Monday, June 30, 2008

Fish Tales



With all of the traveling, I haven't had the chance
to blog... expect to be caught up soon.

When in Alaska, one must do as the natives do... and that means fish. It's a past time up there, and there are plenty of gorgeous places to do it. Luke, Dave, and I spent one day on a picturesque lake fishing for Arctic Char.

The lakes are clear and cold, and the banks are free of snakes. Lake houses dot the shoreline, and one man was even building his own golf course on the shore of the lake. So far, he was up to 5-holes. ((I'd be curious to see if he putts any on the frozen lake in the winter)) Apparently, if you have your own lake mansion, it is imperative to have a small plane to go with it. They are parked around the lake, and it's a pretty common occurrence to see them in the sky.

A few days later in Arkansas, my cousin Casey caught a nice bass in my grandfather's pond. She say's she's putting it on the wall, but right now I think it's in her freezer. She was pretty excited.... since this story is about fish, I thought I'd include that, but now back to Alaska...

Dave also had good luck with the rod and reel. I blurred the picture to protect the innocent... so this fish is now swimming undetected in the same lake, and unfortunately, Dave doesn't have any proof he caught a fish on vacation.... after all, does this look like a fish or a 40-ounce? ... ..






Monday, June 16, 2008

On the Trail


Today we hiked the McHugh Trail in Turnagain Pass, and we ascended more than 1000 feet in the first hour. It was absolutely beautiful scenery. We saw evidence of moose, black bear, and brown bear, but didn't have any encounters. (We have seen moose on the side of the road, though. It is pretty common.) We could see Dall Sheep on a neighboring mountain. The trail was very steep at times and often resembled a bit of rock climbing. The calf muscles were definitely burning. Did you know the higher you go, the fewer mosquitos you have?


Above, Dave and Luke are hiking by Arctic Lupine. The wildflower covers the hillside until you go past tree level. The picture on the left is ground dogwood, which actually looks like dogwood blossoms except they are small and a ground cover.

Dave and I decided to take a break here:














Here's a ptarmigan, which resembles a chicken.

And, here's Dave and Luke, past the trees and almost at the top:

Land of the Midnight Sun


Nothing can prepare you for experiencing 20-plus hour sunlight in Alaska. It's just plain wierd. The above picture is around 10 at night, and it doesn't get any darker right now. Hours at restaurants are extended and people are out and about. After all, you can always sleep in the winter.