Mixing Work and Play

I’m on a work trip in Alaska at a camp for military kids that starts in a few days, but I came north a little early just for fun. Right now I’m in the riverside community of Cooper Landing, on the Kenai Peninsula, one of Alaska’s more popular outdoor playgrounds.

Skilak Lake

Fireweed in an old burn. I wonder how they named that stuff?

Cooper Landing is not far from the world famous (ok, regionally famous) Russian River, well known for its “combat fishing” during salmon runs. We’re right in the middle of a salmon run now, so it was interesting to see anglers shoulder to shoulder. Sure, go fishing to get away from it all…but do it within elbow reach of your neighbor. Clearly these folks were about filling freezers and not about solitude.

Souzz will join me later in the week and we’ll work our way down to Katchemak Bay. In the meantime, I’m at a lovely camp right next to the Kenai River and enjoying a simple dinner of pasta with tomatoes, mushrooms, basil, Romano cheese, and chopped steak.

Dinner!

That’s the Kenai River in the background

Another way to play frisbee

More prep

I didn’t catch any fish, but I did catch this steak

Almost ready to eat

I guess other things like to eat, too

If something goes down, I can probably climb in that locker

The steak wasn’t really in the dinner plans, as I thought I could pick up some salmon here in “town”–until I realized that there isn’t really a town here.

Cooper Landing, not a huge place

Moose can pass, but not cars?

Another shot of Cooper Landing

So, with only a mini-mart for food supplies, I’m in the fishing capital of the world and I’m eating frozen steak…probably from a far away place like Virginia. At least the view is good.