To Land's End and Back Again, Part II

Sunrise, 3am

And now to the good stuff. What did we catch after all that fishing? Well.....

Halibut...
Salmon...

Black bass...


More Halibut and Black Bass...
We are rolling in Halibut...

Just kidding....that Halibut isn't mine. Other guests of the Lodge caught that one. 125 pounder! I wish that was mine.

Yelloweye...
I have no idea...

And more Salmon...

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye...


It was a magical trip. All in all, we brought home 100lbs of filleted fish. Split three ways. Not bad! At the time, I really wanted a lot more, but now that we are home, 30lbs of fish is actually quite a bit.
We love it there and can't wait until we can go again. The icing on the cake was to get to spend some quality time with my family, who I don't get to see as often I would like, and miss terribly.
But this trip would not have been possible without my Dad. The best Dad ever! Thanks Dad for an awesome trip and memories that last a lifetime.

To Land's End and Back Again: Part I

Hanging out at the Juneau Airport during a lay over

Two weeks ago, the Snyder clan (my Dad, my brother Philip, his fiancee Gretchen, Gabe, and myself) traveled North for a family fishing expedition. Destination: Land's End Lodge in Point Baker, Alaska. Just south of Juneau. Philip and Gretchen had never experienced this place before, but we had been once before in 2006. It was a fantastic trip, so Gabe and I were really excited to get back.

Gabe and I met the rest of the family in Denver and off we went. After three flights, we finally landed in Petersburg, AK, where we would spend the night. Then, the adventure began.

There are not many places you can walk to the motel from the airport. Petersburg is one of them.

Point Baker is only accessible by float plane. For those of us who are a little phobic of flying, this can be pretty scary. My first time I thought I would die of heart failure right there on the tarmac. But, the float plane was the best flight of them all. My little bro is also a wee bit nervous when it comes to flying and he was pretty nervous about squeezing into a plane not much bigger than his car.

Here is our plane. They call it a Beaver...
Here is Phil. His face says it all...
But, he put on a brave face.
Gabe was in hog heaven...
The view was amazing...

Finally, after a short 30 minute flight, we arrived at the Lodge...
At the Lodge, you are welcomed like family. As if we were visiting an Aunt and her family after not seeing them for a few years. You feel right at home.

We didn't waste any time. The dock boys gave us a quick tutorial/review, and then we were off...

And that is pretty much it. For seven days, we ate and fished and slept. You would think that would be boring but between the wildlife watching and the fishing it was fantastic.



In between the fishing, we were treated like royalty by the gang at the lodge. Here, you are fed three full meals a day. With the gals working hard in the kitchen to feed us delicious home cooked meals...

While the boys worked hard filleting, packaging, and freezing the fish fresh from the catch...

While we rested with full bellies...
Oh, how I love this place.
Come back tomorrow to see the fruits of our labor!

Live From The Wild Alaskan Blue

Here is a little something to wet your whistle while I put together a review of our Alaska trip.

My brother Phil and his fiancee, Gretchen, took this amazing video on our last day there.

Enjoy...

Fourth Fun

The annual 4th of July Schnelle family bash was a blast this year. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to have so much fun. Everything depended on how Mia would fare. Last year, she was 4 months old, colicky, and NO FUN! In fact, she and I went home early so she could go to bed.
This year, however, Mia lived up every minute of her first real 4th of July experience.

All the way to Randy's house, Mia said "Horsss, horsss, horssss..."

So, Uncle Randy let her sit on Dutchess...



But, she wasn't quite ready for that step yet...

However, after we took her out of the corral, she wanted back in...

Instead, she decided to help Uncle Randy water the horses...



The bash isn't complete without a competitive game of wiffle ball.
Even Rascal wanted in on the action...



Meanwhile, Mia was having her own fun...







Then the time came for fireworks. Notice Mia sitting patiently in her little wee chair???



Oh yea baby! This girl isn't scared of those fireworks. Under that pacifier is a BIG smile while she claps after each one.


At 10pm, Daddy took her home to bed. One pooped, but happy little girl.

Thanks Schnelle's! It was another great year!

Pic(s) of the week: Uncle Randy's

What makes you look like this?
Playing in a place like this...