August 17, 2024 - Alaska Flight
Kenai - Homer Part Two
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| Heading up the northwest side of the Kachemak Bay. |
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| The Three Sisters. (I just made the name up. I don't know why I did that.) |
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Close-up on the middle one.
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| Top of the bay. |
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| Proceeding north northeast. |
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A very remote grass strip.
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| A river bed emerges from the mountains. |
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A glacier sits at the top of the canyon. The glacier probably extended all the way down here at one point.
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| Following the Fox River north. |
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| The Fox River turns east into the mountains where it eventually turns into a glacier. |
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| I arrive at the big and glassy Tustumena Lake. |
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The lake's southeastern end turns into a braided river.
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| The river quickly turns into a lake which turns into a glacier. |
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Icebergs!
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| Nice shot of the glacier. |
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Looking west back at Tustumena Lake.
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There's a cabin in the middle of the picture. Talk about remote!
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| Resuming my northerly course. |
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There are so many little rivers like this I don't think they even bother naming them.
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| Coming up on another good-sized lake: Skilak Lake. |
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| Not much wind today; the lake is glassy. |
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The water color is very aqua-blueish; I guess because it is glacier water.
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| There are islands in this lake. This one has a couple of cabins. This lake isn't that far from Sterling and Highway One. From there I guess they could bring in building materials via boat. |
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Looking east. If I ever fly this area again, I'd like to head up that way and check it out.
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| Looking west. |
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| I'm sure they must have name for this mostly treeless, barren terrain. |
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| Yet another lake: Hidden Lake. |
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And there is Highway One, emerging from the mountains, heading west for Sterling and the coast.
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| Trees are able to make a stand here. |
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Following a road or powerline thing or something.
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| Lots of trees now. |
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| Those two white dots at center are big, white swans. They would be the only wildlife I saw the entire Alaska trip from the air. No bears, moose, caribou. Just swans. |
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A cabin sits by its lonely self on some remote lake.
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| I see Turnagain Arm dead ahead. |
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The marsh suddenly turns to forest as it nears the mountains.
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| A little red color out in the marsh. |
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| Passing a mini-mountain, complete with cabin. |
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| I cross Turnagain Arm and there is Highway One again on the northern edge of the Arm. |
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| Anchorage's suburbs are up on the gentle mountain slopes. |
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Close-up of Anchorage.
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| A draw up the mountains west of Anchorage. |
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Arctic Valley road snakes its way up the mountain.
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| I couldn't figure out what this was at the time, but I found out later it is a military machine gun range. Surprisingly close to the highway, although it is facing away from it. |
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A huge landfill, again close to the highway but it is hidden from view by the trees. You can only see it from the air.
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| Another private airport community strip. |
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A nice shot of Highway One as it heads north towards Palmer and Wasilla.
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| Looking east into the Chugach Mountains. |
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Looking east up the Matanuska and Knik Rivers which both flow into the Knik Arm.
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| A campsite along a little river. |
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Almost back to Wolf Lake, one final look east at Knik Glacier and Pioneer Peak (6,400-feet) on the right.
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The SPOT Track for today's flight.
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