Oak Hill Lane Cellars

[ibglowin]

Wait, you can't just pop in here and drop that bomb on us and then disappear! We want details buddy!

My father in law owns a nice fishing lodge in Ketchikan called SliverKing Lodge. We finally went up a few years back as they had a family reunion at the lodge. Had a blast. Did you know it rains there....

 

[rrawhide]

ok ok ok!!!!
My son, Ryan, is taking me fishing to Alaska July 28-Aug 6th. We are going to the www.gonefishinlodge.com in Soldotna, Ak. We are going on the Alaska Bonzana package. We will fish for it all: silver salmon, sockeye, rainbow trout, artic grayling, halibut, ling cod and more. You can look at the package and see what we are doing each day - even a fly-in floatplane trip. Hope to bring back at least 100# of fish. Going to be fun and am looking way forward to it. Be nice to have a little cooler weather too!!! By the way, there is a winery in Homer called www.bearcreekwinery.com .(see you can do this 'hobby' anywhere!!!)
We are gonna check it out!!!


More later - just remember, you can take time for fishing too!!!!!!


rrawhide

 

[Runningwolf]

Rich have a great time. That has to be on a lot of people's bucket list. Looking forward to seeing lots of pictures and success stories.
Just remember if you find bells and whistles on the paths, the bears have already been fed.

 

[ibglowin]

Awesome!

 

[fivebk]

How big is your suitcase??????

BOB

 

[robie]

I clicked on your bearcreekwinery.com entry. Looks like a fun place to visit.
Have a great time.

 

[rrawhide]

we are only taking 1 carry-on each with 4-5 days of clothes. The lodge has a laundry area so we will wash 1 time. We are saving our checked baggage (2) for boxes of fish (50#'s each) for each of us. So, the fish (you see I am being positive) will come back on the plane with us (will be flash frozen and hard as a brick) and will last the flights (6 hours) and a 3 hours drive from Fresno to Springville. Anyway, this is the plan. The lodge recommends NOT bringing any fishing gear - period!!! All gear is included for all the fishing and they have lots of extras and extra parts in case something breaks down....... If you bring your own stuff and it breaks - oh well - no time or parts to work on it. IF we want to do some extra fishing on our own we can rent gear from them or go to Fred Meyers Store and purchase some cheapie stuff!!! Makes perfect sense to me. Costco had a 21" rolling duffle for $25 and this is what we are all taking. Plenty of room.
So this is the plan, so far!!!!!


More to come - if you want to whet your whistle go to www.gonefishinglodge.com and click on some of their videos at the bottom of the page and you will see what you will be doing when you GO!!!


rick

 

[rrawhide]

Chapter 2 or so!!!! Had a wonderful time in Alaska.  Did bring back over 135# of halibut and salmon.  The weather on the water was pretty rough so we did not get to fish for the reef fish and we worked for the halibut.  Ever try to bring up a 'barn door' from 250 feet underwater?  You just crank and crank and crank and then you crank so more.  We all caught our limits (3) and the largest was 48#.  Perfect eating size.  After cranking for quite awhile we are glad that they were not 100#'s or so.  They get some 300# once in a while. The silver salmon were wonderful fighters and averaged 6-10#'s.  Great eating fish and well as the halibut.  I think that i like the halibut just a tad better!!!!  Not much though!!!!
 
 

our home
 

 fly out trip for silver salmon - landed on river - great flight
Cessa Citation - 9 place
 

 he dropped us off and left!!!
 

 wonderful time with the silvers - me - john - son Ryan
 

 
we always had eagles watching over us!! 

 
tried to move to proper sequence but would not let me.  Anyway, left picture is typical Alaska tundra and lots and lots of water.
 
Right, the cleaned silver salmon.
 
 
 

 our freezer - about 135# of halibut and salmon. 
 

 
 me with halibut and lots of extra clothes - was cooooooolllllld and wet with 6-8' foot waves.  Lots of bouncing around - just like on a rodeo bull but this laster longer than 8 seconds!!!
 

 
skipper cleaning all the halibut on trip back  

 
 
 waiting for us at the gate of the logde.
 
Had a wonderful wonder trip with my son and best friend.
 
Stay tuned for chaper 3!!!  Next!!

 

[rrawhide]

Chapter 3.




Wonderful Alaska trip - but the next day did not feel tooooo well so went to the doctor. After checking everything, he decided I needed more!!! So, that week lots more testing and on Friday after a nuclearstress test and cardiac sonogram I was given the 'news'. A 99% blocked right coronary artery and a low output heart (ie: pump). So Monday am was in Bakersfield Heart Hospital for an angiogram and then a 3/4" stent was installed. I am completely open now!!!! yeh!!!


But, the low output heart can not be repaired except with diet and exercise - maybe, but probably not!!! Every one who reads this post there is what is called and ejection fraction rating for your heart. Most people are between 50-80. Mine is 23. So, cannot lift over 25-30#'s and must stay below 4000 feet elevation. Bummer - our High Sierra Annual Fishing trip is the end of October - this is 7500-10500 feet so that is out. Lots of thin air up there and not good for a weak heart (pump). And, we were going to Lake Tahoe after Christmas this year for a family thing!! Nope, gotta go somewhere else.


Anyway, here is a news broadcast for you all - MY LOW OUTPUT HEART PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY LIFESTYLE!!!!! EATING TOO MUCH AND NOT WATCHING WEIGHT - HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE FOR YEARS - HIGH GLUCLOSE READINGS AND NOT TAKING MY MEDICATIONS PROPERLY. I was not a pill popper and always thought this was for somebody else. Hummmmm - well guess what? Got caught!!!


But, the GOOD NEWS, is that it was caught in time - with 99% - a heart attack or stroke could have happened at any second. So, after all this - I have not missed any medications - period and have lost over 30 pounds!!! I want to lose another 30 and i will be happy.


I want to thank the Lord for this warning and another chance to do lots of things differently. But, if He would have decided to take me in Alaska - I was with my son and best friend. Could not thought of a better place.


ANYWAY, in anyone decides to take my advice and look at yourselves differently and take care of some issues - then this post was worth every second in preparing. God Bless You all, my forum friends. I am glad to still be here.!!!!


Anybody have any questions, please PM me.


rrawhide.


Next chapter, Harvest.

 

[robie]

Some great advice.

I have a friend who doesn't think taking his blood pressure meds is that important. I'll pass on your experience to him.

Thanks

 

[Wade E]

That looks awesome!!!!!, Im going on a fishing charter tomorrow for Striped Bass and something else but I dont even know as Im slipping in at the very last second where someone bailed and Yippy Im in!

 

[grapeman]

Thanks for sharing all this Rick. Believe me, I hear you. I had a heart attack when I hit 40, some 17 years ago now. I take more medicines than I care to. I did lose almost 100 pounds when I hit 50, but it keeps creeping back as I age more. The way I felt a week ago this past Sunday, I either had an anxiety attack or a mild heart attack. I puked for 4 hours straight with chest pains and could not do much for a few days. I am almost back again, but probably have blocked arteries again like years ago. Yes I will get checked out as things slack off. Until then, I am taking it easy and not lifting a whole lot.


Glad you caught it in time. Keep on the meds and listen to the doctor.

 

[Waldo]

Chapter 3.




Wonderful Alaska trip - but the next day did not feel tooooo well so went to the doctor. After checking everything, he decided I needed more!!! So, that week lots more testing and on Friday after a nuclearstress test and cardiac sonogram I was given the 'news'. A 99% blocked right coronary artery and a low output heart (ie: pump). So Monday am was in Bakersfield Heart Hospital for an angiogram and then a 3/4" stent was installed. I am completely open now!!!! yeh!!!


But, the low output heart can not be repaired except with diet and exercise - maybe, but probably not!!! Every one who reads this post there is what is called and ejection fraction rating for your heart. Most people are between 50-80. Mine is 23. So, cannot lift over 25-30#'s and must stay below 4000 feet elevation. Bummer - our High Sierra Annual Fishing trip is the end of October - this is 7500-10500 feet so that is out. Lots of thin air up there and not good for a weak heart (pump). And, we were going to Lake Tahoe after Christmas this year for a family thing!! Nope, gotta go somewhere else.


Anyway, here is a news broadcast for you all - MY LOW OUTPUT HEART PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY LIFESTYLE!!!!! EATING TOO MUCH AND NOT WATCHING WEIGHT - HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE FOR YEARS - HIGH GLUCLOSE READINGS AND NOT TAKING MY MEDICATIONS PROPERLY. I was not a pill popper and always thought this was for somebody else. Hummmmm - well guess what? Got caught!!!


But, the GOOD NEWS, is that it was caught in time - with 99% - a heart attack or stroke could have happened at any second. So, after all this - I have not missed any medications - period and have lost over 30 pounds!!! I want to lose another 30 and i will be happy.


I want to thank the Lord for this warning and another chance to do lots of things differently. But, if He would have decided to take me in Alaska - I was with my son and best friend. Could not thought of a better place.


ANYWAY, in anyone decides to take my advice and look at yourselves differently and take care of some issues - then this post was worth every second in preparing. God Bless You all, my forum friends. I am glad to still be here.!!!!


Anybody have any questions, please PM me.


rrawhide.


Next chapter, Harvest.




And I have been contemplating not getting my ole ticker fixed. Jist ride it out...guess I better get off that horse and go ahead and go see the Doc huh ??

 

[ibglowin]

Rick, thanks for sharing the pics and the word of caution on the health front. So happy to hear you are doing better!

Rich you need some help on the wine side it sounds like.

You can't do it all, its gotten to be too big!

Take care of yourselves for your families sake folks!

 

[DBell]

I just want to say how great it is you havesuch wonderfulrelationship with your son!Every man that become a dad hopes for that. Congrats on having it! May your health keep improving. and wow, what a trip.

 

[Scott B]

Rick,
Wow – close call. Glad you are alright. Great advice. THANKS for the post!

 

[Randoneur]

Thanks for sharing that with us. It made me stop and think about a few things. I wish you better health.

 

[rrawhide]

Ok Ok Mike


Decided to go ahead and drive - to Delicato in Manteca, CA. It was a 403 mile round trip. Left at 0500 and got home at 1400. Brought back 65 gallons of unfermented juice. The blend is 56% Allicante, 29% Syrah and 15% Rubired. The numbers are Brix 20.3, Ph 3.5 and the TA 0.74. Except for a little light on the brix everything is ok and it taste wonderful. SO, more wine wine wine wine iwne ewin eniw etc.............etc..........etc...........
This is juice and was quite cold so will have to warm it up a little bit. I will split the barrel into 2 open-top fermenters and start fermentation today or tomarrow. Then when finished will pump into a neutral oak barrel and add oak and let 'er sit for 3 months. Then rack into plastic - clean barrel and rack back into barrel for long term. Maybe!!!!


Here we are at Delicato filling our containers. There was a line about 30 cars/trucks long and I guess it never stops for the entire 9 'juice' days. They sell about 50,000 gallons in that week to homewinemakers. WOW! They also had a white blend that I tasted but did not have any containers for that. This blend was odd - 91.5% Thompson and 8.5% Symphony grapes. Was very good but did not get any.


By the way, they sell the 'juice' at $3.15 per gallon. Comes out to about 63 cents a bottle. Not toooooooo bad.

line waiting to get in

security lets in 3 vehicles at a time

our 60 gallon barrel and a 12

just back up to the fill station hoses

brother-in-law David starting to fill

happy camper - fill fill fill


Unloaded with a tractor loader and set on a metal roller platform so we could move around on the concrete floor. Let sit overnight and checked temp today - juice temp 68 degrees. Decided to use the RC-212 yeast since it works with cooler must. Split into 2 equal containers and rehydrated the yeast and gently stirred into the juice. Covered with a towel and waiting for the 'magic' to start!!!


Some of the home winemakers getting juice were fermenting directly into wood barrels. They were old time 'makers and do not add any yeast at all. Just warm up the juice to 70 degrees ish and let the natural fermentation start on its own. SO, we decided to try this method in a 5 gallon plastic carboy with a brew belt to warm it up. SO, we will see if there is a difference. And, these ol boys do not bottle - they just pour, siphon, or chug right out of the container. Should be interesting. Let you know more later.


rrawhide

 

[rrawhide]

Fermentation has started and is rolling along. Since we are also trying a 'natural' fermentation and are heating the carboy to 80 degrees on 5 gallons the sg is dropping a little faster than the other barrels.


Added 1 gram per gallonof Booster Rouge to both batches too.


More later


rrawhide

 

[AlFulchino]

i like them there ole' guys