NORTH to ALASKA

Should have spent more time here! "A" List! Stay at the Kenai Princess Lodge-top knotch! Breathtaking beauty - great rivers, lots fish, bears & nature! Hiked to the falls to watch salmon spawing & leaping out of the river. Jimboni came face to face (about 15') from a bear! Also, watched a bear feed on the spawning salmon.
Can't wait to return!!

The 2nd run of Sockeye Salmon are running on the Kenai...Yippee! After leaving Homer we stopped off in Soldotna for another great salmon fishing experience!

Check out the "Combat" style of fishing for Reds!

Jimboni fished until about 2am!

"Catch & Filet"
Filet tables are set up all along the Kenai River - Jimboni has really developed his filet technique!

This is Jim's 50th Birthday gift - fishing the world famous Kenai River for King & Sockeye Salmon w/his kids & good buddy, Robert for 1 week! The kids stayed in a cabin @ our RV park. Robert stayed in the motorhome w/us. The town lives & breathes salmon fishing during the month of July. Unfortunately, the salmon run was late, so we got the "halibut" out of there for a day of ocean fishing in Ninilchik. Everyone got their limits on Halibut-Yippee!! Blake caught a 100 pounder! Aubrey & V went out on a Salmon boat charter & got skunked! We were cold & bored, so we took a little nap on the fishing boat. Aub's comment: "Well, just look at our 1/2 day fishing trip as a nice float down the river" So whats up w/the picture??? We borrowed a guy's proud catch for a photo opp - so we didn't get completely skunked!

We piled the whole fam. (Garet, Aubrey, Blake, Nick and Roberto) into the Motorhome as we drove the scenic Sterling Hwy 140 miles from Anchorage to Soldotna. We made a tourist stop at Portage Glacier for a little sight-seeing. Chunks of ice floating in the lake & the Info. center was top knotch w/lots of good info on Alaska's wildlife & glaciers.

The Athabascan/Alaskans named this 20,320-ft. mountian- Denali--the High One. This has got to be an "A" List for National Parks. No cars allowed after the 1st 14 miles, so no log jammin' bad drivin' tourists. The wild life is free to roam & we saw just about all of the park's specieces-yippee! A 13 hour round trip bus ride took us out to the furthest point & back. Worth it for the wild life viewing. Top knotch for hiking & wonderful Huskey-dog sledding program. Jim took a wild river kayak ride. Another something for everyone place. Clear day, so we got to see the whole mountain!!!