WORKING ON THE ROAD - ALASKA

During the winter of 2003/2004, we discovered an advertisement in Workamper.com, for summer employment in Skagway, Alaska.  The jobs were in retail, and were offered by the Corrington family, who had several stores in Skagway.  After two seasons of pulling a merchandise trailer around the country with our motor home, we decided that working, and staying in one spot, sounded pretty attractive.  We gave notice to Harley, and MainGate, that we wouldn't be returning for the next race season, and prepared for an adventure to the far north.

In April of 2004, we departed Lake Havasu City for Skagway, Alaska, and a summer of working for the Corrington family.  The approx. 4,000 mile journey took us a little over a week, and the farther north we drove, the more ice and snow we saw.  The Alaska Hwy was for the most part clear of the slippery stuff, but the lakes and rivers were still frozen.  By the time we got to the border crossing from Canada, back into the U.S., near the top of the White Pass, we were in the middle of a blizzard, and I remember thinking "what the heck have I gotten us into"?  A quick stop and conversation at Canadian Customs reassured me that the road was open for the remaining few miles into Skagway, but snow drifts were blocking one lane on some stretches of the highway.   We arrived in Skagway in one piece, and went to work, helping get the stores ready for the pending cruise ship arrivals.

I worked at the Golden North Hotel gift shop, and Patty worked at the Corringtons flagship store, Corrinton's Alaskan Ivory.  The company owned property 2 miles out of town, and they put in 22 full hookup RV spaces for their workers, and if I remember correctly, that first year we were charged $50 a month for rent.  The next year, the rent went up to $100, and it was deducted from our pay.   The Corrintons also built a clubhouse, complete with kitchen, washer & dryer for their workers, and we had many a pot luck, and other social activities in this gathering spot.  Our pay that first year was $8 an hour, with a $2 per hour bonus if we stayed for the entire season.  The compensation package was more than fair, considering that we had an almost free place to park, and the work weeks were 40+ hours.  I discovered rather quickly, that working retail wasn't really my cup of tea, but we enjoyed living in Skagway so much, we agreed to return for a second season.  After that second summer of 2005, I decided that I still wanted to come back, but for me, retail was out of the question.  Before we returned to Skagway in 2006, I accepted a job driving a bus for Skagway Tour Company.  Because Patty still worked for the Corrington family, we were allowed to continue parking the motor home in the private, family campground for $100 a month, which included electricity.

What  we thought was going to be one summer in Alaska, turned into four summers, in a small town that we both learned to love.  However, after 4 seasons, we knew there were other opportunities that we wanted to explore, and we reluctantly told our employers that we wouldn't be returning for a fifth season.  The workamping experience in Skagway, Alaska was definitely a highlight for both Patty and I.  We made many lasting friendships with coworkers, and lots of other folks.  Just this last summer, Dennis & Nancy Corrington welcomed us back, and found 2 RV spaces in their campground for us to park for over a week.  Our offers of payment fell on deaf ears.  Returning to Skagway after a 6 year absence was like coming back to our old hometown.

The summer of 2008 was spent near Glacier National Park in Montana, and I'll have more about that tomorrow.

It finally happened!!  The receipt pictured below, is for the county building permit, which I picked up yesterday morning.  The first inspection of one side of the foundation/footing is scheduled for today, and let me think...........what else could go wrong?????