Max's Valdez trip

Max went to Valdez two weeks ago to collect a GPS station...a perfect excuse to take the boat out and do some salmon fishing. He's done a lot of work on the boat this year and it's really looking great. He refinished all the wood this spring before taking it down to Valdez for the summer.


Here's the REAL reason for the trip. It's hard to beat Silver salmon fishing out of Valdez in August. Our freezer is full so all the fish Max hauled in only made it as far as Delta Junction where he stopped and unloaded his catch with our good friends Ellie, Jeff, and little Wyatt. Thanks for taking it guys! I can't keep Max from fishing, so it's nice to have some help to eat the extras!

Happy Man, self portrait. I'm not sure this one was meant for publication but Captain Max isn't here to ask.

Shoup Glacier. Max spent his first 4 (maybe 5?) summers in Alaska monitoring and tagging a large colony of kittiwakes - smallish gull-like seabirds - nesting on a rock island in the middle of Shoup Bay. It's a 10 mile trip from Valdez. We've walked, kayaked, canoed, and hitched rides out here nearly every summer since we met. It's pretty cushy to have our own motorized transport to make the trip. When Max and I met, the glacier would calve into the water and the bay would be congested with floating ice. It's retreated markedly each year, and this year the glacier doesn't reach the water. Harbor seals used to take advantage of the larger icebergs...looks like they've had to find alternate haul-out ice this year.

Heading back into Valdez marina at sunset. Pretty nice.