Greetings from Alaska

[The Bubba Effect]

Thank you for sharing this! I have been looking hard at Alaska.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

I have had these up here since we started building in 2017.

Also have this for bears when we go to the mainland. There are no bears on the island. We do get moose on occasion.

 

[teddy12b]

That shotgun gives me a lot of confidence. I was on the phone yesterday with charter flights out of Fairbanks trying to find an outfit that would drop me and another guy off somewhere between the Gates of the Arctic and the Wildlife Refuge up there for a few days and nights. I really want to see the northern lights on my next visit.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

My Mossberg 500 started with just the receiver. I added the barrel with extended mag tube, extended safety, fiber optic front sight, Blackhawk furniture, side saddle ammo carrier and two point sling. It stays up here year round.

I later built a Remington 870 in the same configuration. It will come up here and be my primary shotgun. The Mossberg will become a loaner.

 

[teddy12b]

My Mossberg 500 started with just the receiver. I added the barrel with extended mag tube, extended safety, fiber optic front sight, Blackhawk furniture, side saddle ammo carrier and two point sling. It stays up here year round.

I later built a Remington 870 in the same configuration. It will come up here and be my primary shotgun. The Mossberg will become a loaner.

I don't really enjoy shooting a 12ga just because of recoil, but I bought a 590A1 for protection for my future trips to Alaska. I figure I can keep the tube full of slugs, and a couple of bird shot shells for small game in a pocket if that opportunity comes up. Your cabin up there looks like a dream come true.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

One of the owners over on the west side of the island owns this floatplane.

These were parked on the ramp at the Kenai airport.

A few days ago we had an HC-130J flying passes over the lake.

We see lots of floatplanes, bushplanes and helicopters out here. On clear sunny days, it is like an airshow.


Finally refinished my Cold War era JATO bottle. It will go on display next to the cabin.

What the original looked like.

Rocket Motor, Solid Fuel, 4-AS-1000 MK.2, JATO (Jet-Assisted-Take-Off) Unit

This is a 4AS-1000 Mk. 2 JATO (Jet-Assisted-Take-Off) rocket motor, developed and constructed by the Aerojet Engineering Corporation for helping to lift heavily loaded planes and for rescue work. The motor produced 1,000 pounds of thrust for four seconds.

airandspace.si.edu

JATO - The Early Days | Coast Guard Aviation History

Early one morning in 1944 the crew of a Navy PBM3C delivered to the Coast Guard San Diego Air Station a liquid propellant rocket motor system to be used in rescue seaplane landing and takeoff experiments.

cgaviationhistory.org

Old timers here talk about the USCG landing on the lake. They used JATO bottles to take off. After they got airborne, they jettisoned the spent bottles and tried to hit the island. There are several on the shoreline and more are visible on the lakebed, when the water receeds in the Fall.

 

[Michigan Slim]

First class work up there. I'm doing something similar in northern Michigan. It's only three hours away and it's hard to find time. I can't imagine trying that up there. Well done with sticking with it and getting as much as you have done.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Today was our last day on the island. We left this morning at 9am and came back to town. It is all shut down and packed away until next summer.

At 3am, we still had sunshine to the north and moonrise to the south.

This how yesterday looked all day.

Then we woke up to this, today.


Mount Redoubt in the distance on the drive back to town.

 

[GregD]

I bet the view is nice from the top den.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

I bet the view is nice from the top den.

It is very nice. Wife and I enjoy drinking coffee up there.

 

[Jsomerset]

Who would have thought back in 79 sweating your hinny off in Okinawa that you would be preparing for this cool adventure. Well done D!