I lost my spot at the Icicle Seafoods plant in Seward AK. They replaced me with someone of a lower pay rate.... Been working up there since 2013 and this is the thanks I get. I put all my eggs in one basket and never considered that a ****ty company like Icicle would do this. I left last year in good standing with a great review and no mention of losing my position this season. Sucks because Ive been working my *** off to get my D2 ready for the long trip and finally have enough $$$$ saved up for the trip and then some. I could take a job at another fish processing plant anywhere in AK but I would have to start back at $9.75 and work my way back up the ladder. I think Im done working at processing plants. I liked it because its a quick way to earn $13,000 plus room and board is provided.

They say everything happens for a reason. One thing I can say is that I have many options right now. I can go anywhere in the country at any time without moments notice. I have a good chunk of cash in the savings account and slowly my credit score is rising. Working on paying off my college loans and am considering going back to school for forestry and wildlife conservation. Or I can return to lobstering here in New England for another season and save up $25k then rethink my options next Spring.

What I do know is that now is a good time to start preparing for the frame swap. I have sourced a cheap D2 donor frame in North Carolina and have talked extensively with the seller. He wants $700 for the frame. He also has a grey D2 parts truck so Im going to buy a replacement front driver door shell to replace my banged up door (uninsured motorcycle side swiped my truck at a stop light and dented the **** out of it and put a small hole in my door). The frame is mostly rust free save for one small spot on a bolt hole. People say it can be sanded out and repainted easily. So I think Im going to bite the bullet and pick it up, maybe tomorrow. I had to order a trailer wiring harness from AB and tomorrow I will pick up a ball along with a auto transport trailer from a local U-Haul store. The trip to NC will be roughly 13 hours one way. Should be a fun experience and good change of pace. I also just ordered 20 new body to frame bushings for the donor frame and will be ordering genuine shock towers momentarily. I will have my TF 3' lift repainted as well and any other rusty mechanical/suspension parts will be replaced during the frame swap. The frame swap wont be done for another 2 months as Im going to stash another $4-5k for labor charges.

On another note my truck has been running fine with no issues save a big crack in the windshield. I will get that taken care of momentarily but will have to pay top dollar for the heated windshield replacement... $575 I think was the quote.

I also hired a local carpenter to build me a custom shelf/drawer system for my truck. Its going to be installed on the passenger side in the cargo bay. Im going to remove the black plastic interior trim molding and storage bin so that the new system can be molded in to use up as much real estate as possible. The new system will be made from lightweight yet strong wood material. Will be much taller and stretch from behind the front passenger seat, all the way to the cargo door. Width wise it will save me at least 4 inches vs my current sterlite plastic drawers setup. I have not decided on weather I will have drawers or slidding doors or a combination of both. But they will be lockable in any case so they stay closed during transit and there will be a counter top for my large 50,000 btu dual burner stove. A additional sliding out table ideal for placing a laptop on will also be available. One section of the new system will have layered shelves just big enough to place all my tool box kits. All the heavy stuff will be stored down low in the vehicle towards the middle of the vehicle, for optimal weight distribution.

Im also going to be installing at least one large 200 watt solar panel on the roof complete with a custom fabricated manual rotating mount. This way I can manually re-adjust the rotation, height and tilt of the panel to collect the most sunlight without the hassle of re-positioning the truck. A dual battery system and inverter plus all the needed wiring for the solar system will also be installed.

 

I found a computer animated sketch of the D2 online and used that as a reference point for my new storage system design. Second draft but I really think it will work out nicely. Drawer interiors will be lined with thermal reflective insulation to keep interior goods cool as possible.

 

I also just ordered a Poweradd Compact 185Wh/50000mAh Portable Power Bank to keep my laptop charged: .

This unit can be charged via standard in home 12v outlet, in my truck using a inverter to the cig jack or via solar panels. One step closer to a completly sustainable off the grid lifestyle. This build is really starting to amp up a few notches! Things should get pretty interesting from here on out. I still have to think about rock sliders, winch, solar system, air compressor, on board drinking water system, better suspension etc.

 

Sucks about the job. Good luck with the frame swap

 

Sucks about the job, but congrats on the savings account

I dont know what happened to the pics, but this guy just made a pretty sick setup in his D2 cargo area. It would be worth contacting him to see if he has them just to see what is possible. He was a photographer that wanted to be able to easily work/crash after a remote shoot.

https://discoweb.org/showthread.php?t=94636

IIRC, he took out the rear seat and had a bar/counter with cabinets on the driver side and a futon bed/couch along the passenger side.

Was pretty much a little condo in the back of a D2.

 

There is NO loyalty anymore working for large companies, they used to want to keep you long term, it's all about the buck now. As for Fish & Game or Forestry....Well, out West where I am, the jobs you see on-line for openings are "Part time, Temporary, Seasonal positions!"...lol. Starting pay is close to minimum wage. Maybe it's different back east....

 

We really are a dime a dozen when it comes to seafood processing companies. Each year between 300-600 laborers are hired or rehired. Many people quit or get fired so the managers are always struggling to train replacements. Most of the jobs are pretty easy and repetitive but some of the jobs like the one I had are more specialized and more room for error. I feel like it would cost more to train replacements over and over vs keeping solid laborers who already have the skills. Less mistakes this way and the longer you do a job the better you get at it. It is what it is though. Plenty of lobstering jobs I can do, just hate living on the east coast.

As for Park Ranger and Forestry jobs, you mostly need a 2-4 year degree in the biology/sciences and forestry/wildlife conservation before you can grab a solid year round job and make $$$$$. Yes they do have seasonal jobs on USAjobs.gov for people with no degrees. Most that I have seen pay minimum of $13 an hour. Still can be tricky to get into. Still I think it would be awesome to work in the woods, upholding peace and law of the land and doing studies on trees, plant life and wild animals in the woods. Just gotta figure out if its worth going back to school for 4 years and sinking myself into $$$$$ of debt. Degrees do NOT offer a guarantee of employment in the area of your study.

 

My brother-in-law has a 4 year degree in Forest Management from OSU. He hasn't found good paying Forestry job in years. The west coast timber industry is bad. We import from Canada. He does land survey work for engineering outfits instead. Good luck in your adventures

 

Get a job in public works. Our starting pay is around 50k with 2wks vaca, union, $0 premium health insurance, 12 sick days, and 4 personal days per year.
Not every place starts out that high but you can start someplace smaller and get experience and your CDL amd move to another place.

 

Teaser