All the way to Nome

September 2019 – Lennart Wahl and I flew to Alaska for flying my Super Cub for a week. Weather forecast was very disappointing but somehow we managed to follow the patches of good weather around Alaska. We ended up flying all the way to Nome and had stunning weather all days except one.

Day one – Talkeetna to Unilakleet

Talkeetna (PATK) to Tatitna (8KA) to McGrath (PAMC) to Yukon River (gravel bar) to Unilakleet (PAUN). 345 nautical miles and 5:25 hours of Super Cub Fun from Talkeetna through Alaska Range to the Bering Sea. With blue sky all the way. And a herd of buffaloes, a black bear mom and its cub and numerous mooses.

Day two – Unilakleet to Nome

Unalakleet (PAUN) to Shaktoolik (PFSH) to Koyuk (PAKK) to Moses Point (MOS) to Elim (PFEL) to Golovin (PAGL) to White Mountain (PAWM) to Nome (PAOM) and finally a 3-minute-flight to Nome City Field (94Z). With numerous beach, sandbar and mountain off field landings in between. Blue sky all the way. What a day!

Day three – Nome to Kotzebue

Nome (94Z) to Feather River (3Z1, landed on the road nearby as it was in far better shape), Teller (PATE), Brevig Mission (PFKT), Imuruk Lavafield (no landing possible), Deering (PADE) to Kotzebue (PAOT). Saw one moose, four grizzlys and lots of muskoxes. Most of the day in blue sky, only a little bit of rain and a beautiful rainbow exactly as we crossed the polar circle. Got fuel for the plane, got king salmon for dinner and sleeps at Sue’s B&B. Yet another fantastic day in Alaska.

Day four – Kotzebue to Bettles

From Kotzebue (PAOT) on the Baldwin Peninsula to Robert/Bob/Curtis Memorial (PFNO) and Bob Baker Memorial (PAIK), through Kubok National Park with off field landings in its beautiful sand dunes, to Ambler (PAFM) and Shungnak (PAGH) and Kobuk (PAOB), through southern parts of Gates of the Arctic National Park and finally to Bettles (PABT) where we could find fuel, food and sleep. Nice weather with blue sky and no wind most of the day, last hour of flight it became very cloudy though (as forecast).

Day five – First day with bad weather, no flying

A few pictures from Bettles Airport (PABT). After 5 days of stunning weather we had rain and low clouds for an entire day. Bettles is a small weird place 35 miles north of the polar circle. No roads leads into Bettles, so almost everything gets in by freight planes, including fuel for our small Super Cub. Hunters come in and out of the lodge all the time after being in the bush for a week or so. Our phones didn’t connect and Internet for the entire village was via a tiny slow satellite connection. We didn’t plan to stay here for two nights, but weather was not for flying.

Day six – Bettles to Talkeetna

Back in Talkeetna after some gravel bar fun on Yukon River, really good lunch at Manley Hot Springs Roadhouse, bush landing in Stampede bush strip (Z90) in Denali National Park, over Alaska Range at 11.000 feet and finally landing in Talkeetna a few hours before sunset. Again with stunning weather all the way.

Day seven – Roundtrip to Valdez

A few pictures from our last day of flying in Alaska on this trip, a day tour from Talkeetna to Valdez and back, flying by some awesome glaciers.