf next to the road. I stopped and It just >hungaround and was curious enough to circle the vehicle. A few miles >down the road a few red foxes were chasing rabbits. I stopped in the >rock quary where they ran and stopped, in five minutes they were back and >checking out the van within 2 feet. I also saw a couple of moose and a >cross fox and thousands of rabbits. I drove out to Manley hot springs >on the way back, an extra 160 miles of dirt, a total waste of time and >gas. I also needed gas but the station at manley was closed. I had to >drive back the 147 miles on only 4 gallons of gas. Every last drop from >the extra gas can and camping stove and camping bottle. I drove up the >hills at 35 mph and coasted down with the engine off. I made it back >into Fairbanks on the last fumes in the tank. I think five more miles >would have been impossible. I figured it would be close and might have >to do the last 20 miles on the bicycle. I wrote a sign in the mud on the >back window, I need gas, for any passing helpfull motorist, everybody has >extra gas on the dalton, even me, but mine was being used up. I only saw >two other vehicles the entire trip and they were going the other way. > >Back in fairbanks friday morning, after a shower and laundry, I stopped >at the university and then did the normal tourist things, later driving >around found a couple of yard sales, a foldable canoe this one 45 lbs >and looks like a regular conoe but I had to wait till morning to get the >$250 cash from the bank, dancing at the silver spur friday night, a great >time. > >Saturday, a beautiful day, back to canoe yard sale, and helping a new >friend get ready to move, then back to the silver spur. Sunday morning >I'll head back towards Anchorage. Next week Looks lie a good week to go >to denali and see the mountian. This morning I saw It inthe distance >from fairbanks. I might stop on the way back If it's clear. > >Later >Jon 

 Saturday, July 31, 1999 11:08 PM Subject: north slope >I went up to the north slope this week. On monday I drov e out to point >Mckenzie, on the other side of the knik arm, 5 miles from downtown >Anchorage but 140 miles by road. It looks like a nice place to have some >land. I then drove up to big lake from the south on some very unused >dirt roads. Then I caught boat ride out to a nice restaurant on an >Island in the middle of the lake and had dinner. Then off to the north, >I drove up to petersville on a long rough dirt road almost impassable, >for a view of the south side of denali, hopefully the weather would clear >by tyhe morning. No such luck, it's been raining every day for a couple >weeks now. Then off toward Nenana and Fairbanks. Nenana has some >interesting meusems. Idrove around Fairbanks long enough to figure out >the city and where the dance bar is. I drove up north on the dalton haul >road to the north slope, A 414 mile long gravel road, actually the best >gravel road I've driven yet, 60 mph with a couple of hard bumps every >once in a while. I kayaked the middle fork of the koyukuk river, north >of the artic circle. At the atigun pass in the brooks mountain range I >stopped to climb the closest mountain. Actually I was just going to go >up fifty feet to look at a Wyoming rain gauge, then I decided to go up >the next rise to see tover the pass, then the next and pretty soon I was >at the top of a snowy 6100 foot mountain. Then down the north slope 20 >mile out on the north slope plain to see the midnight sun. On the way >back down the dalton I saw a wolf next to the road. I stopped and It just >hungaround and was curious enough to circle the vehicle. A few miles >down the road a few red foxes were chasing rabbits. I stopped in the >rock quary where they ran and stopped, in five minutes they were back and >checking out the van within 2 feet. I also saw a couple of moose and a >cross fox and thousands of rabbits. I drove out to Manley hot springs >on the way back, an extra 160 miles of dirt, a total waste of time and >gas. I also needed gas but the station at manley was closed. I had to >drive back the 147 miles on only 4 gallons of gas. Every last drop from >the extra gas can and camping stove and camping bottle. I drove up the >hills at 35 mph and coasted down with the engine off. I made it back >into Fairbanks on the last fumes in the tank. I think five more miles >would have been impossible. I figured it would be close and might have >to do the last 20 miles on the bicycle. I wrote a sign in the mud on the >back window, I need gas, for any passing helpfull motorist, everybody has >extra gas on the dalton, even me, but mine was being used up. I only saw >two other vehicles the entire trip and they were going the other way. > >Back in fairbanks friday morning, after a shower and laundry, I stopped >at the university and then did the normal tourist things, later driving >around found a couple of yard sales, a foldable canoe this one 45 lbs >and looks like a regular conoe but I had to wait till morning to get the >$250 cash from the bank, dancing at the silver spur friday night, a great >time. > >Saturday, a beautiful day, back to canoe yard sale, and helping a new >friend get ready to move, then back to the silver spur. Sunday morning >I'll head back towards Anchorage. Next week Looks lie a good week to go >to denali and see the mountian. This morning I saw It inthe distance >from fairbanks. I might stop on the way back If it's clear. > >Later >Jon

 Monday, July 19, 1999 12:17 PM Subject: weekend and Perspective >Howdy all. > >Not much new to report from Alaska. Went to dinner at the Double Musky >in Girdwood last night. I wasn't impressed, My steak was good but the >other two were not. The service and food presentation on the plate >definitely were not up to the price and claim of fine dining. I had >lunch at the Chair 5 there the other day. That's definitely the choice >restaurant in that town. Had a great time dancing friday and saturday >night. Need to head up toward Denali soon, waiting for a clear day so >that I can actually see the mountain. It is now 65 degrees, misting rain >most every day here. Probably go to Fairbanks later in the week. > > >Some of this next stuff is hard to believe from where we sit. >Jon > >--------- Begin forwarded message ---------- >Subject: Perspective > >If we could shrink the earth's population to a village of precisely 100 >people, with all the existing human ratios remaining the same, it would >look something like the following. There would be: > >57 Asians >21 Europeans >14 from the Western Hemisphere, both north and south >8 Africans > >52 would be female >48 would be male > >70 would be non-Christian >30 would be Christian > >89 would be heterosexual >11 would be homosexual > >6 people would possess 59% of the entire world's wealth (and all 6 would >be from the United States) > >80 would live in substandard housing > >70 would be unable to read >50 would suffer from malnutrition > >1 would be near death >1 would be near birth > >1 (yes, only 1) would have a college education > >1 would own a computer > >When one considers our world from such a compressed perspective, the >need for both acceptance, understanding and education becomes glaringly >apparent. > 

 Hi Jon, When are you headed back to Alaska? Will you be around my area (Wasilla) that is. Hope so would like to see you and dance with you again. Let me know ok. Kim --- JON HELD wrote: > Going back to Alaska again to help my sister move. > I'll get to see it with snow on the ground and we'll > take the ferry > from Haines to Seattle. Should be beautiful. > > Jon > Here's some jokes that have been accumulating while > I've been > busy. I just haven't gotten back into the joke mode > with the > weather so nice. It's going to be 80 again today. > It's hard to pack snowshoes with weather like this. > --------------------------------- > > This guy owns a horse stud farm, and gets a call > from a friend. > >"I know this midget with a speech impediment who > wants to buy > a > >horse, I'm sending him over." Midget arrives, and > the owner asks > if he > >wants > >a male or female horse. "A female horth," the > midget replies. > So the > >owner shows him one. "Nith looking horth, can I > see her mouth?" > >So the owner picks up the midget and shows him the > horse's > mouth. "Nith > >mouth. Can I see her eyesth?" So the owner > picks up the > midget and > >shows the eyes. "OK, what about the earsth?" Now > the owner > is getting > >pissed, but he picks up the midget one more time > and shows the > ears. "OK, > >finally, I'd like to see her twat." With that, > the owner picks up the > >midget and shoves his head up the horse's twat, > then pulls him > out. > >Shaking his head, the midget says, "Perhapth I > should rephrase. > >I'd like to see her run!" > ------------------------------- > > DARK IN HERE > A married woman is having an affair. Whenever her > lover comes > over, she > puts her nine year old son in the closet. One day > the woman hears > a car in > the driveway and puts her lover in the closet too. > Inside the closet, > the > little boy says, "It`s dark in here, isn`t it?" > > "Yes it is," the man replies. > > "You wanna buy a baseball?" the little boy asks. > > "No thanks," the man replies. > > "I think you do want to buy a baseball," the little > extortionist > continues. > > "OK. How much?" the man replies after considering > the position > he is in. > > "Twenty-five dollars," the little boy replies. > > "TWENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?!" the man repeats > incredulously, but > complies to > protect his hidden position. > > The following week, the lover is visiting the woman > again when she > hears a > car in the driveway and, again, places her lover in > the closet with > her > little boy. "It`s dark in here, isn`t it?" the boy > starts off. > > "Yes it is," replies the man. > > "Wanna buy a baseball glove?" the little boy asks. > > "OK. How much?" the hiding lover responds, > acknowledging his > disadvantage. > > "Fifty dollars," the boy replies and the transaction > is completed. > > The next weekend, the little boy`s father says "Hey, > son. Go get > your ball > and glove and we`ll play some catch." > > "I can`t. I sold them," replies the little boy. > > "How much did you get for them?" asks the father, > expecting to > hear the > profit in terms of lizards and candy. > > "Seventy-five dollars," the little boy says. > > "SEVENTY-FIVE DOLLARS?! That`s thievery! I`m > taking you to > the church > right now. You must confess your sin and ask for > forgiveness," the > father > explains as he hauls the child away. > > At the church, the little boy goes into the > confessional, draws the > curtain, sits down, and says "It`s dark in here, > isn`t it?" > > "Don`t you start that shit in here now," the priest > says > > ------------------------------------------------- > One-Liners > * * * * * * * > > It used to be only death and taxes were inevitable. > Now, of course, there's shipping and handling, too. > > Experience is what you get when you were expecting > something > else. > > Show respect for age. Drink good Scotch for a > change. > > Nobody will ever win the battle of the sexes. > There's too much > fraternizing with the enemy. > > A baby first laughs at the age of four weeks. By > that time, his eyes > focus well enough to see you clearly. > > Drive carefully. It's not only cars that can be > recalled by their maker. > > Don't worry about the world ending today ... it's > already tomorrow in > Australia. > > Character is what you are. Reputation is what people > think you are. > > Thousands of years ago, cats were worshipped as > gods. Cats have > never forgotten this. > > A man usually feels better after a few winks, > especially if she > winks back. > > Friends may come and go, but enemies accumulate. > > "Jazz is what you get when you push a blues quartet > down a long > flight of > stairs." > > The only gracious way to accept an insult is to > ignore it. > If you can't ignore it, top it. If you can't top it, > laugh at it. > If you can't laugh at it, it's probably deserved. > > You never know how many friends you have until you > rent a house > on the beach. > > Honk if you love peace and quiet. > > The cow is nothing but a machine with makes grass > fit for us > people to eat. > > The worst part about winning at the slot machines is > all the time it > takes to put the money back in. >

 Going back to Alaska again to help my sister move. I'll get to see it with snow on the ground and we'll take the ferry from Haines to Seattle. Should be beautiful. I'll be there on friday. I'll be around for about a month. But not able to do too much since I'll have my sisters mercedes. I'll probably nead to get a cheap beater car (aka junker) that I can leave up here till the next time. If you know of one let me know. I'm having trouble sending and getting e-mail while travelling. The local juno e-mail service is always busy here in Branson. Even 2:30 am on a monday morning. I just checked it again,10 am, no luck. Juno even uses two different services, both busy all the time. I tried for hours. I won't be able to get any messages with attachments. They could be sent to my sister Susan Burch ( SBurch9920@aol.com ), I will get them at the weekend, when I'm in Alaska. Just mention they are for me. Have a great day. Talk to you later. Jon