Anthony
Touchdown! Greaser!
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Anthony
OK, so I went to Anchorage for work last week. This was my first time in Alaska. I really like the great outdoors and it seemed like a place I could live fo a while. Its a HUGE state with very little population. Anchorage weather was relatively moderate with temps in the 40's F each day. The sun would peak out in the afternnoons and warm up the temps so it was actually comfortable to walk around with a jacket. We did the drive to Seward, which was beautiful. I'm used to seeing mountains, but not mountains next to the ocean. Pretty cool. Seward was pretty dead, but still interesting and the drive was close to two hours each way from Anchorage. The nice thing about this time of year is that it doesn't get dark until about 9:30 PM, so you have a lot of daylight to explore.
Of course the highlight for me was visiting Lake Hood and the seaplane base there. I got to see a lot of planes take off and land on skis as the lake is still frozen. Everyone flies in Alaska. Its the only way to get somewhere, as the state is large with lots of mountains which makes driving ineffecient. Therefore, when people find out you're a pilot and fly little airplanes, they don't look at you like you have three heads. Floatplanes are everywhere. I especially liked all the DeHavilland Beavers on floats. Its ashame they are SO expensive.
I ate a lot of Halibut, Salmon a King crab. Wonderful seafood and I especially liked a little place in Anchorage called "Humpy's". Seemed like a local's hangout with 43 beers on tap and great food.
My dream is to go back and take a floatplane up to a remote lodge and do some fishing and exploring. It really is a beautiful place and worth several visits. I highly recommend AK! I bought a book while there, "Flying the Alaska Wild" by Mort Mason. So far, my impression is the bush pilots are nuts.
Of course the highlight for me was visiting Lake Hood and the seaplane base there. I got to see a lot of planes take off and land on skis as the lake is still frozen. Everyone flies in Alaska. Its the only way to get somewhere, as the state is large with lots of mountains which makes driving ineffecient. Therefore, when people find out you're a pilot and fly little airplanes, they don't look at you like you have three heads. Floatplanes are everywhere. I especially liked all the DeHavilland Beavers on floats. Its ashame they are SO expensive.
I ate a lot of Halibut, Salmon a King crab. Wonderful seafood and I especially liked a little place in Anchorage called "Humpy's". Seemed like a local's hangout with 43 beers on tap and great food.
My dream is to go back and take a floatplane up to a remote lodge and do some fishing and exploring. It really is a beautiful place and worth several visits. I highly recommend AK! I bought a book while there, "Flying the Alaska Wild" by Mort Mason. So far, my impression is the bush pilots are nuts.
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