Free

The last weekend in September our family got tickets to see the Broadway Show, The Lion King, in Anchorage. This was the first time I had flown my entire family together anywhere, and the first time our youngest had flown at all with me. The weather was beautiful for both 1.5 hour flights, although we had to wait on fog the morning of our return trip. For those of you who haven't seen the airplane, below is a picture of it with our load for the trip back home. We had all five of us, the pile of gear which included a bicycle, and two extra gas cans with room to spare.

The "Grocery Getter"

Waitin' On A Women

Last evening I was out in the front yard packing up wing covers and other gear brought back from a recent trip, when I happened to gaze over at the garden. Standing at one end, contently munching on what was left of some cabbage, was a cow moose and her calf. After a short while they had acquired a small audience, but they continued to fill their bellies with the free vegetable goodness. Eventually they moved on, but it was an enjoyable sight to watch for a few minutes.

Mama and Baby


On the Move

Time For Me to Ride

Recently I picked up the family "wagon". This older 6-place Cessna, should fit our family's transportation needs just fine. I packed it full with 12oo lbs of food, supplies, and fuel and headed home.

Snow (Hey Oh)

This morning I stepped out of the house and felt the familiar sharp bite of a hard freeze on my cheek. I glanced toward Tanalian Mountain to see if we had some snow last night, this is the view I saw. This first dusting of snow (termination dust) marks the end of summer and the beginning of colder days ahead, for winter is surely not far behind.

Tanalian Mountain with Termination dust


A view of the Kodiak

Sail Away

While out in Palmer for Labor Day, my older brother and I took several of the kids up to try some paragliding. A short drive from the grandparents house and we were up in Hatcher's Pass, ready to tempt the winds of fate. We let the kids watch and hike around while we prepped for launch.

Playing on the Hill


Up the Hill


Laying out the wing


My Preparations


Ready to Launch


The Easy Way Down