Katamarino's Alaska flight

I've been taking really good care of your Tango while you were gone. We are currently on the "Katamarino Path". It's going to be like a bad 80s movie to try to get this thing back to your pad with you not noticing by tomorrow!

Don't worry, it takes 2-3 days to make it back to the States.

For realz Any, would your Tango be a capable aircraft for such a journey? Does it land well in small places, and on unimproved strips or whatever?

I haven't personally taken my Tango on anything but paved strips, but other's have with only one issue. A fellow was landing on grass and got a bunch of it stuck in his nosewheel fairing, which caused the nosewheel to lock up and resulted in the plane nosing over. One of the owners of Team Tango actually lives at an airpark with a grass strip. He's got over 2k hours on his I believe, with no issues operationg off of grass. As with most planes, I would be really careful about operating off of gravel due to the possibility of rocks being sucked into the prop and slung onto other surfaces. There's a reason why Alaska birds tend to look beat up.

All that being said, the legs are long enough on the Tango that I could probably make Anchorage from the Western US with a single fuel stop.
 
I've been taking really good care of your Tango while you were gone. We are currently on the "Katamarino Path". It's going to be like a bad 80s movie to try to get this thing back to your pad with you not noticing by tomorrow!

For realz Any, would your Tango be a capable aircraft for such a journey? Does it land well in small places, and on unimproved strips or whatever?
Travel montage!
 
Travel montage!
Here you can see me just taking off in the Tango from our last airport before getting to Any's property. I'm the young fella with the big hair.

Unfortunately for us, Any has "caught wind" of me taking his plane (he probably read it on here, which was a bad criminal move by me). As such, he is really hustling his way home on his motorcycle.

My friend flying the other plane is Lamar Latrell, yes, THAT Lamar Latrell, from Revenge of the Nerds.
 
That evening, I had a thoroughly good time, because I met up with @AKBill He was extremely generous with his time and drove me around to see some of the area, even taking me shopping for some items I needed. We went to visit his house and lovely wife, before taking a drive up the coast to see the sights.

Bill and his wife in his workshop/garage.
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Bill's wife's car, possibly the coolest Subaru Outback in Alaska.
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The coast north of Juneau:
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The next day I flew a couple of friends down to Petersburg to scatter the husband's mother's ashes.

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Leaving Juneau:
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Petersburg Harbour:
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Some classic American sights on the main street.
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A local pilot had a very effective bird scarer! My first encounter with a "Prop Owl".
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A short flight over to Wrangell to see the Petroglyphs near the airport. Unfortunately they were all underwater as it was high tide, but on the plus side they had replicas of a selection of them for viewing.

Approaching Wrangell:
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Petroglyph beach:
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Lookin' good..!!!

But everytime I start missing SE Alaska, I see pictures of the rain.......

I never made it into Petersburg, just the airport. And I have never seen a lawn mower for sale in Alaska either..!! :lol::lol:
 
After dropping off my passengers I set off south; I'd enjoyed Juneau but it was time to move on. I flew for an hour to the small airfield of Kake where I hoped to find somewhere to set up my tent. The airfield was deserted, but like all the airports I had visited in SE Alaska so far, space for tents was severely limited. This seems to be because they are mostly built up out of marshy tundra and every square foot is expensive/precious. I eventually found a tiny corner of the ramp that would just about work, and parked the airplane in front of it to help hide it from view! I could see online that there'd be an Alaska Seaplanes commercial flight coming in the following morning.

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The flight down to Kake:
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Parked up on arrival:
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I took a walk around the airport and found a remarkably large amount of bear droppings. The bear spray was swiftly moved to the tent. As I was setting up, a couple of teenagers in a truck turned up and asked if I'd be staying as they had to lock up the airport gates. I wondered how many bears would be locked in with me.

The view from the airport access road:
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Set up for the night:
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Wonderful travelogue, Katamarino. This is what aviation is all about. Reminds me of my (much shorter) travels in my first plane.
 
I love this thread. Can someone explain the cemetery picture? Too cold to dig, above ground grave?
 
I love this thread. Can someone explain the cemetery picture? Too cold to dig, above ground grave?
I think part of it is the water level. Dig down 8 feet and you hit water in a lot of places. SE AK has a lot of muskeg,
mus·keg
ˈməskeɡ/
noun
noun: muskeg; plural noun: muskegs
  1. a North American swamp or bog consisting of a mixture of water and partly dead vegetation, frequently covered by a layer of sphagnum or other mosses.
 
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So are they above ground graves or just really shallow? Are they in a concrete vault or something? I read about the "spirit houses" which are just left to rot and crumble over the grave.
 
So are they above ground graves or just really shallow? Are they in a concrete vault or something? I read about the "spirit houses" which are just left to rot and crumble over the grave.
By bad Tim, thought that was SE AK. Guessing they are as you said " a concrete vault"
 
Thanks for the excellent travelogue so far. Looking for much more.

I’ve been to Alaska twice on one of those boats you flew by. I suspect it’s a bit more relaxing in the bar sailing along than scanning for places to land BUT definitely not as much fun:D.

Cheers
 
Thanks for the excellent travelogue so far. Looking for much more.

I’ve been to Alaska twice on one of those boats you flew by. I suspect it’s a bit more relaxing in the bar sailing along than scanning for places to land BUT definitely not as much fun:D.

Cheers

I was on a cruise up there about a week before @Katamarino ’s Trip. Spectacular part of the world. I wish I could have gotten some flying in.
 
I took a walk around the airport and found a remarkably large amount of bear droppings. The bear spray was swiftly moved to the tent.

You spent the night in prime bear country. Several times at Kake I had to extend the pattern to wait for bears to exit the runway. I have watched a few bears sit right were you camped and watch me as I loaded/unloaded the airplane. Kake and Hoonah was the places I worried about bears the most.

It would behoove a person to know the difference in bear scat and wolf scat.

Wolf scat looks more like dog scat but will have hair in it.

Bear scat is bigger and will have bear bells in it and also smell like bear spray.....
 
Went back through and added maps to all the posts!

Dang, I thought maybe the ISP where I was at until last night was blocking the pics and the fact that I'm a little closer to civilization allowed me to see them finally.

Anyway, this is kinda cool. I flew all over Alaska during my time there, but other than ferry flights stopping in Ketchikan or Sitka, I've never gone done anything in the Southeast. The chain, other than a few days operating out of Dutch Harbor is also missing from my Alaska experience.
 
I made my way out of the tent shortly after the 7am Alaska Seaplanes flight had departed. Mercifully I hadn't been eaten by a bear during the night. Packing up the tent took very little time and soon I was on my way south to Ketchikan.

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Heading towards Ketchikan:
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This far south, I was seeing a lot of logging activity for the first time since arriving in Alaska:
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Downwind for landing at Ketchikan:
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I parked up and wandered around a bit until I found the FBO. Airports in SouthEast Alaska are a lot less GA friendly than in the lower 48. I ordered fuel, and went to find the ferry across the straight to town. It runs every 30 minutes and I think was $6.

On the ferry to town:
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As with most other towns around here, cruise ships ran rampant:
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Ketchikan:
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Wolf. Yours for about $3,000 or something equally stupid:
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The seaplane ramp dock, from the ferry back to the airport:
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After Skagway and Juneau, Ketchikan had little of interest. My fuel hadn't been pumped by the time I got back, so I went with the line guy to pump it myself, and was soon on my way to Klawock to meet another PoA legend, @DavidWhite - I hadn't managed to make contact in advance but figured I'd try my luck. On arrival I went into the tiny terminal building; the lady at the desk was very suspicious but called Dave and let him know there was a weird foreign guy there to meet him from the internet. Before long he'd abandoned his ukulele practice and came to say hello!

He kindly lent me the gear to finally wash the Trench mud off the airplane and then arranged for me to stay in the pilot accommodation for the night. Luckily for me someone had vacated a room on very short notice the day before. We hopped in his frankly awesome truck and, after a stop for dinner supplies, ended up grilling on the deck of the pilot accommodation and having a few "jugs". Couldn't have asked to meet a cooler group of guys! Some stories must remain untold under the "What happens in Klawock stays in Klawock" rule, however.

Klawock grilling:
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Wolf. Yours for about $3,000 or something equally stupid:

Wow..!!!!

I used to buy wolf pelts from eastern Canada for around 300 bucks per pelt and sell them in northwest Alaska for around $1000. I thought I was priced way high. But that was in 2001-2005.


the lady at the desk was very suspicious but called Dave and let him know there was a weird foreign guy there to meet him from the internet.

I am sorry you met some of the "Locals". Alaska is known as the end of the road because some people just can't survive socially in the real world. These people end up moving to Alaska thinking their lives will improve while not understanding that their life sucks because of themselves, not other people. I met more of those people in the southeast than when I was living in northwest Alaska. (which is real Alaska by the way...:lol:)

Not saying that DW is one of those people. He is one like myself that just enjoys the fun of flying in Alaska for a living.

Looks like you are having a great time and meeting some of the better Alaska folks. Thanks for the pictures, I recognize some of the areas you have shown and I am starting to miss the area again.
 
To be fair to her, I'd have found it odd too! She was very nice later on. I did meet quite a few people who fit your description elsewhere, though!
 
The following morning David had to head off super early for work, so his colleague Todd drove me around to see a bit of the island and have breakfast in the local town. After that he showed me around a couple of the airlines aircraft (David had also given me a tour the day before) and helped me with flight planning for my next leg. This would be the flight up to Sitka, and then through Glacier Bay, probably the most spectacular of the trip so far.

An Island Air Express caravan:
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Saying bye to Todd:
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From Klawock I headed north along the outer shores of the island chain, to Sitka.

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Heading in towards Sitka the cloud lowered again, but not uncomfortably far:
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Landing at Sitka:
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I walked into town from SItka airport, which only took about 25 minutes and was fairly picturesque.

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After a lunch of "fry bread" from a charity stand I returned to the airport and set out for Glacier Bay!

Heading north out of Sitka:
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Blue skies in sight ahead!
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Plenty of "mountain obscuration":
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First view of the really tall stuff! Mount Fairweather tops out at 15,300ft.


A lonely cruise ship headed for Anchorage:


Glaciers here we come!!


Next time...ridiculous quantities of glacier photos.
 
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I parked up and wandered around a bit until I found the FBO
Did you park down the hill, always thought that was a little different taxing up a fairly steep decline to get to the runway? Worked for an air taxi there for a bit. Took the ferry every day to and from work. Worked the night shift 8pm to 6am. I think the last ferry was 11pm. Had a skiff we could use to get to town if anyone got hurt at work
 
Did you park down the hill, always thought that was a little different taxing up a fairly steep decline to get to the runway?

I did, although I had to ask ATC where to go as it wasn't very clear. It was then very hard to find the FBO, hidden back up the top behind a bunch of commercial and cargo stuff! South East Alaska is much less GA friendly than the lower 48, at least for a non-local!
 
South East Alaska is much less GA friendly than the lower 48, at least for a non-local!
Sorry you feel that way. I have always had good service at a fair price (2X what you would pay in the lower 48,,:)) in SE AK. Always got a crew car for nothing more than the gas I used. Even got to keep the car overnight in Sitka.
edit: nice job with the maps..:)
 
Sorry you feel that way. I have always had good service at a fair price (2X what you would pay in the lower 48,,:)) in SE AK. Always got a crew car for nothing more than the gas I used. Even got to keep the car overnight in Sitka.
edit: nice job with the maps..:)

It hasn't been terrible, just less easy than down south. The airports are generally much more secure/gated, without anybody around. In the lower 48 there's usually a bit of a community feeling. No FBOs in most places, and didn't ever spot a crew car, although I never really needed one!

Obviously the airports with Bills and Davids have been outstanding visits :)
 
I found myself wishing that I'd taken on fuel in Sitka, as I wanted to loiter around for much longer, but eventually I had to turn north and head inbound to Dry Bay, the overnight stop that Todd and I had identified that morning as being the best option. Dry Bay is a long, well maintained gravel strip inside a State Preserve. There is no road access and the area is used primarily for fishing, and the take-out of rafting parties who have come down the river from the mountains.

Hurrah, more opportunity to be eaten by a bear!


After landing I parked up the airplane and set up the tent, then headed out to explore a little. On the map in the camping area, a ranger station had been marked, so I decided to head in that direction and see if there was anyone around to say hello to.

Set up for the night:


I came across a collection of buildings and equipment, and wondered if this was the ranger station. I could hear voices inside, and before long the dogs inside the door noticed me and started making a racket. A man came out to see what was going on and seemed quite surprised to see a visitor. It turns out that he and several of his family had bought these buildings, which were in fact an old fish processing camp, and were out refurbishing them to get them back into good working order.

The fish processing plant.


The "spare parts" pile by the fishing camp.


They invited me in to join them for some dinner and we spent the evening swapping stories. It turns out that the father and his dog needed to head to nearby Yakutat the next day, and I was intending to go there anyway; I invited them to fly along with me. We made plans to bring the airplane round to the camp at 8 the next day, and head off; in return he was able to put me in touch with a mechanic at Yakutat and arrange for me to do the aircraft's oil change there the next day.

The view behind my camp site:


The runway at Dry Bay:


There were countless old vehicles scattered around:


The family posing with the airplane before departure:


Leaving Dry Bay:


Fishing camps near Yakutat:


The hangar at Yakutat!



The mechanic at Yakutat lent me a bucket, plastic pipe, and 1" socket wrench, and I changed the oil. I'd been hauling a crate of the stuff since Pennsylvania. Oil change and leak check complete, I headed northwest towards Anchorage.
 
I nominate this for thread of the year! Or better yet; Best POA thread ever!

It really puts your head there, doesn't it?

I read the bear/moose sign, then I see that little tent next to some aluminum. It shows how exposed he is, just "out there" in nature. Am I the only one that would sleep with one eye open?

LOVE this adventure!
 
Fishing camps near Yakutat:

I just need to make one correction for you. They are known as fish camps. That will make you sound more like a Alaskan....:yesnod::yesnod:

Otherwise great pictures...!!! You are making me homesick for my home away from home.
 
From Yakutat, all I had to do was reach Anchorage by the end of the day. My flight from Anchorage back to Iraq (via Denver, New York, Amsterdam, and Dubai) would leave in the early hours of the following morning. Luckily, the weather was perfect!

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Crossing Yakutat Bay:


The Malaspina Glacier. The current extent is much shorter than shown on the sectional:


Glacial terrain below the Malaspina:


Coastal terrain on the way to Cordova:






The Bering Glacier:


Glacial terrain below Bering. I believe the holes come from thawing of frozen tundra.


Terrain approaching Cordova Municipal:






Approaching Cordova Municipal for landing:



Cordova Municipal is a gravel strip alongside the road, right near the town center. To get to parking you taxi across the road. Floatplanes use the lake alongside.

Parked up at Cordova:


Tomorrow; the final leg of part 1!
 
The city strip in Cordova was quite busy and as is often the way at little airports I was soon chatting to some of the locals. One man was loading up his taildragger to fly out for a few days gold prospecting, and his wife offered to drive me around and show me some of the town.

Getting ready to search for gold:


Cordova main street:


Salmon river. My host was a particular fan of taking photos of flowers and seagulls:


Saying goodbye before heading out to Lake Hood:


Cordova:


Crossing Prince William Sound:



Crossing the mountains by Portage Glacier:




On the Gravel Pit arrival to Lake Hood:


Convenient parking for the departures terminal!


A major sort-out of the aircraft before my commercial flight:


All wrapped up for the next few weeks while I went back to work in Iraq:


In a few hours I am leaving for the airport to head back to Anchorage - and begin part two of the trip! The coast of Alaska, and the far north of Canada. Let's hope for many more bears, at a safe distance...
 
Ross what an amazing trip, when do you think you will be in Anchorage? I will be there next Thursday.
 
Ross what an amazing trip, when do you think you will be in Anchorage? I will be there next Thursday.

I'll be in the area from this Saturday until following Sunday. Exact movements depend on weather!
 
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