All Aboard the Goose!

Back in January, Kelly and I bought an 30 minute island tour on a Grumman Goose at a charity auction and have been saving the certificate, hoping to use it when Bro was visiting but also understanding that those types of things are highly weather and schedule dependent.

Yesterday morning the weather was gorgeous and Bro and I bailed on our plans to spend the afternoon cooking and throwing a party in the evening.  We were sitting around deciding how to best utilize the good weather when the airline called - could we be at the airport in 30 minutes to take our tour?  We sprung into action and started making calls as I planned on taking family friends Joe, his wife Kristine and their son Max with us as the plane holds 7 passengers.

Kristine and Max were over at the pool but they got changed and met us at the airport where I was checking everyone in and giving out body weights.  Thanks Max for only weighing 40 pounds - this allowed the rest of us to carry a little extra "baggage".

As you can see in the second photo from the top, I let Bro sit in the front - I assume he didn't drive the plane but you never know with that guy, he's pretty capable.  During the flight he was getting insider scoop from the pilot and we figured he's share once we got on the ground; he claims he didn't really hear anything due to the engine noise.

I was actually amazed by how quiet the Goose was, given the pair of 450 HP Pratt & Whitney piston engines bracketing the passenger area.  I think it is probably more quiet than the Saabs they use for the Anchorage to Unalaska run - I always use earplugs for that flight.

This is Bro getting more insider scoop from the pilot - again, he claims he didn't hear anything.  I'll get the info out of him somehow, eventually . . . . 

It is hard to describe with words the beauty of the island seen from the air, 95% of which you can't get to by road.  I could see how a guy with a boat could spend a lifetime right here on the island and never see it all and it reinforces the idea that global travel just isn't needed to have a rich full life, there is so much in a guy's backyard.  Unfortunately, none of our families are in the backyard last time I checked - except a precious visit from Bro - so travel we must.

You can see I was having a pretty miserable time.
I took over 180 pictures from the air and it was very hard to narrow it down to 20 or so to post.

In this shot, the north side of Ballyhoo is out the plane's left side and this is looking at the area where Skip and I went fishing for rockfish last week.  I gave Skip the camera so this is out of the front of the plane with one of the engines visible at the top of the frame.  Clouds were pouring like smoke out of that mountain valley.

Bro took a picture of the pilot, a very cool guy.  I know his wife Rhonda and they are both missed as they recently moved to Anchorage.  He is just out here temporarily helping out covering some pilot shortages.

The Grumman G-21 Goose first flew in 1937 and has been a workhorse in Alaska and all over the world ever since.  It has hand-cranked retractable landing gear allowing flights from either water or a conventional runway.  There were only 345 of them manufactured from 1937-1945 and there are only about 50 left that are still flying and in museums around the world.  Some interesting links are the Wikipedia entry for the Goose , Goose Stories where the author does a great job of capturing the essence of flying in the Goose in Kodiak, Goose Central where the author has many Goose links and maintains a database of all the Goose serial numbers, and finally the KIAL news story about the Goose that crashed last year out here, and now serves as invaluable spare parts for the planes few planes still running in the world.  Ummm, yeah, I didn't really mention that last one to Bro before he got on the plane . . . . 

Here is a view of Alyeska Seafoods with Haystack Hill in the background, and beyond that Captain's Bay with Westward Seafoods just visible just left of center at the top of the frame.

One of my favorite shots, this shows Alyeska Seafoods with part of the town of Unalaska in the foreground, including the Russian Orthodox Church.  You can see how the plant is on an isthmus of land with a salmon stream on one side, and the Bering Sea on the other - and ideal location that has been occupied for almost 10,000 years, the oldest continuously inhabited coastal settlement in North America.

Still circling, here is Little South America and the bridge from the awesome Unalaska town side to that other side where the hotel is located . . . . 

Making a water landing in Dutch Harbor.

Touchdown!  It was so smooth when we landed you almost couldn't tell.  
Joe and Max watching the approach to the ramp.  Max thought it was pretty cool the plane could turn into a boat.

Revving the engines, the pilot climbed up the steep boat ramp.  The Goose truly is a cross between a Jeep and a plane - and it makes a mighty fine boat as well!

A plane crossing the road - especially a special historic plane like the Goose - makes quite a scene.  I was taking pictures of them taking pictures of us . . . 
Joe, Max, Kristine and the pilot pose after the ride.

Skip and I posing after the ride.

In the afternoon we went salmon fishing.  I stood on a rock in my sneakers to fish but Bro didn't feel he was getting the full experience unless he was waist deep in the Bering Sea wearing sandals and jeans!

After we got home we vacuum packed the fish, ordered out for pizza and watched a movie - all in all a pretty full day of vacationing!  Cheers!

Fishing With Bro

My brother and I did some very efficient fishing along side the eagles yesterday catching our combined 10 fish limit in a combined 14 casts - okay, full disclosure, he got his five in six casts and it took me a dismal eight casts for me to limit out.  It definitely takes longer to fillet the catch than to land it . . . and you have to keep one eye on the eagles so they swoop in and grab the catch.

This morning it was absolutely clear and sunny but it looks like that is subject to change - we're keeping our plans flexible, I'll post more later!

Quick Update

Just checking in - there are definitely not enough hours in the day this week as I am still working and spending as much time as possible with my brother in the evenings.  I'll be off next week - just hope we get some nice weather to play!

We went out fishing yesterday and along with catching rockfish we also did some sightseeing - we saw whales, dolphins and puffins.

We briefly tried jigging for halibut alongside Ballyhoo.

The wreck of the Northwestern at the head of Captain's Bay.

Today was the bike and foot race over the pass - Forrest was way ahead and still smiling as he disappeared into the mist of the pass.

Here is a happy camper - I believe she finished 4th overall.  She still had enough wind to chat when she passed me, parked near the turnout for the Ugadaga Pass Trail.

Now sure why but F/V Maverick has been cruising around.  I saw them in Captain's Bay yesterday and today they passed by in the East Channel in this view from the living room.

Just Roll With the Punches

This self-portrait was taken a week or so ago and it makes me laugh to see it.  I had been chafing under self-imposed inactivity while my shoulder healed but when the 19th rolled around - our "Island Anniversary" day we celebrate every month, - Goldfish and I just knew we had to get outside and hike.  We made plans all day for after work - where we would hike, what we would bring for a picnic, if we thought the weather would hold.  We stopped at Safeway and picked up what we needed for a picnic lunch, right down to water and dog treats for Chico.  We got to one of our favorite whale watching spots and spread out our feast, the weather was superb.  Just then they started firing down on the gun range, Chico freaked out, Kelly and I looked at each other and sighed, wordlessly packed everything back up again, collected the panicked dog, and headed home.

On other Alaska blogging fronts, the Dillingham public radio station News Director resigned from her job today under a storm of criticism for perceived poor taste in the contents of her personal blog, www.chillyhell.blogspot.com .  I scanned the blog quickly to get an idea of the tone of her blog - one item that caught my eye was she used to work for our very own Anne Hillman - and I have to say that for me, she does seem a bit snarky for someone supposedly representing the common good.  You can read the Anchorage Daily News article here.  Drop me a comment, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the issue.

My brother should be here in about 12 hours!  Right about now my son should be picking him up at the Anchorage Airport and letting him crash at his place until his flight in the morning.  Great job Bro on an epic journey - he left his house 20 hours ago, driving to Portland, Maine where he took a bus to Boston.  From Boston to Portland, Oregon, then on to Anchorage.  Poor guy, it's taking him a day and a half just to get here.  And you know, if you look on a globe, it really is a very long ways from Maine to Unalaska, no matter how you travel.

View From the Living Room

You all know the tugboat James Dunlap makes my little heart go pitter-patter whenever it goes by the window to the East Channel, rattling the glass the whole time.  Well, yesterday there were two Dunlap boats pushing a barge around when I went home for lunch, the James Dunlap and the Mike O'Leary.  Despite appearances, the mighty "Jimmy D" is actually a more powerful and capable tug with 300 more horsepower and Z drives that allow it to apply full thrust in any direction.  You can view the whole Dunlap Towing fleet here if you are as crazy about tugs as I am!  The salmon boats riding on top of the containers are roughly 40 feet long for a size comparison.

I'm Still Alive!

Just a quick post to check in - the physical therapy has been going great, today was my last day wearing the immobilizing brace (but I still have to wear it at night); my brother will be here in 60 hours and I am VERY excited; I have started getting out and about again and have lots of new pictures to post; finally, I do want to post my spin on all these fantastic local blogs that have sprouted up since I moved here!  I may have to post a couple times a day to get caught up with it all but for now I need to head to bed - cheers!

Great to be Outside Again

I took Chico, Goldfish and family friend Jedi Knight for a hike in the valley last night and it was good for the soul to be back in the hills, breaking a sweat.  I have to say the last 5 weeks of relative inactivity didn't do my cardio any good, but what I lacked in fitness I made up for in attitude and the old bones didn't feel too bad this morning, all things considered.

The wildflowers are popping up everywhere and it's interesting to note how a given species such as lupine will vary from extravagantly lush and showy enormous clusters at sea level to miniature groups of just a few plants at 1000 feet, made all the more precious by their scarcity.

On the way home there was two eagles and a fox fighting over some fish scraps and we were amazed by pluck demonstrated by the tiny fox - at one point he bit one of the eagles on the rump!  The herring spotter planes have been flying the last few days signaling the beginning of one of my favorite times out here; following the abundant food source will be whales and porpoises and the sea lions and eagles will feast on nature's perfect fast food.  A herring's gorgeous silvery color is created by guanine crystals embedded in their laterals, with a bluish green dorsal area.  I challenge anyone to hold a herring in your hand in the sunlight and not be completely mesmerized by the perfect design and appearance, they are truly a wonder.

I've got to turn in, Goldfish and I were just starting to doze off at 2 AM last night when the cold water supply line to the bathroom faucet inexplicably burst.  If Goldfish had not heard it and gotten me out of bed to fix it, we would have woken up to quite a mess this morning!  As it was, we only got a few hours sleep and I'm starting to nod off mid-sentence - I hope this post makes sense!  Cheers . . . . 

A Study in Contrasts

No photo tonight as I have not been taking photos - the "Immobilizer" does a lot more than stabilize my shoulder and aid recovery, it apparently immobilizes my spirit as well.   Using my good camera is out of the question unless I use a tripod, and even using the point and shoot is a pain.  I'll try to do better but I can't promise much for another couple weeks when I can lose the sling and drive our car again (manual transmission).  The motorcycle is out of the question until maybe September, unfortunately.

With the whining out of the way, I have actually been out and about and doing things.  I went to the Geology of the Aleutians lecture at the museum on Friday (Zoya, words fail me to describe how sorry I am about your loss - you are in my prayers), followed by sushi and a walk home with a friend.  Goldfish has been sick, to the point of actually missing a day's work, so things at home have been pretty low key.  Elaine and Bear are back from vacation - the island seems a bit "off" when they are gone, welcome home ladies.

Work is a bit painful, and very awkward, so the days seem to be dragging a bit for the first time.  I skipped the hardware store clearance sale tonight because I remember standing in the middle of some large stores in Boise last month looking around thinking I should buy SOMETHING while I'm here, but not seeing anything I needed.  I also thought "Wow, this is almost as good as the internet" - fellow islanders that shop largely on-line will understand . . . . . 

I had a thought that if I apparently can't come up with a decent post on my own until I can get out and do some photography, I can devote some time pimping the other island blogs that have sprung up in the last year, so I'll start doing that in the next day or two.  I am super stoked that my brother will be here in a couple weeks - can't wait to see you Bro!  

Brief Update

The Oshoro Maru got a little help from a tug making the sharp turn into the East Channel earlier this week.  

I went to my first physical therapy session this morning at Aleutian Chiropractic.  I haven't been doing much in the evenings since I got back from Idaho because work wears me out a bit more than normal but I'm getting a bit more range of motion every day.  Goldfish and I have been working on a little side project lately - hope to have some news to post on that soon!

Happy 4th of July!

Chico was in a holiday mood until the sirens started!

Captain America and his Dad.

Lauri from "Life on the Rock" - welcome home!

For other pictures of the Unalaska parade today see Cookie Dough's Blog as well.  The weather held off long enough for us to enjoy the parade but we cancelled our beach bonfire plans due to wind and celebrated with friends inside instead - hope everyone had a great weekend, the fireworks are starting, gotta go!

Idaho By the Numbers

I am back in Unalaska and returning to work tomorrow!  Just a few highlights form the "vacation" . . . . 

4 - Number of problems fixed in my shoulder surgery, primarily medium rotator cuff tears, bone spurs and a SLAP lesion repair.

6 - Number of weeks I'll have to wear the "Immobilizer" to bed every night (it is not as cool as it sounds).

2 - Trips to IHOP in Boise - love that place.

2 - Movies seen in an actual theater (the new X-Man one and The Hangover).

4 - Number of fruit trees my sister has planted along her house (one for each of her children),

1 - Batch of soap made with my nieces - great job girls, lemon and wintergreen with ground lemon balm.  We learned that pure wintergreen oil will dissolve a plastic cup - fun with science!

3 - Servings of my sister's perfect strawberry shortcake.

4 - Number of pounds lost while I was outside (makes no sense to me either).

11 - Books read on Goldfish's Kindle while I sat in a recliner 24/7.

All in all, it was wonderful to be taken care of (I mean, my Daddy cut my meat up for me and cut the corn off the cob) but if is also wonderful to be home to the island and to Goldfish.  Gotta go, we watching a movie (yeah, back to Netflix) . . . . 

I'm way behind on reading my favorite blogs but I'll get caught up this week and get back to posting myself - cheers everyone!

Riddle Me This . . . .

So, on the way DOWN to Idaho, I have just normal luggage - some soap making supplies to teach my nieces how to make soap and a few clothes.  My bag gets yanked for additional screening by the TSA.  On the way BACK to Unalaska, I'm traveling with almost a thousand rounds of ammo and bags of herbs (it's lemon balm folks) and I get no notice at all . . . . . .