Big… That’s what Alaska is. It is fucking huge. It is impossible to capture in a photo. No matter how you line up your shot, it comes up short. There is just too much. The fish are big. The bears are big. The Moose are big. The water is deep, and the whole freakin state is half the size of the US. (I think) Really… I wished I ended that whole big thing,a whole lot bigger than that. Because, it is big. Today, our port of call was Ketchikan… The Salmon capital of the world. It was named by one of the early founders. You ketch ‘em, we’ll kan ‘em. Salmon, that is. According to local bus driver legend….
So… Today was pretty fun.. I was actually having my best day of the trip, till the time my dad made a comment about Bloodlines, Native Americans, and Europeons, and I got up, and walked way from dinner. I love my Mom and Dad, and I would probably be a homeless pyscho bum without them, but there is no way, no how... Oh well, whatever, never mind forget it! Anyway, before that, my Dad, Kalie, and I, took a great excursion aboard the Beaver... Floatplanes, second to only the Otter. Really, I don’t know which one we were on but, this was the small one. It is a great feeling being aboard one of these pricey yet, floaty toys. Being a water person, I don’t know why I would fly any other way. We flew an Ama (one pontoon off the water, banking, while taking off) on the take off out of this lake.. Unbeleivable! The taxi out, and take off were smooth as butter. In what locals would call October weather. If you were a local you would know what I was talking about, if not, that means… Rainier and windier than usual. Which means… considering it rains 13 - 16 FEET a year, it wasn’t the best day for flying. Really, it wasn’t that bad compared to the year La Conchita slid as far as I am concerned. Either of those years.
Our destination is the Misty Fjords. Now if you have been paying attention, a fjord is a deep granite valley cut by glaciers and filled with water. Kind of like Yosemite, but filled with water. I don’t know what the deepest ones are, but I hear 1200 to 1500 feet deep all the time out here. The Misty’s are filled with both sea level ocean water and higher elevation lakes. This is what I mean by BIG! I was taking in up to three elevations of fresh water, waterfalls, and connecting streams, along with a big deep fjord of sea water all in one view. This all took place in the TongAss National Forest. Anyway… None of the pictures can really show what it is all about, and next time I come up here will be in the much slower, yet trusty, Westy. But have a look anyway.. Btw, click on the pictures for a full view…
I know My Mom and Dad read this from time to time so… I will take this time to publicly thank them for this trip. While we are completely different, I had a great time, I still love you, and wish you another 45 years of happy marriage. Jenny, I love you, wish you were here, or I can’t wait to get back! This is our last port of call before Vancouver and I hope to find you the appropriate gift. Shaq, Kobe, Fish, Fox… Wait that’s the book I’m reading. Ok… Charlie. I really think you really belong up here flying Beavers and Otters into the Misty Fjords of Ketchikan. When I think of Alaska, I always think of you ,and your family canoeing down the Yukon when we were kids….
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