On Sunday, July 2, 2023, at approximately 12:50 a.m., the Vilas County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call regarding a vehicle that had crashed into trees on STH 155 near South Lost Lake Drive.
Officers determined that the vehicle left the roadway, missing the corner, and struck trees. It was determined by first responders that the 33 year old female, Brittany Johnston, from Sayner, was deceased. There was no one else in the vehicle at that time.
The crash is still under investigation.
Vilas County Sheriff’s Office, Saint Germain Rescue and Fire Department, Plum Lake Fire Department, Oneida County Ambulance MED5, Arbor Vitae Fire Department, and the Oneida County Medical Examiners Office all responded to the accident.
Back Row: Mark Zaves, Colleen (Stadter) Geurts, Mat Lesneski, Rod Runnheim, Lance Heizler, Jerry Upson, Johnny Hertlein, Chuck Vasek, and Janelle Larson Front Row: Dan Slowey, Davette Hrabak, Joe Meronk, Mary (Prohaska) Kurth, Jeff Schneider, Sara Mabie, and Mick Theis
The Phillips High School Class of 1988 held their 35-year class reunion on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at The Badger's Den Bar and Grill. The event started at 4 p.m. and continued until 1:30 a.m. and included socializing, trivia, prizes, dinner, DJ music by DJ-EJ, and a class reunion booklet.
The 56-page class reunion booklet, printed in color, consisted of photos and updates from classmates, memories from school, photos from previous class reunions, and obituaries of classmates, teachers, and principals.
Davette Hrabak organized the class reunion.
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Back Row: Jerry Upson, Mark Zaves, Johnny Hertlein, Davette Hrabak, and Rod Runnheim Middle Row: Chuck Vasek, Dan Slowey, Mick Theis, Mat Lesneski, and Joe Meronk Front Row: Janelle Larson, Colleen (Stadter) Geurts, Lance Heizler, Mary (Prohaska) Kurth, Jeff Schneider, and Sara Mabie
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It was late morning on April 29, 1973. The weather was perfect. As Dennis was driving along enjoying the scenery and mulling over in his mind the adventure awaiting him, his world came to a crashing change. He was just a few miles east of Grand Prairie, Alberta, Canada when suddenly he thought his vehicle was exploding. Initially, he had no clue what had happened. Even after he managed to kick the passenger door open and walk around the car he had no clue.
Then suddenly, within a few seconds after exiting his vehicle, a car speeded up behind him, and the people excitedly jumped out yelling, "Are you okay? Are you okay?” They pointed back down the road.
About half a mile away was a blue smashed-up vehicle they said had rear-ended him. They had witnessed the whole crash. They told Dennis the driver of the other car had passed them at an extremely high rate of speed before slamming into Dennis. It had happened so fast that Dennis never saw the guy coming up behind him. The above-left picture was taken from where Dennis’ Pontiac finally stopped.
Within a short time, ambulances came screaming to the scene to haul all the victims to the ER in Grand Prairie. Dennis only had minor injuries, but the other fellows were not so lucky. Dennis never did learn the extent of their injuries, only that they were critical.
From the hospital ER in Grand Prairie, Dennis wrote these words in his journal, "It is 1:15 PM, April 29, 1973, and my trip and 1937 Pontiac has come to an end. I was hit from behind so hard I thought my time had come." He would later be told by RCMP that the guy was VERY drunk and driving around 100 MPH.
Most of us would have abandoned the dream right there and caught a bus for home. NOT Dennis. Some would say "coincidently," but I say "providentially," a former flight instructor, knowing Dennis would be traveling through Canada, had given him the name, address, and phone number of his relatives that lived in Beaver Lodge, Alberta. HOW AMAZING is that? A 3,200-mile journey and Dennis' accident was within 40 miles of Beaver Lodge. He called these precious people, Jeannie and Dewey Reuckert, and they came and got him from the hospital.
They pulled his wrecked Pontiac back to their farm and graciously housed and took care of Dennis for a couple of weeks. Dennis was never one to take advantage of anyone's hospitality, and having been raised on a farm was a big help to Dewey during this time. Despite his bruises and neck brace, he picked rocks off the field, hauled grain to the elevator, and fixed fences. The Reuckerts became lifelong friends with several visits back and forth through the years.
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Stay tuned for the next story, "Dennis’ Pig Lot Purchase," coming soon to Off the Road Again on My Price County / My Northern Wisconsin.
In December 2021, Price County entered a contract with Bluesource, now known as Anew, and this was covered by My Price County, which can be read at this link. The agreement, shown below along with its terms of use, was entered into so that Price County would receive carbon credits. Carbon credits are a way for companies to offset their carbon footprint. Areas like Price County, with a large amount of trees, are ideal locations for such programs, because companies can get credit for trees that are not cut down, and the area is expected to receive a payment.
Certain things cannot be done with the trees in the program, such as excess cutting. However, according to County Administrator Nick Trimner, this stipulation has not affected Price County. "County forest management has been in conformance with our forest management goals, balancing both timber revenue and carbon sequestration," he said.
As for the payment portion, Nick stated payments will start coming in during the fourth quarter of this year, at the earliest. He continued, "There was no expectation that the county would have received any carbon payments at this point. The project is currently in the verification stage of development and credits cannot be issued and sold until the verification is complete and the carbon registry approves the release of the credits." He added, "Funds will be delivered within 30 days of credit issuance and sale. If credits are sold after Month 24, payments will simply come within 30 days of the sale."
Some supervisors were concerned about moving the first payment from 18 to 24 months but Nick advised, "Eighteen months was always projected as an optimally efficient credit issuance timeline, but it was not unexpected that issuance might require more time. Project development timelines are dependent upon a variety of factors, including the availability of third party verifiers and registry staff for review and approval of the project. Due to a dearth of accredited third party verifiers in the marketplace, many projects are seeing longer timelines between project commencement and credits being issued simply because the projects are waiting in the queue of the verification body to review and approve them." When asked if this delay would affect any current or future programs where the county was going to use carbon credit funding, he replied, "There currently is no disconnect between expected payment timing and the anticipated application of carbon funding."
Bayfield County, the Michigan DNR, and the counties of Oneida, Sawyer, Douglass, Burnett, and about eleven other counties were mentioned as being in the program in December 2021. Some residents told My Price County that Bayfield County has not received any funding and their program was not going as expected. We asked Nick if that information was true. He said, "I am not certain about the state of development progress for other counties."
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My Price County then reached out to Jason Bodine, Forestry and Parks Administrator for Bayfield County, and he responded that "Developing a carbon project was always presented as a lengthy process, taking anywhere from 18 to 24 months to complete. In our experience, this process has taken a little longer than expected, primarily due to very high demand for the development of carbon projects but limited capacities/resources by carbon contractors to meet that demand. It is my understanding that Bayfield County was the first public agency to commence with a forest carbon project in Wisconsin. As such, it is not a surprise to hear that other county agencies, who enrolled much later than us, have yet to receive payment, as many are still in the early to middle stages of project development. Our project is now in the final review phase by ACR. Our experience with ANEW, (previously called Bluesource), has been very positive. I don’t have any concerns to date, and I’m not anticipating any issues with regard to future payments. I anticipate those first payments to arrive later this year."
My Price County further heard that a county in Michigan has not received funding, though we could not find reference to this on the Internet and, therefore, did not know which county to contact to see if it was true. Nick stated, "I am not aware of any such project in Michigan. I contacted our carbon developer, Anew, about this point, and they also had no knowledge of such a project, though they are engaged in a carbon project with the Michigan DNR that has run smoothly and has generated substantial carbon revenue."
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Henry Schieneback of The Great Lakes Timber Professionals Association (GLTPA) responded that "GLTPA is not against carbon credits per say, but we are opposed to the misconception that a carbon credit makes the environment cleaner....Many times, GLTPA has asked carbon credit advocates what is the formula for how many parts per million the air became cleaner or how many tons of greenhouse gas emissions were removed from the air because of the sale of a carbon credit? The answer is always the same; there is no formula because the sale of a carbon credit does nothing to clean the air. That stated, GLTPA has nothing against the sale of a carbon credit as a forest product if the sale does not impede future forest management. Basically, a carbon credit is nothing more than a scheme manufacturers buy into to be able to say their manufacturing process is carbon neutral whereby purchasers of their product feel good about helping the environment become cleaner. To simplify, companies buy carbon credits, consumers pay for them, and the environment does not get any cleaner. Carbon credits are merely an exchange of wealth. Nothing more, nothing less."
In the December 2021 informational meeting, Nick recommended setting aside $1 million in case Price County wanted to pull out of the program and buy back the credits. However, he stated, "The county has no interest in pulling out of the carbon program and such an action is not under consideration." He further stated, "The county managers remain enthusiastic about the carbon project."
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Reports received by the police departments in Price County for the month have been condensed and summarized.
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PRICE COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE
5-1-23: A person came to the lobby of the Sheriff's Office to report someone was selling marijuana at the Prentice High School.
5-2-23: A Phillips man reported someone broke into his garage and stole his ATV.
5-2-23: A man requested to have a deputy check his cabin and because a friend of his said the man’s gate was lying on the ground and his garage door was open. Since he also heard of a series of break-ins in the neighborhood the night prior, he wanted his property checked.
5-2-23: A Phillips man reported someone had broken into his garage.
5-3-23: A man reported his car was hit from behind by another male driver in Prentice. There were no injuries.
5-4-23: An Ogema woman called to report someone had been going through her mail. She found two opened envelopes and newspapers in her yard. She said she had issues last fall with items going missing, such as squash from her garden and yard tools.
5-6-23: An Ogema woman reported a man came to her home and stated he had been in a car accident. The man was sitting in a chair in her home, he had a cut on his head, and he was bleeding around his eye. The man’s dog was also in her home.
5-7-23: A Phillips man called to report a lady had run up to him and advised that her husband was beating her.
5-7-23: A Phillips woman reported there was an unconscious man sitting in a parked vehicle on the roadway in the Township of Emery.
5-8-23: A Phillips man came to the Sheriff's Office lobby and reported he had been assaulted.
5-9-23: A Park Falls man called to report his daughter-in-law was attacked by the neighbor's dog but she was not injured. The woman reported the dogs came after her when she was walking her dog past their residence. The man said there had been issues in the past with the same dogs that have led to law enforcement responding.
5-10-23: A Phillips man requested police response for screaming heard in the streets near North Lake Avenue and Chestnut Street. The man was unsure of what was occurring, but he could hear a female shout "help me" and "he punched me in the face." A local bar also called requesting an officer respond due to a man fighting with three female patrons.
5-10-23: A Catawba woman called to report her neighbor trespassed on her property while she and her husband were at work. The man had driven onto their property with his ATV and drove through their driveway and backyard.
5-12-23: A Phillips man reported a white Dodge Ram pickup truck had rolled over and was in the ditch. The man stated he looked for the driver, but no one was around.
5-12-23: An Ogema man reported manure was spread all over the road in the Township of Ogema.
5-15-23: A Phillips man called to report acid was coming from his walls and cabinets. He stated he wanted cement to make it stop.
5-16-23: A Kennan man reported his wife was at his home throwing and smashing his belongings. Dispatch could hear the woman screaming and swearing at her husband during the call. The man stated he was outside trying to get away from her, but she was following him.
5-19-23: A Phillips man reported an all-terrain vehicle accident that he did not witness. He advised the patient was alert, conscious, and talking.
5-20-23: An Ogema woman stated that late in the night a black-colored Dodge truck pulled into her driveway. She stated her boyfriend was up at the time and was standing in the window. According to her boyfriend, the driver of the vehicle turned the headlights off when the motion light turned on. The driver then got out of the truck and appeared to try to hide behind her vehicle. The driver then noticed the man in the window and got back into the truck. He backed out without the headlights on. Once the truck was turned around, the driver turned the headlights back on. The driver was described as “puny.”
5-21-23: A Catawba man reported he believed his neighbor put up a temporary fence on his side of the property line.
5-21-23: A Catawba woman requested a deputy to respond to her residence as her neighbor was putting signs up on her property. The man then called to report there was a lot of screaming and cursing between both parties and it scared his young daughter.
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PHILLIPS POLICE DEPARTMENT
5-2-23: Advised of a loud noise complaint in the City of Phillips. An officer arrived on the scene and spoke with the person who stated they just wanted the music turned down. An officer attempted contact with the other party several times and did not get an answer. While attempting contact, the music was turned down.
5-2-23: Received a harassment complaint from a citizen who stated an ex partner was attempting to plant something in his vehicle. The person wanted the officer to speak with the woman and advise her to stop contacting the reporting party. An officer advised each of them not to have contact with one another.
5-2-23: Advised of an altercation between two students which had occurred at a local school. A school official and an officer investigated the incident. Two male juveniles were referred to the Price County Human Services Department for battery. The two students were also suspended from school for one day.
5-4-23: Assisted the Price County Sheriff's Office with a search warrant in Ogema. One female individual was arrested and brought to the Price County Jail.
5-4-23: Notified by mail by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections that an offender was released into the community and will be housed at an address in Price County
5-5-23: Received a report of theft from a local school district. A school representative stated a student was suspected of taking other students’ computer chargers and then offering to return them for a fee. An officer and a school official investigated the report.
5-8-23: Received a report of an altercation that occurred at a nursing home in the City of Phillips. This matter is under investigation.
5-9-23: Received information from a local school about inappropriate online messaging that had occurred between students the previous evening. Some of the information revealed nude photos which may have been requested and exchanged. An officer and a school representative spoke with multiple students regarding the report. The information will be forwarded to the Price County Sheriff's Office for further investigation.
5-9-23: Informed by a citizen of a fire that had occurred at a local building . The officer was informed that citizens had put the fire out. The officer investigated the situation and identified the source of the fire. One juvenile was referred to the Price County Human Services Department
5-22-23: Received a report of a UTV that crashed into a resident's yard in the City of Phillips. An officer spoke with the male individual who stated he had been drinking. The male was transported for medical evaluation. The male was cited for Operating a UTV While Intoxicated.
5-24-23: Received a report of an intoxicated male walking around in a trailer park in the City of Phillips. An officer and Price County sheriff’s deputies located the male and observed the male was highly agitated and would not comply with law enforcement. The male individual backed away from officers and pulled a knife on the officers. Officers advised the male individual to drop the knife, and the male did so and then ran from law enforcement. Officers apprehended him and placed him under arrest.
5-25-23: Responded to a report of individuals on top of the Phillips High School. An officer responded and met with staff. Staff reported other acts of vandalism which had occurred at the school. The officer met with a group of students suspected of being involved. The students agreed to clean up the vandalism.
5-26-23: Responded to assist the Price County Sheriff's Office and Phillips Fire Department with a vehicle fire south of the City of Phillips. An officer responded and was able to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher.
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PARK FALLS POLICE DEPARTMENT
5-2-23: An officer responded to storage units for the report of a fire. When an officer arrived on scene, he found the fire had been put out by the reporting party.
5-4-23: Two officers responded to a report of an assault that just occurred, and the suspect had left the scene. One male was arrested for battery and disorderly conduct.
5-7-23: Received a complaint from a female stating she is being harassed by another person concerning an upcoming court case.
5-9-23: There was property damage where a vehicle struck a building.
5-10-23: A woman came to the police department to report a hit and run on her vehicle.
5-11-23: Officers responded to a motel to speak with a sex offender who violated his offender conditions out of Kentucky. Officers reported the information back to the Kentucky probation and parole agent.
5-13-23: Report of a heavily intoxicated male pounding on the reporting party's door. An officer assisted the person to his destination
5-15-23: A deer jumped through a window and became stuck inside an office in the paper mill. An officer used a catchpole to free the deer from the building and let it loose outside. See related story.
5-17-23: There was a report from a citizen of a bobcat in the area. The caller was concerned as the animal has been sighted several times, and there are numerous children and small dogs that live in the neighborhood.
5-18-23: A concerned citizen informed an officer of juveniles damaging play equipment at a church.
5-19-23: An officer conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle. Upon making contact with the male suspect driver, an officer found the suspect to be a convicted felon and in possession of a concealed knife
5-21-23: A motorcycle versus car accident occurred in the parking lot of a hardware store.
5-21-23: An officer assisted a Price County deputy who arrested one intoxicated male suspect who struck a fire hydrant with a vehicle.
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In May 2023, Officer Jack Dietrich of the Park Falls Police Department received a call from Price County Dispatch. Dispatch received a call that a deer had jumped through the window at the former paper mill in Park Falls. The deer was reportedly stuck in the building.
When the officer arrived on scene, he saw a broken window on the lower level of the west side of the building.
"I looked through the broken window and saw a deer inside looking back at me," Officer Dietrich reported. "The deer was inside an office type room with the door shut. This office was a few feet below ground level, meaning the deer had jumped through the window and then fell through the ceiling panels. I saw these panels on the ground next to the deer. The deer made multiple attempts to run through the door to the office but was trapped inside. From what I could tell, the deer appeared virtually uninjured."
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Officer Dietrich contacted the property manager of the building. Once keys were obtained to access the office door, the officer entered the room with a catchpole and shut the door behind him to keep the deer inside. However, this caused the deer to become erratic. The officer was eventually able to capture the deer with the catchpole and walk it outside where it was released. It appeared to only suffer a minor flesh wound to its leg, likely obtained during the struggle in the room. However, the animal was able to run away from the scene.
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"North to Alaska" is the first story in this column. Click here to read it first.
Written by: Sandy Onchuck
Shortly after the July ’72 flight to Alaska, Dennis was determined to return to the land he had fallen in love with and homestead there. He spent months preparing for this adventure and was eager to see what awaited him in the last frontier. He planned to drive his parents’ old 1937 Pontiac, which they had purchased in the late ’50s for $85.00. Even the bravest of men might have rethought driving a vehicle that old on the Alcan Highway, but not Dennis.
He had the ole girl in tip-top shape, even replacing the fuel line hours before his departure. He had initially put Plexiglas over the windshield but almost got seasick driving to town and back and decided that was not a “go.” But he was prepared, from the screen bolted to the front bumper to protect the headlights and radiator to the homemade top carrier.
Once he decided to move he methodically began gathering equipment and gear that he would need to survive during his first year of the new life in the wilderness. This included a one-man cross-cut saw, axes, an adze for hewing logs to build a cabin, a spade, a hoe for gardening, and smaller hand tools for construction and other miscellaneous needs. Household items included cast iron frying pans and pots, a campfire stove, bed rolls, and kerosene lamps. He took three rifles, ammunition, a fishing rod and reel, several traps, and snowshoes.
He hoped to get some property near Mt. McKinley and live in a 9 x 12 camping tent while he was erecting a small log cabin. During the three months of Alaskan summer with all the daylight hours, he expected to accomplish a great deal; such as planting and harvesting a garden and building a cabin. I think his expectations at 25 were unrealistic, but the one thing that sets him apart from others is the fact he has always dreamed big and has accomplished more than the average man.
Many of the youth in the 1970s were disillusioned with life and just wanted to get away from it all. Dennis had no such thoughts. He loved life, but like many outdoorsmen, he just wanted to experience the wilderness. The trip to Alaska the previous year had sealed it for him, and the lure of the great outdoors was drawing him.
The last entry in his journal the night before he left Phillips read, ”Well, my friends, this is the last night I will be writing at the kitchen table until only the LORD knows. May HE lead and guide me through all I must face in the times ahead.”
It had been five days since he had left home and several days since he had crossed the border into Canada. He had enjoyed a brief visit in Minnesota with Charles and Juanita Peterson whom he had met the previous year when he and the guys had been stranded in Fort St. John. He was enjoying every minute as he traveled along. He was only a few miles east of Grand Prairie, Alberta when BOOM!!! The old Pontiac lunged forward. He frantically pumped the brake pedal but to no avail. It took all his strength just to keep it on the road until it coasted to a stop, which took at least half a mile. As he was struggling to keep it on the road his mechanic mind was trying to figure out what was going on. He thought maybe his fuel tank exploded, but no, the car was not on fire.
When he finally came to a stop he realized he was trapped. The driver’s side door was jammed and all the backseat contents were now scattered all over. All the boxed-up gear was pushed forward trapping him inside. It took a while but he finally managed to clear enough of the debris away from the passenger door and kick it open. After he finally exited and walked around the vehicle he was totally baffled about what had just happened…
....The story is "to be continued" in the next publication. Watch the Off the Road Again column for future stories.
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The Norvado Esports Grant Program has named Phillips High School as the first recipient of $25,000 to grow the school’s esports program, which is statewide, competitive-level video gaming. Principal Kevin Wellman explained, “Simply put, esports are video games that are played in a highly-organized, competitive environment. These games can range from popular, team-oriented, multi-player online battle arenas (MOBAs) to single player first-person shooters to survival battle royales to virtual reconstructions of physical sports.”
He continued, “Our school is a part of the WIHSEA (Wisconsin High School Esports Association). The titles are broken into three seasons: Fall, Winter, and Spring. The fall titles are Smite and Smash Bros.; winter titles are Rocket League and Fortnite; and spring titles consist of League of Legends and Valorant. Each of these titles are dependent on student participation. As this was our first season, we decided to ease into the seasons. We offered fall season to middle school but all three seasons to high school.”
Evan Evenson, coach of the team, shared, “This team means so much to the students, and this generous grant from Norvado is not only going to provide them with the technology that they need, but it’s also a great source of excitement that’ll bring their accomplishments to the attention and support of the whole school community.”
Nine of the players will be seniors next season, and several of them plan to transfer their interest into tech-related pursuits. Hayden Sokolowski, Class of 2024, said “Studying some of the most popular games and how they work can help with a future career in game design or programming. My goal is to become a video game programmer, and esports really helps with that.”
According to Norvado, “The funds will be used by the school to construct a competitive esports gaming facility on campus, enrich the students’ lives, and broaden their opportunities in high school and beyond."
In 2022, the team’s first year, the twelve participants used basic gaming equipment. With this grant, the team will expand to twenty or more players, and they will compete in all of the different seasons offered during the 2023-2024 school year. An esports area will also be developed, as well. Principal Wellman said, “We are looking for a suitable location in the 6-12 building. This would most likely be two separate locations, one for high school and one for middle school....Currently we are looking at a setup that could be possibly multi-use and allow for rearranging of space. There are many options out there, and we want to make sure we go with options that will allow the space to grow or be moved if need be. The physical setup would be computers, monitors, tables or desks, and chairs. This would also include the peripherals like keyboards and mice.”
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According to Norvado, “Programs like these provide local youth a multitude of new opportunities: team bonding; personal growth; scholarships; professional athletic careers,; and careers in the production, announcing, programming, support (IT and other), and broadcasting job markets.
Principal Wellman, added, “Esports have positive impacts on the average student as it encourages problem solving skills and enhances student communication with each other. The competition and teamwork allow students to bond and forge friendships in new opportunities. All of these working in conjunction have our students working well together and performing better in class.”
Chad Young, Norvado CEO, added, “This grant will provide the necessary funds to establish a cutting-edge gaming facility equipped with state-of-the-art technology. Additionally, with Norvado's high-speed fiber network, our local high school students will have the advantage of low latency, enabling them to compete at the highest level in the rapidly expanding world of esports. The opportunities for scholarships and careers in esports have grown significantly in recent years, and it's truly exciting to see Phillips High School equipped with a modern facility and the connectivity needed to fully develop the skills of our talented students.”
The Norvado Esports Grant Program is available to all schools that reside in a Norvado ILEC exchange and are serviceable by their fiber network. To learn more or apply for future funding, contact Norvado’s esports partner in the program, the MKEsports Alliance, at 414-690-2933 or email brandon@mkeesports.com.
This was quite an undertaking for these young fellows. The word got around about their departure plans, and they were surprised at the interest and the number of friends and family from Lugerville, Phillips, Park Falls, and even Ladysmith that came out to the airport to see them off.
While this adventurous trip has been long forgotten by the community, mainly because many of the family and friends involved have now passed on, still, I thought the readers of My Price County would enjoy this story from 50 years ago.
Jerry Niebauer, a Park Falls native and cousin to Dennis, was 26 at the time, and even though he had a history of motion sickness, he was gung-ho when Dennis approached him about this adventure.
The following paragraphs are his recollection of the trip: Even before reaching Aberdeen, SD we were enveloped by massive, dark clouds and being tossed around like a feather in the wind. Duane Grant and I were sitting in the back while Dave Tarcon was upfront in the right seat serving as the co-pilot/map reader. I couldn’t hear anything over the plane engine, but could tell Dennis was praying out loud for safety.
One of the most unforgettable moments happened when we were flying into Edmonton, Alberta. The Aberdeen airport was small with small airplanes. This airport was large, and I was fascinated by the large planes. I watched as Denny began the descent, and as we approached the landing strip, I could see something was wrong. I could tell something was happening that was making Denny and Dave quite excited. All along Denny was speaking with the tower as we were heading down for our landing, but again, because of engine noise, I couldn’t hear what messages were coming over the radio or Denny’s responses. I vaguely remember that at some point before touching down I understood that we were in communication with the tower for another airport. Yes, we were headed straight toward a landing strip at a major airport that wasn’t expecting us, and worse yet there was another airport somewhere in the city that had heard Denny announce that we were heading in for a landing, but we were nowhere in sight. Thankfully, before the wheels touched the ground, Denny and Dave realized this strategic error and Denny abruptly pulled the nose of the plane up and veered off to the right…or...left.. I couldn’t tell you which way or what happened after that.
Our planned route was to follow the Alcan up to Fort St. John in British Columbia and then fly into Watson Lake in the Yukon Territory before flying on to Alaska. We made it to Fort St. John before our *best-laid plan* hit a snag. A weather system moved in and since we were relying on visibility and not equipped with radar, we were forced to hunker down - and for 3 days we did. We spent long hours visiting with other stranded pilots, checking the weather, and playing cards. We slept in our sleeping bags on the concrete floor in a large hangar. I don't remember if we could buy meals from vending machines, but I do recall we shared a tea bag way too many times to really call it tea.
We, along with several other pilots, did attempt to leave Fort St. John and fly up a river valley beneath the clouds into Watson Lake. We were able to fly quite a distance, but eventually, the valley wall got higher or the clouds came down farther, and we hit a wall of thick, white fluffy clouds. This entailed a fast banking swoop to the left following the other 4 or 5 other planes. It also entailed the pulling out of the long plastic bag. I didn't have to use it, but I did feel green.
But that was when Denny and three other pilots decided to put together a plan to fly east around the weather system rather than following the Alcan. The positive part of this plan was that we could fly east to Great Slave Lake and then follow the mighty Mackenzie River up to the Arctic Circle and Inuvik, Canada.
The sky was clear and the sun shined brightly as we flew east to Great Slave Lake. From there we flew to Ft. Simpson. I don't recall where the airport was located, but I remember that landing well. We were the second of the four planes to attempt a landing. As Denny tipped down and approached the runway, he animatedly called our attention to the airstrip. It was not grass or hard-packed sand, but MUD, lots of it….Deep, soft, dangerous MUD. Denny quickly had me and Duane pull out the sleeping bags behind us and place them between us and the front seat. Obviously, Denny wasn’t sure how this landing was going to turn out. The plane in front of us hit the mud, lost control, and spun off to the right. We were next. We made it and were safe, but the airplane did not fare as well.
* This is what Dennis recorded in his journal about this landing: Thankfully, the Apache didn’t flip, but the nose gear retraction link was bent because of the mud. From that point on there was a loud bang every time the landing gear was retracted. Needless to say, the takeoff from there was one muddy mess. He also noted that while the hold-up in Fort St. John and the messy landing at Fort Simpson were not fun, the friendships made there were wonderful.
Both Jerry and Dennis agree the rest of the northerly trip up the magnificent Mackenzie River to the small Eskimo village of Inuvik in the Northwest Territory, Canada was uneventful and the scenery was awesome. They arrived around midnight in the land of the never-setting sun to find the whole village outside and wide awake. The adults were congregating in groups talking, and the dogs and kids were running around playing games and making lots of noise like children do everywhere (just not at midnight). They put up their tent and tried sleeping with the sun shining and zillions of mosquitoes buzzing around the tent door.
From the Inuvik, they flew diagonally to Fairbanks, then on to Talkeetna, Alaska. Duane Grant was 16 at the time, and he recalls this being one of the highlights of the trip. Someone drove them to a place on Fish Creek owned by a lady named Evil Alice (named such because she was a fighter against corruption in government). The Salmon were running, a sight none of the fellows had ever witnessed. They had a blast using landing nets to scoop up a ton of fish and the next morning they enjoyed a breakfast feast prepared by the owners of the Talkeetna Motel who graciously cooked up the catch from the day before.
Unbeknownst to the guys at the time, Dave’s parents had been notified in the middle of the night by an FAA official their plane had been reported as missing. This was 1972, years before cell phones and the Internet, so the fellows had no communication with home until they arrived in Anchorage. The call had come from a former Kennan native, Fran Balsis, who was an official of the FAA in Eau Claire. He must have gotten on this immediately and tracked the guys down because neither Dave nor his sister, Cindy, remember their folks being traumatized. Dennis remembers the error came because a Canadian air controller failed to cancel a changed flight plan.
A highlight for all of the guys was flying close to Mt. McKinley, presently known as Denali. An incredible view few people will ever enjoy.
When I asked Dave Tarcon what he remembered about this trip he humorously wrote: The trip was either too uneventful or too traumatic to think about. I do remember meeting Tennessee Ernie Ford in the terminal restroom. He was using the urinal next to me, and we discussed the fishing vacation he was on. He was shorter than he looked on TV, but he was a real gentleman. *Only Dave!
He also wrote this: FYI, the Piper Apache is unique in that it does not require a "key" to start the engines. Unfortunately, we experienced this fact after we took off from Homer Airport with the "keys" hanging from the baggage door lock. We enjoyed our second visit to Homer on the same day.
Another mishap occurred after one of their stops that was a little disconcerting. They had no more than gotten airborne when the door flew open on the Apache because they failed to lock it on takeoff. Dennis wrote in his journal that it was all they could do to manage to get it partially shut and keep the aircraft under control. So he circled around, landed, shut the door, and took off again.
After visiting Dave’s relatives in Anchorage for a few days, they headed back to Phillips. All in all it had been a great trip. Despite the delays and mishaps, the guys had a great time, and several weeks after their return over 60 people gathered at the Lugerville School to watch their slides and hear all about their adventure.
This Alaskan adventure changed the direction of Dennis' life forever. On March 30, 1973, he recorded these words in his journal: Well, my friends, as I pen these words, I am no longer an employee of the Price County Highway Dept. However, I feel that the good Lord is with me 100%, and I look forward to whatever befalls me with a courage that is great and strong, and I pray I will never falter.
He left for Alaska on April 24, 1973 to follow his heart. He never looked back or regretted that decision. I will be sharing more of his Off the Road Again stories in the Off the Road Again Column on My Price County.
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