Alaskan Jaunt

[Dick Smith]

Had a fun trip a while back...just dingin' around. Gorgeous wx...few bugs. Dick

[PA1195]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Beautiful pics and country. Does it blow much there?

Gary

[N96337]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

I never get tired of your pictures, Dick! I gotta get back up there someday!!
John

[Dick Smith]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Gary, It looks like the sand on that beach gets "worked-over" by the wind pretty good...that whole lake, canyon, and pass run generally east and west. The wx cam in the pass (Merrill Low) shows an anemometer that is spinning quite a bit of the time. Dick

[Dick Smith]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

John, Slop Bucket is callin' you...! Dick

[N96337]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

HHAAHA.....I hope not!!!
John

[PA1195]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Gary, It looks like the sand on that beach gets "worked-over" by the wind pretty good...that whole lake, canyon, and pass run generally east and west. The wx cam in the pass (Merrill Low) shows an anemometer that is spinning quite a bit of the time. Dick

Ok now I recognize the spot. I'd been through Merrill Pass a few times 20 yrs ago flying a C-185 on floats from Sleetmute/Holitna River area to the Wasilla area lakes. Big Sheefish and pikes in the Holitna and biologists were tracking their movements via implanted radio transmitters.

Nice place on a nice day. All the trees and bushes are tough with short branches due to the winds. Wondered why that sand was so flat. Catch any fish in the lakes there?

Gary

[Dick Smith]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

John, here's a picture of Babe Alsworth jumping off his old Taylorcraft...on the end of Slop Bucket where the road goes out to The Point. You can see up toward Pedro Bay.
Dick

[Dick Smith]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Gary, we didn't fish while we were there...just enjoyed being there and the perfect wx. Dick

[N96337]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Somewhere I've got pictures of one of our Otters taking off to the North across the bucket. It was windy and we decided it just wasn't worth fighting a crosswind.... he had a load of groceries and stuff for a couple of the camps on... it wasn't too bad, but looked tight from inside or so the pilot told me! hahha
John

[PA1195]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Somewhere I've got pictures of one of our Otters taking off to the North across the bucket. It was windy and we decided it just wasn't worth fighting a crosswind.... he had a load of groceries and stuff for a couple of the camps on... it wasn't too bad, but looked tight from inside or so the pilot told me! hahha
John

Been in there a few times to unload passengers from Anchorage when it was windy on the big lake.

The tight one there for me was the lagoon at Lower Talarik Creek. Went in with four souls O/B, gear, and near 70 gal in a C-185. Spent the night then did an L-takeoff south then turned west down the outlet in a crosswind. The shallow riffles of the outlet lifted the floats and we were off for Lloyd Samsal's camp on Pike Lake near the Copper River to the south (big Rainbows).

That's fine country to visit for a Fairbanks resident.

Gary

[Robert Lees]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Dick: One year I must fly over and spend a week or two flying with you Alaska boys. You seem to have a lot of fun.

I've flown my Tcraft to Norway a few times, but Alaska would be icing on the cake!

Rob

[PA1195]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

Dick: One year I must fly over and spend a week or two flying with you Alaska boys. You seem to have a lot of fun.

I've flown my Tcraft to Norway a few times, but Alaska would be icing on the cake!

Rob

April through September in nice. The rest is winter.

Gary

[MontanaT-craft]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

It must have warmed up considerably since I lived there. I went to high school in Fairbanks and I would have said it was nice from June through August and the rest was winter. But, that was over 50 years ago. Is it time to buy that tropical beach property near Barrow?
Charles

[PA1195]

Re: Alaskan Jaunt

It must have warmed up considerably since I lived there. I went to high school in Fairbanks and I would have said it was nice from June through August and the rest was winter. But, that was over 50 years ago. Is it time to buy that tropical beach property near Barrow?
Charles

Yes before the values go out of sight. Been here 50 yrs July (moved up when I was 19), and yes it's warming. Particularly the North Slope. Read about it here in the Blog...look for warming trends: http://ak-wx.blogspot.com.

Now it can be nice in April through October especially when the North Pacific is warm (due to a positive phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation: http://research.jisao.washington.edu/pdo/) and the ENSO is warm like now: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/product...MJO/enso.shtml

I recall the '60's and winter ice fog limiting visibility to one light pole ahead. Now it's air pollution (http://co.fairbanks.ak.us/airquality...rRealTime.aspx) instead.

Gary