Into the Bush

Butch on the phone with business.




All of us on the train. Kyle took the picture.

The Cox's Kitchen

Kyle, Tim, Patricia, & Dillon

A picture of the back of the Cox's home with the deck and stream out back.


Friday, May 27

Bob and Butch started the day down at the shop where Butch is the mechanic who takes care of the school buses and personal vehicles belonging to many others in the area. They changed the oil in the truck and tightened the trailer hitch. Then we sat on the porch in the morning sun and relaxed till time to catch the train in Talkeetna to go visit Butch's good friends, the Cox's, who live in the bush with no modern conveniences (electricity, plumbing, etc.).

Meanwhile, Butch constantly gets calls, even when we are biking, to trouble shoot or fix something for someone. All seem to appreciate his mechanical skills and love joking with him. He runs a fair and honest business and it's earned him a real place of respect in the community. It was so nice to see.

We stopped in Talkeetna at the bakery to get fresh bread to take to the Cox Family as a hostess gift. We walked to the depot and caught the train, Ben and all. It made Ben a little nervous walking over the moving floor where the cars connect, but otherwise, you'd think he did it all of the time. He laid down at our feet and relaxed. We told the conductor that we needed to get off at mile marker 35.8. People who live in the bush know the schedule and walk out to the tracks to flag the train down whenever they need to come to town. They even slowed for us to get pictures of Mt. McKinley as it was another clear day.

The train stopped at the trail head and you could see where it started as it was marked by an old orange life jacket hanging in a tree. Tim had walked out to meet us carrying a shot gun for bear. What an experience! We hiked close to a half mile back in to their house nestled in the woods. A husky dog greeted us and then we met Dillon, Tim's 10 year old son who was out stacking wood. We walked by Tim's elaborate work shop in an open air lean-to. Everything was rustic and designed and built by them. We went through a heavy, thick door, which he explained was bear proof, and entered the house. The room we entered was full of shelves with supplies and had a gravel floor. Then we went up steps into the kitchen with wood floors. Our mouths hung open at how nicely done everything was and so efficiently thought out. We met Patricia who was so friendly and welcoming. They seemed proud to show us what they had built, especially when they saw that we appreciated it and how enthused we were. In the kitchen, under the rug, was a trap door that led to a deep hole with steep steps. This room served as their refrigerator and stayed at right around 38 degrees. The cozy living room had a stone fireplace with a beautiful mantle and a moose rack. There were book shelves everywhere, a rustic pine table and benches and a day bed. It looked like a perfect place to curl up and read.

A door from the living room led out to a deck on the back of the house with a picnic table and chairs. A beautiful little stream bubbled past their house over a series of waterfalls that they had built with stones. They built a little bridge across the stream that led to a plank that came up beside a flowing well with cold drinking water. It was so pretty and the sounds were so soothing.

Next we met their two darling, Australian Shepard, 10 week old puppies named Ester and Baby. They tumbled and rolled and had fun with Ben. They bark when they hear something coming and are already good little watch dogs, even though they are so snuggly.

We sat on the deck and after a sweet prayer, they served us lunch of homemade, warm tortillas with homemade salsa, beans and all of the fixings. It was beyond delicious. Then to top it all off, their son, Dillon had made chocolate chip cookies that were still warm. Incredible!

Then we took a hike up to a nearby lake (Tim carried a gun) and we saw many berry patches and the loons on the lake. We went on up a bit higher on the trail and sat on a platform that a former resident had built with a wonderful view of Mt. McKinley. It was so interesting getting to know this family and hear their thoughts and ideas. Butch just relaxed and smiled and knew how much we were enjoying ourselves.

We hiked back to their house, had some more cold water and Patricia gave us small bags of cookies and Fiddlehead ferns to take back. The tips of Fiddlehead ferns are good to eat browned in olive oil with a little garlic. They had already done so much for us and then to send us off with more was overwhelming. We all hiked back out to the train with Kyle and Dillon running and playing along the way. We heard the train approach and said our good byes. They want us to come back and see it in the winter. I could write a book on just their stories and our conversation! What lovely, gracious people!

We stopped on the way back to Butch's and ate Thai food at an outdoor cafe. Then we stopped at the Flying Squirrel Bakery and got rugala (a fruit filled pastry) for dessert. What an awesome day. Time to pack up and head for Denali first thing in the morning. We are thankful, happy campers! Thank you, Butch, for this grand experience!