Flight above the Alaska Mountain Range

An afternoon flight above the Alaska Mountain Range from Anchorage to PortAlsworth 

gives a clear view of the winds wreaking havoc on the snowy peaks below.  

Brrrr..... winter in Alaska can be chilly.

But the wind and snow don't bother me at all. I'm relaxed and cozy in my window seat thankful 

for the amazing father/son duo in the front, who enjoy talking their way between destinations.

As the sun begins to set it leaves beautiful markings in the sky and landscape 

that I'm compelled to photograph.

As we bank back towards the East for our landing at PortAlsworth I can see the ice growing it's way up Lake Clark. Soon we'll be able to ice fish, cross country ski, and snow machine between villages.

There is always something exciting to look forward to here in remote Alaska.

The beauty of the changing seasons brings great anticipation of the fun about to be had.

Come join us!

lakeandpenair.com

Adios Brian!

Brian is taking a winter work siesta - and going on a motorcycle adventure with his wife Karoline!

They are planning an epic ride from Seattle, Washington down to Panama.

I'm thinking they're gonna have some major saddle shaped legs by April.  

But who cares.... the memories will be amazing!

We had a goodbye fiesta for him at Flattop last night. A few slices of pizza and a few games of pool. One final happy get together to send Senior Party Planner on his way to tortilla-ville.

This is the last, and actually the only, photo of MRI's FunTeam: El Loco & La Nina.

We're really glad your out to explore the world Muchacho, but hurry back pronto!  

Your Vaca Challenge: Bring back a recipe for BBQ'd Fried Ice Cream.

Hoodies!

We have LPA hoodies in our Anchorage office! 

They're going fast, so stop by soon to pick-up your favorite one.

First Winter Dump

Anchorage got 7" this morning!

Time to get out the plow. And the shovels. And make that chiropractic appointment. 

 Horray! and Heave Ho!! 

Close To The Middle Of Nowhere

So yesterday we had the most spectacular weather for an expedition down the Aleutian chain. Heading out south west from Anchorage we crossed over the mighty Cook Inlet making a bee line for Stepovak Bay where one of our clients have a moose and bear camp nestled in the mountains.

One of the many mountains we passed by is St Augustine volcano with a history of recent eruptions off shore from Katmai and Lake Clark National parks.  

After nearly three hours we arrived at our destination on the sunny shores of Stepovak Bay where the volcanoes are so numerous they merely have numbers.  

The largest among them did warrant a name, the summit of which is pictured below, Mt Veniaminof. If you look closely you can see a recent mud flow that has issued from the summit cascading to the left as well as a significant flow protruding to the lower right. Steam was billowing from the calderas warning us of its potential power. 

All in all a pretty awesome day, come join me some day and I'll show you some of the best of Alaska!!!

The Big Four

Lake & Pen Air's pilots.... Matt, Josh, Dave & Lyle. It just doesn't get better than this folks!

Notice Lake & Pen Air's newest addition - 9PV! Lyle recently flew it from Idaho to Alaska, and it's creamy leather seats are now comfortably flying passengers all over the state.

During the photo shoot a forklift conveniently rolled by and
took the camera up high for an overview of the ramp.

Someone asked the pilots to 'Do something fun!'  

One guy did. Two guys just laughed. The fourth guy walked away.

Which Lake & Pen Air pilot will take you on your next flight?  

I suggest you go on four flights - so each pilot gets a turn to wow you.

Home Depot Ain't Got Nothing On Us!

Lake & Pen Air's gate at the Kenai Airport has been needing a luggage cart.  

So Trusty Tim custom made one according to their specifications.  

Today he put the final touch on it - our cheerful Lake & Pen Air logo.

Kinda makes you want to travel doesn't it?! 

Call: 1-907-283-2227 to book a flight, and your luggage will get the best ride of it's life!

Who Ate My Cookies?

So Sharon, in the Port Alsworth office, was kind enough to send a container of cookies to me (Brian) 

in Anchorage. She clearly labeled the container "Brian".  

She sent the cookies to me on my day off knowing that no LPA employee would dare 

steal a cookie from a container with a name clearly labeled on it.  

But.... when I came in this morning I could barely understand Laura because of the food in her mouth

(presumably cookies). Laura muttered something like Sharon sent me a package.

I check the package and this is what I find...... 

Is that a bite mark out of my cookie??  LAAAUURRRRRRAAAAA!!!

T-I-M-B-E-R!!

It seems the day we moved into our new office/hanger/ramp two years ago,

this tree started to die. Why, you ask? We ask that too.

Regardless of all the speculative answers, today was it's last day standing.

Tim shoveled, and jimmied, and chain-sawed, and finally felled that tree.

Then we planted a new tree - a cute little one that blooms! - with very high hopes for it's survival.

Customer Service

Sometimes it takes several Lake and Pen Air team members to get our customers what they request.  

Here's a few of our amazing staff cutting 3/4" plywood to specific dimensions to fit in our 206.

It's headed to Nondalton, a small village on Six-Mile Lake, just West of Lake Clark National Park.

 The wood will complete a home made fish-cutting table, just in time for the local sockeye salmon run.

We love working as a team, and making our customers happy. So it's a Win-Win.

Seeing Alaska

When visiting Alaska there are a few things Lake and Pen Air recommends doing.  

The first is to let us fly you to some fabulous location out in 'Bush Alaska'.  

A second idea is to travel by train on the Alaska Railroad.  

Talkeetna is a 3 hour train ride each way, and the scenery is beautiful on a sunny day. 

When you ride the train, splurge for seats on the upper deck where the windows wrap around for incredible views of the mountains, valley, rivers and sky. Keep your eyes open for animals too.

You'll have access to the open air deck for enjoying the warm summer breezes, 

and many beautiful things to take photos of. 

 Zoom lenses are helpful in getting past the elbows and hats that can often get in your way.

As you ride along the Susitna River on a clear day you will get a spectacular view of Mt. Denali!

Talkeetna is a cute little town that serves as the starting/ending point for all the Denali Mountain climbers. Lyle, knows all about this little town from when he climbed the mountain several years back. It also has many cute stores, yummy restaurants, and booths advertising day adventures. Bring some sunglasses, comfy shoes, and your smile.

For other great Alaskan ideas contact Lake and Pen Air - your Alaskan Memory Making Team! 

907-781-2228  or 907-345-2228

LPA - now at the Kenai Airport!

Lake & Pen Air just opened a gate at the Kenai airport!

It's so exciting to watch the Lord lavish his blessing on us!  

I'm just sure it brings Him joy to watch us skitter around and set up shop.

Dad and Lyle in front of our counter with the super cool back-lit aluminum sign that Lyle designed!

 Our counter with Luke and Sara hard at work.

 Someone enjoying the abundance of choices at the food table.

And the cute cupcakes!

 Lyle and Heidi celebrating with a kiss just before the ribbon cutting ceremony.

 We're estimating about 250+ people filed through our open house! Amazing!

A few big wigs from around the state came. Mayors. Senators. Bosses.

 Laura even got to go.

Sara is the manager. She opened this branch and put the party together, pretty much all in her sleep.

If you're ever in need of travel between Kenai and the rest of Alaska, give us a call: 283-2227.

4th Sourdough Fly-In

It was a spectacular weekend party!  

Part of the fun of the Sourdough Fly-In is the getting to it. From Anchorage, you fly through the amazing Lake Clark Pass counting glaciers and looking for wildlife like bears and moose.

Dave & Jacque make sure there's room on Lake and Pen Air's runway for people flyin' in for the fun.  

The Fly-In was kicked-off with a big BBQ of burgers, brats, and brisket.  

Thank you Jon Boy, Brian, Nate & Norm!!

Moose's Tooth Pizza provided gift cards for the weekends four big winners, so lots of people were inspired to compete in the Shortest Takeoff, Most Accurate Landing, Pizza Drop, and 5K.

 Dave's sweet 1931 Chevy even came out for the fun.

There were games and candy prizes for everyone.

And of course there was dancing in the hangar to the great music of Spank The Dog.

If you were able to be here, you also got to enjoy a tall stack of sourdough pancakes on Sunday morning at the Tanalian Bible Camp building.  

Afterwards, some people took advantage of the sunny weather and hiked to the Tanalian Falls 

or walked to the mouth of the river where it flows into Lake Clark.

The weekend wrapped up with a Film Festival in Lake & Pen's hangar, where young and old were encouraged to submit films they've made about Alaska or Flying.

Be on the lookout for this small herd of future pilots at LPA's Fly-in's to come...

See you next year!