It was a great week of friendship and fishing.
It began when the Ames Road neighborhood got together for a clam and halibut fry. Jane and I always look forward to summer gatherings like this. A special shout-out goes to Bill for flying to Polly Creek and digging all the clams.
Next, my college buddy Jim, his partner Eve, and his son Stu and his girlfriend Kat arrived on Sunday. They were here to take full advantage of the Kenai Peninsula. The challenge was to do as much as possible with them in a short amount of time.
Day 1 after landing in Anchorage, the four of them made the drive down to Kenai. Stops included Girdwood and Portage Glacier. Jane prepared a “Welcome to Alaska” salmon and halibut dinner upon their arrival.
Day 2 was spent exploring Seward and hiking Exit Glacier. The old people hiked just enough while the 20 something’s continued for a couple of more hours.
Day 3 we fished in Homer with my good friend Boo Kandas of Tall Tale Charters. It was an awesome trip. When you book a fishing charter in advance, you never know what kind of weather you’ll encounter. I’ve had trips cancelled by bad weather and others I wish were cancelled because of bad weather. This day was definitely a near perfect weather trip. And, the fishing was pretty darn good too.
Stu and Jim with the big halibut of the day.
A happy crew proudly posing with the day’s haul.
Day 4 was spent exploring Kenai and recovering. Jane prepared a wonderful dinner of fish tacos from the fish we caught the day before.
Day 5 Stu and Kat dropped off Jim and Eve at the Anchorage airport and continued their travels north. On the way to Denali they stopped at the iconic WalMike’s in Trapper Creek for a photo op. Nice t-shirts!
It was really good to get together with you Jim, and to get to know Stu, Kat, and Eve. Forty three years after meeting in college, I’m thankful for our friendship and for the time we get together. I look forward to your next trip to Alaska when we can fish the river.
Memorial Weekend