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| Doug Refueling at Soldatna |
We were up early, checked out, and met the only taxi in town who our hotel owner had arranged at her own expense to drive us to the airport, a short distance away. We loaded up and did our preflight inspections, which were by now a shared and a well orchestrated affair, allowing us to be airborne in a very timely manner, and flying over Kachemak Bay.
Kachemak Bay is a 40-mi-long arm of Cook Inlet, located on the southwest side of the Kenai Peninsula. The communities of Homer, Halibut Cove, Seldovia, and a few others dot the bay and enjoy it’s beauty, serenity, and abundant sea life.
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| Kenai River at Soldotna |
After Homer, we enjoyed the smooth air and beautiful sights of the peninsula as we made our way to Soldotna and our 9 a.m. appointment with the nice folks at MarcAir to have our oil changed. Normally we change our oil every 35-50 hours, and we left with a fresh oil change. But we had already reached that mark, and would reach it again by the time we arrived back home. Such was the magnitude of this flying adventure. :) But this morning that was a minor, but necessary consideration on our minds. We where also glad to support MarcAir, who does Christian ministry work among native Americans in Alaska, and glad to receive their support of our flying endeavor. It was Ken’s turn to lead the flight, and Dwayne took advantage of the relaxed flying and smooth air (we had smooth air the great majority of the time in Alaska) to practice close formation flying, which is a joy all unto itself. Especially to four aviators with fighters in their flying DNA. :)
We dropped off our planes and were informed the maintenance would only take a couple hours. So we left the airport and after a longer than usual drive (inside joke) found an excellent breakfast place we could all agree upon. :) The exact location of which, we are all under oath not to divulge. :)
Then we stopped in at the visitors center in Soldotna for a look inside and a scenic stroll down the newly constructed board walk along the Kenai River. The silver salmon were still running, albeit a bit slower than peak, and we talked to a few anglers who had nice strangers of the tasty fish.
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| Flight to Seward |
Back in the air, and having experienced so much beauty already, I don’t think any of us were ready for the beauty we were about to experience flying into and arriving at our destination for the night, Seward Alaska, at the the head of Resurrection Bay.
May the following pictures speak to you thousands of words. :) From ... Alaska.
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"We shall not cease from exploration, and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." T. S. Eliot
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