Alaska WOW !!!

[VictorBravo]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

More photos...

1), 2) and 3) Flying over the crest of the upper Knik Glacier snowfield, and then down into Price William Sound was nothing short of a spiritual experience. I defy anyone not to be deeply moved by this experience.
4) Prince William Sound... breathtakingly beautiful but inhospitable to landing a wheeled aircraft. Hundreds and hundreds of miles of beautiful coastline, but the narrow rocky beaches are not able to be landed on safely. This is a place where you are very thankful to be flying behind a "small Continental" engine!
5) The small white specks in the water are small icebergs that have calved off of the glacier just out if sight behind the hills.

[VictorBravo]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

More photos...

1) Passing the town of Whittier AK we enter Portage Pass and into the Portage River valley, heading northwest back towards Anchorage. The water in the background is Turnagain Arm, part of the Cook Inlet.
2) Approaching Hope, AK, over the mud flats in Turnagain Arm.
3)Approaching Hope Airport, a strip cut into solid Spruce forest. That's downtown Hope in the lower left of the photo, in case you're looking for the financial and theater district.
4) So here we are on downwind about to turn base for Hope, and you're supposed to concentrate on flying your airplane instead of the magnificent alpine glacial valley in front of you. Looking west-southwest from Hope AK.
5) OK so now you've managed to regain control of your emotions and think about an impending landing... and you're now required to see this: Hope Airport, with Turnagain Arm and the northern part of the Wrangell mountains. This photo is blurry because I was simply unable to keep my composure.
6) So then you finally manage to land right side up, and you're supposed to concentrate on where you're rolling. All you have to do is not think about the view from the cockpit - 50 foot Spruce trees and spectacular mountains just sitting there minding their own business. This is a large, well manicured strip by Alaska standards. Paved with fine dark gravel, flat, and very smooth. I'm guessing they'd fly Otters, Twin Otters and perhaps DC-3's in here without too much difficulty.

[guns68]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

That is a fantastic runway. Long with no hump in the middle, no dranage ditches that are more or less on the edges, nor are there anyone walking the dogs, no moose or bears on the runway. Flying around Prince William Sound sure is beautiful, although my flying in that area has been in Coast Guard helicopters.

[AKbrew]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

Bill, You have achieved 'honored visitor' status by sharing these excellent photos of the scenery we view on a daily basis. A video of my flight to Homer will be posted soon. Thanks for sharing these great picture. Poncho and Taylor miss you!

[VictorBravo]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

And more photos...

1) Parked at Hope Airport, once again there is nothing visible to have any effect on the senses... no crisp spring air with woodsy smells next to a snowbank, no clear blue skies, no awe-inspiring mountains anywhere to be seen, no inviting runway carved out of a forest next to an historic gold rush town. Yawn.
2) Our only fellow airmen at Hope was this fellow working on his Pacer, and a nice couple with a rather un-Alaska looking swept tail/wheel pant 172. Of interest is that our nature trail into the little town of Hope is right through those trees there. About a two or three mile walk into town, which was kind of hard on the feet because I had spent the first part of the day walking a mile or two around Lake Hood!
3) Nope, nothing remotely interesting about the little town of Hope... you'd think they would put up a sign or something letting people know about the town's history as the pre-gold-rush gold rush... nothing really worth seeing such as -
4) and 5) a time warp back to 1916 when a gold prospector built a barn which was converted into a country home in the most beautiful place imaginable, and nothing cool such as -
6) a remote historic town with a main street that looks off into Alaska's Cook Inlet and scenic mountains, and certainly nothing really worth seeing like -
7) a 108 year old Gold Rush era Social Hall building that is still in use today for the same purpose of holding town meetings and dances and reindeer BBQ's!

Nope... Jim just basically bored the crap out of this jaded tourista with the detour into Hope, AK

[akndrifter]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

Fairbanks resident and forum member AKJack informed me with absolute authority that 8 months out of the year Alaska is the most beautiful place in the world, and the other four months nearly cancels it out!

I like the other four months, because it gives the rest of us more elbow room The key to being here year round is finding an activity (ie skiing, snowmachining, etc.).

[AKbrew]

Re: Alaska WOW !!!

I'm with akndrifter...those 4 months clean out the riff-raff...gang members and such...a nice 3 week stretch of -20 and those crips and bloods high-tail it straight back to LA!