AK 2008

Memorial Day weekend provided a chance for us to get rid of some awkward gear including spin rods, another rifle, pack frames and rubber boots when Levi and Joanna paid us a surprise visit. We were able to stuff these items in a rubber tote to ride with them to Idaho in the back of Levi's pickup. Not having to fuss with a rifle at the airport will make traveling by airthat much easier. We had the pleasure of talking to Carlisle for the second time since her arrival at her new job on Lake Creek AK. Her job as a fishing guide there is much different than her experience last summer at Brooks Lodge in Katmai National Park. She has been learning to operate a jet boat on the somewhat difficult water of Lake Creek. The lodge is providing training for all the newly hired guides which seems to be a smart idea. Carlisle at first felt out of her elements with boat operation and spin tackle, but she says that now it is feeling a little more comfortable. We did sense that fly fishing is more of a passion for her. There are several other lodges in the area and although the fishing is not in full swing, there are many float planes touching down during the day. It is a short 35 minute flight to Anchorage which means many day trippers. Carlisle said that before moving away from shore, they must be sure no plane is landing or takeing off. Evidently, when the King Salmon arrive, all heck breaks lose. As all the lodges have boats and guides, it is very competitive to get your clients over the fish. Big fish bring big tips! Carlisle is not particulary competitive and prefers to keep a low profile which doesn't seem possible in this job. When a King is hooked it's quite a scene as these fish can weigh as much as 60 lbs! Kings seem to have a short season, about a month long, but many other types of salmon are being fished also. Bucky and I hope to be able to fly in to visit Carlisle for the day. Only about 3 weeks to go.....

The planning stages..

As our departure date approaches, Bucky and I are getting our things together. We're trying to travel light since we'll have to fly into Denver, where we will pick up the RV. Levi will take our fishing gear, tent and sleeping pads to Idaho with him when he leaves Connecticut in the first week of June. We hope to be with him by June 23rd for a day of fishing on the Snake River. It would be nice to stay longer, but we need to hurry to meet the Phinneys in Anchorage by July 1st. It's a long 3,000 miles from Denver to Anchorage. We were able to find some decent inexpensive sleeping bags from Cabelas and a stove on sale at REI which are waiting for us at Dar and Barb Kuhlmann's in Englewood, CO. It has been nice to have a go-to location to send needed supplies to so as not to have to fly with them. Although we won't be doing too much backpacking, we're trying to stay as light as possible. The best purchase by far has been the survival 22. The rifle can be broken down into 3 pieces with two of these fitting into the plastic stock, all of which floats. We're hoping that we can take advantage of the subsistence hunting rule. The rifle won't handle a bear, but certainly some birds. There seem to be an endless list of things to do before we leave. These have included getting the house ready for our renters (professors from Princeton teaching at Bread Loaf School of English), making sure that Dad Kuhlmann is well taken care of, setting Xena up with Sutton, Val and Hana in Middlebury and Fisher and Pepper with Burke in So. Hero. We have gradually been setting up automatic bill paying. There seem to be many more bills paid each month than we had realized. We plan to travel with our laptop and Carlisle says there is WiFi access in most coffee shops in Anchorage. Since we have little or no itinerary it will be up to us to check in with family. It's our hope that this blog will keep folks informed of our whereabouts and activities.