HELIJOE: April 2006

HI SHANNON
I THINK YOU MAY BE THE ONLY PERSON OUT THERE STILL LEFT READING MY BLOG. I KNOW READING YOURS IS ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DO WHEN I GET ON THE COMPUTER.
THIS IS ONE OF THE WALLS OR RIDGES THAT COME OFF OF MT. MCKINNLEY. I'M AT ABOUT 11000 FEET AND THIS WALL IS STILL ABOUT 1000 TO 2000 FEET HIGHER THAN I AM. I WISH YOU COULD HAVE CAME UP THERE, I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO GIVE YOU A PEEK AT THE AREA FROM THE HELICOPTER. IT IS AN AMAZING PLACE. MAYBE WHEN I AM RICH AND FAMOUS AND OWN MY OWN HELICOPTER WE CAN ALL GO UP THERE AND HAVE A LOOK AT IT AGAIN IF THE GLOBAL WARMING HASN'T MELTED THE MOUNTAIN AWAY.
IT WAS GOOD TO TALK TO YOU TODAY, AND I DID FIGURE OUT THE PHOTOSHOP QUESTION I ASKED YOU.
WELL I WILL BE DRIVING ALL DAY TOMORROW AND THEN I WILL BE ATTEMPTING TO GET OUR HOUSE ON THE MARKET SO I WILL BE OFF OF THE AIR WAVES FOR A WHILE SO SAY HIGH TO EVERYONE FOR ME AND HAVE A GOOD DAY!!!!!!

ONE DAY I WAS HEADED BACK TO OUR BASE WITH A LOAD OF TOURIST AND TOOK THIS PICTURE. WHEN I GOT BACK AND FINISHED UP THE PAPER WORK, I STARTED TO TALK TO THE OTHER PILOTS AND ONE OF THEM SAID HEY WERE FLYING RIGHT BEHIND ME ON THE WAY BACK. HE SAID THAT ONE OF THE PASSENGERS ASKED HIM IF THIS WAS THE ONLY ACTIVE VOLCANO IN ALASKA. WE ALL HAD A GOOD LAUGH THAT NIGHT.

FROM THE LEFT SIDE IS THE YANERT GLACIER. ALL OF THE GRAVEL AND WATER YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM IS STILL SITTING ON ICE, BUT THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE GLACIER AND IT'S CALLED THE TERMINOUS. MANY OF THE ROCKS YOU SEE AT THE BOTTOM ARE MANY TIMES THE SIZE OF THE HELICOPTER, AND THE GLACIER YOU SEE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PICTURE IS ONLY ABOUT A MILE IN LEGNTH AND DOES NOT HAVE A NAME BECAUSE IT IS TOO SMALL.

I HAVE TO THROW A HELICOPTER PICTURE IN EVERY NOW AND AGAIN.....

SOME MORE COLORFUL 9000' HILLS....

THIS IS ONE OF THE RIDGES IN DENALI PARK, IT'S ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RANGE OFF OF MT. PENDELTON. (LOOKING NORTH EAST)

HERE WE ARE PRACTICING AT FIRE SCHOOL. THE ORANGE THING ON THE GROUND IS FULL OF WATER AND IS CALLED A PUNKIN. WHEN THERE IS A FIRE SOMEWHERE WHERE THERE IS NO WATER AROUND FOR MANY MILES THE FOREST SERVICE WILL SET UP A PUNKIN FILL IT WITH TANKER TRUCKS AND ALL OF THE HELICOPTERS WILL TAKE TURNS DIPPING FROM IT. THIS ONE IS ALMOST OUT OF WATER, THATS WHY IT LOOKS LIKE A PUNKIN THAT HAS HIT THE ROAD THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN.....

ONE MORE AIRPLANE OUT OF COMMISSION.

A BIGGER HELICOPTER MEANS MORE PEOPLE GET TO GO FISHING. I THINK THIS WAS THE BEST SALMON FISHING HOLE I MADE IT TO. WE WERE TO THE SOUTH WEST OF ANCHORAGE,ACROSS THE COOK INLET FROM KENAI. AS WE LANDED WE SAW A COUPLE OF BEARS LEAVING THE BRUSH TRYING TO GET AWAY FROM THE BIG NOISY RED WHITE AND BLACK MOSQUITO...

HERE WE ARE ALL HEADED OUT FROM THE JUNEAU AIRPORT ON OUR WAY TO THE DOG SLED TOURS.

THIS MOOSE IS ON THE AIRPORT IN ANCHORAGE.

ANOTHER FISHING HOLE NEAR JUNEAU...

SORRY EVERYONE, I HAVE THOUSANDS MORE PICTURES TO PUT ON HERE, I JUST HAVEN'T HAD ANY TIME LATELY

IF YOU LOOK VERY CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE A RED PLANE IN HERE. IT'S OVER ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE, IN THE ROCKS. IT'S ACTUALLY A PRETTY BIG PLANE, BUT THE CANYON YOU SEE HERE IS CALLED THE GREAT GORGE. THE GRANITE WALLS ARE 2 MILES HIGH, BUT 1/2 OF IT IS COVERD WITH ICE. SO WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY IS THAT THERE IS A MILE OF ICE AND A MILE OF EXPOSED GRANITE. FREEKING IMPRESSIVE. JUST OUT OF THE FRAME TO THE LEFT IS ANOTHER AMAZING HUNK OF ROCK CALLED THE MOOSES TOOTH, I'LL SEE IF I CAN FIND A SHOT OF IT.

WELL LOOK AT THAT I FOUND IT. TOOK ME A WHILE. ANY WAY THIS WAS ONE OF THE DAYS WHEN THE FIRES WERE SURROUNDING US, NOT VERY GOOD VISABILITY, BUT IT MAKES FOR A COOL PICTURE.

HERE I LANDED AT ABOUT 9500 FEET UP ON THE KAHILTNA GLACIER, LOOKING TO THE SOUTH, AWAY FROM THE MOUTAIN. I BROUGHT SOME GLACIOLIGIST UP TO SURVEY THE GLACIER. WE LANDED SEVERAL PLACES THAT DAY. WE ALSO FOUND A WWII CAMP THAT WAS EXPOSED FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 1970. I KNOW I HAVE THE PICTURE SOME WHERE BUT I COULDN'T FIND IT TONIGHT SO I WILL HAVE TO PUT IT ON HERE LATER.

IF IT WAS ONLY CARIBOU SEASON!!!

HERE ARE A COUPLE OF MOOSEUMS, CAN YOU SEE THEM? I KNEW YOU COULD......

A COUPLE MORE MOOSE, A BIT HARD TO SEE, BUT I KNEW YOU WOULD FIND'EM.... IT'S HARD TO TAKE A PICTURE OF MOOSE AS YOU ARE FLYING BY AT A HUNDRED AND TWENTY KNOTTS, BY THE TIME YOU SEE THEM AND GET THE CAMERA UP THEY ARE USUALLY GONE.

THIS IS WHEN I WAS IN JUNEAU. I DIDN'T TAKE THIS ONE, BUT IT'S STILL COOL...

HERE IS ANOTHER PICTURE THAT I DIDN'T TAKE. I DID TAKE A COUPLE OF PICTURES LIKE THIS BUT ON A FILM CAMERA. THERE ARE A BUNCH OF EAGLES AROUND THERE. THERE ARE SO MANY THEY ARE JUST ABOUT AS THICK AS SEAGULLS...

HERE IS FOR DAVE S. WHO WILL PROBABLY NEVER SEE IT. I KNOW HE ALWAYS WANTED TO KICK SOMEONE RIGHT IN THE ICE HOLE.

THIS ROCK IS HUGE AND IS SITTING ON A PYRAMID OF ICE. IF YOU LOOK BEHIND TO THE LEFT YOU CAN SEE THERE IS A HALF MELTED AWAY PYRAMID. WHAT HAPPENS IS THE ROCK PROTECTS THE ICE UNDER IT FROM THE SUN AND THE RAIN, SO AS THE SUN AND RAIN MELT AWAY THE ICE AROUND THE ROCK IT MAKES THE ROCK LOOK LIKE IT IS GETTING HIGHER AND HIGHER. AFTER A WEEK OR TWO THE ROCK WILL BE SITTING ON A SMALL AREA OF ICE AND IT WILL BREAK OR FALL OFF BALANCE AND THE ROCK WILL FALL TO THE DOWN HILL SIDE, AND THE PROCESS WILL START ALL OVER AGAIN, LEAVING THE LAST PYRAMID TO MELT AWAY. ANOTHER ONE BELOW THAT WE WERE PLAYING ON.

HERE IS ONE OF MY GOOD FRIENDS FROM JUNEAU, (NATE) HE IS KINDA KNEW TO FISHING, SO AS HE IS WORKING ON HIS POLE HE IS WATCHING THE SALMON SWIM BY TWO FEET AWAY. I TOLD HIM HE JUST NEEDS TO THROUGH AWAY THAT POLE AND INVEST IN A CLUB.....