I am back!

I know it has been awhile but I was home enjoying a month with my wife!!! I got to see my Mama and Papa Johnson and over all recovered from the academy. Graduation went great, it was a honor to graduate with that class and my speech I was so nervous about turned out good (so I am told) If anyone of you wants to see it email me and I will send you the clip of it.

I do have to make a shout out to Commander Overby and Lt Overby, the heads of the academy. They were exactly what I need as leaders and more importantly as friends through the academy. They were mother and father figures. They were the support I needed being so far from home. The other great support was the Thor family who hosted me while I was in Mt Vernon. They were my host mom, dad and sister. I look fwd to staying in touch with all of them!

OK so here is a 2 day update I have pre-typed on word. Oh Yah, I have no cell phone service but roaming, I can be reached at the Ranger office but if you want to talk with me it has to be set up ahead of time and happen after hours. There is no wi-fi connections here so I am in the office now at almost 10pm just to get online. Though I can't use facebook here :( Get a hold of Janelle to get my address and the office number here and email me and I can set up a time to be in the office when you call. Difficult situation huh? best option??? COME VISIT ME!!!!!!!!! :) OK here is the pre-typed stuff!

Summer at Kalaloch 2009

Day 1 (one of my 2 days off this week)
I arrived in Kalaloch around 6 pm the Sunday before my first day of work. I will be staying in the Bunk House this summer. It’s like a college dormitory for 12. We all have a small room connected to a bathroom connected to who-ever our roommate ends up being. There is a bed in which my feet hang off the end of it, a chair and a dressor in the closet. This being my first season I am the low man on the totem pole so the other Rangers have individual apartments.

Wow I miss my wife already!

I met one of my “teammates” Dylan, he seems like a cool guy. He worked here last year, this is his second season. Tomorrow, Dylan and I will start a drive to Port Angeles at 0800. We will then fill out paper work and get issued our badges, uniform, utility belts and anything else we may need.

I have been trained for this summer, and I am ready for it but I am really curious to see what it has for me. I am in the lobby area of the bunk house trying to cook a pizza without a pizza pan. Lets hope it doesn’t stick cause I am hungry!!

I think the off time for a while may be a little grueling for me, but who knows. I am so used to staying busy and I am already trying to figure out what to do, hince me writing 2 hours after I have arrived.

I also met two nice people names James and Hanna. They are border Rangers, I believe they go around the border of the park and add, change and take down signs so the park is properly marked. They do this so hunters don’t come from the National Forest into the park “accidently” and just so people know what is legal and illegal. They spend a lot of time in the woods but not on trails.

By the way my pizza cooked just fine, I will have the other half for breakfast or lunch, so I guess I am done with information for the day, I am going to eat my pizza and maybe read, I don’t know maybe I will go for a night walk on the beach but I’ll probably just get to bed early!

Day 2 (My first day)
Dylan and I left for P.A at 0800. I learned a lot more about him. He has been married the same amount of time Janelle and I have, and he has a little baby boy. He is into fishing and shrimping, oysters, clams etc.. his parents live on the water in Olympia and “breed” them. (I am sure that is the wrong word for it) This is his second summer here. He will be a good guy to work with. My whole team seems pretty awesome, my boss Heather seems to be really cool, she has been a permanent since 2001 here, so I look to learn a lot from her.

In P.A Dylan and I met with Heather and then did the tour of the main offices meeting all the administration people and high up people. Everyone was really kind. As I said for yesterday I filled out paperwork, got keys, uniforms and most of my utility belt put together, No bullets yet I have to pass qualifications on Thursday and no taiser till I get that class over again.

Tomorrow George, who works in Quinalt area will pick me up at 0745 and he will show me the deal over there, I most likely will also be working in Quinalt every now and then. That should be exciting. We will see what it feel like to wear my bullet proof vest for a whole day.

So had the other half of my pizza for dinner then I went for THE JOG!!!

THE JOG:
My first jog in Kalaloch, and I can say it will be easy to get motivated for the second jog. I jogged 3.65 miles today according to my GPS and it was amazing. I jogged across the street through the Kalaloch Lodge parking lot and down onto the beach. I started heading North but quickly ran into the Kalaloch river, not shallow enough to cross. So I jogged South. As I was jogging I started looking out across the ocean. Big waves were crashing in, it was a little windy with light sprinkles but it felt great!! The waves were powerful and noisy, I could hear them even if my headphones on. The clouds were a light blue mixed to a light grey and bubbly and wavey yet full, no breaks. I started preying as I jogged just thanking God for everything in my life and for such a beautiful place, the only thing that would of made it perfect was having my wife there jogging next to me. It was breath taking. As I finished praying I noticed a large Eagle playing in the wind. I have always thought to myself that seeing a eagle was good luck and a answer to a prayer. It sent chills down my back. Not 50 yards later I looked out to the ocean and saw a seal with his head popped up watching me as the waves crashed over him. (We had a moment) Next thing I knew I was 2 miles into the jog, oops I only wanted to jog 2 miles so I headed back. On the way back there were these little birds. They were the size of sparrows yet the had a long thin beak they plucked the sand with, as I got closer they would fly 20 yards ahead of me and continue what they were doing. There was about 50 of them so when they flew together it looked pretty cool. They did this about 5 times before they decided to turn and fly around me the other way. What a amazing jog!!

When I got back to the base I went and worked out in the gym. They have a really nice gym and I think working out will be a good time abuser.

So here I am now showered refreshed and enjoying a little scotch on the rocks. Life is good and the highlight will come when I walk to the station to go talk on the phone with Janelle and share my story and hear hers.

God Bless You All!

P.S Sorry for any typo’s I am not proof reading ☺