😎💚🎸🎵🎤♬🐟 @ Mile 14

There's no doubt that time goes faster as you get older...but I got it figured, it just SEEMS faster because of your lifetime of routines. So, the only way to slow down the years to come is by changing your routines. And that's what I'm going full steam at, 100 %....The future of my writing here at Mile 14 is that I really am going to put a book together about what I've learned in 37 years of guiding, the ' Guides Guide' if you will. So in each edition of Mile 14 I'm going to have short delivery of things I've learned and things that have helped me get through so many high stress bedlam inducing seasons on the world famous. So here's my first big tip for guiding success....

1. Nascar... Yup, Nascar. I found this sport in the early 90's when I was launching at full blast everyday. Up at 4:00, in the boat at 5:00 , lines in the water at 6:00, clean fish at 11:30, on the river with new crew at 12:30, clean fish and the boat at 6:00, eat supper at 8:00, asleep at 9:00 ( sometimes) then repeat and repeat and re..... It was no wonder I was stressed out and needed rest on my Sunday off the river. So that's the miracle of Nascar, if you can't sleep through one of those darn things you are a basket case insomniac. And the beautiful thing about Nascar is that you can sleep for an hour and wake up and nothing's changed, it's impossible to miss something important, they just keep circling and circling and... Now my Dad was a great Sunday sleeper and his venue of choice was Golf but I gotta tell ya , Nascar is the pro guides choice , the king of white noise.

How's that for a gorgeous object to celebrate your retirement with ? I posted this pic on Facebook and had over 100 people wish me well, I'm stunned and sooooo flattered that all my years were important years. My friend John Adams and Bill Church along with so many more others left me wonderful wishes by e-mail as well...And if you're reading this Robin thank you so much for the wonderful bottle of limited edition Crown Royal, turns out I'm not allergic to it like I used to think I was... and it makes me sing like a songbird. To ALL of you that read this thank you so much, I feel fulfilled because of you.

someone even left me a message on the sidewalk

The 2018 season wasn't without it's share of weirdnesses but the retirement bonus was this fall. We had the most gorgeous fall weather anybody can remember. We even still have leaves on the trees and some are still even a bit green just like the real world in October in the lower 48. This pic is two days old...

2018 at Mile 14 was good enough that we 'made our season' as us Alaskan says but it wasn't exceptional either. But it looks like some of our neighbors and especially the moose have thrived on the summer and fall of 18...

Every October we wait in line for our ' drive through' flu shots that Central Peninsula Hospital generously and creatively dispense. So this year because of the summer of road construction model we were routed differently and ended up in a 2 lane line up. Well the guy next to us in the jun...er...vintage truck kept starting and stopping the engine and sure enough ran out of gas while waiting. Bummer. But this is Alaska and you're never without help around here. They pushed him off and then he drove through with his flu shot neighbors. AND, the security guys got a little bonus cardio workout. I felt bad for the guy. Really. 

I hope you come back.  I'll have a guide tip every week until I run out of secrets. There will be a story every where we go just like the stickers on this Eurovan that was at the Brewery yesterday, I'm headed the same direction as you buddy. And I'll play you a song on that beautiful flamed Maple semi hollowbody electric guitar....JK