The Alaska Report
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January 2012 | June, 2011 | February, 2011 | January, 2011 | December, 2009 | October, 2009
JANUARY 29, 2012
Sixty-two degrees below zero this morning. The central "business district" of this little village of 90 people was fairly quiet. "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse". Even on busy days, there's not a whole lot of traffic. "Gridlock" here are two dog teams on the same trail at the same time.
So what does one do when it's so cold? Most people stay inside close the stove - oil stoves or wood stoves. Since oil stoves occasionally have problems in the extreme cold, many people have wood stoves - fed with either spruce or birch logs. The ideal is to cut the wood a year in advance; and let it season (dry) in order to minimize creosote buildup in the chimney. All too many cabins have burned down due to uncontrollable chimney fires.
Even the dog mushers are staying home at this temperature. The Huskies are curled up inside their straw filled houses; and are likely looking forward to warmer temperatures, when they can be harnessed up and head down the trail. Most of the sled dogs have a good coat of under fur; so you may find some of them curled up in the insulating snow adjacent - outside - of their comfortable dog houses. The Yukon Quest dog sled race, from Fairbanks to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, is coming up in a few days. Some of those mushers - in severe conditions - will provide small "jackets" and "booties" for their dogs.
Several days ago, the Anchorage news had a report of an 85 year old man that was attacked by a moose. It's flailing hooves hit him in the head; and knocked him deep in the snow. His wife was nearby; and, somehow, got a shovel to beat the moose off her husband. Both the woman's husband, and the moose, survived. Such an attack is not uncommon - especially this time of year - when the moose want to use the same packed trails as do people. The days are none too long yet here at this latitude; so it's important to pay close attention when walking in the bush - and especially at night.
Machinery doesn't do so well at these temperatures. Metal fatigues more easily, plastic cracks, and engines have difficulty maintaining enough heat to run properly. So, for the most part, folks just leave vehicles parked. Mail service here is provided 3 times per week - weather permitting - by a Cessna 206. Commercial small aircraft operators have canceled all services until temperatures moderate. I remember a few years back when I had to fly my Citabria at only 42 below zero. Normally my temperature cut off is 25 below. But, due to an emergency, I pushed the temps a bit; and when I went to put my snowshoes in the airplane, I bumped the interior headliner. It duly shattered on impact. Fortunately - some times - even though it's so cold on the ground, there's a temperature inversion; and one may find much warmer temperatures only a couple thousand feet aloft.
Even though one would expect the ice on rivers and lakes to be "growing" - i.e. thickening - at these temperatures, BEWARE. Snow - especially soft loose snow - is a particularly good insulator; and in these locations, ice may be growing less rapidly than expected. Also, river currents may undercut the ice - especially in shallower more "rapid" sections of the river. Occasionally there will be open holes bridged only with a layer of snow. There are stories of entire dog teams breaking through such snow layers - on rivers such as the Yukon - and disappearing forever. Years ago, I barely escaped such a situation, when my lead dog and the next two dogs broke through the ice. I managed to stop the rest of the team, before all of us went in; and stood by, while the first 3 dogs managed to scramble to the ice edge, shake, roll in the snow, and pull ice bits out of their paws with their teeth.
So . . . for the next day, or so, we'll sit here by the wood stove - reading, writing, and planning - the route to the North Pole in April.
The Polar Pumpkin is standing by for test flights, when the temperatures warm - perhaps later next week.
Your Inupiaq Eskimo words for the day: Alappaa, Arigaa, Taikuu
January 1, 2012 - New Year's Day
Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
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A "nippy New Years Day, 2012, -55 degrees Fahrenheit. |
Wood heat is some of the most dependable and uniform to be had. |
The temperature dropped last night - down to -55 degrees Fahrenheit today.
So it's a good day to split wood. As with anything so cold, firewood blocks get brittle at this temperature; and split oh so good.
Hanging in front of the window, we have a bird feeder that we fill periodically. It's amazing that even today we had chickadees and red polls at the feeder.
As you might guess, the village of Manley Hot Springs has a hot springs. As the hot water exits the ground - and hits the cold air - it emits a cloud of steam. So down here in the trees - amid this cloud of steam - the atmosphere is ethereal, mystical, and the scene quite "wintry".
Although our propane doesn't flow at this temperature, we've got the trusty wood stove on which to cook.
Today is a reminder of how careful one must be during extreme temperatures in the Northern Winter. While cutting up a salmon roast last night, Damaris cut her thumb; and had some difficulty getting the bleeding stopped. For a serious emergency, however, one could not expect help in these temperatures. So, as best we can, we try to be self sufficient - with a good medical kit - and make all moves slowly and methodically.
Back to the wood pile.
Happy New Year!
DECEMBER 31, 2011
Manley Hot Springs, Alaska
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Christmas lights on our frosty 72 inch moose antlers.
Christmas tree for 2011 in |
-48 degrees Fahrenheit in Manley Hot Springs. Darn nippy. Any colder, and the tough old Alaska Sourdoughs will have to put on a jacket . . . .
Seriously, it's a calm quiet night; and most of the 90 village residents are spending New Year's Eve close to the stove - many by the wood stove. Some years - when it's not so cold - community members meet by the scrap wood/brush pile up on the hill; and enjoy a massive bonfire, by which folks visit and commiserate about events of the past year. Tonight, no bonfire.
We expect guests in the next few days - driving from Fairbanks 164 miles - if it's not too cold. Most folks this time of year carry extra warm clothes, a sleeping bag, shovel, tow strap, extra gas, food, and water. On some winter trips, I've driven the distance, and have seen less than a dozen cars. One must be prepared. The Alaska Winter is serious business.
The special entrée for our early 2012 guests will be King Salmon from the Yukon River. I got one out of the freezer this afternoon. Since it was about 4 feet long - and weighed perhaps 30 pounds - I laid it on the shop table, so we could use the meat saw, and cut it into pieces small enough to get in the oven. Other Alaska tidbits - while our guests are here - may include caribou, moose, and my special pickled fish. This year I tried pickling lake trout, salmon, pike, and grayling. Tasty - for a Norwegian - but next year I'll probably take it out of the salt brine a bit sooner.
The Polar Pumpkin is now back in Fairbanks. After having the aircraft on display at Oshkosh Airventure 2011 - and presenting 5 lectures - I flew the Pumpkin back to Macomb, Illinois to pick up my North Pole gear, and headed West. I flew through Iowa, Wyoming, Idaho, and on to a small airstrip new Portland, Oregon. Since I had clients waiting for me back in Alaska, I had to leave the aircraft there in Oregon. Later, in October - after the lodge and guiding season was over - I headed North with the Pumpkin from Oregon, through Western Canada, to Alaska. My first stop was in Washington, where I gave a lecture at the Pacific Northwest Chapter of The Explorers Club.
October/November weather in the Pacific Northwest is often that of low cloud, fog, mist, rain, snow, and icing. As soon as I could, I flew the Pumpkin from Arlington, Washington through the mountains to the much drier climate in the Wenatchee area. From there, I headed North through the Okanagan valley via Oroville - Kamloops - Prince George - Fort St. John - Fort Nelson - Watson Lake - Whitehorse - Dawson City - to Fairbanks. Once again, I enjoyed the privilege of meeting more wonderful Americans - and our greatest neighbors, the Canadians.
Normally this flight from Washington to Alaska with a C185 would take me 3 days. Due to the extremely bad weather it, instead, took me 14 days.
Several days ago, one of America's great artists - Leon Basler - sent me a calendar on which he has posted a painting of the Polar Pumpkin. As I cleared Customs in Minot, North Dakota last Spring - after having flown south from Eureka Weather Station - Leon happened to see the Pumpkin, and took a snap shot. From this snap shot, he did an exquisite painting. As fate would have it, I later met Leon this October at Executive Aviation in Bismarck, North Dakota. The painting is entitled "Art's Polar Pumpkin"; and can be seen at www.leonbasler.com
The Polar Pumpkin is now in a Fairbanks hangar for maintenance. In the next 3 months, further preparations and testing will be done with the aircraft for my flight to the North Pole during April 2012.
2011 has been another great year. Although Polar Flight 90 didn't quite yet make it to the Pole, the aircraft is in good shape - I'm healthy - and looking forward to a second attempt. We have so much for which to be thankful - plenty to eat, friends, family, and opportunities to make choices that many people in the world don't have.
So I wish all of you fine folks - Peace in your Soul, Good Health, Success, and Opportunities to Live Life as You Choose.
Sincerely - Art
June 11, 2011
SELBY LAKE
 Lyman Vincent, homesteader from the Cosna River, fabricates one good outboard motor from the parts of three.
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Greenhouses, taking full advantage of the Land of the Midnight Sun, produce a multitude of vegetable crops.
John Dart, owner of the greenhouse - and Damaris Mortvedt - peruse some of the strawberry and cucumber plants.
John Dart - a farmer at heart - offers guests fresh home grown strawberries.Thunderstorms are building in the north; but Selby Lake is still flat calm. Rugged mountains across the lake, with yet the occasional patch of unmelted snow, are reflecting on the mirror like surface. I'm the only person at Selby Lake today, having flown a couple loads of freight in for the preparation of our guest accommodation season.
On the first flight in with the floatplane - June 5 - I had expected to be able to land. Unfortunately, as I rounded a corner of the mountain, the northern third of the lake still was so iced in that landing was impossible. So, my Plan B that day was to fly over to an adjacent lake - Lake Minakokosa, which usually thaws out earlier - and drop my freight there. We had a couple canoes stashed on the beach; so I cached my load of freight under these canoes to at least partially protect it from marauding bears. Another trick - told to me by "oldtimers" many years ago - was to also sprinkle mothballs. That seems to be the one of the things that bears find distasteful. Another is electricity - from, for example - an electric fencing apparatus.
On the second freight flight in, the weather was great for most of the first half of the flight. Unfortunately, on the second half, the clouds got so low that I just had to land. Alaska is full of lakes and rivers; and, in this case, I picked a nice long straight deep stretch of the Koyukuk River - where I had landed in the past - also in bad weather. The only option was to wait. To pass the time, I took a short walk up the beach; and found a nice fresh set of wolf tracks in the mud.
Hopefully today's thunderstorms won't produce much lightning. It's the wild fire season in Alaska; and most of these are caused by lightning. There's a huge one still burning - the Hastings Fire - just north of Fairbanks. Several years ago, we had one burning only 4 miles northwest of our lodge - with wind blowing it towards us. Structure protection is high on the list for fire control personnel; so, in our case, a team of Smoke Jumpers parachuted in to assist us. What a fabulous group of strong professional hard working gentlemen. I did my best to keep them well fed . . . and the hot tub available for them; and, ultimately, our fire was called the "Good Deal Fire of the Year"!
Most creatures seem to exhibit some trait of territoriality. Grizzly bears are no exception. On inspecting our hot tub a couple days ago, I found that a grizzly had torn the steps loose, smashed a couple 5 gallon buckets, and scattered bits and pieces about. How did I know that it was a grizzly? Their normal routine is to bit or claw splinters out of an adjacent tree; and then use the tree for a nice back rub . . . or front rub. I located the tree, and as I suspected, there were large tufts of chocolate brown grizzly bear fur. As my Eskimo traveling companion Akpelik told me many years ago, "keep your rifle with you ala time". This I am doing; since I don't know where the grizzly will turn up next.
Of course, my thoughts are turning toward the Polar Pumpkin - as it sits safely tucked away in a hangar in Illinois. Next month the Pumpkin and I will meet up; and fly to the Oshkosh Airventure 2011. The airplane will be on display; and I will be giving a series of lectures during the event. Airventure, I reckon, is the premier event for anyone interested in general aviation - all sorts - from home builts to ultralights to helicopters to historical aircraft. Folks may turn up from any corner of the world. During this Airventure, Burt Rutan will be honored as one of the greatest aircraft designers America has ever produced.
Gold miners are gearing up this time of year, for a summer at the "crick". Although several large companies have massive gold prospects in Alaska, there are still many family operations that depend on this resource for a living. Mostly these are placer operations that depend on a stream of flowing water to wash to gold from the gravel. Regulations to insure proper stream quality and land reclamation are quite strict. In some cases, water quality is better after the mining operation, than before. Bureaucratic obstructionists, and others, should well realize that our lives - i.e. their lives also - depend on natural resources that are either grown or mined.
Several days ago, I stopped down at the Manley Hot Springs "Slough" - a side channel of the Tanana River. There on the beach was a homesteader friend from the Cosna River. Lyman had 3 Mercury outboard motors scattered about - in varying degrees of repair. He was in the process of fabricating one good one from the parts of three. This situation reminded me of the necessity for innovation and fabrication skills required by the sheer remoteness of the Alaska bush. One can't necessarily conveniently take a broken appliance to "one's dealer" - as is noted on most equipment manuals. One must fix it on site - in some manner or other. As they say "necessity is the mother of invention".
On the last flight from Selby Lake to Fairbanks, I landed at Iniakuk Lake to see how my friend Paul Shanahan had "wintered". He, and his dog Bug, were both fine. No grizzlies had broken into his house this past Spring, as they had done in previous years. Over a portion of the past winter, approximately 1,000 caribou had wintered right around Paul's cabin. He says that they had become his "pets". In March I had flown over Iniakuk Lake with the Polar Pumpkin; and, I reckon, I would have had some difficulty finding a straight landing route amid this many caribou. Along with caribou herds, come predatory wolves. In one case, Paul had seen a pack of 11 wolves attack and devour a lone caribou. A pack of wolves is a skilled, organized, and effective killing machine. When this pack had devoured the kill, there was but a few bone splinters and caribou hair remaining on the snowy surface. Paul reported that the coldest temperature he had experienced during the past winter was 72 degrees below zero Fahrenheit - calm air temperature, no wind chill.
Such is life in Alaska. Until the next Alaska Report, I wish you all the very best.
 Fresh wolf tracks in the mud of the Koyukuk River |
 Pans of melting ice float near our lodge at the north end of Selby Lake. Sometimes it's possible to land in the open water between ice floes; but, with the potential for shifting winds to close the gap of open water, landing in such a location is extremely dangerous. |
 Refueling the Cessna 180 float plane at Lake Minakokosa, "out in the middle of nowhere". |
 Alaska fire fighters are intelligent skilled hard working protectors of life and property. |
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Most of our bad weather in interior Alaska, it seems, originates from the southwestern Bering Sea - and points west. In the past week or so, we've had low pressure systems - one after the other - affecting much of the State. St. Lawrence Island was recently hit by winds up to 80 miles per hour. Today is another example. I had planned to fly the Polar Pumpkin from Manley Hot Springs to Fairbanks today, for the re-installation of the NASA hyperspectral imaging camera early next week. But with widespread snow and poor visibilities, there is no flying for me today. In the last storm, we received approximately 8 inches of new snow; and the present forecast is for an additional 3-6 inches. We are very fortunate in Alaska to have the excellent National Weather Service, providing weather data in varied formats. Some of the villages now have real time weather cameras. Most pilots - in the interest of helping other pilots - provide PIREPS (pilot reports) over the RCOs (remote communication outlets) via repeating stations on remote mountain tops. This technological weather support differs considerably to traditional Inupiat Eskimo weather forecasting. Elder Eskimos of the Kobuk valley would often say, "west winds . . . . good weather - east wind . . . . bad weather".
Over many years, in many parts of the world, I've been the recipient of wonderful kind and gracious hospitality. So, when given the opportunity, it's a great pleasure to reciprocate with good ol' Alaskan hospitality. A couple days ago, I was working in the yard when a beautiful team of 10 Greenland huskies arrived - driven by Jim Ryder, from Wisconsin - on their way to Nome, Alaska. They had departed 4 days earlier from the town of Nenana, Alaska. The "metropolitan district" of Manley Hot Springs is fairly wide open space; since only about 60 or so people live here. Therefore, I suggested that Jim park his dogs in the small park area nearby. The following morning, Jim joined us for a hearty breakfast of bacon and eggs. It's always better to depart on the trail with a full belly. Such that Jim headed out on the correct trail to Tanana village, Damaris and I guided him out the "Tofty Road". Jim reckoned it would take him another two days to Tanana. With snow conditions the way they are, I reckon it will take him considerably longer than that. Jim's toboggan sled was extra heavy; so, I presume, he had ample spare dog food on board.
Days are getting significantly longer now - gaining 6 to 8 minutes of light per day. In the morning, it's light enough to take off with the airplane at 8 AM; and light enough to land yet by 6 PM. We have no lights on the Manley Hot Springs runway. Without sufficient light and visibility, one takes a chance on not being able to avoid the occasional moose that may be roaming about the airport. A couple days ago, the moon was full; and provided enough light reflected off the snow surface, that one could easily have taken off and landed an airplane by moon light alone. One of the great superlatives that polar residents - Arctic and Antarctic - enjoy are the Northern Lights or Southern Lights (Aurora Borealis in the Arctic/Aurora Australis in the Antarctic). Lately there has been a particularly active "solar storm"; so the Aurora has been quite vivid in the northern sky.
As March approaches - and the days get even longer - preparations for Polar Flight 90 will continue. With better weather, further tests of the aircraft and science gear will be possible.
February 14, 2011
Happy Valentines Day to all!
It's been a bit "nippy" the past few days. Yesterday, early in the morning, it was 50 degrees below zero in Manley Hot Springs. I had hoped to test fly the Polar Pumpkin; but at such temperatures, I canceled. Several years ago, when I was putting my snowshoes into my Citabria aircraft, I happened to bump the headliner of the airplane - and it shattered, due to the cold. Such cold is very hard on "man made objects", such as airplanes. I don't even like opening the doors or windows, lest the weather stripping or plexiglass break. Also, if anything at all goes wrong while in flight - and it's necessary to make an emergency landing - life can get very complicated while putting up a camp, especially if one is injured.
So Damaris and I drove to Fairbanks - a distance of 164 miles. It takes a few miles for the vehicle's tires - flat on the bottom, due to the cold - to "round" themselves. Traffic wasn't a problem. In the first 80 miles, we passed two snowplows and one Toyota. Several moose were eating the willows along the roadway; and occasionally we'd see signs that wolves had been traveling the road also. It's important - especially this time of year - to have plenty survival equipment on board: good sleeping bags, matches, a shovel, good boots, gloves, parkas, food, water, fire starter, etc. Our route yesterday was along an area that was burned by forest fires last summer. There was one spot that Damaris and I remembered, in particular. Even though the fire crews had put most of the forest fire out, there was a small "smoke" still smoldering. Doing our duty, we stopped to put this small fire out. All we had was our small water jugs, and a couple wooden sticks to "grub" out the fire. A full bladder helped - a little. This was the first time that I tried to extinguish a forest fire by peeing on it.
I write this report while overlooking the Fairbanks International Airport. My friend Earl Malpass has just landed his Piper Navajo after a flight to the Eskimo village of Selawik, in the northwestern part of the state. Earl operates Mission Air Care; and serves the needs of various missionaries living in the remote outlying "bush" areas. Selawik is in caribou country; so sometimes he arrives with fresh meat. On the very rare occasions, he'll return home with gifts of fresh seal oil or whale blubber.
It's a lovely day in Fairbanks; but still very cold. Damaris and I will take care of various errands here - many of them Polar Flight 90 related - and drive back to Manley Hot Springs tomorrow. The weather forecast is for warmer temperatures in a couple days time. So I hope that I can then continue my test flights with the Polar Pumpkin. But, for now, Damaris and I will have a wonderful Valentines evening here in "town" - by going out to dinner at a nice restaurant.
 Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, Art Mortvedt and Alaska's Governor Sean Parnell |
Winter Solstice - whether it be the northern or southern hemispheres - is always an exciting time. Days are getting longer now here in Alaska - by about 6 or 7 minutes per day. We don't have a lot of snow on the ground in Manley Hot Springs. But the dogmushers have enough to train their teams. The Yukon Quest dogsled race, from Whitehorse to Fairbanks, is coming up in a few days - a sign that Spring is on its way. Although we had -55F recently, it has now warmed up to a balmy +2F.
One of the recent events in Fairbanks was the Inaugural Reception for our newly elected Governor Sean Parnell and Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell. Since I had known Mead through the Explorers Club - and since I reckon their administration represents outstanding leadership for Alaska - I made a point to attend.
As you'll note in my Flight Log, I've been busy test flying the Polar Pumpkin in preparation for the April flight to the North Pole. Due to the amount of equipment - camping and scientific - it is necessary for me to make this a solo flight. Or nearly so. In the cockpit with me, there will be a stuffed penguin and a stuffed polar bear - my "Flight Crew". The penguin will be my copilot, and is named Renee - after one of my Supporting Partners from Massachusetts. The stuffed polar bear, my navigator, is yet to be named.
Supporting partners continue to come on board. One more recently is the Concorde Battery Corporation - manufacturer of outstanding batteries for aircraft. The Polar Pumpkin will proudly be sporting a Concorde for the North Pole flight. Over the years, in various airplanes, I have come to recognize Concorde batteries as the best in the industry.
One of the objectives of Polar Flight 90 is education. In the past few days, I have been in touch with my Austrian colleague Dr. Birgit Sattler, who works with students in a program called Sparkling Science. I am now in the process of preparing a logo to put on the Polar Pumpkin - designed by one of the students called Dilek. Also, this week, there will be a teleconference with individuals that may be of assistance in helping me provide audio reports to the Polar Flight 90 website as I fly along.
December 19, 2009
It's -40 degrees Fahrenheit today in Manley Hot Springs, Alaska - with a good bit of snow; so we're approaching Christmas with all the proper conditions! I've lately seen no reindeer locally, least of all one with a red nose . . .
Years ago, Manley Hot Springs had 3,000 people living in the vicinity - mining gold and providing all associated services. Paddle wheel steamers came up the Tanana River, bringing supplies and building materials. There were restaurants, newspapers, saloons, hotels, etc. One of the more illustrious visitors to the Manley Hot Springs Roadhouse during this period was Wyatt Earp, who wintered just to the north at a village called Rampart. Core to the community, then and now, is a wonderful fresh water hot springs that flows out from the hillside. Before a community well was dug, the hot springs provided drinking water for the community.
Today the population of Manley Hot Springs is approximately 60 people. These folks have varied jobs about the village - generator maintenance, satellite telephone maintenance, teachers, postmaster, roadhouse owner, aircraft mechanic - in the one hangar - etc. Many folks are hunters, fishermen, and trappers; with some small family operations still digging for gold in the rich claims nearby. At today's prices of $1200 per ounce, it takes - of course - far fewer ounces to make a living than when gold sold for $35 per ounce. Besides gold, miners also often extract the bones from mastodons and/or wooly mammoths.
This week the school had their annual Christmas program - one of the "big events" of the year. There are 13 kids in the entire school population this year; and, I suppose, about 50 residents turned up for the big program.
The village is located approximately 100 air miles west of Fairbanks. The Elliott Highway provides road access to Fairbanks; but beyond Manley, it's just bush - no roads - territory for bush planes on floats, skis, or wheels. Throughout this bush, there is an extensive system of trails used by dogmushers and snowmobilers alike. A few nights ago, Lance Mackey came breezing through with a team of 16 dogs. He has won both long distance races - the Iditarod and Yukon Quest - several times. I expect that he is planning to do so again this Spring. Famous musher Susan Butcher - who sadly died an early death from leukemia - lived nearby, and won the Iditarod 5 times. It was she that gave President Ronald Reagan a t-shirt, on which was written: "Alaska - where men are men, and women win the Iditarod". Susan, with Joe Reddington - Father of the Iditarod, drove a dog team to the top of Mount McKinley one Spring. Joe Reddington, Jr. now lives in Manley Hot Springs; and is quite the dog musher in his own right.
The Manley Hot Springs airport is located pretty much in center of the village - a 2700 foot gravel strip, with 100 LL fuel available. Most of us, operating farther afield in the bush during summer, use the "Manley Slough" for our floatplanes. The Slough is a backwater or old channel of the Tanana River. Floatplane operations off the Slough require due diligence for moose, bears, ducks, geese, and swans that may be sharing the takeoff/landing run.
Sunday evening we have one of the other big community events - the Church Christmas program. A preacher from Fairbanks will drive in - if it's not too cold; and we'll have a candlelight service. The building is made of logs; and signs on the front show that it is indeed a "multiple denomination" church. There is a Catholic sign; and also a protestant sign.
So . . . my hope for any and all of you reading this website is for Peace and Good Will throughout the New Year!
While the very capable technicians at the Radio Ranch and M&M Aviation in Rock Falls, Illinois are busy with the installation of world famous Electronics International instruments in the Polar Pumpkin, I have been home in Alaska flying my Cessna 180 floatplane (also known as "Art's Alaska Pickup Truck.
The Alaska bush always seems to offer challenges on a regular basis. I recall the first takeoff when I got back - there was a bull moose standing in the shallows adjacent to my takeoff run on the Manley Hot Springs "slough". One never really knows where the animals will go - whether in front of you, or away. This bull moose went away. On one occasion, I had to abort the takeoff due to a family of 3 black bears swimming across my "airport".
Our Peace of Selby Wilderness Lodge is located in quite a remote part of the Brooks Range - providing great habitat for many wilderness creatures. As I sat at the kitchen table this Fall - enjoying a cup of tea - I heard a bull moose grunting; and there he was standing about 30 yards from the porch. I got out my camera; and got a few good shots. Right in front of the lodge is a fairly shallow "shoal" - where the small fish hang out - so we often see Common Loons paddling or swimming by to catch their dinner. The same day that I saw the bull moose on the beach, I also saw a beautiful gray wolf on the far lakeshore. With binoculars, he was in full view for a mile or two - sniffing, looking, going for a swim, etc. I suspect that he was on his way to the Kobuk River to sample some of the chum salmon now spawning there. Ravens - which the Eskimos call "tuluaq" - come sailing by on a regular basis. We had repeated sightings of a bald eagle, an osprey, and a family of grouse on the beach.
One of the pleasurable activities that occurred at the lodge this August was that of a painting workshop, led by renown artist Mr. Greg McHuron from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Greg, and students, spent a week painting - mostly landscapes - relaxing, and fishing.
Our closest neighbor to the south is about 50 miles away; and our neighbor Paul Shanahan to the east is about 80 miles away. I landed at Paul's cabin a couple times this Fall - getting weathered in on one occasion; and every time I visit Paul I hear him telling new stories. This time he had just gotten his quad 4-wheeler stuck in a soft swamp, up to the handle bars. He had to walk all the way home, fire up his snowmobile - load a 12V winch and cable on his sled - and go back for the retrieval. Since the swamp was so soft, he had to put on his snowshoes just to get back out to the 4-wheeler in order to attach the cable. Ultimately he got the machine out. Understand that Paul is nearing 80 years old; and with a multitude of airplane wrecks under his belt, he's not getting around quite so "spryly" as he used to.
The mountains now are half covered with snow, the small lakes and rivers are freezing, and so we've pulled the Cessna 180 floatplane out of the water for the season. We'll put skis on later. On the last flight of the season, I climbed up to 5,000 feet to get over a lower cloud - found a temperature of 18 degrees F. at that altitude; and discovered that my trim tab control was frozen solid. No problem, though, since as I descended to a lower altitude, it thawed out.
In a couple days time, I'll be headed south to Illinois to pick up the Polar Pumpkin for a flight to the east coast for a series of lectures from Boston on down through the Carolinas.