I’ll admit I might find myself star struck if I had a chance to meet Sandra Bullock, J.A. Jance, or President Trump to name a few. But I was truthfully more excited to meet the Meierotto family from Alaska. 
I’m not a snow person, but I do have respect for the tough lifestyle of a lot of Alaskans live. Especially Marty Meierotto and his family from the History channels’ Mountain Man series. Dan and I have followed their life over the past six seasons. Marty is a trapper in Alaska and supports his wife and daughter with his trapper lifestyle. He’s the first to say this lifestyle has kept his family in financial ruins, but regardless, it’s a good life and he has a wonderful family to share it with. Dan and I had the pleasure of meeting and having dinner with this nice family during the National Trappers Association Convention in Escanaba, Michigan. Dan was born and raised in upper Michigan and has river property in Cornell. We worked out our schedule to be on the property when the convention was going on so we could enjoy this event.
After dinner, Marty graciously did a Q&A for us. He answered questions ranging from how he was approached to do the show to what he ate for breakfast…which, as it turns out, are pancakes – every morning. As the story goes Marty wrote for a trappers magazine and was approached by a writer from Field and Stream who was interested in having him be featured on the Mountain Man show. From what I gleaned it wasn’t the quick “sure, I’d love to do a show” that the Field and Stream writer was hoping for, but an agreement was eventually made. Mainly because Marty was motivated to show trapping in a more positive light. He now has one to two cameras following him around a few weeks at a time during his trapping season. I may not have all of my facts down pat, but you get the idea.
Marty flies a very small plane to his trapping areas. There have been moments watching the show that I was likely more nervous than Marty as he flew his plane in weather I wouldn’t even want to be walking in. Though when I hear Marty say “crap” I’ve wondered how that episode would end…but so far so good. He’s such an experienced pilot there is no doubt he knows what he’s doing, but Mother Nature sometimes tries to throw him curve balls that have made me close my eyes and hope for the best. There have been times on his snowmobile where he has found himself stranded in the snow and cold. And though he keeps extra parts and tools, it can be hours working in such cold conditions I can’t imagine tolerating. Of course, Marty has no choice but to push forward with any situation thrown his way. Dan, a lover of snow machines, asked which machine Marty preferred, his new one, or his old Tundra II – and as Dan suspected he likes his Tundra II over the newer model. Likely because he can strap the body of the machine under the belly of his plane, pack the rest inside, and fly his machine wherever he needs it.
Originally from Wisconsin Marty still considers himself a “cheesehead.” Another fun fact is when I introduced myself to Marty, his wife, Dominique, and his daughter, Noah, I told them my name is CJ which was short for Cecily Jane, Noah smiled saying her middle name was Jane too. And Dominique said it was her mom’s middle name as well. A simple common threads that will always make me smile. Noah was two days shy of turning twelve the day of the dinner and was excited because her birthday present was a trip with her dad for her first Dall sheep hunt. Not what most twelve-year-olds I know would be excited about, but this is the lifestyle she is happy to learn while she is young and can carry through her life. According to the shows I watch Alaska is a lot about hunting, trapping, and surviving the brutal weather…and this young lady is ready to learn.
Marty continued to answer questions ranging from how he traps wolverines to trapping martins, which are his bread and butter. This family came all the way from Alaska to share their life with us and did not accept a dime for there time. They are sweet, humble and kind people, regardless of having to live in the limelight. If you watch the show I can guarantee Marty’s laugh is as genuine off camera as it is on. What a treat it was for Dan and me to meet such a wonderful, down to earth family.
To my surprise, after dinner, they had a prize drawing and I won a photo of Marty, Dominique, and Noah with Mt. McKinley in the background, which all three graciously autographed for me. Marty also gave us a personal autograph. It’s a memory we will treasure forever. Our travels have given us opportunities I never thought I’d have, and they just keep happening so I’ll keep capturing these memories as long as possible. Thank you for letting me share them with all of you.
Wow…where has the time gone. After Sav’s graduation, Dan headed off to Michigan where I’ll meet up with him on the 23rd, so the Gypsy Tour became a man down. I stayed so I could scoop up more family time. My daughter, Kristin, two of my sisters, and I headed off for Portland to enjoy the Portland Saturday Market. When we got to the hotel it was so loud we were struggling to hear the desk clerk. Found out we picked the weekend that the Waterfront Blues Festival was going on…right across the street from the hotel we were staying…yep, two events to fill our weekend.
Friday night we were all pretty tired from our road travel so we opted to find a nice…quiet…restaurant and have dinner. It was worth the walk (which we needed after being in a car all day) to enjoy such fine cuisine. 
It was fabulous. From the wine to the dessert my palette was very happy. The next day was spent enjoying all the items the artists had on display. This is my second time visiting the Portland Saturday Market. I have such an appreciation for the heart and soul artists put into their craft. Everything from decorative wood boxes to some of the finest jewelry your eyes can take in. But the adventure didn’t stop there. After a rest and another good dinner, Kristin treated us to the Waterfront Blues Festival so we were able to enjoy the experience first hand. What an amazing evening. I really enjoyed one of the blues singers, Ruthie Foster. Her voice and energy were so great I purchased two of her CD’s, which she autographed. I decided to ask Ruthie Foster if she would take a picture with me, so here we are…
– she was so humble and sweet. If you get a chance, look up her music and take a listen. After a full day Saturday…happy and exhausted we headed home Sunday morning back to Washington. It was an amazing weekend. Of course, when you are with such great ladies how could you not enjoy your time.
The following Tuesday, my sister, Marianna, and I headed for Canada for a little more sister time. We spent two days in Chilliwack visiting our sister, Erica, and then on Thursday the three of us headed to Hope where we met Fred (Erica’s boyfriend). It was great getting to know Fred and to see life in the Hope area. 
Low-and-behold, Jamie Davis, the owner of the towing company from Highway Thru Hell – one of my reality favs, is just down the road. 
And to top it off, Fred is the key person that was responsible for having Rambo filmed in the area. We ate lunch in the pub, Silver Chalice, where filming was done. The movie also featured the Othello Tunnels…yes, I’m wearing my “fan” hat right now…but, hey, it’s pretty cool…right?
Today I spent a nice afternoon with my sister-in-law, Judy, niece, Amanda, and her new husband, Terry. Catching up on the post-wedding news and enjoying the peaceful river environment. My last week will be filled with busy times of visiting more friends and overnight stays at my sister’s…so it will continue to fly by as if time doesn’t know how to stand still…and I love every minute of it.
I’ll be leaving on the 23rd, and will miss all my family and friends so much, but I’ll be off on another adventure with Dan so that is always a positive. A big thank you to everyone that made this home visit so special. I’ll be back in a few months. Until then…love to you all.