Chapter 10

(Day 5, 8:00 a.m., Sunday 8-22-04, Hotel Captain Cook, Anchorage, Alaska)

Tara arranged for Sheila and the rest to go on a driving tour of the area. The tour would take in Earthquake Park, the Alaska Experience Center, Potter Marsh, Potter Section House, the Beluga Point Overlook, and the Dall sheep along the Seward Highway. From there, the tour continued to the Bird House Bar, Crow Creek Gold Mine, and Portage Glacier. That would give Tara and Grif time to themselves, and they would check in with Tracy periodically by phone.

Grif and Tara used that time to shop for their wedding rings. They also spent some time looking in the local paper for a new plane for him. Later when he had access to a computer and could go online, he would look for a jet like the sisters wanted.

(Day 6, Monday, 8-23-04 Merrill Field, Anchorage)

They arrived at the dealer, who rushed out to tell Sheila that the transfer had come through, and that she could take delivery on the plane as soon as they verified the eligibility of her pilot to fly it. Sheila pointed then to Grif and Tara. Once the credentials of the two pilots were verified, they followed the Service Manager to where the blue and red trimmed 2004 Cessna 208 Amphibian with tail number N208WL awaited and then they were shown the manuals and given a quick update of the instrument panel.

As they finished, Kathy, Sheila, and her kids came over to say, "Let's take it for a spin."

Grif explained that one doesn't just get in the plane and go, they had to have a flight plan. Sheila wanted to go see some glaciers, Mount McKinley and some volcanoes. Grif explained that they could do the volcanoes without much trouble, but McKinley and most of the glaciers were back toward Fairbanks.

Tara filed the flight plan to King Salmon, by way of Iliamna and back, and they were ready to take the maiden flight. The Caravan 850 Honeywell Conversion replaced the stock turbine engine with a more powerful one, in effect making it a hot rod among floatplanes. They took off on a westerly heading and cruised at 8,500 feet. The Caravan came with the standard eight-seat passenger configuration.

It handled nicely, with the more powerful engine, for as large an airplane as it was as they cruised at well over 200 MPH. The tour took them over Mt. Redoubt, Mt. Augustine, and Mt. Iliamna, before flying over Lake Iliamna. When they arrived in King Salmon for a break, Sheila asked about Brooks Camp on Naknek Lake where many of the scenes showing the bears fishing are filmed.

Sheila wanted to land and take off from water, so Grif made arrangements to do a landing and takeoff from Lake Brooks, which borders Naknek Lake. As they dropped down for the approach, Donna called out, "Will you look at the salmon? They look like the whole river is red with them!"

"Holy Mackerel!" Kathy exclaimed. "Those are the good eating kind. We should go over and catch some."

"We didn't come equipped to fish," Sheila pointed out, "just to fly the plane."

"Mom, can we go back and get some fishing gear, and come back?" asked Tommy. "Then we can bring them home to Grandpa."

Sheila noted, "We would probably do just as well finding a fish market and getting them frozen already filleted. Do you really want to go fishing?"

She went up front while Grif was taxiing back into takeoff position and asked him, "Can I impose upon you to take us fishing for some of these salmon in the morning? We don't have to camp out, right?"

"I think we can make a day trip tomorrow," Grif agreed. "That will give us tonight to get you some tackle and proper clothing for it."

"Excellent," Sheila concurred. "Now, when we get back, I am sure you know some good eateries?"

"Yes, I do know a few," Grif admitted. "I need to go by the courthouse for a few minutes before we do though."

"Are you guys really going to make it official?" asked Sheila.

"Before she changes her mind again, yes," replied Grif. "I don't know that I can survive another aerial courtship."

Sheila looked questionably at Tara. "What," she said, "all we did was an aerial courtship dance like eagles do but with our planes. It was awesome!"

"I bet it was," laughed Sheila. "I'd love to see that sometime. Were you impressed enough to accept his, uh, courtship?"

"Impressed and incredibly aroused," whispered Tara.

Sheila laughed, "I think the two of you will make an awesome team."

Grif had Sheila sit back down and he began the takeoff run using less water than the Cessna 185 did. Tara and Grif were again impressed. They returned to Merrill Field and dropped Tara and the others off at the Cessna Dealer to get the SUV. Grif then taxied the Caravan Amphibian around to the Aurora View Air Service hangar, where it would be parked with Tara's Maule.

Five minutes later, Tara and Sheila drove up in the SUV. The Aurora View Air Service (AVAS) had hangar space for rent. Sheila made the arrangements to rent the smaller hangar. The hanger had room for the Caravan, Tara's Maule, and the Citation jet plus one or two smaller planes when they got them.

Before they left, Gary and Gina Owens, founders of the Aurora View Wilderness Corporation and its subsidiaries, came back from their shopping trip that they did every two weeks for their personal items. Felicia Snow, one of the minor partners, had Grif and Tara introduce the Owens to Sheila's family. Then Gary noted that she was the one wanting to build the Walker Lake Lodge. He invited Grif and Sheila out to his lodge to see first hand what kind of workmanship they did with the Aurora View Wilderness Construction Company.

Gary explained, "We have the wilderness construction thing down to a science. You should come out and see. We have our home, which was the original Aurora View Wilderness Lodge up where the Kingmetolik flows into the Shaktoolik River. Then to the west, closer to the village, we have the main Aurora View Fishing Lodge, that we now call the big lodge. Over on the Ungalik River, we have the Arctic Fox Lodge, run by the Native Corporation. Up on the Inglutalik River we have the Aurora View North, and there is some awesome Arctic Char and grayling fishing there. Right now have a decent run of Silver Salmon too, if you would like to do some fishing?"

"A regular fishing lodge tycoon?" asked Sheila.

"Actually," Gary replied, "we don't make that much from the fishing lodges individually. The construction company is the profitable business. They work when nobody else will and where nobody else will go. At our lodges, we limit the number of fishing guests and all are no smoking and no alcohol establishments. That brings in a higher class of people, and I don't mean income-wise. It does cut down on the number of guests that want to book, but we have all we want. In fact, at the Aurora View Wilderness Lodge itself, Gina and I have limited it to special repeat guests and friends."

"That must be nice," observed Sheila.

Gina Owens replied, "It's like Heaven that way. How many would be in your party?"

Sheila counted, and said, "Nine with Tracy and our two pilots."

"Oh, including the kids?" Gary noted. "I'll tell you what, why don't you give me a day to get ready, that way Gina and I will run back and get a few more things. Plan on coming out day after tomorrow and stay overnight as our guests. By then Moe should have the rough plans in the computer and we can look at all of the options. If you like, they may fish for salmon, grayling and char in the creek and river, while we hash out the plans. Then I guess all we need is the money wired and the permits and we are a go."

"We would like that," Sheila accepted. "By then Tracy will be out of the hospital and she would like to see it too."

"Great," said Gina, "we will be expecting you. Here is a brochure for the lodge with our GPS coordinates. We have a nice 3900-foot airstrip so your Caravan will do just great."

"So, Grif," Gary asked, "how do you like that Honeywell conversion? We have two of them. We have one like that, and a Grand Caravan with the conversion. They are great. What are you flying these days?"

"Besides this, which we just bought," Grif answered, "Tara's Maule M-7-260. Sheila is looking for a corporate jet. I have been flying a Skywagon on EDO's, but it belonged to my former employer."

"I like those Maules, boy," Gary opined. "That was my first bush plane when I came to Alaska. I can get in and out of places my Turbo Stationair won't even consider."

"You have a Turbo Stationair too?" asked Tara.

"Three counting Jake's," replied Gary, "two on amphibs and one on wheels, that's Gina's plane. I like the Maule better than the Super Cub though."

"That is a nice jet you have there," Sheila offered. "Thanks, it is a small Citation and it is modified for short field use, but seven passengers is the max it can carry. We mostly use it when we go outside. Gina's family is from Upstate New York."