Gravel is Gold
/BIG NEWS at Ryno Kennel.
Our road and driveway are now COMPLETELY GRAVELLEDl! WAHOOOOO!!! Why is this so exciting you may ask? Well, for the last several years, our road became impassable by vehicles from early April through the end of May during spring break up, requiring us to park closer to the highway and transport groceries, humans, dogs, building supplies, everything, by ATV to the kennel. In 2016, with the help of a dozer from our buddy Dave with Alaska Commercial Rentals, we dozed in Lead Dog Lane and our driveway. Since then, we’ve been making yearly improvements. First a little gravel in bad spots. Then more gravel. Then a culvert. Then gravel down the entirety of Lead Dog Lane, and finally this summer, the last piece of the puzzle: gravel down our driveway. Most likely we’ll still have some soft spots next spring, but it should still be passable by vehicle! This is a game changer.
Even ATVs weren’t always safe.
Transporting sleds back home after an Arctic Trip
For anymore who has visited us in those April/May months, you know how big of a deal this is. Almost everyone has been stuck at one point or another in our driveway. Even during our wedding (which was in late September 2018 after several weeks of rain) a few guests were stopped by the massive puddle on Lead Dog Lane.
Looks dry, but….. SIKE!
The truck slid down off the road.
One time, both Derek and I went to town in separate trucks for errands. The road was almost dry, so we figured we could risk it. On my drive home as I approached a waterboard-like section of silty muck, I felt my truck sink down deep. The tires started spinning, but I wasn’t moving. Oops. After a few choice words in frustration, I jumped out of the truck and starting walking home. Derek will rescue me- I thought. As I approached the house, I looked for Derek’s red truck, but it wasn’t in the parking area. Hm. He must not be home yet. Then the front door of the house opened, and Derek stood there with a sheepish grin, and said, “Where’s your truck? I need it to pull out my truck.” Hand to forehead emoji. Long story short, my truck was stuck on one road while Derek’s was stuck on a different road to the house. With the help of a come-along and a good attitude (ok maybe I didn’t have a good attitude, but I tried) we managed to get Derek’s truck out then used his truck to pull out mine.
Hi-lift jack to the rescue.
As much as I hated getting stuck or having friends get stuck, I learned a lot of great skills. The Hi-Lift jack and I have spent many quality hours together. I no longer look at a pile of old lumber as useless, but instead assess its strength for placing under tires and raising up axles above the mud. I’ve come to appreciate even just one rotation of a tire as forward progress, and patience is key when it comes to getting a massive truck out of mud hole. Don’t just leave 5 minutes early. Leave at least 2 hours early if the driveway is soft. Make sure to help pull out a neighbor. You’ll be the one stuck next time.
I’ll never understand why people choose to go mudding for fun and search for places to get their jeeps and trucks stuck; however, I can appreciate the skills you learn when doing such activities. I’m sure I’ll have to put those skills to use again in the future, but hopefully for the time being, it’ll be smooth sailing back to Ryno Kennel!
A big thank you to Ed Anders for graveling the majority of the road and driveway. Not to mention his company, Chena Valley Development, is a Ryno Kennel sponsor! Thank you!
