Home Sweet Home

 September 13, 2024

Always nice to see the rising sun in my windshield at the end of a trip.  I arrived HOME this afternoon around 1:00.   I had some misgivings when I was in Conifer, CO that the remnants of Hurricane Francine in New Orleans would push their way inland with lots of rain and wind and then chase me all the way back to CT.  But it turned out, I was able to stay ahead of it and had good weather all the way.

Must have been a muggy August here in CT as my leather couch had a bunch of moldy spots which had to clean off.  Other than that, things appear to be in good shape.  My thanks to those who stopped by periodically to see that my house was okay.

About 6,000 miles of driving and of course, the Alaska adventure on top of that.  I'm glad to have the comforts of my own house again but did not have the kind of homesickness as in previous summers, probably because I only spent about 5 weeks camping instead of 9 and had it easy in the lodge and in B&L's house.  

I got to thinking I never did tell Brian where babies come from but I see he came up with an answer:

I guess that's quicker but a heck of a lot less fun!

Well, my favorite time of the year is coming up with fall colors and hunting season.  Glad to be back home.

Homeward Bound Tomorrow

September 10, 2024

I'll be helping Brian move his new tool drawer set home from Harbor Freight today, doing my laundry, and packing up the Taco for the trip home.

Last night Brian was major league steamed over our still missing luggage and the fish from our Alaska trip, so he headed out to Denver Airport to demand action.  Keystone Cops:  Alaska Airlines had put our luggage on a United flight in the morning to get it to Denver sooner but United put it in the Lost Luggage room of Frontier Air instead of Alaska.  AA had no idea what had happened until Brian used his Apple Air Tag to find it for them.  They did put the fish in a freezer and at least knew where that was but the jury is out on whether it sat around long enough to spoil before it went into the freezer.  We'll try it tonight to find out.

First hop of my trip home will be Hannibal, MO (Mark Twain's home town as a boy). I'm avoiding Chicago as it so often is riddled with construction delays, heavy traffic and aggressive drivers.

I'm grateful for B&L's generous hospitality and for a terrific summer of retirement adventures.  Fall is just around the corner and I'm looking forward to hunting with my friends.

Back at B&L

September 9, 2024

Long travel day yesterday.  We hit the road around 9:00 after wrapping up gratuity business with the lodge and picking up our salmon which the lodge had fileted, vacuum sealed, frozen and boxed for us.  

15 hours later (around 3:00 AM local time) we arrived back in Conifer where Brian and Lindsay live.  Air Alaska may be a top rated airline but: none of of our flights was on time, we had to wait 3 hours on the ground on the first flight and both our fish and my luggage didn't arrive at the airport with us on the return  flight.  The latter is supposed to be delivered to the house tonight but our fingers are crossed on whether the fish will still be frozen.  The airlines are very accustomed to allowing customers to bring boxes of salmon from Alaska and put big "frozen" stickers on them.  We are told they have freezers for situations like ours where the transport time is much longer than normal. 

Brian put an Apple Air Tag in each of our suitcases and the gun case so we knew as soon as we landed not only we a couple of our things did not arrive with us but we could see they were still in the Seattle airport.  Gone are the days when an airline could spin a yarn about them being put on the wrong plane or stolen!

I'm not sure what the plan is from here but Brian still has to work and is headed out with Brett and friends this weekend.  I'd guess I will be headed home soon.

Ptarmigeddon Part II

September 7, 2024

Last outing of the trip.  Ptarmigan hunting in a different location than the last one; tundra on rolling hillsides vs. steep mountainside slopes.

Our float plane today.

2 parties of 4 hunters, 2 guides and 2 hunting dogs all piled into a bigger float plane to hunt an area about 120 miles west of the lodge.  Once there the two parties would set off in different directions.  

But first we had to actually get there.  About 80% through our flight, after zipping through narrow mountain valleys and getting uncomfortably close to the mountains, littered with patchy clouds and fog, the pilot suddenly dropped down onto a small lake and landed.  Turned out the actual destination was foggy and we had to wait for an an hour or so to continue our journey.  

Once we arrived we started into bona fide tundra.  Walking on the very spongy, wet ground was surprisingly strenuous.  Our guide said the previous group didn't even get 1.5 miles from the plane before burning out but he thought we could do better.

Eventually, we got up a long hill where the ground was firmer and dryer.  We started flushing 2 or 3 ptarmigan sporadically with our guide promising much bigger groups if we kept going.  By early afternoon it paid off.  We were flushing groups of 15 - 25 birds and then watching where they landed so we could pursue them later.  Brian had one flush straight at him at full throttle and incredibly, he hit it just a few feet from his barrel.

As the shooting got more frequent the guide failed to keep one member of our party from repeatedly rushing ahead of us and shooting birds before we got in range.  Often he'd get 1 or 2 birds for himself while a dozen more flew away depriving us from having our shots too.  My shooting was chaotic as usual but I lucked into 2 birds crossing just as I pulled the trigger! The guy who had been hogging shots also shot at one those two birds and instant later.  I could clearly see that I hit both birds and that he hit one of them too afterwards.  Nobody saw my miraculous feat so it felt like it didn't count.  I miss a lot of shots but I did NOT miss that one.  Pity that it wasn't confirmed by others.

Brian was having a very tough time hitting his birds but was robbed of opportunities to make a comeback by the shot hog and by the dogs straying far away from us and then prematurely flushing birds. While Brian and I stayed in  line with each other, one member of our party started lagging 100+ yards behind us and the guide consistently.  So, between the shot hog who was running ahead and the other guy who was lagging behind, things were chaotic. The fact that the guide seemingly ignored all three of those factors put a sour taste in Brian's and his father's mouths.

Back at the lodge we had time to put things in perspective.  Overall, it was a fantastic trip.  Alaska threw plenty of challenges at us but none of our fly-outs were cancelled, a serious run of good fortune.  It was the privilege of a lifetime to be able share these adventures with my son!

The Dream Trout

September 6, 2024

All day guided fishing trip in a drift boat on the Kenai River.  We arrived at the river around 7:30 AM in to rain and temps in the high 40s - typical Alaska weather.

We loaded up the boat and set out with high hopes of a dream rainbow trout and some dolly varden.  

The river was teeming with sockeye salmon busy spawning. Eye popping to see these red fish seemingly everywhere.  After spawning they die and float downstream, disintegrating, their remains being eaten by many critters including sea gulls and rainbow trout.

  Our guide said that this brown bear track we found in one of the spots we stopped to fish from the shore was pretty darned big for the Kenai River.  I kind of wished that we'd seen a brown bear or two - from a distance!

The sockeye were so plentiful that it was hard avoid hooking one by accident, sometimes in a fin or the tail.  By day's end we "foul hooked" about 10.  Generally, they weigh about 10 lbs and can put up a strong fight.  When foul hooked however, the fight is bizarre and more difficult. For example, hooking one in the dorsal fin puts them broadside to the river's current and makes reeling them just about impossible.

 

Fishing was not very productive for much lof the morning until Brian got a 12 inch dolly varden anda magnificent rainbow about 18 inches long!  Classic Kenai big boy you hope for.

The afternoon saw the rain stop and the sun make some appearances.  Brian and I both caught several medium rainbows and dolly vardens.  

Late in the afternoon I got a powerful strike from a fish strong enough to race down the river and take my reel right down to the backing.  The guide had to row like mad in order to keep up with it so it wouldn't break my line.  

Moments into that fight however, Brian also tied into monster fish of his own.  To top it off, we were quickly drifting toward a dangerous set of fallen trees.  No time to deal with all three situations so the guide maneuvered us clear of the trees and made sure Brian had his fish under control.  About that time, my fish wriggled off the hook.  Gone.

Brian's fight was far from over.  He nearly lost the fish when it swam under the boat but the guide gave expert instructions on how to counter that move and he spun the boat to a direction making it possible to get the fish back out in the open again.

We speculated my lost fish was a coho salmon.  We soon saw Brian's catch, no speculation necessary.

Monster Kenai rainbow trout 24 inches long, the kind you dream about!  The guide Jay said that's about as big as they get in this part of Alaska.

Fabulous scenery and fine adventures with my boy!

Tomorrow a Ptarmigeddon part II.

Ptarmiganainia

September 5, 2024

Today's outing was ptarmigan hunting in the mountains about a 20 minute bush plane flight up into the mountains.

Even though the peaks top out at only 4,000 ft they looked and felt like triple that.  Tundra, no treeline at all, just bare mountain.  Powerful winds of 35 MPH gusting to near 50.  Temps in the low 40s with wind chill factor made it feel like mid 30s. 

Terrain was exactly what we expected, very steep with loose broken rock under foot much of the time after we climbed above the tundra.

Our guide Monte has over 30 years of experience and teaches certification classes for other guides.  His Labradoodle Charlie was energetic and loads of fun.

Not 5 minutes into the hunt, I stumbled onto a ptarmigan just hanging out.  He started running and I called out "bird!" to Brian and Monte.  It flew up and I brought it down with one shot.  

Over the next few hours we flushed several dozen ptarmigan but hit just a few of them.  The wind roared, skies darkened and some rain began to fall.  We were now several miles from where the float plane had dropped us off but a new cluster of birds erupted from some willow bushes completely distracting us from the harsh conditions.  Brian got a couple and we noted where the escapees landed.  As we closed in on them, we could see about ten birds out in the open tundra scurrying around and watching us approach.  When we got near they all took off at once.  Brian and I missed all of them but Monte got a couple.

I got one more in a crossing shot leaving Monte agape at how I could miss all of the previous flush at close range and still make the more difficult one afterward.  We headed back to the dropoff place to wait for the float plane.

Monte told us we got 15 birds total.  Funny, I only remember getting 4 and Brian got 5 or 6.  So I asked Monte how many birds he got and he slyly said that Brian got 8 and I got 7.

Plane picked us up in very windy conditions that lesser pilots would likely not have attempted.  Another amazing day on our adventure.  

View from the float plane on the way back to the lodge.

Tomorrow we will do a drift boat trip down the famous Kenai River fishing for dolly varden and rainbow trout.

For the Moment

September 3, 2024

The weather here is so prone to change that Brian and I decided the theme of our trip should be "that's what it is for the moment.  Whether it's the forecast it simply immersing ourselves in the day's activities, be in the moment and roll with whatever the moment brings. 

Today's weather was warm and clear all day long so we took full advantage.  We flew out to a lake over 100 miles away we had spectacular views of Dinali then flew through a long set of valleys surrounded by jagged mountains on either side.  Glaciers, tundra, and not a soul to be seen in nearly all of it.  

We landed on a lake and hiked about a half mile to a section of river the lake fed.  There we fished for grayling with dry flies.  The guide had a lot of experience with this section and lead us straight to a honey hole.  I was very surprised at the size and aggression of these fish because I'd only ever seen small ones.  I caught 4, some if which made powerful runs away from me and took some real work to get them to the net.  Brian got several strikes and then caught 2.

The wind kept increasing to the point where the pilot was worried it might damage the pontoons on his plane so he flew us over to the opposite end of the lake.  There we fished for lake trout and arctic char.

The owner of the lodge who is also a guide and pilot (and an MD) said the char in the picture above is the best he's seen in several years.

We ended up the day by flying to another lake with the very clear water where tons of sockeye salmon andd to grayling were hanging around just few yards shore.  We all caught grayling but only one sockeye.

In the flight back to the lodge the pilot spotted a massive bull moose in a meadow and dropped down from about 7'000 ft to only 50ft with some tight turns so we could have a better look.

Fantastic day!

Day One of Alaska Adventure

September 2, 2024

Our first outing at the All Alaska Lodge began at 8:30.  Nice to have a leisurely start after stressful travel day yesterday.  We  boarded the plane and hour late and had to wait there for 3 more hours for a maintenance issue involving a leak in a water pipe.  At Anchorage all of the car rental agencies were closed due to a hazmat spill in the garage.  Took about an hour or so to reopen them.

Today, things ran smoothly.  Guides were waiting for us along with pilots at float planes parked right in front of the lodge which is next to a lake.  

We (2 planes with 9 fishermen)took off and landed in a remote part of Kenai Fjord National Park.  From there we walked about a mile through a rain forest following a small river which flows into the ocean, a favorite spot of the guides for catching coho "silver" salmon.  

We had at it with fly and spinning rods.  Everyone in the group caught at least one, Brian caught 3!

 I caught one also.

The salmon would suddenly appear, dorsal fina often sticking out of the water, some leaping, others swirling.  Then, just as suddenly, they would disappear.

After a full day of fishing, the pilots took as in an unannounced tour of most of the KFNP.  We flew over at least a dozen glaciers, one low pass over a lagoon studded with icebergs from a massive glacier.  We flew through canyons and around jagged mountains which were bare at the top but lush with conifers further down.  An enthralling spectacle of natural beauty in a vast and gigantic scale.  I've never experienced anything close to it.

Tomorrow,  we will head out for a day of hopscotching to different sites via float plane to try for dolly varden, rainbow trout, and arctic char.  Life is good!

Sun River Next

August 16, 2024.

Spent the night in a dispersed camping area recommended by local ranger station near Sluice Gates, Montana.  All of the sites were kind of trashy and nasty looking.  I spotted an announcement on the sign at the start of the dispersed area and my eyes nearly popped out of my head 

Turns out, further up the road there are several abandoned mines that polluted the heck out of the area and some parts are EPA Superfund eligible.  Don't drink the water, don't breathe the dust etc.  Thanks for the tip rangers.

I noticed little orange flags in many spots by the roadside so I looked at a couple expecting it to be some sort of EPA  thing.  Nope.  USAF fiber optic cable buried here notice.  What business would the Air Force have up in the mountains of Montana? Then I saw that underground power lines had also been installed - super expensive vs. doing it on poles.  Who could afford that?  And ya know, this was one the widest, best maintained Forest service roads.  Heck, you could drive an 18 wheeler up it...  Welcome to the land of many missile silos.  I also saw some places way out on range land that suddenly had power, antennas, pristine barbed wire fence, etc.  more silos I bet 

I did some fishing in Sluice Boxes canyon this AM and saw only one rise.  Still, I managed to nab 14 inch fat rainbow and then this:

 

Huge 18 inch brown took my hopper in a deep pool at the base of some limestone cliffs 

Awesome fight and I saw him take the hopper.

Headed now to Gibson Dam that feeds the Sun River on the Eastern Edge of Bob Marshall Wilderness.  Not sure what I'll find there for camping or cell service.  That's as far west as I want to go on this trip so I will start looping back south East after a couple of days.

Hurry up and wait

September 1, 2024

Brian and I set out from the house 3 hours before our flight.  Things were a little hectic getting our guns checked in and some jitters about whether my new TSA  pre check ID would work properly.  We confidently strode past hundreds of people in the "standard" check in line.  Then the couple right in front of us got booted to the end of the standard line because their TSA pre check wasn't working right.  Gulp.

No problem as it turned out, we got right through but it looked like we were going to arrive at the gate just as boarding was going to start. We got to the gate but no plane was there.  20 minutes later a plane pulls up but there's a "minor maintenance issue" that is so minor they could not give us a projected boarding time.  

Ugh.  Typical travel mishaps I guess.

Ultimately, they boarded us about 40 minutes later but then made us sit on the plane for another 3+ hours while they worked on the broken water pipe to one of the restrooms.