Life: Through the Lens

Yes, there is a lot of flying in Alaska.  Part of the reason is so many of the towns are in the "bush," far away from roadways and what we consider normal travel ways. But there is also a LOT of fishing.  We knew that, and Daryl brought his equipment, but we had no idea what we would find as we explored some various nooks and crannies of the Kenai Peninsula. A family at our campground and their catch right in our lake - Rainbow Trout. The Salmon are Running We had always heard about the Salmon Runs, and knew there were specific areas here in Alaska which catered to those die-hard fishermen who wanted that big catch. But we had no idea what it really meant to be part of this run. Available at all boat launches we saw, life jackets! First of all, there is float fishing, fly fishing, sport fishing, commercial fishing, and net dipping.   And probably more.   We are new to the intricacies of this very important way of life in a country which st...

We knew it had to end sometime.  The course complete, and time to move on, Daryl's last lesson was Tuesday of this week.  However, an added bonus is I got to go along as he flew his last lesson.  Now I could see Alaska from the air - one of the best ways to see this huge and awesome land. The first photo is the plane we flew in.   Daryl had been flying in a Piper Super Cub - one of the most popular planes because of it's short take-off and landing capabilities.  This is critical in a land of mountains and lakes, whether weather can change in a heartbeat.  It wouldn't work for my flight, as it's only a 2-seat aircraft.  So we ended up using the Cessna 172, converted for floats. Trail Lake was smooth as glass, which looks beautiful but is not easy to fly from.  Landing, in particular, is tricky as you can't see where the surface is.  You have to rely on some sort of frame of reference around you, and most of the instruction has indic...

Taxiing out from the dock for a flight. When we scheduled this flight instruction/time with the company in Moose Pass, it was because a dream of flying in Alaska needed to be fulfilled.  Daryl has always wanted to fly floatplanes in Alaska, but the environment is SO different than the flying he is used to that it seemed wisest to fly with someone who knew the terrain.  We struck pay-dirt with the flight instructors he is working with.  Darlene and Evan have offered different views on flying the mountains, lakes and glaciers of the Kenai Peninsula.  Darlene is an experienced pilot having flown high performance aircraft, including Lear jets.  Evan is a relatively new pilot with just a couple of thousand of hours.  He has commercial license and instructor certificate.  Both love to fly, and love to fly Alaska in particular. There are experienced "dock hands," as well.  They both fly, and are loving working in Alaska helping in any way ...

  One of my favorite places on earth is the Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.  Just a few miles south of Anchorage Cook Inlet, and then Turnagain Arm flow together, carving a path between mountain ranges of immense beauty, and size.   There is something very special about the welcome you are given here, by the environment, and the people.  We stopped at Moose Pass so Daryl could meet the people he will be flying with next week, and get the lay of the land.  Stunning.     Then we continued on down the peninsula to Seward, a very interesting town.  One part of the town caters to the tourist crowd, as it is a major cruise ship port.   We are camping for a few days at the Municipal Park, on the water front, where we are packed in with about 200 other happy campers - both of the RV and tenting variety. View from our campsite on Resurrection Bay, Seward. The other part of town is the one I remember from 1989.  Small-tow...