I was way overdue
for an epic adventure, having spent all last summer without one, and as always, Alaska delivered. Or rather, Missy did. She is the World's Greatest
Fisherman, after all, and this time I had people in tow with attention spans
long enough for more than a cast or two. (The absolute max for yours truly.)
It was Seth (and
his parents') first trip to The Last Frontier, plus summer in Alaska is magical, so we wanted to squeeze in a
whirlwind tour around some quality salmon fishing. (Well, let's be honest, we
really can't help that "vacation 'til you drop" thing, what with our Walters upbringing.) And a whirlwind it
was. We went "glamping" in Seward, invaded Brittany's for bocce and
(Missy's) birthday fun, checked out half the glaciers in Alaska, discovered the
insanely amazing Alaska Marine Highway and Alaska Wildlife Conservation
Center, and road-tripped to Valdez. I was also conned into stops at both
Cabela's AND Bass Pro, both new additions to the Anchorage shopping scene, and
reminded myself that no trip with Seth Nieman is complete without such a
predictable diversion.
Missy, previously
the World's Greatest Fisherman (with the keychain to prove it) became the
World's Greatest Fishing Guide, rustling up a carload of tackle, analyzing
tides and moon phases with Seth, "house mousing" fish after flopping
fish, showing off her filleting (and disgusting fishhead-bonking) skills, and
participating in the Most Epic Fish Save Ever. Seth, who is good at literally everything, was of course a natural salmon fisherman, and before long was trading knot-tying insults with Missy.
According to
nearly everyone on the plane headed home, the salmon weren't doing much
"running" this week, but the Niemans all landed some, and we grilled
them up for dinner. (Fine. I had a veggie burger. But the fresh salmon seemed to be a hit.)
I get bored after about three minutes of fishing and was less than thrilled that the presence of Baby Nieman severely limited my ice climbing and sea kayaking adventures (not to mention microbrew consumption), but- armed with the bear spray Seth insisted I carry everywhere- I got in some beautiful hikes while the dedicated anglers fought off mosquitoes and fishing crowds. Missy and I also hiked to the hand tram in Girdwood, which I have been dying to check out, and it was as cool as advertised, requiring significant elbow grease to inch across the gorge below.
Or, as Missy and I preferred to think of it, "we nailed it."
I took about a million pictures, and they're here (phone pictures):
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos?tab=mq#photos/115033664787271164277/albums/6038006013549808625
... and here (pictures from the new- read "Baby Nieman's"- camera):
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos?tab=mq#photos/115033664787271164277/albums/6038607702366233505
Photo of the vacation was, of course, this one. No "one that got away" stories here!!
But this one's not bad either.
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