The Bar and Chill

Several folks asked for a report on our trip to Kodiak.

The Kodiak Archipeligo is absolutely beautiful, extremely green, and rugged.  It’s so green because it rains frequently!

Brenda bought a ticket on Alaska Air for the 0600 flight.  Mark got a ride in the back because an FAA inspector was in the jumpseat and there was space in the back on the 737 Combi.

Picked up the rental car at the airport….which is a one room facility.  There is Budget, Avis, and Rent-a-Heap.  Our Budget car (2000 Dodge Neon with 40K miles) served the purpose, but made us wonder what they have at Rent-a-Heap.  There are only 60 miles of road on the island, but a car is required unless you are flying out to a lodge or staying right in town for fishing.  By the way, not all the roads are paved, and the car rental lady said we were not allowed on the gravel roads……..

We stayed at the Coast Guard Guest House which was quite nice, if you qualify.  Clean and cheap.  There is also a Best Western, Comfort Inn, and a couple of locally owned motel/hotels. There are also lots of B&B’s listed in the book, but not all seem to have the same philosphy about the B&B concept.    If you wish to really get away from it all, there are about 30 wilderness lodges for fishing/wildlife viewing which require an air taxi.

Most of the people in the city of Kodiak are connected to industrial fishing or supporting businesses.  Most of the visitors come to sport fish or see bears or both.

If you have your own float plane, there is a very nice facility for parking on the south side of Near Island called the Trident Basin.

We ate at The Chowder House which serves fresh, local seafood with a nightly special.  Not fancy, no alcohol, but good food.  There’s a McDonald’s for breakfast and a variety of locally owned pubs and restaurants.

We did a bear watching trip. Fantastic.  As an added bonus, we were able to see the entire island and our pilot/guide was very enjoyable and knowledgeable.

We also did a half-day offshore salmon trip on our last day.  Had a great time and came home with 47 pounds of salmon (king and silver).  Humpbacks really close to the boat!Again, a great captain/guide…..also a pilot, so he and Mark had lots in common.

Call us if you have questions or decide to go.  We have business cards for our flightseeing pilot and fishing captain and recommend both.

If you do go, remember why it’s so green and take your Gortex suit……

Brenda Rogers