Alaska, 1990, pt. 1

Homer, AK, 1990.

In early 1990, my friend Paul and I began exploring options for an interesting summer job. Nothing stood out until Paul mentioned his aunt in Alaska and the possibility of working up there. Without hesitation, we decided to fly to Alaska and try our luck in the seafood industry for the summer.

At the time, Paul was a far more seasoned traveler than I was. In fact, it was my very first time on a plane. Alaska made an immediate and lasting impression on me. I was captivated by the sight of mountains in every direction, even in the heart of the city. I also fell in love with the cool summer climate and the eccentric people who called Alaska home.

Before the trip, I brought along a lantern, fully expecting to do some serious camping. Little did I know that Alaska barely gets dark in the summer! Fortunately, we were able to store the lantern at Paul’s aunt’s house.

We also bought a beat-up old car, which we affectionately named "The Abomination." It came with four studded tires for winter, though they weren’t much use during the summer. Thankfully, Paul’s aunt kindly allowed us to store those at her house as well.

The "pup tent", Working for Anne & Mean Gene, Ol' Tom Adams, & Claudia w/ customized rubber boots.

When it came to finding employment, we were completely winging it. Ultimately, we decided to drive out to Homer, where we set up camp on the Homer Spit—a 4.5-mile stretch of land jutting into the ocean. From there, we went door to door looking for work until a company called Keener Packing hired us to dig a ditch.

As it turned out, they initially planned to fire us once the ditch was dug. But, for whatever reason, they took a liking to us and decided to keep us on. We quickly became known as "the Pups" by everyone there, a nod to our complete lack of knowledge about fish or Alaska. Our campsite was affectionately dubbed "the Pup Tent."

Salty Dawg saloon, Paul from California, Melissa, Kennicott, the abandoned mining town.

We stayed in Homer through early July, eagerly anticipating the Fourth of July fireworks display over the ocean. However, the spectacle fell short of our expectations—Alaska’s endless summer daylight made it difficult to enjoy fireworks without the contrast of a dark sky.

By then, we realized we weren’t saving any money, so we decided to try our luck in the salmon fisheries of Valdez, which were rumored to offer plenty of overtime. Some of our co-workers at Keener knew the plant managers at Nautilus Marine. One of them even ran dog sleds with one of the foremen during the winter. They planned to meet us there, as we all prepared to jump ship from Keener.

Continued @ Alaska, 1990, pt. 2

Alaska, 1990, pt. 2

Kennicott, 1990.

On the road to Valdez, we took a 60-mile detour to visit McCarthy and Kennicott, an abandoned mining town. It wasn’t the most convenient stop, but we figured if we didn’t check it out then, when would we? The journey involved a treacherous 30-mile drive down a rough dirt road in the middle of nowhere. By the time we reached McCarthy, we had managed to ruin two tires.

Getting to McCarthy is an adventure in itself; you have to cross a river on a hand tram. So, we lugged our flat tire across the river and found a guy on the other side who specialized in tire repair. To our surprise, he fixed the tire for a surprisingly low fee. Considering how far we were from civilization, he could have charged us anything, but instead, he was shockingly fair.

McCarthy itself had a population of barely twenty-something people. It was quaint, but also a bit eerie, especially considering the dark history: years ago, a resident computer programmer went on a rampage, shooting up the town and taking out half the population, which amounted to about ten people. A real testament to the wild side of life in the Alaskan wilderness!

Plant foreman, "Mad" Max, Paul processing, me processing, & me on boat.

Well, after a pit stop in Anchorage, we finally made it to Valdez. We arrived with recommendations for Nautilus Marine, feeling confident with solid references and mutual acquaintances with some of the plant management. However, as it turned out, in the middle of salmon season, Nautilus hires just about anybody.

Icing salmon on the dock, working & playing in the ice house, packing w/ Erin.

Nautilus was hard work and long hours, but it was also a lot of fun. Every week, the community would host "The Feed" at a local church, where fishery workers from all around could come for a free meal. We also made it a point to have a drink at the bar where Captain Hazelwood got drunk before causing the Exxon Valdez oil spill.

Continued from Alaska, 1990, pt. 1

Grandma Hazel

Grandma Hazel in 1990.

Grandma Hazel, remembered by her children and grandchildren on the Gilliomville messageboard:

When Uncle Jon was a kid, he and Grandma Hazel witnessed a bunch of Mexicans drive by in a tomato truck. Hazel told him to stay away from Mexicans, “because they carry knives.”

Grandma would let us buy Cracked and Crazy magazines, but she thought Mad was "naughty.” I don't know what she saw in that magazine at some point in the past, but she definitely didn't like it. She'd check the titles before we went through our drugstore (Hooks) checkout and would not, under any circumstances, let us buy an issue of Mad magazine.

I remember those Vitamin Cs that Grandma used to give out (and she would encourage you to take several) that were supposed to help make you healthier. They tasted a lot like Sweet Tarts.

We'd often drop by Dairy Queen and she'd say, "If you're good, I'll get you a Mr. Misty; you can have any flavor except for red.” When asked why we couldn't get a red one, she said it’s because, "red makes kids hyper.” I’m Surprised Grandma didn't start an organization called GARP - Grandmas Against Red Pop.

She was also always predicting a HORRIBLE winter. She would say, "some lady says..."

Thanks for talking about Grandma Gilliom on here. I checked the board last night before I went to bed and last night I had a dream about her. Her hair was perfect.

Does anyone else remember seeing Grandma without her hair piece? She'd comb her hair out all crazy just before an appointment. I didn't see her like that very often, and it scared me to death.

Yeah! She looked wild without her wig on! Like a whole different person - an old witch! Her wig made her look much more poised and civilized.

Grandma Hazel used to whip up huge batches of caramel popcorn in the kitchen sink – she’d make caramel popcorn balls out of it. It was always a huge event when she’d do that.

I think we Gillioms have a special love for McDonalds due to Grandma Hazel. How many times she took Adam and me to Mikky Dees I couldn't tell you. but each time I was just as excited as the first time. That's what Happy Meals do to you. Ya know, I still order a good Happy Meal every now and then depending on how hungry I am.

Hazel used to LOVE McDonald's ice cream cones. She'd go there specifically for an ice cream cone. Breakfast too. Nowadays, I'm a big fan of the breakfast sandwich, but with Hazel we'd get the sit-down meals. Hazel wasn't one to eat on the run.

I remember when Grandma lived at Capri Meadows and you could see McDonald's from her window. Sometimes, when it was kind of late and we were thinking about making an ice cream cone run, she would tell me to, "check and see if the golden arches are lit up."

When she moved to the next place, we could actually WALK to McD's! That was even better. Vanilla ice cream cones and late night Skip-Bo...that brings back memories.

I think she quit cooking after she moved to the apartment. I remember
walking to McDonalds and Dairy Queen after that. She was big on
DQ banana splits.

Yeah - I remember her having meals delivered by the "Schwann Man" when she was living at the apartment. She was delighted by how good the food was.

I remember Dad saying he was in McDonalds with Grandma Hazel one time and she exclaimed (real loud like she did), "There sure are a lot of black people in here”!  Dad was real embarrassed and told her firmly, "Mom, if you don't settle down, I'm going to leave.” Grandma responded, "Well...There are!”

Grandma Gilliom was usually a really good cook. Her pancakes were excellent, but when it came to eggs, she always cooked the yolks really hard and you couldn't dip them. Uncle Jon and Uncle Rick used to comment a lot about, "mom's eggs."

For breakfast, I remember Grandma used to make us chocolate chip pancakes at the trailer.

And peanut butter spread on hot toast. That's another thing she got me into.

I love peanut butter on toast. I always thought it was weird when she did it, but it goes so well with coffee.

Remember when egg McMuffins first came out and Hazel decided to make them herself at home?

I was amazed at that. The McMuffin seemed like such a new thing and here Grandma Hazel mimics it instantly. I probably just wasn't familiar with English muffins at that point in time, so I was amazed that she made them just like McDonalds. I guess I thought if she made them at home, she would have to use bread or buns or something. They were an immediate favorite. She made those for years.

Remember when she used to make those doughnuts out of canned biscuits? A few years ago I called Mom and said, "I miss Grandma Gilliom. I think it's high time the great grandchildren experience her doughnuts." I can't say that the girls were terribly impressed.

Farm Aid IV

The Gilliom Bros @ Farm Aid IV, Indianapolis Hoosier Dome; April 7, 1990. We were so excited to see Lou Reed. 

Farm Aid IV, in the parking garage.

We made banners out of old pillowcases celebrating Farm Aid on one side and Lou Reed on the other. 

There was extra space left in one corner and Todd wanted to add something in the spirit of Farm Aid, so he wrote, "Green Beans!" One of the banners also said, "Up with crops!"

Performances by: Bonnie Raitt, John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, Carl Perkins, Arlo Guthrie, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, Guns N' Roses, KT Oslin, Iggy Pop, Gorky Park, Garth Brooks, John Denver, Bill Monroe, Alan Jackson, Asleep at the Wheel, Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Poco, Elton John, Lou Reed, Don Henley, Taj Mahal and more.