After spending a day in the modern city of Anchorage, we took a motor coach into the wilderness, towards the mountains, to a rustic lodge located in Mt. McKinley State Park. It has two claims to fame, the second tallest fire place in all of Alaska (see below), and spectacular views of Mt. McKinley to the North, the highest mountain in North America, at 20,320 feet. There were paintings of the mountain, telescopes on the deck pointed northward, and a large picture window with all the chairs facing McKinley. We soon learned that McKinley is a ghost mountain, seen by very few. Apparently, 80% of the visitors to McKinley never get a chance to see it, since it stays hidden in a shroud of clouds. Being near McKinley for 3 days, didn't get us into the lucky 20%.
Mountain or not, we'd make plans. Ralph kept saying, "Now, when are we going fishing?” Well, we were staying near a town called Talkeetna (basis for the TV show Northern Exposure) that is located on the wild Talkeetna River. Historically it's known for it's salmon runs. In fact the Native American word "Talkeetna" means "river of plenty". So, it was decided. Tammy would hang out at the lodge, and Steve and Ralph would go on a fishing trip. The river would give us a chance to put on funny rubber boots, and act like true sportsmen.
I thought it would be easy. We could see groups of salmon along the river channel. These fish have recently left the ocean for the one chance in their life to mate. Win or loose, they'll die trying. They still have some distance to get to the spawning grounds, so they really have other things on their mind, besides getting tricked to take a hook by some novice angler. We cast for hours. Good wrist exercise. I did get some good strikes, and fought a few whoppers a while before they got loose. They were damn strong. One snapped my swivel. I got one up on the bank before it managed to break loose. I had great fun and didn't plan to bring home a trophy anyway.
Have you ever seen this guy smile that big? I don't think there was another person in our group that pulled in as many fish as Ralph. It was great fun watching him expertly reel in some big ones. That guy can fish. I saw some other fishermen taking souvenir photos of Ralph and his fish, so they'd have something to take home.
This was Ralph’s first fish of the day. It was a proud moment. He chose that fish to be sent frozen back to Nebraska (the others were quickly returned to the stream). He accomplished a personal dream to catch a wild salmon in Alaska, and then eat it.
Salmon, particularly males, go through a major transformation after spending some time in fresh water. Normally silver in the ocean, they turn bright red in the streams. Their jaws enlarge, and they grow canine like teeth. I don't think they can even close their mouths. They become angry and irritable. Only if the fish has been in fresh water for a short time, like the first fish Ralph caught, is it suitable for tasty eating. You might have fun catching a beast like the one pictured below, but you wouldn’t enjoy eating it.
As an added bonus, our guide (shown above) decided to take us back towards town on a rubber raft. He did all the rowing, while we enjoyed the wildlife and solitude.
I can't recall seeing Ralph happier than the day we went fishing in Alaska. Sure he's smiling in the pictures, but in actuality he had that smile all day long. I'm sure glad we decided to go fishing.