All ready to get outdoors

The summer is moving right along and many folks are out fishing, camping, taking day trips, entertaining visitors and all the other things Alaskans do in the warm months. Because of an illness in the family, I have had to stay fairly close to home and haven’t ventured out too much. The bear hunting and bowfishing trips never materialized. Neither did the hooligan dipnetting excursions.

Such is life!

As I mentioned last week, I have gotten pretty well caught up on the “deferred” maintenance of my “toys.” Other than a good cleaning, the RV is ready to go. The only item left on that unit is awaiting some electrical parts, but the backup camera installation isn’t critical and can be done any time.

I did get my truck back last Friday, as promised, and it looks almost like a new vehicle. Now if I can only keep from accumulating any more dents, I’ll be a happy truck driver! I did finally get the call that work on my riverboat was done. Everything was fine; the tune-up went well, and the boat and engine are in good shape and ready for launch.

I’m planning to do more lake fishing this season and the boat will definitely help on the bigger bodies of water. I installed a couple of downriggers a while back and I’m hoping to put them to use trolling for lake trout and whatever else decides to bite!

Speaking of boating, we haven’t been up to Susitna Landing yet this year. That is one usual stop in our hooligan dipnetting trips each year. The landing also was our go-to spot for king salmon fishing, but with the poor runs and fishing restrictions, we just haven’t gone king fishing very much. The landing is our favorite place when the silvers are running and, with some health improvements in the family, I hope we can spend some time there latter this fishing season.

Even if you’re not into fishing, spending a weekend camped along the banks of the Kashwitna River is a pleasant and peaceful experience. Next time you decide to head out on a trip, either for the day or for the weekend, stop by Susitna Landing, mile 82.5 Parks Highway, and say hi to Jeff Boatright, the concession operator.

You won’t find a nicer guy running a camping facility anywhere in the Valley!

Barring a catastrophe, I’m scheduled to go fishing with another nice guy, Andy Couch, this coming Monday. Andy has asked me for years to tag along on a trip with him and things never worked out. Since I’m not getting any younger and the king salmon run is looking a tad bit stronger this year, I figured it was time to chase kings with a real fisherman. We’re tentatively scheduled to fish the Little Susitna River. I’m looking forward to the trip probably more than the chance of catching a king. The Little Susitna is a pretty river running through a game refuge, so there’s no development along the banks.

It can be a truly wild experience!

While I haven’t been out much this year, I do still manage to slip off for a few hours on occasion. This past Tuesday evening was one such time. I managed to go shoot in the monthly blackpowder pistol shoot sponsored by the Mt. McKinley Mountain Men blackpowder club and held at the Matanuska Valley Sportsmen shooting range off the Glenn Highway just south of Palmer.

Besides needing a vest and fleece jacket to stay warm at the outdoor shoot, I was also shooting my 36-caliber 1858 Remington-style revolver for the first time in decades. I had bought that gun nearly 50 years ago and shot it regularly for a few years. Times changed and the gun was set aside while I went to school, got a job, got married, and all the other stuff of life.

When I started back into blackpowder handguns, I was shooting 44-caliber revolvers and sidelock pistols of either 50 or 54-caliber. The little 36-caliber stayed in the gun cabinet. I finally decided to resurrect the gun and give it a try after all these years. And wouldn’t you know, I shot it better than I have any of my other blackpowder revolvers. In fact, I won the revolver class and was the high-score shooter for the evening!

Who says the old guns can’t match newer ones and even beat them in a fair fight!