Valdez to Slana June 19

Sometime during the morning ride out of Valdez, Bob noticed his left rear tire was losing air. About an hour later the issue was serious, it was soon going to be to soft to roll on. We were about 50 miles from the next decent stop listed in our Milepost or on the GPS but we decided to push on as long as the tire would allow. Almost immediately we came upon a resort that had been posted as closed but had a couple standing outside chatting. Lucky break! They offered us help with the tire change, something neither Bob nor I had attempted for about 30 years, and never on such a large vehicle. Believe it or not, we were able to loosen the power tightened nuts, lower the spare and crank up the vehicle. Later Bob wrote in his journal, "David and Bob changed the tire. They are both super human geniuses." We felt lucky to have found a place to do the work and even luckier when a garage 30 miles later was open on Sunday. The tire was ruined but our luck persisted. A pair of new tires was available that weren't to be sold individually. Another van pulled up who also needed one tire the same size. Nice! An hour or so later, everyone left happy!

We began a memorable ride along a road called the TOK Cutoff. It was rough, with wave like rolls and open fissures that could suck in a wheel. The microwave took its second dive off the shelf to the floor where we decided it must always ride in future. It was saved from total destruction by landing on Blarney's dish which shattered into small pieces. This little "GoldStar" is very "solid state" to say the least. One foot is gone and the inside tray is now a double paper plate, but it still warms my porridge and cooks a few veggies.

We gave ourselves a break by stopping at a very unusual RV park in Slana, part way along the Tok Cutoff. The place, called the Hart D Ranch, is named after the elderly artist who runs it, Mary de Hart. It's many acres with rooms and RV spaces, but it was empty except for us. One very long wall in the central area near the washrooms is filled with memorabilia about the lady and her property. She was once famous for her heating system but it burned and cost her hundreds of thousands. Her art has been recognized from afar, sculpture and paintings as well as building designs. She's trying to sell. "They all dead," she said of her family. "I'm the last one." The night we were there she was out whippering her huge grass spaces until ten.

Our landlady was up early, looking very made up, as she walked her little, blue ribbon winning dog across the property to the Post Office. As well as running this large property single-handedly, she also acts as local post mistress. Blarney was browsing without his leash and instantly spotted the tiny, fussy, fluffy white canine. He took off after after her at short-legged speed, barking in his most agressive volume. He was almost upon her, but in a nick of time the lady snatched her little pet up to her bosom. Not a wonderful moment for Blarney or all of us watching!