Terrible Summer of 2020 - Part 2

Part 2.

A week later the skies had cleared of smoke and there was a brief window for a trip North. Rain and storms were forming to the East but the path North was clear. Good time to check the Yukon and its tributaries for high water and available bars for landing. The upper Yukon was splendid! Beautiful clouds and reflections everywhere, especially along the Hodzana drainage and the Yukon in the environs of the lower mouth of the Beaver Creek and the village of Beaver.

The water in all the rivers was still very high - too high to make an assessment of the condition of my favorite gravel bars.

The journey began on a hopeful note with a rainbow

A pervasive layer of fog graced Beaver Creek all the way to Victoria Mt. 

Mt. Adams (the native name for Mt. Schwatka) where the eagle nest

Reflections in the ponds of the Yukon Flats

The Twin Lakes showed very nice reflections

Here the lower mouth of Beaver Creek, more turbid than usual from the heavy rains, 

enters into a branch of the braided Yukon River

 Here are scenes along the Hodzana showing very high water but much clearer

This was my first flight with my new Lightspeed Zulu 3 noise canceling headset

Finally, on the North side of the Whites and adjacent to Mt. Adams.

granite tors like dragons teeth

Terrible Summer of 2020 - Part 1

Part One.

This  has been the worst flying summer that I can recall in more than 40 years of flying in Alaska!
We had uncharacteristic (and unusual for the Interior) rain starting in mid-May. The storms spared the upper Yukon Valley but formed daily over the White Mountains to the North of Fairbanks effectively blocking my usual path to the Hodzana and points North and East.

Then, another anomaly: late in July, as I was preparing to take groceries to my fiends Heimo and Edna in Ft. Yukon, thick smoke rolled in from Siberia! Visibility (shown in the first picture) was down to less than 5 miles and was much worse as I tried to pick my way to the North through the Whites. Had to turn back!

By August 1st the smoke had cleared enough to make my way North safely, and visibility improved  as I approach Ft. Yukon so I was able to get the supplies to my friends.

Smoky conditions, visibility less than 5 mi

 (Below, A few days later - better visibility) 

 The village of Beaver

The Hodzana River where the clear water of this beautiful stream enters the Yukon

My friends Heimo and Edna met me at the Ft. Yukon Airport 

Back in the Air Again!

My rebuilt engine has been expertly reinstalled in the airplane by Curt Hamlin, and on May 6th I took her up for a shake down flight. Everything is in order and the engine is noticeably more powerful and responsive than before. Only one minor squawk. The idle was set just a bit too high. With that adjusted and after taxiing to confirm that the idle was in the 500 to 550 range, early this morning I practiced maneuvers and the obligatory 3 take-offs and landings, then flew back to my home strip confident that I would ace the landing and I did - came to a full stop 50 feet short of my benchmark on this 1200 ft runway with trees at both ends!
A few views of an aircraft happy to be "home"!

My New, Rebuilt Engine Has Arrived!!

My newly rebuilt O-320 Lycoming Engine has arrived in North Pole at Curt's hanger and is in the process of being installed. This is a very thrilling moment for me! Our weather has been terrible all winter and worse this spring, so ski flying would not have been an option this winter. I will be back in the ari soon - just in time for wheels on the ice and the Hodzana! Thank you Curt! And thank you Custom Aircraft of Wasilla!
Yay!