My Doordash finally arrived.... AK style...

[reuben_j_cogburn]

Things here have morphed a bit from the old days.... I used to bring a boat of freight and food up in the fall, just before the boats everybody took their boats off the river.. Then I'd fight my way up the hills to the flats, to get everything to the homestead...
It seemed every year I'd come up a week earlier... then my fishin charter friend, started leaving the state earlier and earlier every year... So I was left with no "boat", options.
For the last three years (including this one), I've had my last load of freight choppered in...... I could have it flown in to a local lake but the trail is so bad that I dreaded it.... (3 plus miles with lots of elevation and wet ground)... Been there done that ya know..... I'm honestly getting a bit tuckered out in that area...
So I've been hiring a local helicopter charter to fly my supplies up.... it's pretty sweet... spendier than a plane, but lots closer.... only 1/4 mile.. flat and no swamps......
I've even got a summer deliver guy..... I hardly leave the property any more!!
I've done the hard work.... now I'm just gonna pay other people to do the heavy lifting.....;)

 

[Jeepnik]

Looks like a Robinson R-44. They make those a few miles from me and test fly them in the area, mostly over water. Was it a piston or turbine engine version?

 

[eveled]

I’m glad you’re “taking it easy”. None of us are getting any younger.

Notice I put it in quotes. Your way of life is never going to be easy.

I envy you, but know I couldn’t hack it. .

Be safe and know that we look forward to hearing from you.

 

[Bear Paw Jack]

Reuben, thanks for checking in. Who knows what changes are going to happen. At some point down the line, Amazon might start making deliveries out there. Major problem will be, is having no address. Not sure what it’s called but there’s a program on the internet that works with GPS and you can “drop a pin” on your location. Since it’s your actual location, it’s right on where you are. Would that be cool or what? Not sure how big of a package their drone could haul.
It has to beat the price of a chopper.

 

[Fox Mike]

Do they deliver gasoline for the equipment? If so, how much at a time?

 

[JAYDAWG]

Just about the time I start thinkin' I'm a tough guy....:rolleyes:

 

[Johnnu2]

At my age, I pack the groceries in multiple (lighter) bags to haul from the car to the house. When I hit 90, I'm planning on hiring beautiful young women to do the heavy lifting for me.

J.

 

[blume357]

Not really being critical or anything close Rubin but you know that is a slightly hypocritical way of 'living in the wilderness' Of course we down here can now order our groceries delivered also.... but I still rough it and drive to the store.

 

[Kevin]

Things here have morphed a bit from the old days.... I used to bring a boat of freight and food up in the fall, just before the boats everybody took their boats off the river.. Then I'd fight my way up the hills to the flats, to get everything to the homestead...
It seemed every year I'd come up a week earlier... then my fishin charter friend, started leaving the state earlier and earlier every year... So I was left with no "boat", options.
For the last three years (including this one), I've had my last load of freight choppered in...... I could have it flown in to a local lake but the trail is so bad that I dreaded it.... (3 plus miles with lots of elevation and wet ground)... Been there done that ya know..... I'm honestly getting a bit tuckered out in that area...
So I've been hiring a local helicopter charter to fly my supplies up.... it's pretty sweet... spendier than a plane, but lots closer.... only 1/4 mile.. flat and no swamps......
I've even got a summer deliver guy..... I hardly leave the property any more!!
I've done the hard work.... now I'm just gonna pay other people to do the heavy lifting.....;)

This is so cool! What a great way to get your supplies delivered. And a 1/4 mile is nothing!

Have a great winter and keep us updated!

 

[blume357]

To back up a tad:

I think where Rubin lives a 1/4 mile is a little different than for us and our SUV's and Trucks.

 

[sceva]

Looks like a Robinson R-44. They make those a few miles from me and test fly them in the area, mostly over water. Was it a piston or turbine engine version?

Yep. A Robinson. The Gear Company I am retired from was a sole supplier for their main gears.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

Jeepnik: it's an R44.. piston.... very popular up here.. decent payload (600 pounds) but I know my loads have been heavier.. probably a good bit of wiggle room...

eveled: I'm glad I got started when I did.... it's a young dudes game... even with modern machines they don't always make things easier... it's great when the stuff works but when it breaks down... and it always does.... then it gets really complicated.. it's not just belts and gears and mechanical stuff now the atv's and snowmobiles all have chips and sensors.. try diagnosing and fixing that out in the sticks...

Bear Paw: funny you should say that.... I doubt they'd come this far.... heck even the state of Alaska refuses to accept my parcel number as my address.... and it'd their freekin number!! I've worked out a pretty good system over the years... rule number 1.... have a contact or 2 in town...
I have good relationship with the charter company and of course phantom tri-rivers charters... plus a few independants who have planes and choppers who have told me they'd come if I was in trouble...

Fox Mike: they will carry gas, propane, and any other supplies that they can wedge into those little birds... I planned on carrying up 20 gallons of extra fuel but load was getting really heavy so I dropped it to 10 gallons.... one can was leaking a bit at the spout I guess.... so they didn't load that one... so I only got 5 gallons.... hopefully that will be enough (with what I have) to cut firewood, put in the ATV (Trigger), run the bar-mill a bit, and run the little gen to keep my batteries topped off.. (I run 12 volt to an inverter between generator days...). I will start putting in my snowmobile trails once we get about 2 inched of snow... then wait for the river to freeze.. I gotta keep at least 10 gallons for recon and to make it to town that first trip.. The R44 has a 600 pound payload, but I know my loads have been heavier.. let me tell ya... that bird was crammed to the gills with supplies..

JAYDAWG: compared to the people who came up here with dog sleds, crosscut saws and axes.... I'm a poser!!!! They had candles and kerosene lamps.. (actually I still use my lamps as well).... no radio.... just books.. (old timer alaskans were very well read and would take their books with them to trade with others....).. I can get a.m radio on my old philco.... there is a cell tower on a mountain about 8+ miles from here.. which is how I'm communicating now.. I wasn't always like that.. when I first came here it was sat phone...... then after a few years I could go down to the river and get a signal.. (the tower was new and not as good as now).... then eventually I could sit in the (phone window).. and get a signal... funny.. everybody laughs now about the (phone windows) days... and now.... internet.... let me tell ya... that tower has saved a lot of lives...

Johnnu2: I buy smaller totes myself!!.. but as far as hiring a pretty girl..... lets just say in my case.... they're smarter than they look...... no offense to the gals here.. I'm just joking........... (mostly?)

Blume: that nearly 2.5 mile trail down to the river is a brutal run.... trees down.. the tree roots aren't deep jere.. they run just sub-surface... so you are riding over roots the whole distance..bring chainsaw and gas... then the hills coming back up.... plus the ride down river if I can get a commercial boat.... ($200 each way).... or maybe float down in a canoe or a raft... done both... once during breakup, in a zodiak, with one oar.... chunks of ice in the river as big as a truck.... bouncing off them hoping a bladder doesn't tear.. the river runs pretty fast.... about 5-7 mph in the easy spots... but there are sections where it is twice that fast... plus sweepers... the last time I came up to stay for good.. after i decided I wasn't going work anymore... it had rained so much that I couldn't get my ATV (with racks loaded) up a hill I named (noble hill)... I had to contact a guy who has a cabin 3-4 miles away.. (no summer trail)... but he has a tracked argo.... we had to winch the entire way up... not even the argo could make it with the load... it rained the entire time... sun came out the next day.... frikken alaska....

Kevin: That short ride...It is nice.... pretty flat.... not to many roots.... I feel like I've earned it.... but still... I have some somewhat open area's on the homestead... I'll make a better LZ here at the homestead...

Sorry for the long post.... that's my story.. and I'm stickin to it...

 

[gramps]

Thanks Reuben, it is always a pleasure reading your posts. I went through Talkeetna a couple of times while in Alaska. It wasn’t pleasant due to being with my now ex wife lol. Your everyday adventures let the rest of us know we live like Kings and Queens daily!!!
gramps

 

[jimbo1096]

I’m living the life of Riley compared to you. It’s always good to hear your stories and I hope you keep telling us what is happening in your area. I like the wilderness, but I can’t stand the cold anymore. Plus, I can’t walk a couple of laps around Walmart without losing my breath and my legs. That would stop me from moving up there so you don’t have to worry about that, I won’t be crowding your area.

 

[Fox Mike]

At my age, I pack the groceries in multiple (lighter) bags to haul from the car to the house. When I hit 90, I'm planning on hiring beautiful young women to do the heavy lifting for me.

At 88 + 6mo + I too make sure groceries are packed in more but lighter bags. If the store doesn't have a mobility cart I go to another store and try there. I have gone to four stores to find a parking place within walking distance (for me) and then find a mobility cart.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

Alaska is a state of mind I guess.... It's hard to get excited by things here, anymore..... If I had to do it over I'd have started younger fer sure.... But I have enjoyed (mostly) the experiences I had.....
Long ago... going through that cold spell where my chainsaw was down.. (only had the one).... and I had to use a big crosscut saw and an axe to get my firewood in...
back then, I was working in TKA... (aka little sodom and gomhorrah).... during the summer... then coming up on the last boat on the river.... so I rarely had much firewood on hand... I have a ton of respect for the guy's who had to cut all their wood that way.... It takes for ever.....
The last item I bought in town that year was that crosscut saw.... boy am I glad I did! It was a month before I could get in to town and get parts for the chainsaw... I worked all day and slowly built up a supply with that saw and axe.... let me tell ya... three weeks of negative 30's.. even a little cabin like mine sure went through the wood.... (I now have 3 chainsaws......) ;)

 

[Armybrat]

My Dad had an interesting tour in Alaska starting at Fort Richardson in 1940 and ending in the Aleutians in 1943.
Some other troops didn’t fare so well.

 

[reuben_j_cogburn]

The 1000 mile war..... never gets the attention it deserved... nor the eskimo scouts for that matter......