Sunday-First Bush Flight

I don't have a lot of new pictures to post this AM.  I left the B&B for Talkeetna Airport (PATK) around 7:15.  It was raining pretty steady but the visibility seemed to be fairly good and VFR conditions were reported at PATK.  I met John, the Bush instructor.  We sat at the picnic table for a bit but had to head inside due to the increasing rain. We talked through take-off, landing, stall speeds, slow flight approaches, short field landing, short field take-off, and peculiarities of taking off and landing the Citabria 7GCBC on gravel.  After about an hour and a half of verbal instruction from John, we took a look at the plane.  The Citabria sits very high off the ground, has a modified 160 HP Lycoming engine, 35" balloon tires, has vortex generators on the leading edges of the wings and vortex generators on the underside of the tail.  This vortex generator modification, which is just plastic vortex tabs glued in the proper place, creates more of a swirl affect to the air traveling over the top of the wings and the bottom of the elevator to give the plane more lift, reduce the stall speed and increase aileron responsiveness.

Lance had told me yesterday that in the lower 48 states, people spend lots of money to make their airplanes go faster.  In Alaska, people spend lots of money to modify their airplanes to go slower.

Although John had said we would just be doing a couple of take-off and landings in the pattern, once we were airborne and realized we had sufficient visibility to the Southwest, we headed to the practice area, about 7 miles out, and all the while made sure we had the airport runway in sight.  This is important because we cannot fly through clouds under VFR.  If we could not get back to PATK visually, we would have to find an alternate place to land with good visibility.  PATK sits kind of in the middle of all the weather.  There were heavy clouds and precipitation all around us, but where we were located, mostly just scattered clouds.

Kind of a down note here.  There was a collision near the practice area yesterday between two float planes.  The outcome of one of the planes wasn't good.  The other one flew to Anchorage for a land landing to save the plane, which had extensive float damage.  You can land a float plane without wheels on pavement, grass or gravel without incurring too much damage to the plane.  I'm including a link here if you would like to know more about the accident.  I'm trying not to think about it but it warns me to be vigilant continuously while in the air for other aircraft.  http://www.adn.com/2011/07/30/1992961/planes-collide-in-midair-one-crashes.ht

We were out flying for about 1.4 hours.  We were mostly away from clouds at 2,500 feet, except on our eventual return to PATK.  I had to maneuver down through the broken clouds and enter the pattern for landing at a lower altitude to avoid clouds.

I got to really get a good feel for the awesome characteristics of the plane.  Slow flight down to 40 kts, stall recovery, either straight ahead or in a 60 degree turn was very easy and very intuitive.  Power was more than sufficient.  John ran me through all the introductory flight exercises to prepare me for landing short, stopping fast and conducting a fully coordinated approach to a landing strip.

John set up to demonstrate our first gravel landing at PATK (there's a gravel strip off to the side of the paved runway).  It is not advised to land a plane with the bush wheels on pavement due to wear and tear on the tires.

John's approach was too fast and we had to "go around" which means you add full power, bring in the flaps and go back around to set up for another approach.  John let me take this one and other than a bit of assistance just before touchdown in the gravel, I nailed the landing.  I think the most difficult part about landing in the gravel at PATK is there are three taxi lights, which mark a paved taxiway, right before you touch down.  One of the taxi lights has already been taken out by a bush plane and John probably stressed, not hitting what remained of that one or the other untouched lights, more than anything else.  I taxied off the gravel, onto the paved runway, John demonstrated a bush take-off, which happens in about 400'.  You go full power (after an initial roll to avoid your prop vortex), then at 45 kts you jerk up 5 notches of flaps and pull back on the stick at the same time.  The plane virtually launches into the air and begins a very steep climb, first at 45, then nose down to 60 kt climb out.  Very exciting.

We finished after I did a second landing.  Took a one hour break but then our return to the airport, the weather had gotten very bad.  We walked over to the FAA Flight Service building located on the airport, and chatted with the two FAA guys about what they were seeing with the weather.  Weather didn't look good where we were wanting to head, about 20 miles NW, close to one of the glaciers that run up to the Talkeetna Mountain passes.  We watched as a "K2 Aviation" scout plane, a Beaver, headed out to scout the glacier access near Mt. McKinley.  The plane was out and back within 15 minutes.  We heard a couple pilots call in with pilot reports on the weather while at FSS, most of which were not good.  We then walked over to K2 Aviation to talk with the pilots that went out on the scout mission and found out they didn't return due to weather but do to a concern about the plane (which was already in a hanger being opened up as we got there, on the other side of the airport).

We decided to delay any further flights till 4:00 PM, which is rapidly approaching so I'll close for now.  Hopefully we'll get up flying today and I can deliver some great pictures.

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Dumplings

It's 12:08 AM.....for some reason, I can't sleep.  It may be because of the dumplings I had last night.  Actually, I had the dumplings the last two nights,.

There used to be a dumpling place on State Street in Madison.  Pel' Meni'.  It's closed now, but there are still Pel'Meni's in Seattle, WA, Bellingham, WA and Juneau, AK. Sandy and I were introduced to these dumplings by Gard, first in Madison, when Gard was a student there, then again on a drive from Vancouver, back down to Seattle, where Gard insisted we stop in Bellingham, WA, just to eat at Pel' Meni'.  As I understand it, these dumpling places were started in Madison by a Russian guy and catered to the college crowd.  They were most popular for the "after the bars close" crowd. 

The dumplings are boiled, then served with a red hot sauce on top, then are sprinkled with paprika and curry powder and topped with sour cream. 

There's a real enterprising guy in Talkeetna (I think his name is Lauden) who liked the dumplings so much, he thought he would introduce them here.  However, in order not to infringe on he trademarking of the Russian guys success in WI, WA and Juneau, he decided to put a different twist on the dumplings yet still sell them as pelmeni, which is a true Russian name for the dumplings.  Pel'Meni' (the original with the two 's in the name) boils their dumplings, then puts the other things on top.  Lauden decided they needed something else so he sautes his after boiling and adds ginger to the flavor (kind of Asian that makes them more like pot-stickers).  He also serves them on a bed of raw cabbage, both red and regular, which adds to the taste. They are then finished with the traditional toppings.

I've eaten the dumplings no less than 3 times since I got here and will miss them when I leave.  In the true Talkeetna fashion, the process for ordering and serving is rather casual.  You walk up to the window of My Little Dumpling, place your order, then, if you want a beer with your pelmeni, head a few feet to an outdoor bar (part of another restaurant) which serves 30 different tap beers. When your pelmeni order is done, Lauden, or one of his helpers will come look for you with your bowl of pelmeni, as you sit in another restaurant.  There seems to be a lot of cooperation amongst business owners in this community.

If ever in Talkeetna, you have to try "My Little Dumpling"

Order here and either choose to eat at one of the picnic tables or move up the stairs on the left to another restaurant's bar to eat your pelmeni while enjoying a tap beer (my choice)

You have to get the $8.00 order

Toyota Corolla Hubcaps and Talkeetna

First things first.  I found my hubcap!

I got to the Talkeetna airport this afternoon, after two trips to and from the B&B, and for some reason, probably the first time I've done this since I've been here, I looked at the right side of my rental car.  I noticed I was missing one hubcap and started to surmise the outcome.  These rental car places are famous for over charging for "damages" to the cars.  I worried this was going to be expensive. 

I figured, when I turned the car in, in Anchorage on Tuesday night, I could distract the person checking me in long enough not to notice the right side, but figured they still had my personal information and would eventually catch up with me.  Lance at Above Alaska Aviation suggested lifting one off another rental car in town, but I figured the consequences of doing this, if caught, could be much more severe than facing the people at the rental car company.  After leaving the airport, I headed into town for a sandwich and some sight seeing, then went to get gas at the only gas pump within 20 miles of Talkeetna.

This self serve is around 11 miles north of Talkeetna and if you don't have a credit card to get gas here, you're out of luck.

Anyway, after getting gas, I was somewhat hopeful that if I walked the steep, twisty, wash board road from the main highway that leads up to where by B&B is, I might find the hubcap.  It's the little things sometimes.  There it was, after 5 minutes of searching, about halfway up the long hill, plain as day on the down hill side of the road.  It was an exhilarating experience for me and I felt it important enough to share, although I am going to guess you can't feel the same excitement I felt having recovered the thing.

I have really developed an affection for the city of Talkeetna and for the locals, who I see almost every day.  I have met many of them and have heard stories about some of them from Bill at the B&B.  Here are some images of Talkeetna:

Reindeer Hot Dog Guy

Homemade Ice Cream Guy (on right with blue shirt)

Homemade Ice Cream Maker (Plastic cover meets OSHA standards)

That's me with Reindeer Hot Dog

When I fly, I go here between 10:00 and 12:00 to have a cup of coffee, a morning bun ($4.25 for either regular or raspberry).  I always get a spot at a table for 12.  Usually the table fills with tourists before I leave.  It's great and there is always fun conversation.

This hasn't moved since I've been here.

The Denali Brewing Company.  Great Burgers, Beer and Chicken Satay.  I sat here with Lance the night after I got my float plane certification.  That's when Lance informed me there were no less than 3 float plane pilots on the deck.  A young guy with a Maul Float, Lance, and ME!

They say this place is famous.  I had the Caesar Salad with Alaskan Salmon and it was great (but expensive)

I got my tail wheel endorsement today!  Tomorrow starts Bush Pilot Training with John.

Saturday......Had to Check to make sure.......

Thursday Evening after sunset from the back deck of the B&B

As the title implies, I have to keep recalculating days to figure out which day of the week it is.  Once I'm out of my regular routine days of the week lose perspective.  Bill, from the B&B, told me this AM that when he is up cooking for the workers at the oil camps, he always makes prime rib on Sunday, just to let the workers know, at least one day of the week, which day it is.  He said that days get totally blurred up north because everyone works mostly 12 hour shifts, seven days a week.  Because of the long hours and the environment, safety is always the number one priority.  Bill told me that he had a food mixer that started to malfunction electrically.  Rather than risk electrical shock, or maybe it was rather than risk the loss of a meal because of the mixer, the foreman immediately sent a plane to the nearest large airport town to purchase a new mixer and fly it back to the camp in time for the next meal.  Safety is paramount in the oil camps.

 

This Morning from the deck (Cow Moose)

Bill is quite a talker and I enjoy seeing him each morning.  He walks here to the building I'm staying in from his house across the street.  I may have mentioned that Bill's wife (Grace) is an environmental engineer and works from the house.  I've only seen Grace once.  They have two daughters, Karo and Cheri.  Bill and his family were out last night and one of the people that was at the gathering they attended at a friends house was Albert.  Albert and his wife own Alaska Bush and they're based at Fish Lake, the place where the float plane I flew is based.  They have a float service and will take people, for the right amount of money, out in the bush to fish. Bill mentioned to Albert that I had gone fishing up at Pineapple Man Lake.  Albert's reply was that "there are no fish in Pineapple Man Lake", which I have learned is the automatic response from anyone in Alaska.  They are very protective of where the fish are and the usual response when someone asks about a lake full of fish is, "there aren't any fish in that lake".  Bill asked Albert if he knew how Pineapple Man Lake got its name.  I don't know if this is typical Alaska lore but here's' what Albert shared with Bill regarding the origin of the name:

Years ago, Albert flew a guy out to what is now Pineapple Man Lake.  He dropped the guy off with some supplies and a tarp.  Apparently the guy dug a whole, which he covered with a tarp to live in, and he covered it with the tarp to protect himself from the elements.  Albert suspected the guy was rather different, but the next request surprised Albert.  The guy had ordered 650# of pineapples and 10 gallons of soy sauce, which Albert proceeded to deliver to the guy.  The guy, let's call him PM (short for Pineapple Man), apparently thought he would kill a moose and preserve it in pineapple and soy sauce.  PM had a radio for contact but when contact would break off, Albert would periodically fly into the Lake and check on him.  One time, after PM had been harassed by a grizzly bear for nights, which he staved off with a knife at the end of a long pole, PM had had enough.  He was so scared when Albert arrived that he swam to the plane and said "get me out of here now".  Seems PM had no feet.  He left in such a hurry that he left his prosthetic feet behind (this is the part of the story Albert passed on to Bill and Bill passed on to me approached lore overkill).  Since then, that lake has carried it's appropriate name.........Ta Dah!

Enough Lore.....This is the front seat of the Champ.  We did regular take-off and landings, wheel landings and short field take-off and landing this AM.  After my first landing this AM, Lance asked me to do another of that type (regular, which is a three point landing), just to make sure that something wasn't goofy about the first landing.  What he meant was that the landing was "so good", he wanted to verify it wasn't just a fluke.  I nailed the second one too.  I am really getting confident and am looking forward to getting my tail-wheel sign off after this afternoon's lesson, then on to the bush plane.


I've included some photo's that Lance took from the Champ while I was taxiing and in the pattern this AM.

I taxi right past the parts of the B-17 (that I talked about in a previous blog) that have been recovered so far.

This is left downwind in the pattern at PATK.  That's the runway off the wingtip.

Over the town of Tlkeetna while in the pattern

On final for runway 18, PATK

First Day Tail Wheel.........

This morning, I started my "tail wheel" training.  In my short pilot experience, I have only flown Cessna 172's, which have a tricycle gear set up.  On a plane like a 172, there are three wheels, two "main" wheels on struts, that extend out from the fuselage, and a "nose" wheel located under the engine in the front of the airplane.  When landing, the objective is to land on the "mains", then bring the nose down gradually as speed bleeds.  Steering the airplane on the ground is very straightforward.  You use the rudder peddles to move the rudder to control direction.  At the same time, nose-wheel-steering, connected to the rudder peddles, helps coax the front wheel to aim in the direction you want to turn.  Once you have landed, the drama is over.  Other than in heavy cross-winds or on unusual terrain, a tricycle gear plane is pretty easy to control.  Kind of like driving your car down the road at 50 mph, but using your feet to steer.  Very stable.

By contrast, a tail wheel (tail-dragger) plane is like driving your car down the road at 50 mph, "backwards".  Because, on a tail-wheel airplane, the little wheel that rotates in different directions, is in the back.

This morning from 0800-1000, I flew a Champ, tail# 8965R.  See picture below.
This picture was taken on my arrival here last Monday.  The skies today, and for the last 4 days, have been blue with puffy clouds.

My instructor, Lance (same instructor as the float plane), briefed me on the peculiarities of flying a tail-dragger, and the peculiarities of flying the Champ, mostly wood construction and fabric, with a high performance prop.  Lance is the one that offered the analogy of taxiing a tail-dragger is like driving a car backwards at 50 mph.  The analogy really is appropriate.

Lance familiarized me with the plane, the pre-flight inspection, and shared some personal flying stories with me to ready me for the initial challenge of taxiing and flying the Champ.

Heading out to the taxi-way at Talkeetna (PATK) proved to be more of a challenge than even Lance's explanation offered.  My right leg was sore from pressing down so hard on the right rudder, almost all the way to the end of the runway.  Take-off, although different, is fairly straight forward.  We flew out to a nearby practice area and did some steep turns and put the Champ into I power off and power on stalls.  No problem there.  After I performed the maneuvers for Lance, we headed back to PTKA for multiple landings and take-off's.

Very discouraging.....It was embarrassing, even after being advised what to do with the steering, how I sent the airplane scurrying all over the surface of the runway in search of the center-line after touchdown.   We did maybe 6 or 8 touch-n-goes, not pretty at all,  and then returned to the shop (below).

As I walked through the shop after our flight, Drew Haig, the owner of Above Alaska Aviation, asked me how it went.  I just shook my head in frustration and said how difficult it was to taxi, land and take-off, after spending so much time in tricycle gear planes.  He said that was the response most people gave after their first tail-wheel, and reassured me the next flight would be easier.  I headed to downtown Talkeetna for my two hour break before my next flight.  I go to the Roadhouse, drink coffee and eat bakery.  I'll pay for that later.

I'd like to mention here that there is a pretty significant "rescue" operation going on at PATK and I am exposed to it everyday at the airport.  There was a B-17 that crashed in the woods about 9 miles from Talkeetna in 1951.  The plane is rather famous in this area because a local bush pilot from Talkeetna was responsible for rescuing the crew of the plane after the crash.  A group in Ohio has raised enough money, and fought for and received the appropriate permits to recover the wreckage of the B-17.  The helicopter and support operation that flies to the wreckage each day, is based right across the road from Above Alaska Aviation.  The helicopter flys out dragging a 100' "swing" below it to bring back parts of the B-17 being recovered. The parts are being accumulated in a field on the airport.  Once they get all the parts of the B-17 they want, they will put them in a container, send it to Anchorage, then to Seattle and rail the container to Ohio.  The restoration process will take place in Ohio to restore "Champaign Lady" http://ktna.org/

This afternoon (I'll explain how this afternoon's flying went better than this morning's in a minute) the helicopter, with the 100' sling dragging below, took off right before us.  I wish I would have had my camera.  We had to deviate,  not from converging on the helicopter but converging on it's swing.  Strange!

This afternoon's flight's went much better than this morning's.  Flying surprises me in that the learning curve can be fairly abrupt, but with downward swings in between.  I not only improved on normal tail-wheel landings and taxiing, but was able to do several "wheel landings".  Normally, in a tail-dragger, you land rather flat with all three wheels touching down at the same time.  There is more art and finesse involved in doing wheel landings, done at a higher approach speed, and landing the main wheels first, prolonging the dropping of the tail to the runway.  It is much smoother, easier on the pilot and passenger, and looks better all the way around.

I renewed my confidence this afternoon and look forward to tomorrow's flights.

I will blog tomorrow detailing some of the places I have been frequenting in Talkeetna.  For now, I am adding some additional pictures which might be of interest???

Lance and Sarah.  She's been working on the new "office" ever since I arrived in Talkeetna.  I'll get some pictures of the inside tomorrow.....she did a great job on the painting inside and seems really proud of how she's helping organize things at AAA (Above Alaska Aviation).  

Once I get past my check out in the Champ, this is what I get to venture out in with John and land on river beds and remote areas.  Yeah!  The Citabria!

Fishing and Flying

Yesterday afternoon, I flew the Super Cub Float plane from Fish Lake, elevation 300', out about 30-40 miles to a "Mountain" lake.  The lake's name is Pineapple Man (no idea why) and it was up in the base of the mountains at 1,600' elevation.  It was a tricky place to land a float plane.  One side of the lake had a bluff with a good deal of elevation.  Pineapple Man has a curve in it about 4/5 of the way from the exit point.  There are large trees and a rise in elevation at the straight end of the lake.  The curved side has more swamp and is a better approach (less chance to clip the trees).  I had to fly into the crook of the lake on the swamp end, then part way down the lake (1/5 the way), with high rises reaching on either side of the lake, I had to turn the plane between the two high rises in order to land on the straight part of the lake.  I was going to draw you a picture, because Lance video taped the landing with my camera, but he apparently didn't push the right button, so no video, and no drawing, because I forgot my camera this morning.  Anyway, some of the pictures I took and have posted below will help with my awkward explanation.

To give you an idea of how small Talkeetna is, a lot of the locals are already calling me by my first name.  Also, I had to get a one day fishing license and went to the local grocery store.  The girl that sold me my license, and the girl that was the first one to congratulate me on my float plane certifiation, (her name is Kelsey) is also a student at Above Alaska Aviation.  She is from Idaho and holds two jobs here in Talkeetna.  One at the Lodge (300 rooms on the hill), and one at Nagley's Grocery.  Not unusual for people to work 16 to 20 hours a day, 7 days a week.  I asked someone about weekends off and they explained that "Winters" are their weekends.  

Already landed and floating on Pineapple Mann Lake (I uploaded these out of order and my battery is running low)

On the way to Pineapple Lake, this is Larsen Lake

I think this is the approach to Pineapple Man Lake before turning to land between the two rises

On Pineapple Man Lake

After Fishing the whole length of the lake (the wind carried the plane the whole length and we had to paddle a couple of times to keep the plane from hitting the shore), I step taxied back to the beginning of the lake in order to drift back again.

Here are some pictures from the return flight from Pineapple Man back to Fish Lake and our limit of trout.  I must have lost 20 trout trying to get them up to the plane (no net).  I caught 3 of the 4.  The biggest and smallest were mine.  We had the three small ones for breakfast at the B&B and Bill at the B&B is taking the big one to some friends house tonight to gill outside.  He and Grace and their two daughters have been really good to me and I look forward to Bill's enthusiastiasm in the morning when I share my previous days adventure.

5.34 Richter Wake-up

<><>Below is a link to a site which shows the center of the earthquake this AM at 0600.

<><>I was sound asleep, woke up suddenly, apparently sensed something wasn't right.  I'm in a 4 bedroom B&B by myself, so there shouldn't be any noise or vibration in the building.  Just after waking with the initial tremor, the whole place began to shake.  I never left the bed but kept a good watch on the ceiling.  Probably not the wisest thing to do but you try waking up out of a sound sleep in your first earthquake and make sensible decisions.  Bill (the B&B guy) later said it was the worst he had felt in his 20 some years here.  No damage but certainly a unique experience.

<><>http://www.aeic.alaska.edu/Seis/recent/sum/quakes/2011209_evid10281084/evid10281084.html

<><>

<><>I've posted a series of pictures of Mt. McKinley taken from the deck off the back of the B&B.  At times it's like an ever changing canvas......the B&B is at around 1,000' altitude.  McKinley is over 20,000'.

Notice the skinny tree in the middle of the picture?  It is pointing at the emerging Mt. McKinley around 8:00 PM last night.

This one is around 11:00 last night.  Still clouds covering the mountain mostly on the West Side.

Closer View

 That is the true color of the sky at 11:00 at night.

Another view at 11:00

This morning after the earthquake.

It's Official, I'm a Float Plane Pilot

Fish Lake, Super Cub 5907Y and the Pier I misjudged today.

Today, quite a day.  I was scheduled for a Float Plane Check Ride at 2:00 PM.  At 11:00 AM, Lance and I flew to Larson Lake for a little honing of my skills.  I have to say I did quite good.  Turned out me check ride was actually going to start at 3:00 PM (prolong the agony after not sleeping last night thinking about it).  The guy who was to check me, and another Above Alaska pilot (John) out, ended up landing a couple hundred yards from Above Alaska in a shinny new red helicopter at 3:30 PM.  He flew in from Anchorage for my check ride and John's check ride.  I was first to go (I demanded it).  The check ride guy, his name is Hon, turned out to be very professional, as he should be, and very interesting.  His first foray was on the East Coast of the lower 48 in medical school, then flying float planes in AK, then Gulfstreams for famous people, then helicopters in AK and elsewhere in the lower 48.   He's also flow helicopter in South Africa and flown in the Aleutian Islands off Western AK.  I really liked the guy and that made the 1 hour oral test easier and made me feel comfortable in the actual flying part of the test, with Hon in the back seat.

He had me do some things I had not done in the Super Cub before like steep turns, stalls and some landings which transitioned into what is called step taxi's.  I never wavered, never faltered, did a really spot on job.  It had a lot to do with how comfortable I was with this Check Ride guy (Hon).  My only downfall was I kind of missed the pier when docking the plane.  First time for me.  I had instructed Hon that I wanted his assistance to help water rudder the plane to the dock and he put in enough right rudder for me to still get a hold of the plane and tie it down to the pier.

Anyway......sitting in the Denali Brew House in Talkeetna, having my second IPA, celebrating my accomplishment with my computer.  Just talked to Sandy.  It feels pretty good to get the structured part of this adventure out of the way and now on to the fun, no pressure part, tail wheel endorsement and bush endorsement (a piece of cake after float plane). 

Thanks for tuning in.  I have a day off tomorrow and will most likely head to Denali National Park for the 6 hour tour.  Pictures to follow.....

Later!

Blah-Blah-Blah

I'd like to share my thoughts about Talkeetna with you.  Talkeetna is two hours NE of Anchorage, 2.5 hours SW of Denali, and 5 hours SW of Fairbanks.  The town of around 700 bustles this time of year  Bus after bus of cruise tourists arrive continuously.  Trains run daily from Talkeetna to Anchorage and Fairbanks (one each way).  There is also a train that leaves each day at 12:00 PM and returns to Talkeetna at 6:00 PM.  The train stops in many small towns along it's journey, out and back, and is the life-line to the small towns and villages it stops at along the way.  It also serves as an alternative source of transportation for hikers, back-packers and overnight campers.  Not sure if you heard about the teenagers that were attached by a grizzly bear the night before last, but likely the teens, who were on a 30 day outdoor leadership sabatical, were dropped off by this train. 

No idea why I took this picture or included it in this blog.  I just liked the truck for some reason.

Kind of speaks for itself (Train)

Between flights, I have been spending a lot of time in Talkeetna.  I usually head to the "Roadhouse" after my morning flight (8 AM - 10 AM) to update my pictures, have a cup of coffee and a huge morning roll.  The Roadhouse has large tables set up to accommodate up to 15 people each.  It also has like 6 bathrooms which is rather peculiar. The last couple of days I grab a table, or part of a table, pull out my laptop and camera and go to work, mostly to keep myself busy, and drink my coffee, and kill time till my next flight at 12:00.  Both days I have gotten into conversations with other travelers.  Because I'm by myself, and I look studious with my laptop in front of me, I'm a natural attraction for them.  Plus, they are on vacation and usually people on vacation are in good moods and more talkative. The visitors to Talkeetna, in my observation, break up into four groups.

FIrst and foremost are the retired couples.  They are obvious because thay all went to Gander Mountain or Cabella's to outfit their wardrobe before departing on their excursion to Alaska.  I think Alaska must be on the majority of peoples bucket list.  It's one of those "must see" destinations.  I guess that's why over 1.5 million people come to Alaska each year to visit. Most of the elders are part of cruises that bus or train people through the infrastructure of Alaska.  Talkeetna is a natural stop for these tours because of its location relative to Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks.  Plus, Talkeetna is a hub for transportation with the aforementioned train and its airport.  PATK (Talkeetna airport) is the hub for ski planes and float planes.  The ski planes, which accommodate 5 passengers and up, if weather permits, land on the north end of Ruth Glacier, at the base of Mt. McKinley.  Today was one of those weather permits days.  The airport was a buzz with many departures and arrivals.  From what I heard in town, the mountain was socked in with clouds from about 12,000 feet up.  I think the Glacier landings are at 11,000 feet.  This would allow the planes to land on the Glacier, but the view of McKinley, which as I look out over the trees, is still obstructed,  Many people have spent days in Talkeetna waiting for the day when the mountain "shows itself".  Some come and go without seeing it at all.

I also me many retirees that drove up here in RV's and on motorcycle tours.  From the lower 48 that's over 4,000 miles.  It's crazy to imagine driving an RV, or sitting on a motorcycle, for that many miles.  I give them a tremendous amount of credit.

The second group of people I run accross in Talkeetna are the visiting families.  They may be RV'ers or they may be on a cruise or they may have dragged the kids here in a rental car to experience the scenery and the wildlife.  Most of them haven't stopped at Gander Mountain or Cabella's yet, and they like to wear T-Shirts and Sweatshirts that show where they come from.  Someday they'll shop at Gander Mountain or Cabella's.

The third group are the youth.  Almost reminds me of the old Hippie days.  Many of them come here to build small cabins in the woods or work in the restaurants or tourism services or they come to camp and hike the woods or the mountains.  They seem to have a lot of dogs.  There are tons of dogs in Talkeetna and usually they're around the young people. 

The fourth group are the locals.  They seem to overlap into the third group (the youth).  They have dogs too and most of the males have beards, long ones, or side burns.  I don't think most of the locals were born here but came here in the third group (the youths) and never left.

This weekend there is a traveling performance group in Talkeetna.  They showed up today and the local radio station is really promoting them.  It's some "New Chetauqua" group that performs vaudeville and acrobatics and stuff.  They put on a parade while I as in town this afternoon.  Bizaar.  Like the ultimate hippies (not that there's anything wrong with that).  Wild colors, jugglers, men and women on stilts.  Seemed very appropriate for Talkeetna for some reason.

It's weird being here without Sandy or people I know.  Gives me more time (when I'm not flying) to observe and try to stay, kind of, "under the radar" so to speak.  It also gives me more time to sit and type so I am apologizing for the length of this narrative.

Tomorrow's my check ride for the float plane certification (a float plane just flew right over the B&B headed for Fish Lake, maybe that's an omen).  I know my skills are in order but I'm nervous about the outcome.

Tuesday's AM Flight

Preflight means having to pump out around 20 bilge holes in the top of the floats.  That's followed by a full inspection.  Here I am crossing over to the non-pier side of the plane to continue the check.  I am not levitating.....there is a small wire there.  Scary the first few times!

On the way to Larson Lake.  Those clouds up ahead are above the lake.  Turned out to be very glassy surface and the clouds didn't stop us from doing several landings.  Very steep turns at the far end of the lake and only feet above the trees.  Awesome!

Larson Lake

On the way to Baldy Lake.  Didn't land there.  Too glassy.

Inside the plane.  Nothing fancy.

The sun is out today!!!!

We practiced several new maneuvers today.  The take-off and landings are not a problem for me.  There are so many different taxi maneuvers to do and remember, plus, "on-step", where the speed of the airplane on taxi is enough to get the floats up on the water, is very counter intuitive to what I'm used to.  On land, I have been told over and over to taxi slower.  A high speed taxi on water just seems wrong and the shoreline can come up very fast......no brakes!