Alaska!

Guy Miner

Master Loader
Apr 6, 2006
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Hoping to be back up there in a few weeks, fly fishing the silver salmon run with Dad again! Here's a few photos from past trips!





Alaskan brown bear on the path between our cabin and the dinner lodge. Made for an interesting walk to and from dinner...


The wonderful Otter, re-fitted with a modern jet!


Been going up there with Dad, every couple of years for a long time now. Fishing is almost always GREAT! Hoping for another good trip here soon.

Guy
 
Wow Guy, nice photos! Hey, it's something to be thankful for having your Dad with you so late in life. I lost my dad when I was 27 and he always took me fishing which I loved more then anything at a young age.

Enjoy what you have together and have fun buddy, it looks like it!
 
Have a great time and enjoy the companionship with your Daddy, Guy.

One of my best memories is a fishing and camping trip I had with my Daddy.

Vince

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Thanks guys. Honestly I feel very lucky to have him. And so active still!

I'm almost 60, and he's nearly 30 years older than me... But still loves to fly fish, especially for salmon, and also loves pheasant hunting still. Doesn't walk much anymore when pheasant hunting, tends to "hold" at the end of the rows. Still knocks 'em down with his shotgun though. Always has been a mighty fine shotgunner.

I'll get some new fishing photos up soon. Often I don't take a lot of photos, if any, while fishing. I get so absorbed in the casting, moving, looking for fish, moving, casting, changing flies, fighting, landing, losing fish... It's BUSY fishing, and I neglect the camera. Have had entire trips when I never took the camera out of my pocket, despite being in beautiful country, and having a great trip with friends, family and cooperative fish... Sigh...

Usually in Alaska though - I remember to take some photos.

Guy
 
Good to see that you're still making the trip and that your Dad is going with you. Wishing you every success, Guy.
 
No matter the weather or the bite that looks like a wonderful expedition!! Enjoy!! CL
 
Your Dad looks amazing, the otter looks like its painted in Rainbow Kings colors, are they running one on wheels?
 
35 Whelen":13p0xxeg said:
Your Dad looks amazing, the otter looks like its painted in Rainbow Kings colors, are they running one on wheels?

This one is on wheels, looks like to me anyway... :mrgreen: Been flying in that plane for most of my trips for the past 15 years. I think it's had that color scheme the whole time - though it did get quite a rebuild a few years ago when the new motor was installed. Fresh paint at that time. It runs out of Cordova almost exclusively. Lots of runs to and from the Tsiu River.

The ol' Otter is an amazing plane - it gets up in the air with an incredibly short takeoff roll... Landing is just about as quick.

I kind of miss the roar of the old radial engine - but the new jet works out much better.

There - that's about all I know about the plane - I'm just cargo in it. The pilot is a great guy, if the weather is good, he'll take his time and show us the glaciers, the mountain passes, wildlife along the way. It's pretty cool.

And thanks for the note about Dad. He is doing pretty good, for a big ol' guy in his late 80's. I'm grateful for the little time we do get to spend together.

Guy
 
Guy,
The Otter is a great old bird, and with the P&W turbine it really comes into its own. When Dehaviland designed
The airplane it was soposed to have a 1000 hp radial on it, however at the time P&W didnt have them ready,
The U.S. Army was screaming for the airplanes , so the only engine that was available, was the 600 hp radial R1340, So thats what they did! Hung an engine with 400hp less than the engineers had designed it for! So it now has the correct hp that it should of had in the first place! The Beaver on the other hand was designed for the R985 at 450hp and thats what it got! Hence the perfect combo from the get go! They are both great planes. I probably have more flight time in the Beavers on floats than any other airplane in my log books. And got thru 26 season with out every hurting a person or an airplane!
 
Pilots sure stay busy up there... I've been flown into little dirt strips, rivers and lakes off and on for nearly 40 years as a passenger in Alaska and on one great trip in British Columbia.

Yes the Beaver is terrific too!

Also got a nice ride back to Cordova, in a 206 last fall.

In Canada, we flew in something called a "Found" I think it was? Neat little plane.

And an old Grumman Goose dropped us off on a lake once, came back and picked us up a week later. That was a great backpacking trip in Alaska!

Air travel is vital up there, where there are no roads... And good pilots are very much appreciated!

Guy
 
The Beaver is an outstanding plane. We do most of our work out of a 185, floats and wheels, then about even mix with a 206 or a Beaver.
Earle did you ever work out of King Salmon?


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Oh sure when I flew for Kulik Lodge (Sony Peterson) we had docks right there in KS in the river. But most of the
Time we were more Illiamna, Dillingham area. However I spent almost 10 years in Non Dalton with Valhalla Lodge. But it's a pretty long list of employers......... I could get a job anywhere in those days, and liked to move
Around so the list is pretty long but here are a few!
Alaska North, Alaska Air Guides, Sea Air motive, Illiaska Lodge, Royal Coachman Lodge, Newhallen Lodge, Bristol Bay Lodge, Mission Lodge, Tichchik Lodge, Painter Ck Lodge, Valhalla Lodge, Kulik Lodge, for summer
Work in float planes, as well as Super Cub flying on big tires for other Guides early spring and hunting season.
A short list as follows:
Kirk/Ward Gay, Bill Sims, Kelly Vrem ( claims he only kept hiring me back for my biscuits!)George Palmer, Jake
Godatt, Marlin Grasser (Brooks Range) Bob Tracy, Bob Adams, Bob Curtis, Ted Gerkin, Gary Porter, come to mind as having me on a 1099 .........lol............
I am sure I missed others; as some times if someone wrecked, you just ran over with your own airplane,and flew for them for few weeks, until they could buy or lease another plane.1f6cedd8903b3fa5b10f720fe7fef93e.jpg
This list does not include flying we did for guides n outfitters we worked for in Quebec, Labrador, or
New Zealand. Or my first employer the Maine Forest Service.
 
You did get around some, holy cow. That's a list that would have put a bunch of celebrities in your plane. Hopefully you got the good ones.


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Lol, after I posted that list I realized it was the " who's who of bandit guides" :shock: OMG hope
Fish$& Game don't put 2+2 together! :mrgreen:
 
The only Bush flying I have done is in a King Air B200. Flying in a fishing lodge that was right behind a lodge in Canada.
 
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