Kodiak Island

Caught some lunkers.

I love this place, if there were jobs in my field I would likely live here.

I have several rules of engagement regarding airline bump awards:
#1) It must be a point on the map that never goes on sale
#2) It is a location as far-flung as possible
Kodiak Island looked like it fit all of our requirements but would it prove to be an adventure?

Flying into Anchorage airport is a cultural treat. It is best to not be on a schedule of any kind and to prepare yourself to just be relaxed. Understand that you will get to your destination someday….sometime.

After waiting two hours due to the common weather delay, the counter lady announced “We have a small window of opportunity for flight #36 for Kodiak. Let’s see how fast we can get this plane boarded and ‘outta here!”
Oh… Just because you take off from Anchorage doesn’t mean that you will be landing in Kodiak. Sometimes the weather becomes worse and you have to circle back.

But good things do take time, so keep that thought in your head. The petite stewardess kept us in good humor with her stories of “How I got the moose I shot home” followed by “The bear that tried to eat my fish.”

That is how I got to Kodiak the first time but I have been back to visit because there is something hauntingly beautiful about the island that gets under your skin.

We went in May to link it with the CRAB FESTIVAL (http://www.kodiak.org/crabfest.html) figuring we could gorge ourselves when we weren’t out fishing.

Oh.Just because you book a fishing trip doesn’t mean that you’ll be able to get out on the water. (Have you ever seen the series “Deadliest Catch”?) Be sure to allow enough time on the island, so if you can’t get out one day you have a chance for another.

The first time we went out with Runamuck charters and caught 200lbs of fillets in one day. Have you ever caught Halibut before? It’s like lifting a barn door.. flat.. up from 200 ft. under the ocean.One day of that was enough for me! The airlines currently let you bring two-50lb coolers of fish without penalty per person, although when we checked the rates for shipping fish we found that it was cheaper to pay the airline penalty at that time for extra boxes.

• HINT: Bring two coolers per person (there are size restrictions, check the airline) and only bring a carry-on for your clothes!*
  The second trip we took to Kodiak harvested 280 lbs of fillets and if you add up all the fees, we filled the freezer for less than what the fish alone would have cost at our local store and had one ‘hellofa party for the neighborhood.

Does this mean you are dead in the water if you don’t fish? NEIT, Comrades! Kodiak is a delightful mix of Native American and Russian culture with a smattering of true Alaskan foolery.
The Russian church is beautiful with the bright blue onion domes and the Alutiiq Native Museum is just down the street. Be sure to catch a performance of the Kodiak Island Drummers where even the seven year olds have serious rhythm.

We found World War 11 Fort Abercrombie to be a little like entering the twilight zone as the fog rolled in the day we visited. The gun ramparts and bunkers are situated along the cliffs and a nice walking path. Did you know that these Islands were CAPTURED and occupied by the Japanese? I must have been sleeping in history class, because I don’t remember that detail at all. It’s important to remember, because one of the deadliest American battles was fought here with many young men dying. I was sure they were still there, coming in with the fog.

The tidalpools are teeming with life and a treasure to explore but my favorite place is the fossil cliff at the end of Passaqshak road, just past the rocket launch site.It’s a great place to explore.

The best places to eat? The Powerhouse Restaurant has great suishi and Hibachi dinners and Henry’s has a large menu of American favorites. Tony’s bar used to be the local whore house but it’s more tame today…unless you visit during the frog racing competitions.

There I am at age two, enjoying Kodiak’s winter weather. But what am I wearing?

From kodiakisland.net:

100 Things To Do In Kodiak

These items are listed in no specific order.

If you live in Kodiak or have visited Kodiak and would like to share an experience, please send an e-mail and share your ideas with the world.

1. Visit St. Paul Harbor and watch the boats
2. Visit St. Herman Seminary—the chapel is a replica of the original Russian Orthodox Church built for St Herman’s mission in 1795
3. Go whale watching
4. Visit the Russian Cemetery
5. Get a book and learn about the creatures in the tidepools
6. Visit the Alutiiq Museum
7. Go salmon fishing
8. Shop till you drop in downtown Kodiak
9. Golf at Bear Valley Golf Course
10. Walk the trails at Fort Abercrombie State Park
11. Drive to the end of the Monashka Bay road
12. Go tide-pooling at Fort Abercrombie
13. Watch the float planes at Trident Basin on Near Island
14. Charter a boat and check out our waters
15. Visit Northend Park on Near Island
16. Watch the activity in the harbors from Near Island Bridge
17. Visit the ferry dock when the ferry is in and watch the people
18. See the Baranof Museum
19. Visit the Russian Orthodox Church
20. Visit the Alaska Fish and Game and look at the displays
21. Bike through town
22. Try the public library for some interesting history on Kodiak
23. Watch the big boats at St. Herman Harbor
24. Walk the docks at St. Herman Harbor and look for steller sea lions
25. Visit the Coast Guard base
26. Visit the Buskin River State Recreation Area
27. See the bears and eagle displays at the Kodiak Wildlife Refuge Headquarters
28. Try an ocean kayaking tour
29. Drive to the top of Pillar Mountain for some great views
30. Go on a hike
31. Visit the Fishery Industrial Technology Center on Near Island
32. Drive to Roads End for lunch or dinner
33. Take a scenic air tour by plane
34. Visit the Jewel Beach at the Coast Guard base
35. Go fly fishing on one of the many rivers
36. Go surfing at Pasagshak (really!)
37. Hike to the top of Pillar
38. Visit the Kodiak Fishery Research Center on Near Island
39. Have a beach picnic on Roslyn Beach
40. Sit at Buskin Beach and watch the tide
41. Take a nap when it rains
42. Have a day picnic at Fort Abercrombie
43. Visit the World War II Museum at Fort Abercrombie
44. Rent the local video, Grabbing Grounds, watch it, and then find a job crabbing in the Bering Sea!
45. Go bird watching
46. Climb Barometer Mountain or
47. Stand at the bottom of Barometer, look up at the trail, and then say, “Oh man, I’m not that bored!”
48. Go on a dive charter
49. Go on an Audubon hike
50. Count how many sea gulls you see
51. Go on a bird watching charter
52. Rent a movie—we probably have some you’ve never heard of
53. Drive to the Anton Larsen Pass
54. Take a river float trip
55. Look for puffins
56. Rent a kayak and explore our shoreline
57. Check out Kodiak’s many varieties of flowers
58. See our local talent at Northern Exposure Gallery
59. Look for petroglyphs
60. Go to the Kodiak Inn—upstairs in the hall to the restaurant are pictures of the 1964 earthquake
61. Visit Casey the bear at the First National Bank of Anchorage (“the bear bank”)
62. Visit Carrie at Red Dog Nursery for a flower fix
63. Visit the National Bank of Alaska for the crab display (“the crab bank”)
64. Order some to-die-for crab dip at The Chart Room at the Kodiak Inn
65. Visit the Army National Cemetery
66. Find the Old Russian Well
67. Find the Tsunami High Water Marker for the ‘64 earthquake and tsunami—hint: it involves the police
68. Visit the Fisherman’s Memorial at the harbormaster’s building
69. Visit the Selief plaque on Lower Mill Bay Road
70. Pamper yourself—you’re on vacation!
71. Sun tan on Buskin Beach
72. Try some local smoked salmon
73. Check out the artifacts, pictures, and eats at Henry’s Great Alaskan Restaurant
74. See some fabulous fireworks at midnight on July 4th
75. Go on a bear viewing trip
76. Visit the “Welcome to Kodiak” chain saw carving downtown
77. Stroll Rotary Park
78. Have a great sandwich at Beryl’s
79. Buy a few gifts at Norman’s downtown
80. Take lots of pictures to show-off at the next neighborhood dinner
81. Drive past Pasagshak and see the rocket launch site
82. Go to Woody Island
83. See the buffalo herd on the way to Pasagshak
84. Visit Fossil Beach
85. Listen to Hotline 10 AM weekdays on 101.1 FM (local radio show: buy, sell, and trade with lots of opinions)
86. Build a fire on the beach and roast hot dogs and marshmallows
87. Skip rocks in the ocean—we have lots of nice, flat ones
88. Fish until you can’t fish anymore!
89. Take in a show at the Orpheum Theater
90. Catch a huge halibut
91. Build a sand castle
92. Lay down in the grass and watch for eagles
93. Get a book and learn about all the birds on the island
94. Take a long walk on the beach at sunset
95. Find out about all those boats: trawler, gillnetter, purse seiner, crabber, and longliner
96. Ask around town about a pooping moose….we have a few
97. Charter a flight and visit one of the villages on the island
98. Buy something to take home to friends and family
99. Just sit and look at the ocean and our beautiful mountains
100. Enjoy your stay in Kodiak—we’re glad you’re here!

When I was in college, I worked in a salmon cannery on the nearly-deserted southwest corner of Kodiak Island. We flew in on a float plane and didn’t leave the place for 10 weeks, during which time we worked up to 20 hours per day.

Let’s call it a unique experience and leave it at that.

I feel honored to call Kodiak Island, Alaska my birthplace. There is a natural magic there unlike any other I have experienced.

Lived here for 4 years in the ‘70s…wonderful!

It’s worth a visit, but don’t plan to stay long unless you’re really prepared for the sense of being cut off from all of society as a whole. It’s really pretty there, but in a very cold, wet sense. The people are very friendly and open, and very welcoming.

They now have a starbucks.