Camping off the Hurricane Turn Flagstop Train

Our first trip on the Hurricane Turn Flagstop Train out of Talkeetna, AK was a sightseeing trip to Hurricane Gulch.  As amazing as the sights were, it turned out to be an educational trip for another trip a year later.  You see, the Hurricane Turn Train is one of the last Flag Stop trains left in America.  You can jump on or off the train at any time along the route.  You just flag it down when you need to get picked up.

Homesteaders flagging down the train.

The train runs 5 days a week and departs out of Talkeetna station.  It goes to Hurricane Gluch, then goes back the other direction to Talkeetna.  Along the way it passes through Chase, Curry, Sherman, Gold Creek, Twin Bridges, and Chulitna.  There are many homesteaders out in these parts and this train is how they get back and forth into town when they need to. There is a TV series on Destination America called Railroad Alaska.  Some of these homesteaders are featured on this show and we have met a few of them.  The show can also be found on Amazon Video.   There are also several rafting companies that use this train to get to the locations they take their customers to put in.

Sherman, Alaska

Curry, Alaska.

   




Here is a link for more information about the the Hurricane Turn Flagstop Train.
Alaska Railroad Hurricane Turn Flagstop Train

During our first Hurricane Gulch trip, along the way we noticed a few places where people where camping and fishing.  As remote as the area was, we really liked the idea of camping away from, well, everything.  So we began planning our 2017 summer camping trip.  We would pack all our stuff, throw it on the train, then jump off somewhere along the route near a river or stream so we could fish.  But we could not find any information about camping along the train route.  We had several maps, called Alaska State Parks, and even called the rangers at Denali National Park, but there was no information to be found.

So, we went ahead with our plans anyway and hoped for the best.  We were sure everything would work out.  We decided we would only camp 1 night.  Since the train drops us off and would not be back for another 24 hours to get us and since we had a 2 year old toddler with us, we thought one night would be enough to "test the waters".

We were ready for almost anything.  Besides typical camping gear like tent and sleeping bags, our packing list included:
44 Mag. handgun
12 gauge shotgun with slugs
2 cans of bear spray
Battery operated bear fence
2 Bear vaults = containers used to hold food so bears cannot get into them.
Water filter
Jet boil and fuel cans
Fishing gear
All of our food was either PB sandwiches or food that you just add boiling water to like oatmeal or dehydrated meals - like Mountain House backpacking meals only we made up our own.
We had a  Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) and we also rented a Satellite Phone.  Again, the train doesn't come back for 24 hours and we wanted to be prepared.

After we got onto the train, stowed our gear and got settled for the ride, we began talking with the conductor, Warren.  Of course he wanted to know where we were headed and when we didn't know specifically where to tell him to stop the train, we had to get it figured out.  Well, after just a few minutes of describing what we saw from the previous year, he knew exactly where we wanted to go.  And, as it turned out, there was a another group of 5 couples headed to the same spot.  After further conversation with this group, it turns out they were the same group we saw the previous year at one of the spots.

Conductor Warren = he is the BEST!  And great with the kids!

The train stoped at the area we wanted to camp at along the stream.  We all started unloading gear.  Everyone, even those not getting off, helped pitch in.  One last look in the baggage car, all our gear was out, then the train pulled away.  Now we had to set up camp.  We schlepped gear to the spots big enough for tents.  The larger group was very courteous.  They had 2 kegs of beer they went directly into the stream.  They assured us they wouldn't get rowdy and if they did, to just say something.  They offered to share their beer, too.  This group, by the way, was staying for nearly a week!  Maybe some day we will be able to do that, but not this trip.

We all unload our gear.  Everyone pitches in to help.

Filtering Water for our dinner.

We set up camp, ate some snacks, fished, and built a campfire.   The next morning we had breakfast, fished, took a short hike and packed up camp.  Once the train went past, the train made a quick stop before continuing on to Hurricane Gluch.  2 other campers were getting off.  We checked with Warren the Conductor about an estimated time they would be back to get us.  The train pulled away and we went back to fishing.  When it was getting close to the time we expected the train to return, we carried our gear to the side of the train tracks and waited for it to return.

Waiting for the train to pick us up.

You see, there is no real definite schedule for this train.  It may be held up by a moose or bear along the tracks or by one of the several Denali sightseeing trains, which have priority.  So the Hurricane train would need to come to a siding and wait for the other train to pass.

At a siding, waiting for a Denali sightseeing train to pass.

Eventually, the train arrived, we loaded our gear and headed back to Talkeetna.  We did not encounter any bears, although they are in the area.  The larger group that camped with us was amazing and even though we ended up having people near us, it was a bit of a reassurance having some other people around for our first time out there.

There are several spots you can camp along this route.  We suggest you take the train once as a sightseeing trip and find the location that best suits you.  Be sure to get place names or railroad mile posts RRMP numbers of where you would want to stop.  Also remember the train only runs 5 days a week, so plan your trip accordingly. 

Hurricane Turn train headed back to Talkeetna, leaving us to camp and fish!

Here fishy, fishy, fishy....

Paracord Dragonfly Keychains

More color options coming. 
Available for ordering.

Survival Grenade

My son wanted to make a paracord tank for his best friend and fellow Cub Scout who was leaving.  I had no idea how to make a paracord tank, so we found a picture of a paracord grenade.  Specifically a survival paracord grenade. 

We found an emergency blanket, small pocket knife, a magnesium/ferro rod fire starter and scraper, and an emergency whistle.
We packaged those items up into a small pouch then began weaving the paraord around it.
We used the scraper from the magnesium/ferro rod fire starter as the "spoon" for the grenade. 

Instant Pot Bacon, Potato and Egg Breakfast Casserole

1/2 Lb bacon slices, but into 1 inch pieces
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 medium yellow potatoes, cut into quarters and then sliced
6 eggs
3/4 C milk
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bouquet garni
4 oz shredded cheese

whisk eggs, milk, cheese, salt and herbs together in a small bowl and set aside

Sauté bacon on normal for 5 minutes.
Add onion and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add potatoes and stir to coat.

Add egg and cheese mixture and cook on High Pressure for 20 minutes.

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

1 T Butter
1 C quinoa - I used 1/2 C red and 1/2 C white
2 C stock (homemade preferred)
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 T cilantro (fresh if you have it, dried if you don't)

1 can (15 oz) refried beans
1 bag (10 oz) frozen corn
1 roasted red pepper, diced

1 brick Monterey Jack cheese, grated

Melt butter in have bottomed pot.
stir in quinoa, toss to coat and lightly brown.
Add stock.
Bring to a boil, cover, turn down heat and simmer for 10-20 minutes, until liquid is almost all absorbed.

Spread refried beans eavenly in a 9"x9" greased baking dish.
Top with corn and red bell pepper.
Top with cooked quinoa.
Lastly, cover with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese becomes light brown.
Allow to rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with avocado, salsa, sour cream, tortillas.

Mojo Criollo Magic

I first discovered Mojo when I was stationed in Honduras.  A friend and I were tasked with cooking a going away meal for the unit.  We roasted an entire pig on a huge grill.  My friend proceeded to inject and baste the pig with a gallon of Mojo he bought at a local shop.   After a few months after returning back to the states, my wife wanted grilled chicken one evening for dinner.  I just happened to notice a bottle of Goya's Mojo marinade at our local grocery store so I bought it and tried it out.  She loved it.
Now that we are using very minimal processed foods, I figured it was time to make my own Mojo.  I have come to find out that the real name of it is MoJo Criollo.
I have used this on pork, chicken, and even shrimp.  It just needs about 4 hours to marinate.  I hope you enjoy this as much as we do.

1/2 C Orange Juice = ~ 2 oranges

1/4 C Lemon Juice = ~ 2 lemons

1/2 C Olive Oil

4 Cloves garlic, pressed

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. cumin

1 T. white vinegar

salt and pepper

1 T. fresh cilantro, finley chopped

Mix well in bowl.

Marinate for 4 hours or more.

Instant Pot Orange Chicken and Sticky Rice

Recipe adapted from http://livingsweetmoments.com/instant-pot-orange-chicken/

Instant Pot Orange Chicken - this delicious instant pot chicken recipe is ready in 15 minutes or less and is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner idea.

Author Tiffany Bendayan

Ingredients

3 lbs  Boneless skinless chicken cut into bitesized pieces

1/4 cup water

1/2 to 2/3 cup orange juice - about 2 or 3 oranges

zest of one orange

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup Tamari

2 Tablespoons ketchup

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

To thicken

2 Tablespoons organic cornstarch

3-4 tablespoons water

Green onions for garnish

Instructions

In a large bowl (or Instant Pot insert), mix the water, orange juice, soy sauce, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger together

Place chicken in the bowl with the sauce and mix together.  Add to Instant Pot.

Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 5 minutes

Release the pressure and press the sauté button.

To thicken sauce

In a small bowl mix water and cornstarch together

Add to the chicken

Cook for 1-2 minutes or until sauce thickens

Remove from pot and serve

OPTIONAL: Garnish with green onions

For this recipe on the first attempt, I also cooked rice before I cooked the chicken.  Then I removed the rice from the pot, wiped out the Instant Pot insert and then cooked the chicken.

To cook sticky white rice, use a ratio of 1:1.5 rice to water.  Cook on high pressure for 8 minutes.

Serving suggestion: stir fried veggies.  Broccoli, carrots, cabbage, garlic, onion and green onion sautéd with sesame seed oil.

On the first attempt at making this, I used 1/2 orange juice.  It just wasn't enough orange flavor so I have increased the amount as well as added orange zest.