What Josh Saw Today.....

Cold streak

2012-01-08T02:38:00.000-08:00

We have been stringing together day after day of sub-zero temps. Finally it warmed up a bit and is snowing now. Here's a crappy iPhone pic from the cabin yesterday. It was -30 when I touched down. Too cold to stay very long......

August On

2011-10-02T17:02:00.000-07:00

Now that we are in October and it's 35 degrees and raining, it's easier to sit inside and create a few posts! This summer we were faced with a mission of trying to help control the black bear population in unit 16B which encompasses the area around the cabin. ADF&G issues predator control permits that allow us to fly and hunt black bears the same day over there so Wally, I and others took advantage of that and harvested a healthy amount of black bears this year. Here are a few pictures from my time spent black bear hunting this year.

Coho

2011-08-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

I'm still working on getting caught up, as I type, i'm making dinner after getting back from a great couple days at the cabin. Life has been hectic with little sleep. I hope to post a few catch up pics as it slows down. Here's one from today

Josh

GoPro Images from fishing yesterday

2011-08-08T16:33:00.001-07:00

This camera is amazing. Took a couple trips across to the cabin fishing yesterday and strapped the GoPro on the wing. Great images all day, here are a few... I'll catch up on the blog here as soon as things slow down.

A short video

2011-07-10T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here is some footage of landing at the cabin to the south. I picked up a Gopro camera last week and strapped it on the plane for the ride over this week. A big three days were had over there this week and i'll update the blog with some pretty great pictures! back later,
Josh

More Alaska summer

2011-06-25T16:49:00.000-07:00

I took off around 10am yesterday and flew across with great conditions planning on fishing and hunting most of the day. I ate lunch at the cabin and landed at a nice little strip just north of where we usually fish for kings. I was the only plane on the strip and had a whole clear creek full of reds to myself. After a few hours and a limit of reds I flew back to the cabin, watered the garden and ate a bit of dinner. Life is hard up here.

Back on the scene

2011-06-13T15:12:00.000-07:00

I have flown every day this week, sometimes twice a day. I can't stop thinking about it, and it's all I want to do. The cub has been amazing so far, and it's everything that I wanted and expected. It effortlessly takes off with large loads, and lands super gracefully as long as I do it right. This plane is a life changer. Here are some shots from this weeks evening flights. I would often take off from across the inlet around midnight and start making my way home by moonlight and the lingering summer daylight. I am a lucky one.

Supercub 4104Z "Ragtag"

2011-05-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

Today was my first solo flight in the Cub after a couple of hours training with Doctor Russell. I have been signed off in both my airplanes so far by Dr. Russell and each flight with him is a joy. He is calm when I screw up, and always offers gentle advice to help me get back on course. He is a master of the Supercub and claims to have just plain wore out about 4 of them. Before our first flight he told me the story of wearing out the first one. I agree, it was fully worn out..... Yesterday after finishing up my last check ride with Alex I called Gregg to see if he would be up for flying the next day and he was all in. Today Gregg and I lifted off around ten, and after a few touch and go's in the pattern we winged our way north over Turnagain Arm and in into the mountains toward Knik glacier. The glacier has carved out a huge valley with abundant rocky moraine fields, perfect training ground for a new cub pilot. The flight up was super bumpy, but by the time we dropped down into the valley, there was a perfect smooth wind that made for nice, short landings and take-off's. After an hour or so of practicing landings, checking out sheep, and taking a few photographs we headed out the valley toward Palmer/Wasilla, turned left, and headed over Fire Island and back to Soldotna. Thanks go to Gregg for a great first day, and a wealth of practical knowledge. On a side note: I rarely name my vehicles, but have decided to name my plane after the cub that piqued my interest in flying as a child. Ragtag was a close family friend's Cub that spent many years flying slow over most of Alaska. I'm not sure where that airplane is now, but hopefully I can do the name justice as I begin my career as an Alaskan Supercub pilot.

Setting sail out of Seward

2011-05-16T21:34:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to get an email from John Baker out of Anchorage inviting a group of us out for a weekend of sailing in the Seward area. John's Boat is a 44 foot Jeanneau Sun Odyssey sloop that will comfortably sleep 5, but handled 7 of us just fine. The yacht is immaculate and John's cooking was even better. I'll throw up a few photo's tonight, and give a little more description tomorrow. It was a beautiful weekend for sailing and if you wish, you can follow the history of our trip on my SPOT page.

Fossil point for different reasons....

2011-04-23T21:16:00.001-07:00

Flew over to fossil point with Mike last Tuesday not looking for fossils, but looking for snow. This time of year if wheel skis are not an option, beaches are all you have left for skiing. We landed just west of the point by the two cabins, come-a-longed the plane up on the ice to avoid the high tide, and had a great day on the snow. Perfect weather last week made for ideal Alaska spring conditions. I love this state.

Pete's North

2011-01-24T14:12:00.000-08:00

Dante and Mike had been working on coordinating a trip for Saturday somewhere in the pass, but I had a dilemma, I would be working friday night. I have found that one the best ways to transition off of working nights is to just stay up straight through the next day, and skiing is a great way to do that. The decision was made to try Pete's North, accessed via the Johnson Pass trail head parking lot. I went straight from work to Kaladi Bros. and fueled up with a cup of coffee and went home to grab my gear. Driving is the hardest part of the equation here so I ended up taking naps at the skyline parking lot, and the quartz creek airport, but eventually made it up to meet the guys. Joining Dante, Mike and I were Dan and John. Dante didn't have a problem claiming the flashiest name award. The bottom was treacherous, but was worth it as the top and middle trees were way above average. We had a great day with laps both in the trees and on the top, with John's dog Annie in tow.

We finally have some semi-normal temperatures around here, and people are getting restless for a warm, sunny spring. Or maybe it's just me......

Boring.....

2011-01-18T19:13:00.000-08:00

Ok. I'm sure many of you have lost interest in this thing. Let me explain my absence.

Question 1 - Why doesn't Josh post any cool pictures any more?
Answer 1 - Josh sold his airplane.

That pretty much explains it. So here is a little more. Selling my plane was a long and arduous process that was spurred on by my realization that they cost a butt load of money. How much is a "Butt Load" you ask? A lot After replacing the cylinders on my engine, I decided to say screw it and work on paying off my student loans. So, lets just say selling your airplane is not like selling your old car on craigslist. It's alot harder.
I filled up this summer with running, hiking and a little fishing on the Kenai, all of which were great. A ran my first competitive races in a long time and had a great time. Not having a plane forced me into a few new activities and I met some very interesting friends. This winter so far has been sort of a bust; not much snow, super cold temps, and too much darkness. I have been out in the mountains a few times, but for the most part I have retreated into the gym spending hours and hours on the stationary bike, and treadmill training for our upcoming Hunter/Denali expedition in the spring. I can honestly tell you that none of these activities can fill the void that selling the plane has left in my life. A typical day for me used to start with a quick weather check, a cup of coffee at Kaladi brothers, a full thermos, a stop at the fuel pumps and 30 minutes later I would be winging over pristine lakes and rivers, touching my tires down on white sand and hiking off into wilderness that bears frequent more than humans. I miss flying bad. I miss hearing the starter engage the flywheel and watching my prop slowly spin to life, that first scent of exhaust hitting my nose. 100LL exhaust is a unique smell, one i'll never forget because it signals the start of great adventures. I love flying with people. I like watching people who have never flown take the yoke and pedals and fly for the first time. Every time I have handed the plane over to my passenger they immediately smile, often ear to ear as they form a death grip on the controls as if the thing is going to go spiraling out of control. Some of my best co-pilots have been women, they tend to be a bit more relaxed, and less likely to try and impress.
So this break from flying has really opened my eyes as to how I will prioritize things in my future. I'm thankful that I have been able to log so many hours in my twenties, and with a few years left, I am looking for a new plane to carry me past the big looming 30. I'll probably start looking seriously after we get back from the Alaska range, potentially buying in the fall.
Hope all is well,

Josh

Fresno Ridge

2010-12-06T14:48:00.000-08:00

Dante texted a few days ago that he would be out and about Sunday on the peninsula(he recently accepted a job offer in anchorage) so I met up with him and his crew at the Fresno Ridge parking lot. We had a great day with cold temps and light snow deposited in gullies. We are still waiting on a little more snow to take care of some alder trees here and there. The day was fueled by Alaska Jack's great backcountry stories and his enthusiasm for the outdoors. Jack is roughly twice my age and had roughly twice the backcountry endurance that I posses. He is an animal. Follow his blog here

Pan-seared sesame-crusted tuna

2010-11-20T20:53:00.000-08:00

This recipe I found on userealbutter.com and amazing place that is super informative and helpful when it comes to cooking, recipes, cooking paraphernalia etc... They have amazing photo's of their food and the process. This tuna turned out amazing. I seared it just long enough and the sauces turned out well also. lucky lucky. My pictures however were hampered by an external flash that was full of dead batteries and wouldn't work. Sorry for the half rate pics..... Enjoy your food!

Josh
Click HERE for the userealbutter recipe for this

Salmon with Balsamic Reduction Sauce & Fresh Tomato Salsa

2010-11-19T22:21:00.001-08:00

I made this tasty rascal tonight, thought you may enjoy the recipe as well. Try a little more salt or garlic in the reduction, something else was needed. maybe a bit more mustard.

Balsamic Reduction Sauce

1/2 c. good balsamic vinegar
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 tsp. chile powder
1 T honey
1 tsp. grainy Dijon mustard

Tomato Salsa

2 c tomatoes, finely chopped
1/2 c red onion, finely chopped
1 tsp. red chili flakes
1/4 red wine vinegar
2 T extra virgin olive oil

Directions:

Prepare reduction Sauce. Reduce vinegars by simmering to 1/4 cup. Add chili powder, honey and mustard. Mix well. Use this to glaze your salmon just before done. Set aside half of your sauce to serve with salmon.

Brush salmon with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Sear salmon in non-stick pan or on grill approximately 6 minutes per side depending on thickness. Just before done glaze with balsamic reduction sauce.

While salmon is cooking, toss all salsa ingredients together. Serve along side or on top of your salmon and with some basmati rice.

Winter

2010-11-14T20:08:00.000-08:00

busy busy busy around here lately trying catch up on winterizing the house and yard, I have learned over the last few years that it's easier to do when there is not snow on the ground, but i can never seem to pull it off in time.... Here are a few pictures from winter so far. One is of Dante on a good day up in the pass, the other is a from a couple days later in the same area. Loads of snow so far this year.

Fall is almost over

2010-10-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

Had a nice trip up Skyline today, It had been a month or so since I had been up so it was good to be back. There was a dusting of snow on top and I saw a Porcupine,Grouse, and a load of Ptarmigan. There was also an odd gathering of small moth looking rascals. They were all hold up in the underbrush, but when they couldn't handle the wind any more they would all flap around chaotically. There were thousands of them.
Hope all is well

Slaughter Gulch

2010-10-12T00:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday(Sunday) I hiked up Slaughter Gulch trail which is directly across from the mountain in the previous post, you can see it covered in snow this time. I have spent the last month in the Cooper landing area, re-discovering all the great trails and amazing scenery in the area. I have really taken a liking to the Crescent lake area and am getting excited to spend more time up there. Not having an airplane has really forced me to enjoy what we have here in our local area. We are the lucky ones!

Cecil Rhodes Mt.

2010-09-28T21:32:00.001-07:00

Monday I needed to get out in the mountains after running on the pavement Sunday. Cecil Rhodes is a great mountain just south of the highway as you pass through Cooper Landing and it offers great views of the surrounding area, especially with the sun we have been enjoying! The access is a bit tricky, but Bob Summer was nice enough to give away the route a few years back. I came across a family of Goats, and threw in a picture of the repeater station and radio towers on the back ridge. They used to leave the doors open on the buildings, one has a microwave and phone in it, but they have since locked them. ohh well....

Shadow Mountain

2010-09-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last week I did the annual fall hike up Shadow mountain. The trail start is hidden and only a few know of it. Wasps attacked a couple of separate times, making speed a necessity. What great fall weather!

Crescent Lake

2010-09-24T22:05:00.000-07:00

It was super windy on the flats today so I struck out for the mountains to see if I could duck the wind. Luckily I guessed right and found respite from the wind up Quartz Creek on Crescent Lake Trail. I ran up to the big bridge and grabbed a few photo's. It was perfect fall day up there, crisp, but no wind at all and amazing fall colors. I love Alaska Autumn's, but I wish they would last a bit longer.

Alyeska Climbathon

2010-09-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Justin, Jessica and I gave the climbathon a go, we were all first timers and only had a slight hint of what it might be like from friends who have done it. The event isn't very old, maybe 5 years or so and usually doesnt draw the huge crowds that the other mountain running circuit races draw. The Climbathon involves climbing the north face of mt. Alyeska to the top of the tram, riding the tram down, and doing it all over again as many times as you can from 9am to 7pm. It is a lot more fun when you are done with it. Justin and I had set rough goals of 8 laps a piece, figuring it would take us about 50 minutes a lap untill we got super tired. I ended up finishing with 7, Jessica 7 and Justin killed it with 9. At 2k feet a lap that 14k, 14k and 18k in a day. The weather was perfect and the company was even better!
The winners set new records of 12 laps. They are animals...
ADN story HERE

Tiehacker

2010-08-29T23:28:00.000-07:00

Went up Tiehacker Mountain with Zack today to scout a few lines to ski this winter. More pics tomorrow. I'm pooped.

Flowers

2010-08-25T21:57:00.000-07:00

The front yard is peaking right now, starting it's downhill slide into a long cold winter. I grabbed a few images for my mom so she could see the fruits of her annual 2 week pilgrimage to Alaska to maintain the flower beds. My carrots, onions and potatoes and berries are doing well.

Wet and Muddy

2010-08-17T17:52:00.000-07:00

This has been the state of my running shoes for about 2 months. As I type this the sun has broken out for the first time in a LONG time. Peninsula residents are becoming unruly. This upcoming Saturday is the Lost Lake Race which benefits Cystic Fibrosis. The race course starts at the Primrose trailhead and ends at the Firehouse just outside of Seward. During a training run on the course the other day it rained the entire time and seemed like it was nearly snowing at lost lake. I enjoyed ankle deep mud in many spots, hence the state of my shoes. Hope your weather is better.....

Josh

Rain

2010-07-20T21:50:00.000-07:00

We have been getting too much rain lately, a sunny day is rare this summer. Many visitors through lately, some of my mom's friends from Montana are up, good family friends are down from wasilla and a smattering of others. They all have one thing in common. Oncorhynchus Nerka, Sockeye, Red salmon. Picked strawberries for my ice cream tonight. training for the Lost Lake Run all week. Denali posts will continue.
Cheers,
Josh

Day 3 Denali Basecamp to the base of the Northwest Basin Route on Hunter

2010-07-08T18:01:00.000-07:00

We woke up early on the 7th of May in Denali Base camp which was fairly empty as we packed up our stuff onto the sleds and made our way out of camp. We hauled the majority of the bulky stuff in the sleds and kept the essentials for survival in our packs should we have to cut loose a sled in a crevasse fall. Our route snaked out of base camp, down heartbreak hill(named that because it's the last hill to ascend into base camp after a long Denali climb)and left (west) toward the base of our route on Mt. Hunter. The weather was amazing and we finally got great views of all the mountains we have read about for years and years. While the distances look relatively short, the massive layout of the Kahiltna glacier is super deceiving. Our move took about 4 hours of navigating through crevasse fields and dealing with 70 degree temps on the glacier. TJ led the way and we learned a lot about rigging our sleds properly for downhill travel and probing for snow bridges over crevasses. We set up camp in a safe spot that evening, built our kitchen and dined on mashed potato's with cheese, peperoni, bacon bits and crushed chips for crunch.
Lessons learned that day - snowshoes suck, shake out the tent in the morning to get out any lingering frost and moisture, good sled rigging is essential.

Birdbath by Amanda Motonaga

2010-07-07T13:51:00.000-07:00

Last year I had a birdbath incident that ended up in a multi piece birdbath that wasnt very good at holding water. I knew Amanda was a potter and asked through Gregg if she would be willing to create a new one for the yard. A few weeks later she produced this beautiful piece that really compliments the work my mom has recently done in the yard. I have been waiting for some good light, but with all the cloudy/rainy days lately I bagged the waiting and took a few photo's of it last evening. Thanks Amanda!

Skyline to Resurrection

2010-06-22T21:49:00.001-07:00

I spent Sunday and Monday on a hike from the skyline trail head into the Kenai mountains, skirted around Trout lake and met up with Resurrection trail. The ridge tops were easy but the alders were a pain. I always forget how hard they are to negotiate. I didn't see any bears, but did see a few sheep. As you can see in the sunset picture, the bugs were pretty rough and I forgot the bug dope. Won't make that mistake again.
Cheers,
Josh

Day 2 Talkeetna to Denali Base Camp

2010-06-07T21:44:00.000-07:00

Our second day we woke up and were at the Talkeetna Air Taxi hangar by 8am and checked in, weighed our gear, and staged everything. We spent most of the day waiting for weather and a backlog of climbers flying out from previous bad weather. You give them your cell phone number then you can wander around town until it's go time. We ended up getting into base camp around 6pm that evening so we set up camp, made a bit of dinner and went to bed. It was a beautiful evening and a great way to start off our trip. We were scheduled to fly in in a 185, but my sled wouldn't fit in so we got upgraded to a beaver. The flight in was great because it was just TJ, Me, and an AMS guide heading in for a personal trip so were weren't crowded in with a bunch of people. The Alaska range is amazing.
Cheers,
Josh

Day 1

2010-05-28T21:31:00.001-07:00

We rolled into Talkeetna and met up with Colby and Caitlan and delivered some fish that Bob and Mary Ellen had sent up with us and they let us stay in their tents and use their space to organize and pack our gear for the millionth time.

Hunter/Denali

2010-05-24T19:42:00.000-07:00

We are back from an amazing trip, I'll break the trip down by section over the week with a few pictures.
Hope all is well,

Josh

Packing, organizing, then re-packing and re-organizing

2010-04-30T22:08:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been a combo of training and picking up the last few items we need to pull this thing off. Buying stuff is the easy part, organizing and packing is the hard part. I have made countless checklists for gear, food, clothes etc, and I think it's all starting to come together. We will hopefully be flying out of Talkeetna into Denali base camp on the afternoon of the 6th, staying the night at basecamp, then moving down the Kahiltna to the base of our route on Mt. Hunter on the 7th. If all goes well, you may be seeing a SPOT message on the page from the summit of Mt. Hunter around the 12th or 13th depending on conditions and weather. Deep and unstable snow will be our largest foe, and is what usually turns people around on Mt. Hunter. The success rate is very low on this mountain and we know what were up against. Strong legs and minds will hopefully prevail. I have included a few pics of the preparation process.
Josh

Training Partners

2010-04-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Here are my training partners for most of the winter and spring on skyline. It was a bit overcast today but it was nice and warm. Today was probably the last time I will make it up skyline before the climb. I spent the day yesterday picking up a few last minute items in Anchorage and caught a presentation by Ira Glass, the creative mind behind This American Life. Heading over to Bob's tonight to pick up some more stuff i'm borrowing, then hauling the tire around tonight.
Cheers,
Josh

Night Flying

2010-04-13T12:29:00.000-07:00

Heidi flew me around a couple nights ago over the Kasilof area and I was able to grab a few images of a great spring sunset. Sorry for the dirty windsheild.
Hope all is well,
Josh

Green Lake 2

2010-04-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the delay, here are a few more from Green lake a few weeks ago. More updates to come. Spring is here and training for Hunter has been fierce so the schedule has been packed. Less than a month to go!

Josh

Green Lake Traverse part 1

2010-03-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Mike and I flew up to Green lake on Tuesday with bluebird weather and nice warm temps. The goal was to start at the west end of the lake, travers west to east over the mountain on the northern edge of the lake and ski back down to the plane waiting for us on the eastern edge of the lake. Round trip it took us a bout six hours and it was a great trip. Mike uses that area for skiing or goofing off if the weather is too crummy to head across to the west side of Cook Inlet. Hope you enjoy the photos, there will be more to come. Check out the SPOT page for the location of the lake. I turned the SPOT on at the top of the mountain.
Cheers,
Josh

More Eva Pics

2010-03-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pics from Mt. Eva yesterday. These show the chutes a bit more and the amount of snow Seward has. What a great day! The picture of me descending the chute has a dog at the top watching me head down. Her owners were already at the bottom where I was heading but she doesn't like to go down the steep parts so she follows the uptrack on the ridge leading to the chutes back down and meets them.
Clear,cold and windy in Seward today. We hit it just right.
Josh

Seward Storm Cycle

2010-03-10T23:16:00.000-08:00

Seward and the surrounding mountains have been getting hammered with snow over the last week often accumulating a foot or so overnight. Zack and I checked the weather yesterday and noticed a little break in the action so we planned on a trip up today. We met at the end of Tiehacker road and made our way up through the blower powder to the chutes on the left of the Mt. Eva bowl. Zack has been eyeing these chutes all winter, waiting for the right snow conditions and luckily we hit it perfect today. Perfect weather and prime snow made for another great day in the mountains. The chutes we rode all drop into the Eva bowl and we ascend the western ridge to regain the drop in points. We rode two chutes today and had a great tree run on the way down. More pics tomorrow,
Cheers,
Josh

Eva Continued

2010-02-28T02:12:00.000-08:00

The trip up to the base of Eva's summit pyramid is a long skin through a massive valley with prime chutes on either side. Zack describes the ascent as if walking through a winter playground. He was eagerly photographing lines for a our next trip as we ascended up the valley toward the summit. The higher we went, the better the snow became, and we started to feel better about putting forth the effort to get up this high.

More later
Josh

Almost Spring

2010-02-26T23:08:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I feel guilty saying it, but one of the best things about my job is that I get a week off every other week. Zack,(who gets two weeks off every other two weeks) and I made our way up Mt. Eva near Seward today under a clear sky and a warm sun. Here are a few pictures from the day, I'll post more tomorrow. It was the best trip of the year by far.

Josh

A few from Thursday and Friday

2010-02-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

I up tracked Tincan by myself on Thursday and hooked up with another group and did a few laps with them. The day started with terrible visibility, but by early afternoon it had cleared a bit and conditions were great. I took a few pictures of the group descending the front apron of Tincan, we were able to lay first tracks that day (The edited picture)! The pictures of Jordan are of him removing clumping snow from the bottom of his skins. With the warm temperatures lately, the snow has been a bit fickle, sticking to skins and crampons. My trip up skyline yesterday was a clumpfest.
Cheers
Josh

Feet

2010-02-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

On Thursday and Friday the snowfall wasn't measured in inches but in feet. The pass got hammered on Thursday night and Friday, and Friday night. I was able to get out on both days, breaking trail to the top with Jordan on Friday. More pictures to follow.

Josh

Great Mid-season Weather

2010-02-01T23:32:00.001-08:00

Here are a few scenery shots from skiing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I met up with Zack on Sunday and we made 3 laps on Tincan, it was good to catch up. Hope you enjoy them, this week was such a great week for riding; the weather, snow and friends were all top notch.
Cheers,
Josh

Stiff Neck and the Anatomy of the Tomahawk.

2010-02-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the week skiing on Tincan with amazing weather. Today I reserved an entire post to diagram a sweet crash I had the pleasure of experiencing on Thursday. The Tomahawk is a maneuver during witch the body flies through the air in a tomahawk like fashion due to an abrupt deceleration. The pictures speak for themselves. More from this weekend later tonight.
Enjoy,
Josh

Friday Freshies

2010-01-23T17:12:00.001-08:00

Amazing snow in the pass on friday and Jordan and I were a few of the first to hit it. The skiing shot is of Luke Simpson, a guy we met up there, i just happen to snag a few images of him hitting a nice line off the ridge of Tincan. Clear and cold lately making for stable snow conditions and great riding!

Portage Ice Climbing

2010-01-23T16:54:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I met Jordan on the road into Portage valley and we hiked back in a bit to get on some ice. The weather was beautiful in the pass, but there was a low fog hanging on Turnagain arm. It was a great session nonetheless.
Saturday Ski pics to come,
Thank you followers for the comments, I look forward to them!

Josh

Training

2010-01-12T22:09:00.000-08:00

I spent most of the last week in the mountains; 4 days skiing in Turnagain Pass, and Monday I battled my way up Skyline Trail. The wind was horrendous. The ski days in the pass started off a bit warm with 30 degree temps on Wednesday, and high 30's and rain on thursday. On Thursday Barb and Travis joined Jordan and I on Tincan, the pictures show the wide range of emotions felt about the trip. Needless to say, we were all a bit wet. I spent Saturday and Sunday back up on Tincan Mt. cooler temps, but hard snow. Training is going well, we spent a lot of time in the rock gym in Anchorage and the trip up skyline was good, the legs feel ready. Hope all is well,
Josh

Good snow

2009-12-31T15:59:00.000-08:00

I picked up Ross Baldwin at his parents house on Tuesday morning and we met up with Ted at the Tincan parking lot. Ross is finishing up Med school this summer (as is Ted) down in Seattle and rarely stays in one place long so it was good to meet up with him for a good day on the snow. After Ross finishes up in June, he will head off for a five year surgical residency; he has yet to pick a location although he seems to be favoring California. The snow was terrible down low, but perfect above 2000 feet, we did a few laps, then headed into Girdwood to visit with Ross' sister at her house.
Hope all is well,
Josh

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T21:31:00.000-08:00

Here is a photo of my Christmas eve dinner Alaska style. Red salmon, steak, and smoked salmon twice baked potatoes. The other is from flying today, Thats the feeling most of my passengers express during our flights, haha.
Merry Christmas,
Josh

Tincan Attack

2009-12-15T00:50:00.000-08:00

We use skiing as an excuse to train for Mt Hunter this spring. It's a real bummer when your training schedule includes back country skiing on crisp bluebird days. We made it up to the pass and skiid Tincan on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. The night runs were great, but we needed headlamps toward the bottom. All in all conditions were great. We would ski during the day, then hit the rock gym that night. Really makes a guy want to live in anchorage part time, at least for the winter....

Hope all is well, Hunter is close!

Josh

John Svenson

2009-12-15T00:33:00.001-08:00

Working the magic

Rolling the Hot glass into a marble shape

Filler Sticks

Jenty sitting in on a session

After we said thank you and goodbye to Tom, we were off to visit John Svenson. John and his wife, both artists with colorful pasts, create a myriad of stunning work ranging from wood block prints, to Glass work. John's latest kick has been on the glass side of things and Jenty and I caught him in the middle of a session. John was encasing a gold nugget in an amazing marble of color and swirls. You really have to see, it, my words won't do it justice. Jenty and I had the chance to hop on the torch and work with a bit of the glass. 5 minutes were enough to show me that this glass bending business is a little tricky. Jenty has a steady hand and kicked out some nice beads. If you get a chance, swing by Johns and check out his stuff, The gallery alone is amazing! take a look here.

Tom Morphet

2009-12-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

The Lende Cabin
Tom and Jenty on the way to Rutzebeck Lake
The entrance to Camp Weasel
Tom's Cabin and cozy interior below!

I had the chance to meet Tom Morphet at the Lighting of the Library event in Haines. As Jenty describes him, "he's the guy you would always want to sit next to in school". It's true, Tom is easy to get along with, and is sure to fill blank space with colorful stories and a seemingly endless knowledge stream. At the lighting Tom had invited us up to his cabin by Rutzebeck Lake (AKA Camp Weasel) the next day for a visit and a tour. I had first read about Tom's place in Heather Lende's book, (more about her later) and it was great to get a tour. Tom's personality has manifested itself in his residence. The main lodging is small but full of character, and the outbuildings hold what extra is needed for convincing a wife to live in a remote cabin that is not accessible year round by car. During our visit Tom took us on a tour of Rutzebeck lake and the local neighborhood. One of his closest neighbors is Heather and Chip Lende and their beautiful "weekend" cabin directly on the lake. Tom took us on a tour of the cabin (he knows where the hide-a-key is)and gave us the lowdown on the rest of the lake neighbors. Tom is an editor and contributor to the Chilkat Valley News and has spent time at other jobs throughout southeast Alaska, if you run into him in Haines ask him how Camp Weasel got it's name. More Haines posts to come!
Josh

Lighting of the Library

2009-12-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Haines has a beautiful library that won an award in 2005 for "The Best Small Library in America" an award co-sponsored by the Library Journal and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Each year, tradition is to have a lighting ceremony which involves a silent auction, refreshments, presentations and of course a huge Christmas tree. Jenty helped decorate this year so we had a little insight into the work that it takes to get this whole thing prepared. Local do-it-all volunteer Frankie Jones coordinated the decorating and as you can see, she did a great job with the help of all her volunteers. More pictures to follow, sorry for the delay but I'll be in Anchorage for a bit skiing, climbing etc...
Cheers,
Josh

Haines Teaser

2009-12-02T14:29:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures from the Haines trip. It was a trip that really made me feel good about Alaska and the great people that make up this state. We are such a diverse group, living in a state that has so many contrasting climates and landscapes. The first photo is of the shoreline of Rutzebeck lake during a snow storm, second is at the Lighting the Library get together at the beautiful Haines public library, and the the third is of the highway along the Canadian border.
More stories and pictures to come.
Josh

Haines

2009-11-24T21:12:00.000-08:00

I'm headed to Haines for awhile, a week or so. The weather is terrible this time of year or I would fly, so it's just me, the subaru, and the Ipod. You can follow my journey on my SPOT page via the link on the right sidebar.
Hope all is well,
Josh

Holding on to my garden veggies

2009-11-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

Amanda posted on roasting root vegetable HERE , and her's came out looking so tasty I thought i should give it a go. Last week I used olive oil, oregano and a bit of salt and pepper. This time I used more of the same and a bit of thyme. I chunk up a yam and 2 bell peppers , 1 red,1 green from the store. Next I chop red and yukon golds from the garden, along with 4 large onions from the garden. My favorite part are the carrots. These carrots have been a long running narrative this fall as they seem to just keep going and going. I pulled the last ones right before our first snow and they were doing great! SO, I ended up with a load of carrots that all taste amazing roasted!!! Like the yams, they take on a really sweet earthy flavor. So, i throw the veggies in a ziploc and in goes the oil and herbs, mix around, and roast in their little foil pouch. With 10 minutes left I will usually remove the top foil and allow the veggies to see a little direct heat for a bit, this sort of sears them and helps to slightly carmalize the onions. Tasty tasty tasty

Cheers,

Josh

MRI podcast and info

2009-11-20T21:55:00.000-08:00

This podcast is part of an NPR blog/podcast that I follow called Planet Money. This podcast is super interesting as it follows MRI prices around the world. This seemed relevant as the health care debate rages on. MRI's are expensive in Alaska, but what is early detection worth? My local Internal Medicine Doctor, Dr. Mcdonagh seems to favor less imaging/xrays as studies in the UK have shown that up to .6% of cancers are caused by medical x-rays. I tend to favor his line of thought, letting blood work and the age old method of poking and prodding reveal a diagnosis. Check out the podcast HERE

No Snow

2009-11-15T21:03:00.000-08:00

Looking south, homeward bound across the inlet

Gregg making his way east across the inlet

Big strip on the McArthur. Had to land for a trip to the out house, couldn't stay long due to a brisk, cold wind.

Rolling tires on the upper Kustatan bench

Chilly

Our lack of snow has made for an interesting late tire flying season. Gregg and I headed west today in the bitter cold and found some great views and nice solid landing conditions. We landed on a little strip near the McArthur and Gregg rolled his tires on a spot higher up on the Kustatan bench that may be a likely spot next summer. Clear and cold lately, still waiting for some big snow!
Cheers,
Josh

Winter Grouse

2009-11-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

This grouse and the rest of her family have been hanging around in the front yard for a couple months now. It's rare that they will stay in one place like this for so long. It has been fun to watch them feed lately; they will sit in the trees and eat spruce needles, and in the evening they will hop down to the driveway, pick gravel for a bit, then head back up to roost. This one was puffed up in a tree next to the driveway this morning.
Cheers,
Josh

Waiting for snow

2009-10-31T00:09:00.000-07:00

Spent time cutting wood today for the wood stove. It has been clear and cold lately, perfect for evening fires! We are lucky enough to have an endless supply of downed beetle kill spruce behind the house. We are enjoying a late fall up here with cold temps, but no snow. I was talking to Justin Moore today at the gym and he is still riding his bike every day and it's almost November! The garden is put away and I'm all ready for deep snow and ski turns!

Josh

Brad's Wedding

2009-10-29T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pics from the time we spent in Colorado for Brad's wedding this 4th of July. The weather was great, and it was a great opportunity for all of us to get together again. It was also an opportunity to show everyone how bad my golf game is. Brad is teaching at Cherry Creek High School, and his bride McKenna is a nurse. Hope all is well, we are enduring the dreary days of the in between time of fall and winter. Clear cold and windy today!

Josh

Katie (Burck) Stafford and her Husband

2009-10-24T20:08:00.000-07:00

Monterey to San Diego - Sailing - Spot
Katie and her husband are sailing around the world in their sailboat, At least that was the plan last I heard. You can follow their trip via their spot adventures page

Back to Chickaloon

2009-10-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

Took advantage of the good weather today and flew back to the Chickaloon area. Dave was at the airport when we took off and was headed out the same way so we met at the Pincher Creek cabin, same one that Gregg and I were at. Another great fall day today, we are lucky ones this year. The pictures are of Dave's 180hp Cub. If anyone has one that they want to give away, call me.
Josh

Back to the "New" Cabin

2009-10-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

It was an amazing day today, a little fog hung around for a bit, but I was able to sneak out from under it and fly over to the new cabin. I went armed with nippers, shovel and chainsaw and a select few power tools. The goal today was to figure out how to get the new floor underneath the cabin. While clearing room to do that, I found why the door won't close; the nearby tree has put down roots through the threshold. That is a problem.... The solution will be to move the cabin backwards a bit. The lowest rung of logs is rotten so we will jack up the cabin underneath the lowest row of good logs, add about 3 to 4 feet of structure, and slide the new floor underneath it. Today I covered the windows with plywood and blocked the doorway as well as I could in prep for winter. The cabin is going to be a lot of work, but it's better than starting from scratch! Photo's are of the tree in the front of the cabin that is rooting through the doorway; All the necessary tools for cabin renovation, Old baking powder, and making my way back to the plane on an amazing afternoon in ALASKA!!!

I love this state,

Josh

Liver Update and Pictures

2009-10-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

This spring I flew up to Anchorage to visit my liver specialist in Anchorage, Dr. Geronimo Sahagun. Dr. Sahagun is great because he is willing to take the time to answer questions, and goes above and beyond, taking time out of his schedule to respond to emailed questions. He encourages me to research my condition (Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis) independently, and then takes the time to answer the pages of questions I bring to my appointments. My last visit this spring spurred a visit to our local branch of the Alaska Open Imaging Center for an MRCP. Our Soldotna office uses the Hitachi AIRIS 2 open imager, you can take a look at it HERE. The MRCP took about an hour and they took about 140 images of my liver and it's bile ducts. Hitachi Medical Division is designing open imaging machines to create a more comfortable environment for the patient during what can be a nerve wracking and long process. The technicians fasten a strap around your chest to monitor your breathing, and at the trough of an exhale the images are taken. The images are then sent to a specialist who analyzes the images, drafts a report and sends it to Dr. Sahagun. Let me assure you, MRCP's are not cheap, but in exchange for your thousands of dollars, they give you a CD with all your images on it. A program called eFilm lite is preloaded on the CD and allows you to scroll through your cross sectioned Liver and Bile ducts. While Dr. Sahagun felt my case of PSC was fairly mild, he wanted to confirm with an MRCP. Thankfully the MRCP confirmed his belief. What was so interesting about this conclusion was everything I went through leading up to my trip to the Alaska Open Imaging. I went through countless rounds of blood work, doctor visits, a colonoscopy and even a liver biopsy; all revealing very little about an existing condition marked by my abnormal LFP numbers. SO, final conclusions: My liver condition is relatively mild. PSC is known to increase chances of Colon Cancer. Recent studies have shown that Urso Forte (Ursodiol) the medication I'm taking, is largely not effective in managing PSC, however it may help prevent colon cancer. That's it in a nutshell. I will post one photo from the MRCP. My liver is the bright white organ. The image is one in a series that rotates around the body showing all sides of the liver and the ducts.

Hope all is well, foggy and cool today,

Josh

P.s. Where The Wild Things Are comes out today!

Chickaloon

2009-10-15T23:43:00.000-07:00

The weather broke today after a seemingly endless string of foggy days, so the natural thing to do is head for the plane. I pulled into the airport and Gregg was fueling up so he waited for me and we took off north bound to explore. Gregg had mentioned it had been awhile since his last flight so that spurred me to look back on my last flight on Oct. 3rd. That last break had probably been my longest between flights all year. Gaining flight after a nice long break like that really rejuvenates a person. Great times today with a good friend,
Enjoy the pics,
Josh

Tree on fire

2009-10-11T17:27:00.000-07:00

This is a great tree my mom planted out behind the old raspberry patch. It's name eludes me right now and will try and look up some info on it before she catches me in my ignorance. I mainly posted this now because i'm sure Jenty doesnt think i'll get to it. Rainy AK fall here.
Cheers,
Josh

Mt. Hunter

2009-10-06T00:06:00.001-07:00

Here it is.....

Skyline Training

2009-10-05T23:53:00.000-07:00

Skyline is a classic place to train for Alaska range climbs. In preparation for Mt. Hunter in May, I have been using it for my conditioning climbs. Tonight I went up a bit later than usual and was able to grab a few nice sunset shots. I'm sure I have taken these shots a million times, but they never get old.
Cheers,
Josh

My new cabin!

2009-10-03T12:32:00.001-07:00

Mike found this cabin, spotting it from the air by chance. We're calling it Josh's cabin by default really as it is everyone's cabin. It looks as if it was built about 40 years ago based on some of the contents scattered around. This fall I hope to get in before the snow comes and clean out the interior and get it ready for a new floor and interior next year. It looks rough now, but give it a year or so!
Cheers,
Josh

Skyline to Fuller Lakes Traverse

2009-09-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I scooted up skyline and cruised around to the Fuller lakes trail. The fall colors were great and the weather was perfect! Fall is here for sure, and after today's rain and wind, the leaves are about to be gone. Fall is short in Alaska, lasting only a few weeks before we are faced with barren trees and a grey/brown landscape for a month and a half till the snow falls. Hope all is well,
Josh

Fall Food

2009-09-19T15:27:00.000-07:00

Moose burgers last night with garden grown onions, fresh harvested moose, and lettuce my mom started out front.
What a great fall!

Josh

Rainy Pass Part 2

2009-09-19T02:33:00.000-07:00

Here are more photo's. Most are self explanatory, Rainy Pass Lodge is a major stop along the Iditarod trail and is a primary hunting camp for this time of year (I will post more on it later) The line cutting crews are working for the mining company which also employs geologists and drillers to help look for minerals for a future mine. I would hate to see a mine developed in this great place. Such an amazing spot in Alaska. Included are photo's of Rainy Pass Lodge, The heli schedule, Donica(Left) and Danielle (right) and the view of the Skwentna drainage on the way back to Soldotna!
CHEERS!!
Josh

Rainy Pass Part 1

2009-09-18T23:52:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to visit a friend (Danielle) who is working in a geological survey camp in Rainy pass, right down the trail from Rainy Pass Lodge. I flew Danielle's sister Donica up to visit for the day and to check out the area. The whole Rainy Pass area is amazing. Large, expansive glacier cut valleys littered with fall colors and jagged Alaska range peaks dominate the flight up from Soldotna. Every time I venture farther north or west, or wherever it may be, I realize how much I'm missing. There is SO much Alaska to see that when I think I have a pretty good grasp on what is up here, I have a trip like this that completely changes my perspective. We are truly lucky to be up here! More pics to come....

Self Portrait

2009-09-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

I'm usually not one for taking pictures of myself, but after seeing a few of Erik's fire photo's I wanted to experiment shooting through fire. The winning photo in this years Alaska Magazine photo contest was shot through flame and it provides an interesting medium that's a little tricky to shoot. Here are a few outtakes from the Alaska Magazine Photo Contest.
Cheers,
Josh

2009 Moose

2009-09-17T16:38:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of this years moose. We took it to the processors for butchering then I vac packed the burger in 1lb packages using Larry's commercial vac packer. It's a beast! Just had moose taco's for lunch!
cheers
Josh

Onion Crop

2009-09-08T13:24:00.000-07:00

Great big onions this year! I harvested the last half of the crop yesterday, the first half went in with the canned Silvers!
Josh

More from Sunday

2009-09-07T17:20:00.001-07:00

SpurView Strip on Sunday

2009-09-07T16:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I flew back to the SpurView strip with some spare time to hike up toward the mountain a bit. The fog was laying low all the way over the inlet so the flight was super peaceful. There was no wind at all and the hike up the foothills of Mt. Spur was amazing. Every now and then you have an experience in nature that you know you will never forget. I have had two such experiences so far in my life, one was climbing up the flank of Mt. Russell and looking back on Foraker and the surrounding mountains with just pure awe at the size and grandeur of the Alaska range. The other happened yesterday while hiking in the high alpine tundra that leads up to the eastern seracs and glaciers of Mt. Spur. The fog seemed to blanket out any sound, and the lack of birds or wind created a stillness that is hard to find anywhere anymore. On the way up I ran into two projectiles that I have come across previously on the west side. Mike had told me of them when I first started flying with him in high school, and we found one on the McArthur river years ago. Yesterday I found two of them, one I brought home. I have found the manufacturer and have a serial number, so I'm going to do some research. I hope the pictures do the trip justice!
cheers,
Josh

DeGray Photo shoot

2009-09-07T16:05:00.000-07:00

Erik let me tag along while he shot some photo's for the DeGray's a few days ago. He chose the bluff just outside the senior center and it turned out great. Mainly I do whatever he tells me to do and shoot some setup shots for him while learning a little along the way. We have been having some stellar fall weather!
Josh

Breaking 1000 hours on N704JB

2009-09-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

While flying down to homer a few days ago I broke 1K hours on my engine. My engine has a 2K hour TBO (Time Before Overhaul). The trip was great with good weather. I flew down with the folding bike and had fish and chips out on the spit.
cheers,
Josh

Spur View Strip

2009-09-04T20:21:00.001-07:00

I found a strip that Gregg and I visited last fall and poked around on the high alpine tundra for a bit. Mt. Spur is an amazing peak that is unique in that we can fly and land so close to it. I hope to tool around up there a bit more before snow flies.
cheers,
Josh

Cabin Garden!

2009-09-03T01:13:00.000-07:00

I couldn't resist posting a few photo's of the potato yield from the cabin garden. I planted exclusively reds this year and they did really well. I pulled a few plants this week and they seem to have produced fairly well! Thanks go to Jenty for helping with the ground prep and planting!
Cheers,
Josh

Return to Chris' Strip

2009-08-27T22:17:00.000-07:00

A couple days ago I flew over to Chris' Strip as is the fall ritual and had a great trip. The weather was perfect and the Ptarmigan were everywhere. As I flew in I spotted a Brown bear, circled him a bit as he headed east toward the ocean, and landed to the west as the wind usually dictates. The strip is in the foothills of Mt. Spur at about 3000ft. and the landscape relieves to the east down to the inlet. I usually land and hike down slope into the low brush to look for birds. This time a took an hour and hiked up towards the mountain just to see what I could see. The landscape is littered with small ground squirrels that love to stand upright to gain a better view. Enjoy the photo's, this is my favorite time of year in Alaska. Aside from winter,summer and spring, haha! Also, I included a photo of a few onions I pulled over at the cabin!
cheers,
Josh

The Fruits of My Labor

2009-08-27T22:03:00.000-07:00

I canned about 48 jars and smoked 3 pounds of silvers this fall. The late summer and early fall is a hectic time for me, probably more so than the summer visitor season. Cleaning, preparing, canning and smoking take a huge amount of time but I have found over the last three winters that it is truly worth it!

Mt. Spur and Moose

2009-08-24T01:56:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple shots from my trip looking for moose the other day. I found a cool little strip, and a pair of pretty large moose. I love flying in the Mt. Spur area, it offers great views of Denali and Foraker, and most of the AK range and there are also great places to land and hike around.
hope all is well,
Josh

House guest

2009-08-21T03:11:00.000-07:00

While I was out mowing today I left the front door open as I usually do and when I returned a bird had taken up residence. I was able to grab a few photo's before I turned him loose. He/She left behind many calling cards which I am still finding as we speak, speakers, couch, kitchen, etc.... Later in the day I flew over to the Kustatan and caught a few Coho to smoke tomorrow, on the way over I came across this cub who had obviously wrecked on a fairly tight strip below Mike's cabin. This time of year (Moose season) pilots who havn't flown much start to fly into stuff that they havn't done in awhile (Last Moose season) and get themselves into trouble. I.E. this last picture. Danny Brewer was in to help with the helicopter and everyone was O.K.
Cheers,
Josh

August and everything after

2009-08-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

I had heard from Jackson Meyer that the silver fishing was still good at the cabin so Heidi and I loaded up and gave it a shot yesterday. We limited out quick and had a great evening on the warm and sunny west side. The leaves will be turning soon!
cheers,
Josh

Glacier Ash

2009-08-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mike and I flew up the glacier that feeds the McArthur river this week and found a thick layer of ash left over from the Redoubt eruption. This ash will no doubt affect the glacier for years to come by absorbing heat speeding up deterioration of the glacier. Mike made an interesting comment while we were flying up through the pass about how it's easy to forget how many glaciers we really do have up here, and he's right. As we flew farther inland, all that stretched out in front of us was stress cracked ice and glacier cut peaks. Pretty impressive.
Josh

Seldovia Trip

2009-08-12T02:51:00.000-07:00

Heidi and I flew down to Seldovia today with amazing weather. We walked from the airport into town and checked out the boats and enjoyed the great weather. Seldovia is busy this time of year with a lot of air and boat traffic picking up and dropping off tourists. While picking favorite boats Heidi picked the ole' Husky, interesting choice......
Later this evening I picked up joel and we cruised over to the Kustatan for an evening silver trip, Joel caught the biggest fish of the year this evening on his last chance, and I broke my pole on a snag. It was an evening of sharp contrasts.... We snuck back into town around midnight under a nearly full moon and a great sunset, I love Alaska!
Josh

Silver fishing

2009-08-12T02:27:00.000-07:00

It has been hectic this last week off with the silvers in strong across the inlet. My days have been full of great trips across the inlet with good friends and a lot of great weather. This set includes Pete Iverson, his son, and Mike. We were all able to meet up this weekend for a nice trip. I have some video clips and am working on getting them on, it takes forever so bare with me.
cheers,
josh

BUSY BUSY BUSY

2009-08-10T21:16:00.000-07:00

It's been crazy here the last week or so, I promise to post soon and often!

Josh

Flooding

2009-07-30T22:44:00.000-07:00

There has been a huge amount of rain lately and the result has been flooded rivers on both sides of the inlet. The Kenai has been abnormally high due to a broken ice dam up river and the Kustatan has been high also due to heavy rain fall. The strip at Mikes cabin flooded out a couple days ago and looks like it's going to be that way for awhile, holding us out of silver fishing. I included a few pics of the cabin and strip flooding, one of a cool double rainbow headed back toward Soldotna airport, and one of the mouth of the Kenai.
Cheers,
Josh

Summer Skyline

2009-07-30T22:27:00.000-07:00

Katie and Cassie, friends of a good friend from college have been traveling through Alaska this summer and caught up with me last week off. We did a bunch of stuff including a float on the river with Wally, flying across the inlet and a great trip up skyline with Barb and Jordan. They were great house guests and did a massive amount of weeding in the garden!

Josh

Behind Mt. Spur

2009-07-14T02:22:00.000-07:00

I spent the weekend over at the cabin with Mike. During the first part of our stay we flew back behind Mt. Spur and he took me to a strip he had spent some time at last year. This area of Alaska is hard to explain. When you start at the cabin on the Kustatan everything is lush and green, the farther you head back into the mountains, the more rocky and severe things get. Low lying swamps and muskeg give way to glacial moraine high alpine brush. The recent warm weather has created roaring glacial streams and flooded lowlands. The photo of the river is the chakachatna river exiting to the south of Mt. Spur and the last photo is of a fox visitor at the cabin today. Hope all is well,
Josh

Alaska or Florida?

2009-07-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

Another amazing day on the McArthur river today. Every time I get in my airplane I fall in love with aviation all over again, and every time I step out onto a place I wouldn't be able touch without it I realize how lucky I am. Hope all is well, enjoy the photo's
Josh

Summer Food

2009-07-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

Here are some photo's of my radishes, the whole garden is doing great! Grilled vegetables and King salmon for dinner tonight! Flew across the inlet today and fertilized the onions as it looked as if they might need a little help. What they really need is some consistent watering... Met a really cool guy on the McArthur today, He is an airline pilot who was laid off and is pursuing a career as an Alaska bush pilot. In order to fly for lodges and small businesses up here they like to see "Alaska Time" on your logbooks. He is spending the summer building time flying his Taylor craft around the state. His wife who is also a commercial pilot will be up next summer doing the same thing. I forgot my memory card or else i would have some photo's of him. Hope all is well,
Josh

Back in action!

2009-07-09T01:02:00.000-07:00

Denver was great, it was super good to see all the friends again and the wedding was beautiful. It is however good to be back in the AK and today I had the opportunity to head out flying with Gregg and Amanda, accompanied by Django and Guiness, (spellings?) We loaded up and headed southwest to the Tuxedni Bay area. For exact locations check my SPOT page on the sidebar. After that I cruised up to the cabin and watered the veggies and mowed the lawn. Amazing weather lately with 70 degree temps! More liver updates to come with some cool MRI shots!

cheers,

Josh

Cabin Garden and Denver

2009-06-28T14:56:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd post some cabin garden update photo's taken yesterday. It has been way dry over there so the potatoes are suffering a bit, I'll have to keep on the watering a little better. Heading down to Denver today for Brad's wedding on the 4th.

cheers,

Josh