Griff
Master Chef
Last month our good friends, John and Jody, came up to visit. We took a 10 day 1,200 mile Alaska road and ferry trip. We don't have any Interstate highways in Alaska, but we do have marine highways. We drove from Anchorage to Whittier and boarded the state ferry Chenega and took a 7 hour boat ride to Cordova in Prince William Sound. this is a pic of the Chenega. She is 235' long, can carry 250 passengers, and 34 vehicles at an impressive 32 knots (37mph).
We spent 2 days in Cordova, a small fishing town.
Here's John and Jody on the Eyak River outside of Cordova.
On a road about 50 miles out of Cordova you come to the Copper River. Yep, that's where the famous Copper River salmon come from. Two large glaciers dump into the river, the Miles Glacier and the Childs Glacier.
This pic is John, Jody, my mom, my wife and myself after dinner in front of the Cordova boat harbor.
Then we got back on the Chenega and went to Valdez. On the way we went through the commercial fleet. Here's a salmon seiner pulling her purse seine.
At the head of Valdez Arm is a fish hatchery. Late in the evening a momma grizzley brought out her three cubs to do some fishing.
And a video of the bears fishing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo4XHAbQxm0
Fish wheels along the Copper River on our way to McCarthy,
The road to McCarthy goes next to the Alaska pipeline.
McCarthy is at the end of a 60 mile gravel road. We had an unbelievable 18 course tasting at this 100 year old lodge.
John posted this link to the meal. Check it out.
http://jgdouglas.smugmug.com/Other/2010 ... 6403_zZ9mE
Then we drove 10 hours from McCarthy to Fairbanks to visit family and judge the Alaska state bbq championship. I couldn't resist posting this page from the Fairbanks Daily News Miner.
Here's where the Alaska state bbq championship happened. My wife and I were judges. Judging was a total blast that we thoroughly enjoyed. The competitors were set up around the preserved Yukon/Tanana river sternwheeler, the Nenana.
This is my wife Dian on the restored upper deck where the judging occurred. It was really cool to be on the restored salon deck of of a Yukon River paddle wheeler and have people bring you box after box of bbq to judge.
I gotta end with the pic we took when my nephew took us on a tour of the Ft. Knox gold mine outside of Fairbanks where he works.
You all need to come up and visit my state. You'll be welcome at my house.
We spent 2 days in Cordova, a small fishing town.
Here's John and Jody on the Eyak River outside of Cordova.
On a road about 50 miles out of Cordova you come to the Copper River. Yep, that's where the famous Copper River salmon come from. Two large glaciers dump into the river, the Miles Glacier and the Childs Glacier.
This pic is John, Jody, my mom, my wife and myself after dinner in front of the Cordova boat harbor.
Then we got back on the Chenega and went to Valdez. On the way we went through the commercial fleet. Here's a salmon seiner pulling her purse seine.
At the head of Valdez Arm is a fish hatchery. Late in the evening a momma grizzley brought out her three cubs to do some fishing.
And a video of the bears fishing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo4XHAbQxm0
Fish wheels along the Copper River on our way to McCarthy,
The road to McCarthy goes next to the Alaska pipeline.
McCarthy is at the end of a 60 mile gravel road. We had an unbelievable 18 course tasting at this 100 year old lodge.
John posted this link to the meal. Check it out.
http://jgdouglas.smugmug.com/Other/2010 ... 6403_zZ9mE
Then we drove 10 hours from McCarthy to Fairbanks to visit family and judge the Alaska state bbq championship. I couldn't resist posting this page from the Fairbanks Daily News Miner.
Here's where the Alaska state bbq championship happened. My wife and I were judges. Judging was a total blast that we thoroughly enjoyed. The competitors were set up around the preserved Yukon/Tanana river sternwheeler, the Nenana.
This is my wife Dian on the restored upper deck where the judging occurred. It was really cool to be on the restored salon deck of of a Yukon River paddle wheeler and have people bring you box after box of bbq to judge.
I gotta end with the pic we took when my nephew took us on a tour of the Ft. Knox gold mine outside of Fairbanks where he works.
You all need to come up and visit my state. You'll be welcome at my house.