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We hope that your Holiday Season is special. |
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If you received our Christmas Letter last year or visited our web site, you'll remember that we were very excited about fishing last year. Kayla, Darren and I caught some good-sized salmon off of the ocean shore here in Valdez. I think that was the ultimate motivation for Mom and Dad to head, "North to Alaska." I can just imagine their conversations, they probably sounded something like this, "Wow, look at those fish." "Who caught them?" ""Well, I think Miss and Darren did." "No way, they didn't even take their fishing poles to Alaska. They're still out here in the garage!" "Do you think some one else caught the fish and just gave the fish to the kids?" "I don't know. All I know is that if Miss can catch fish that big just fishing off of the shore in Valdez, why don't we go and show her how to catch bigger fish out of the ocean!" Can you heat such conversations in your mind? Have you had similar conversations yourself? Come and join us for a visit in Alaska. The fishing is great, the scenery is divine, the experience is exhilarating, and we would love to entertain you.
Mom and Dad arrived in Alaska in late May. They stayed for two weeks and when they left, they took Kayla to Nebraska with them. Mom was nervous about flying, she doesn't like airplanes. They drove to Billings, MT then flew to Anchorage with a layover in Seattle. Their flight from Seattle to Anchorage was canceled. (Alaska Airlines was having some labor problems.) So, they were late getting into Anchorage. Imagine the stress! We were really excited when they finally arrived.
On the drive from Anchorage to Valdez (300 miles) we saw incredible wildlife. Mom and Dad saw several caribou and moose. We spent a couple of days in Valdez, then traveled to Tok (250 miles). While in Valdez, we visited the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal and the Valdez Glacier. The 800-mile Alaska Pipeline terminates in Valdez. There are 20 - 30 oil tankers in and out of the port each week. Watching them fill with oil is a grand sight. We had great weather when Mom and Dad were here, so they had a great view of the mountains and the port. Mom has some great pictures.
While in Tok, they went bear hunting every day and saw more wildlife. Dick and Leila have a wonderful cabin at the base of the Mentasta Mountains. There are often mountain goats very close and moose everywhere. The only game they didn't get to see was bear. Maurie and Dave shoot some bear a couple of hours before we arrived in Tok and they got some more the evening Mom and Dad left Tok. They had bad bear luck, but made up for it with great fishing.
Back in Valdez we went fishing. The weather turned to clouds
and rain, so fishing and sight seeing became limited. We trolled
for salmon in the bay and Dad caught a nice fish. We were really
just messing around because it is unheard of to catch salmon
that early in the season. A couple of days later, the weather
broke so we could go out farther to fish for halibut. Fishing
for halibut, Dad caught all kinds of fish. The first catch of
the day was a sting ray, then it was cod, and we caught some
Irish Lords (they are very ugly). We limited out on halibut.
It was the most amazing fishing trip on which I have ever been.
No kidding! No sooner than we would bait the hook, drop the line,
hand the pole over to the next fisher--and there would be a fish
on the line. Amazing! They were small halibut (20 - 30 pounds)
so they were good eating! While on the ocean, we saw a whale
and a very large lion walrus on a bough.
Those two weeks went by entirely too quickly. We drove to Anchorage the night before their flight out. Once again, we saw more moose, caribou and fox. Just to concrete Mom's ill feelings for flying, their flight out of Anchorage was delayed over an hour! And after every one had boarded the plane. So, I sat in the terminal, and they waited on the plane. Finally, the problem was corrected and the plane left. We had a great time sharing Alaska with Mom and Dad, it was very sad when they left.
Kayla had a wonderful time in visiting family in the lower 48. She spent the entire summer in Nebraska, with a short trip to Iowa. Kayla had a great time getting to know the babies as well as renewing existing friendships. She especially enjoyed spending time with her grandparents. At the end of the summer, I flew to Nebraska for a week and brought Kayla home.
While in the lower 48, I spend a night with Frank and Dixie in Iowa. Then it was off to Taylor. I had a great time in the heat, I actually went to the swimming pool and got a tan! That is what I miss most about Nebraska--the heat and getting a good tan. While we have endless sun shine in Alaska, the average high temperature in Valdez is only 68°.
I spent most of the summer in Anchorage working towards a master's degree. I completed a couple of courses during the summer and am enrolled in a couple of courses now. Keeping on track with summer classes and correspondence courses, I should be "mastered" by next Christmas.
Darren spent the entire summer
in Valdez. He worked for the City of Valdez Parks and Rec again.
He entertained himself by fishing. Only he doesn't have patience
for regular fishing. It takes too much time and you are only
allowed to keep 6 salmon a day. So, Darren went dip netting.
Yes, fishing with a huge net. Just scoop the fish out of the
river. It really isn't that simple, though. The Copper River
drains into the ocean about 50 miles down the shore. Red and
King Salmon spawn in the lakes which drain into the Copper River
a couple hundred miles inland. The Copper River is opened to
dip netting for a few weeks and families are allowed to harvest
30 Reds. Darren gathered his gear and headed for the Copper.
Understand that the best fishing spots are those to which assess
is limited. The Copper River is a narrow, fast river positioned
in a deep canyon. Therefore, people must basically repel--yes
tie one end of a rope to a tree at the top and tie the other
end of the rope to their bodies-- to keep from falling into the
river. Then after catching 30 fish, they have to climb out of
the canyon with their gear and the fish. That is Darren's idea
of fishing. Lots of people fish that way. I tried it once. We
were in a spot that wasn't quite so steep, so we didn't have
to tie ourselves off. We didn't catch any fish and when climbing
out of the canyon, I lost my grip and fell half of the way back
down. No thanks, I'll just take pole to the ocean shore.
Kayla is now enjoying 3rd Grade. She has a wonderful teacher and is doing fine. She still struggles with reading, but she is getting caught up to her grade level. Darren is substituting at school as well as working part-time an auto parts store and pushing snow. I am busy teaching and studying.
Because Kayla and I were gone
most of the summer, we didn't take the opportunity to explore
Alaska this summer. So, we decided to explore more of Valdez
this winter--on cross country skis. There are several groomed
ski trails here. We are sure that this will be quite an adventure
We hope your holidays are special and that Santa brought everything on your lists!
Darren, Kayla, and Missy
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