Jennive and I have been fishing a few times over the 8 years
of our marriage. It’s odd, or maybe just
a lack of talent, but in all the times we went fishing together we had never
caught a fish. That’s why catching a
fish had to make our list of 30 things to do before we turn 30 years old. It’s not a huge achievement, but for us it
was something we had to do.
A few years ago my younger brother James got a job working
for a fishing resort in Alaska. He invited
Jennive and me up to the resort last year, but after looking at airfare at the
time, we decided not to go. That was a
big mistake. I kicked myself a few times
for making the decision not to go. This
year however, my brother went back to work in Alaska for the summer. He extended the invitation once again. There was no way we were going to pass up the
opportunity twice. We booked our flights
(this time for half the price of the previous year).
Now we had our chance to catch a fish…or twenty. Our experience was fun. It was also rewarding. Jennive and I spent a lot of time catching up
on life. We tried to enjoy every minute. I didn’t know what to expect when we got
there. We just kind of went with the
flow. My brother and his wife went out
of their way to make sure we had everything we needed to be successful at
fishing. They even took time out of
their day to take us out on our first adventure. Halibut fishing!! To catch a halibut you have to fish
deep. Hundreds of feet deep. We spent part of an afternoon with our bait a
couple hundred feet down sitting, waiting, bobbing… Finally we got a bite. Turns out, sharks like to swim deep too. Apparently the shrimp pot we decided to fish
next to had attracted some small dog sharks.
After a couple of hours we were up two sharks, but no halibut. So we decided to go salmon fishing. We spent the rest of the week fishing for
salmon. It was a great experience. The highlight of the fishing part of the trip
was the last day. We woke up early at
about 4:45am. We got everything ready
and headed out on the boat at 5:30am and made it to our selected fishing hole
at 6:00am. By 6:30am we had our first
two fish of the day, Silver Salmon. They
were nice, maybe 8lbs each. Then we
proceeded to catch 12 more fish, Pink Salmon (our limit for the day) before
10:30 am. We would have caught our limit
hours earlier, but many of the fish would either steal our bait or spit our
hooks just before we could get them to the boat. It was a very fun morning.
Not on the list of 30, but equally notable achievements
were:
Whale watching: We saw more than a dozen whales while we
were out fishing. Mostly humpback
whales, but there were some orcas in the area.
In addition to just swimming along, we saw the humpback whales breach (jumping
out of) the water and bubble feeding.
Two things as magical as nature itself.
Eagle watching: I got some pretty spectacular photos of
eagles swooping down out of the trees to catch fish floating on the surface of
the water. Just listening to the eagles
chatter back and forth was worth the trip.
Filming them pick a two pound fish out of the water as they gracefully
floated through the air was my favorite part of the entire trip.
Eating: We ate, and ate, and ate. There was so much good food, we just had to
eat it all! I really enjoyed the pot
roast, steamed carrots and red potatoes, with banana cream pie for desert. Who wouldn’t!? The last night we were in Alaska the resort
hosted a seafood feast. They put clams,
muscles, king crab, shrimp, corn, red potatoes, sausage and various seasonings
in a steam pot, and vuala!! Seafood
dinner served family style on newspaper table clothes. It was awesome!
Boating: Jennive and I went all over in the boat. Even at night we dreamed we were still on the
boat. In fact, every time I closed my
eyes my body started drifting back and forth like I was out on the water again.
In all, it was a great experience. Thank you James, Tiffany, Natasha, and the
rest of the Silver King Resort staff for making our No. 21 the most memorable
fishing expedition ever!
A tribute to my wife Jennive and the special experience we
shared together in Alaska:
Humility is a characteristic you are either born with or
learn throughout life’s obstacles. The
later is likely my fate. I like to meet
people who are born this way, humble.
They are great examples of selflessness and embody a spirit of harmony I
can only hope to discover sometime during my life. These are the people who provide you with memorable
experiences. They make you smile with
each thought. I am very fortunate I
found someone to accompany me early in my pursuit. She helps me more clearly recognize others acts
of kindness and humility. To appreciate
the gift of these moments. She helps to
add perspective to my wondering mind and wishful thinking. And to better understand the tranquility of
humility.
I like to believe that nature teaches us humility through
the vastness of forests, oceans, and deserts.
To comprehend the creation of each is inconceivable to me. The idea that someone has created each
molecule, each seed, each element of nature is remarkable.
I am forever grateful for the opportunity to travel to
Alaska and see its beautiful landscape. And
to experience every moment with my best friend.
I will cherish these memories which are forever imprinted in my mind.
