Archive for July, 2008

One of the great things about traveling in Alaska is all the different planes you see. We flew back from Uyak Bay Lodge with our pilot, Keller Wattum.He spotted this beautifully-restored Boeing Stearman (model D75N1) aircraft flying around above Kodiak.  Earlier in the day, we flew from Kodiak to Uyak Bay Lodge on this Piper Aircraft from Island Air:

Here’s a shot of our pilot, Keller (R), discussing filming logistics for bear-viewing with Scott Slone of Alaska HDTV (L). Keller is flying the deHavilland Beaver (DHC-2) floatplane they use at Uyak Bay Lodge for fishing, hunting, bear-viewing and “eco-trekking”.

In case you didn’t know, Kodiak is full of them! We flew over on Island Air from Kodiak to Uyak Bay Lodge on Kodiak’s southwest coast for an up-close look.

Uyak Bay Lodge is uniquely situated to reach many of the primo bear-viewing areas on Kodiak and across the Shelikof Straits in Katmai National Park.

These are the big Kodiak grizzlies, mind you. They feast all summer on salmon from the prolific waters of the North Pacific. 

You can see those waters from Uyak Bay Lodge in Larsen Bay. After a 30-minute flight on Island Air from Kodiak, bear-viewers land at the lodge to transfer to a float plane for the 15-minute flight to Fraser Lake.

The flight itself is stunning–flying over the wild Kodiak countryside–past the Karluk River and many mountains and valleys. Watch for bear, deer and mountain goats on the way (we saw all three!).

At the bear viewing stand, your guide will hike with you and give you the specifics on protocol to get the most from your bear-viewing trip. I brought my binoculars and counted nine bears, including a cub and some three-year-olds that were hanging around the fish ladder. 

In addition to the bear-viewing packages, Uyak Bay Lodge offers a full slate of hunting and fishing trips. More on that later!

Right now is prime time for checking out the bears. The folks at Kodiak Adventure Reservations can take care of all the details: bear viewing, accommodations, charter fishing, dinner cruises and kayak trips. Call (907) 486-8766, or learn more online.

   We’re here in Kodiak with our friends from Alaska HDTV– checking out the flora and fauna on Alaska’s Emerald Isle. Watch for upcoming videos on the website. Here are some wildflowers we saw on a mini-hike: the folks at Kodiakreservations.com are a big help when it comes to making your reservations (more…)

This is a rerun of last week’s internet special. Travel outbound on Sat., Jul. 19 ONLY. Return on Jul. 21 ONLY.  As little as $339 roundtrip. USTravel’s ticketing fee of $38 is additional. 

This is a last-minute deal, so call Laura or Giovanni right now: (907)561-2434. Toll-free: (800)544-2217. Get them to line up your hotel and rental car at the same time.

Oh, the special works in both directions if you want to fly north from San Francisco to Anchorage for a long weekend.

Don’t forget: Sign up for the “RSS FEED” on the right where it says “subscribe”. That way, you’ll be alerted when there’s a new deal or special. For a tutorial on how the “Feed” technology works, click here. 

We’re always looking for a good deal between Anchorage and Minneapolis. FOUND ONE! FOUND ONE! Fly on either Northwest Airlines or Sun Country Airlines (both offer nonstop service) for just $353 roundtrip.

Fly today (Jul 17), since there is NO ADVANCE PURCHASE. This is the g-l-o-r-y of competition. If you’re lucky enough to get one of the scarce seats at Northwest, you have to return by Aug. 18. With Sun Country, you can travel through Sept. 8. We love Sun Country. But Northwest offers Alaska miles. You pick.

Call Laura or Giovanni at USTravel right now: (907)561-2434. Toll-free: (800)544-2217.

Don’t forget: Sign up for the “RSS FEED” on the right where it says “subscribe”. That way, you’ll be alerted when there’s a new deal or special. For a tutorial on how the “Feed” technology works, click here.