Hello from alaska

[Nomad Willy]

Indeed my memory is foggy these days.

But wasn't it the Chechako from Texas?

[Spotter]

I've lived in Alaska for forty years and consider myself a sourdough. Sour on the state and not enough dough to leave.

[skipperdude]

I met a fellow from Texas once.
he liked to talk about how big things in Texas are.
He was telling me that sometimes he gets in his truck and travels all day just to get to the gate of his ranch.

I told him "I used to have a truck like that"

SD

[Codger2]

Originally Posted by obthomas

That was the Cheechako that drank the quart of wiskey before the bear and the girl.

There was a great book called the "Cheechakoes" that I read about 9 years ago. It's about the Short boys and their family moving to Alaska in the forties. Bears, boats, survival...it has it all.

The Short Boys: Cheechakos no more |

[Nomad Willy]

I was a cheechaco. 1959 at NYAC. Not an eskimo name. New York Alaska Gold Dredging Corp. About 65 mi SE of Bethel up the Tuluksak River. Worked 7 mos straight 12 hr shifts plus some spotty overtime. I was a penstock tender, a bucket line dredge oiler and a bull cook. $1.67 an hr. At 84 hrs a wk I did make money. I operated a boiler at the penstock to keep the penstock and flume to the powerhouse from freezing. The season started April 15 and we flew out the 10th of November. Came and left in a blizzard like weather.

The next season I worked at Platnum on the Bering Sea coast so of Bethel. There I was a powerhouse tender .. operating engineer they called it.

[Spotter]

Ah yes manyboats, Bethel, a good looking woman behind every tree there.

[skipperdude]

Trees?? In Bethel.

That's so funny.

SD

[ksanders]

Geez guys


I'm feeling like a newcomer!

I moved here in 1990 to work at a little company called Alascom.

I still love the summers, but were to a point where we are considering our options for the winters.

Our boat is one of those options. A house you can move.

We can be in Anacortes in 3-4 weeks

Ensenada in a couple of months.

But alas I'm still on the slope, slaving away for a few more years

[Spotter]

Eight months for me, can't wait. Missing winters and cruising south sounds good to me.

[Nomad Willy]

There were lots of trees at Nyac. The trees were nothing like what we have in SE. And I had an Eskimo girlfriend. There were a few young girls there but not many women. I was 19 at the time. A lot of work, whiskey and young girls. Then I was fine on 3 hrs of sleep a night.

Speaking of Alaskans remember Arctic Traveler .. Jeff?
Here he is leaving Thorne Bay several years ago.