Joe's Fishing Charter (PHOTOS)

The result of eight hours on a charter boat, seventy miles out in the gulf of Alaska. Joe and three other fishermen went out through Prince William Sound to the Gulf to fish for halibut. Each man could keep two fish. The largest weighed in at 98.7 pounds.

The south east side of Bligh Island, in Prince William Sound. Just off the northwest side of the island lies Bligh Reef, the site of the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident.

Goose Island, on the eatern side of Prince William Sound, midway between Valdez Harbor and the Gulf of Alaska.

Main propulsion for the 28 ft "Outlaw." Twin Yamaha four cylinder outboards, rated at 225 HP each. This shot was taken in Prince William Sound, cruising at 30 knots.

The "Outlaw" pulls away from the dock in Valdez Boat Yard, with Joe and the rest of the fishermen and two man crew. Ginger and Maryanne were in the forward cabin making coffee.

To Anchorage (PHOTOS)

We came prepared, but the rivers and lakes in this part of Alaska don't give up their treasures easily. So far we've hit four lakes, a creek and three rivers, but we've only caught one fish, a lake trout too small to keep out of Carpenter Lake.

Near the Alaska Pipeline, south of Copper Center. This is about 3,000 ft. elevation, loking down at the Little Tonsina River and the Copper Valley. Mt. Sanford, at 16,237 feet is in the far background, over 100 miles distant.

All traffic (3 pickups, a car & 2 big rigs) has been stopped while the highway department test fires its avalanche weapon. We were here about 20 minutes and heard four rounds being fired.

Bridal Veil Falls in going through the Thompson Pass.

Looking back down the canyon at Thompson Pass (8 % grade) from Bridal Veil Falls.

Tok to Anchorage (PHOTOS)

The roads in Alaska are long and narrow.

Miles and miles of land and Mountains.

Nachina Glacier from the Glenn Highway.

An early "Bubble Cab" GMC, circa 1940's

Not exactly what we expected. The Yukon, Canada border crossing building is still visible in the rearview mirror. The Alcan is mud, potholes and rocks up here. Tok, alaska is about 90 miles southwest of here.

A female grizzly bear digging for grubs. This was taken on the Alcan, between the Alaskan/Yukon border and Tok, AK.

Joe is testing a new bait casting reel at a small lake near Haines Junction, Ak. Although it looks like early afternoon in the picture, it's actually 11:30 P.M. There are only a few hours of darkness this time of year.

A small herd of caribou
along the Alcan, south of Haines Junction, Ak.

The same female grizzly as above. Thankfully, she wasn't interested in me taking her picture.

The color and the hump on her back help to identify this beauty as a grizzly bear.

PHOTOS from Joe, May 25,2010

Joe on Pippin Lake, Copper Center, AK. No fish today. 5/25/10

Joe, checking out Pippin Lake. 5/25/10

Distant Peaks to the north east, viewed from the canoe on Pippin Lake. These peaks are 12,000 to 16,000 feet high. 5/25/10

The Tonsina River grows with snow melt daily. The King Salmon will begin their yearly run in a few days. 5/25/10

Joe prefers supper cooked on the camp fire.
5/25/10

Joe, on Pippin Lake near Copper Center, AK 5/25/10

View of distant peaks from Pippin Lake.
5/25/10

Part of a moose backbone Joe found. A "small" moose is the size of full grown horse. This one was not small. 5/25/10

Joe met this young moose on his morning bike ride. The moose are just beginning to get their antlers, so we've only seen a few in velvet. This one is near the Tonsina River, on the way to Valdez. 5/25/10

May 16, 2010

After 1,938 miles in Beautiful British Columbia, we have crossed the border into the Yukon Territories. The majority of our miles traveled in BC were on two-lane highways; many of the miles were on gravel/dirt roads. But, BC is a very beautiful Provence, filled with bear, moose, beaver, wolves, and so many other wild animals. The scenery is breathtaking and ever changing and the citizens are friendly and tolerant of their southern cousins.

Having spent a comfortable night in Watson Lake, YT, we get back on the road. Our goal is to reach Whitehorse, YT before stopping for the night, but the going is rougher than we expected. We topped off the gas tank with 27 liters before leaving Watson Lake, but by the time we reached Teslin, 150 miles northwest, we topped off again. Another 202 miles and we stop for the night at Pine Lake Campground, on the out skirts of Haines Junction, YT. We are 205 miles from the Yukon - Alaska border. We make a dry camp, build a fire and fix a pot of dehydrated chicken noodle soup. After coffee and dish washing, we head down to the little lake, so Joe can test out a new bait caster reel. It's turning colder and we head back to camp, only mildly worried about the bears that might be lurking in the dense woods. At 10:00 P.M., even though it's still daylight, we climb into the back of the truck to bed down for the night. The next morning we will awake to frost on the inside of the camper shell windows.

Stewart, Hyder, Bears & Bear Glacier (PHOTOS)

Joe is on his bike, out of frame to the right of the truck, The bear just ran into the woods on the left.

Looking upriver, to the east, along the Bear River. We are about 10 miles east of Stewart BC on 37A.

Looking at Bear Glacier from the NNE, east of Stewart, BC on 37A.

Large bear trap hanging on the wall of Captain Tony's in Hyder, Alaska.

Joe is on his bike, just out of frame right. I came around him with the truck to ward off the bear. Although, Joe will tell you that he fought it off, single handedly, while singing the ballad of Davey Crocket

A very large, curious and unafraid Black Bear.

I'm following Joe in the truck. This isn't as much to alert approaching motorists, as it is to get between Joe and any curious bears.

Joe goes for his daily bike ride along the Cassiar Hwy. His can of Bear Mace is strapped to the bike.

Bear Glacier, just east of Stewart, BC looking north from Hwy 37A

The Kamloops River in BC

One of the hundreds of rivers we have seen. I think this one is the Telkwa River, In BC

The beginning of Cassiar Hwy 37

Mountain peaks on the north side of Hwy 37A, heading into Stewart, BC

Stewart, BC to Watson Lake, YT May15, 2010

Cold and damp today. Sunrise came at 4:00 a.m., following a 10:30 p.m. sunset. This will take some getting used to. We get on the road about 8:30 a.m., after coffee and an energy bar. We thought we could get breakfast somewhere along the route to Watson Lake, Yukon Territories, (YT), but that thought proved to be wishfull thinking. The Cassiar Hwy runs 620 km (approx. 400 miles) through a very rugged part of Northwest British Columbia; rugged, beautiful and virtually unpopulated. The highway is, more often than not, a gravel country road. The route runs north, over mountains, through forests, around natural lakes, tossed like jewels among the green trees and mountain valleys and ends at Watson Lake, YT on the Alcan Hwy 1. There are very few eateries along the route and the ones we saw, we passed. Foolishly, we thought we would find something better around the next bend. An old adage comes to mind here; something about a bird in the hand...
Finally, after 12 hours on the road, we reach Watson Lake, YT. We check into a pleasant, old fashioned hotel and head straight for the restaurant to overeat. After showers and a failed attempt to get online, and in spite of the 11:00 pm daylight, we crawl into real beds for a soft, warm, comfortable nights sleep.