Busted Out

Hello friends -

We busted out of here last week and took a trip to the big city of Portland and up to Mt Hood to visit friends. There was quite a bit of business to be done in Portland - and our days were pretty busy. I had lots of interviews with applicants for a variety of positions we have open - which went well and I am making progress there. Joe visited the dentist and learned he needed an emergency root canal - things were so bad in his mouth that the dentist and his assistant stayed after hours to do the procedure! 3.5 hours of drilling - and his mouth was saved. Needless to say, it did put a bit of a damper on Joe's trip out. But we did get to catch up with lots of great friends and restock on some groceries! We had to carry the food in, so we had to choose wisely what made it in to the pack. Attached are some pics - #1: The Loot - all the goodies we carried in; #2: Joe and Murphy crossing the Gold Creek bridge - about 110 feet above the river; #3: Murphy and his pack at the gate - he carried in lots of treats and toys for himself; #4: Trail talks

We are safe and sound back in the bone - the sun is shining, and life is good. Miss you all!

Love, Katie and Joe

Heads up - Air drop!

Clear skies and sunshine were the perfect window for the air drop of supplies we received yesterday morning. Three bags of food (butter, cheese, chocolate, and beef), tire chains, and wood screws landed in the meadow at 120 mph. It all made for an exciting Saturday morning in Jawbone. Here are a few pics of the aftermath...#1) Kaola and George before take off #2) Adam reaching to touch the tire chains which went 5-6 feet into the snow; #3) The tire chains that almost landed in the creek - thanks to the streamers we found them! #4) Joe confirming that the plane was safely on the ground after the drops #5) Adam and the loot - butter sandwiches for all.

Thanks so much to George for piloting the plane,
Kaola for launching the bags out of the plane with accuracy,
and Tom for gathering all of the supplies for us and getting us
some nice discounts in the process.

We are going to do the 10 mile snow shoe outta here next Wednesday - and will be in Portland until about Saturday the 23rd, then heading up to the mountain for a few days before heading back into the bone.

Sunny skies again today - and it is beautiful here in paradise today. Miss you and love you all - hope to see you soon!

Sunshine and Snow

Hello all -

The sun came out for us today - the first time in at least 10 days - maybe more. It was great to feel the sun's rays on our faces and see the blue sky! Our snowed in status has lead Joe to shave for the first time in 10 years. Don't worry - by the time you all see him again, the beard will most likely be back!

Travel is getting easier - and Murphy and I hiked out to the 1/2 Bridges today - about 2 miles away from camp.

Here's some pics -
- Two of our water intake (which not only gives us water to drink but powers our pelton wheel, giving us electricity.) We headed up there yesterday to clear the deep snow from the intake.
- One of Beachie Ridge today
- Cabin 10 - the guys are working on putting the roof on now. New staff housing - yeah!
- Joe's shaven face - he looks a lot younger huh?

Miss you and love you all - hope our paths cross soon...

Cheers,
Katie and Joe

Snow subsiding

Hello all -

The snow is subsiding a bit, and the last two days have been a mixture of snow and rain. We have lost some of the snow due to compaction, but our windows are still full and there is still A LOT of snow out there.

We have taken a break from the shoveling and have gone on to other work. Joe chased a raccoon and a wood rat out of our Bunkhouse today in his building inspection of camp.


We have been experimenting more with gluten free cooking - and I have perfected gluten free pizza dough and have a pretty good gluten free bread down. Tonight for dinner, Italian Sausage soup and home made gluten free bread.
Not much more going on up here - we are going to head up the flume line tomorrow and check things out up there. Travel is definitely getting easier around here!

A few pics included in this one - the Battle Ax Bridge (the railings are three feet tall); our Company Store - closed for the season; and us shoveling off the back roof of the commissary.

Miss you and love you all -
Katie and Joe

Happy Birthday Adam

Hello -

Today was Adam's birthday - we celebrated with a light day of shoveling and a great grill feast for dinner. We ate well and played a great game of Hearts. Here's some shots of the grilling in the snow and the puzzle we finished today. Still snowing here...miss you all! Love, Katie and Joe