Clam Tide @ Tuxedni Bay

[N-43121]

I enjoyed a fantastic trip yesterday with some good friends ... clamming on the West side of Cook Inlet. Took a friend of ours who's visiting from Michigan.

It was an early morning, with the goal of being in the air at 6am. A 2-hour trip southwest from Wasilla; traveling with a 160-hp Supercub ... saw schools of hooligan in the big Susitna, Beluga whales off the beach, moose in a meadow just past the Kustatan river, and a black bear crossing the ice on Bear Lake. Then very busy on 122.7 and 122.9 as everyone converged on the clam beds south of Poly Creek. We landed out on the tide flats where another friend had set his own Supercub down. Within minutes there were another 10 airplanes on the same bench. There must have been 30 to 40 airplanes and a dozen boats sitting on various sand benches in the area.

Spent a couple hours digging razors, and then back to the beach for sandwiches and coffee. It was a hot day and we enjoyed taking off shoes and socks and the feel of hot sand in Alaska. Saw one other Tcraft fly by as we relaxed.

Overheard another couple Tcrafts on 122.7 playing up the Knik valley while on the way home. Chatted about meeting in Skwentna next weekend for the Fly-In. A fuel stop in Anchorage on the way home was prudent, and then it was time to clean clams. Had several guests over for breaded and fried "diggers" with pasta. Clam chowder tomorrow!

Life doesn't get much better than that.

Blue skies,

Rod

[lfries]

Re: Clam Tide @ Tuxedni Bay

Thanks for the pictures

[M Jones]

Re: Clam Tide @ Tuxedni Bay

Great pictures and info Rod.

Oh, by the way, to the Alaska tribe members or anyone with a recommendation...

Today we booked activities for the first few days of a trip to AK coming up in late August. Four of us have plans for a Seward trip, short visit with family in Anchorage, and then to Denali for a couple of days. Looking for some ideas for four people to get a good scenic flight in someplace along the way. We're staying one night in Talkeetna, so looking at a Mt. McKinley flight from Talkeetna with a glacier landing. Also thought about driving to Fairbanks after the Denali stay, and doing something from there, maybe one of the tourist type arctic circle crossings. One idea is a flight that drops off mail at a couple of villages and takes about 3-4 hours R/T from Fairbanks.

Appreciate any do's - don'ts and recommendations!

[N-43121]

Re: Clam Tide @ Tuxedni Bay

Hi Mike,

The trip you describe sounds fun. The BEST flight seeing is what you've already decided on; assuming Denali shows herself. If that doesn't pan out, then a flight out of Merrill Field in Anchorage up and over the Chugach Range, with a peek over to Prince William Sound would be high on the list.

If you are going to make the drive from Denali up to Fairbanks in late August, you picked a good time of year to do that. Usually the leaves are starting to turn by then up in the Interior. When you return to Anchorage, you should come down the Richardson Highway rather than backtracking on the Parks Highway, it is a more scenic route. You can take the Richardson all the way to Valdez, a ferry to Whittier, a train through the tunnels to Portage, and then drive back to Anchorage. Another option is to take the Richardson to Glenallen, and then the Glen Hiway on in to Anchorage ... again, a very scenic drive.

Personally, I would skip the Arctic Circle flight. The Northern interior is just not as scenic, and the flight wouldn't get you far enough North to really experience the Brooks Range. The mail plane trip to a few villages might be interesting, but I think I would try to get dropped off in a village for a few hours rather than just going airport to airport. A few options to consider would be Rampart, Manley Hot Springs, or Tanana. You would gain an appreciation for life in a semi-rural village with a few hours in any of those locations.

Your trip sounds fun. If you find yourself in Wasilla give me a call.

Blue skies,

Rod

[M Jones]

Re: Clam Tide @ Tuxedni Bay

Hi Rod,

It looks like we're planing on the K2 company's flight seeing option to Mt. McKinley out of Talkeetna right now. I've flown out of Merrill Field towards Prince William Sound once before. We really enjoyed that one, so if weather makes us miss the first option, maybe we can get something out of Merrill Field a few days later on the way back.

Looking forward to the trip, thanks for the feedback!