Sam And Saundra's Year Long Adventure - Part 133

Sam and Saundra’s Year Long Adventure – Part 133

Alaska

6/24/09 – Sourdough Creek BLM Campground – Gulkana River

We really like Quartz Lake Campground.  Sam and I had a lot of fun here, even though the weather did not always cooperate.  We spent much of our time here with locals and it was great. The campground site was fabulous and the low price made it even better.  But we want to see more – much more.  We pack up and head back to Delta Junction. 

Rain Ahead

This time at Delta Junction, we turn right and travel towards Glennallen. We hope to meet up with Dave.  He will be here to visit his parents and we plan to interrupt that a tad.  Our meeting with him is set for July first.  We have a few days.  We decide to fish and I choose Sourdough Creek State Park Campground. Information in the Highway Angler, a fishing Alaska’s road-water book, said it had scads of fish.  The trip there provides time for Alaska to grow much bigger mountains, with what looks suspiciously like glaciated areas. Very pretty.

Iceful

At one roaring river, Sam pulled over to a wide spot and took a break.  When we finally focus downward, we both see the same thing.  Shades of South Dakota.  Mica, iron pyrite, and quartz all over.  I have vowed not to look too hard at rocks- until we are headed back to Oregon.  Sam has made no such vow. Out of Brutus, over the road’s shoulder he goes, heading towards the raging water.  He came back up with two stupendous rocks.  I smile since I did not hunt for rocks – but got them anyway. 

OK, Just One

We pull in to the campground, find a nice space and walk around a little to test for blood-thirsty buggies.  There are some, but they do not seem to be swarming.  There are nice elevated paths that connect the camp sites to the fishing sites and the boat launch area. We decide to pay the $8.00 per night fee and stay.  Hummmm. After getting set up, we talk to fellow fishpersons and to the camp hostess.  All indicate that the King salmon are running and that trout and graylings are also plentiful.  Hummmmmm!  We set up and rush down to fish on both the Sourdough Creek and the Gulkana River, since they meet right below our trailer.

Water All Over

We have all four of our poles and all are set up with different gizmos, complete with hooks.  I start in the stream for trout, but Sam goes right to the big river and the salmon set up.  The King salmon season has been shortened on this river and Sam only has until Sunday to fish for one.  We will be going for Sockeye and Silver later.  So Sam has his heart set on the King.  We fish long and hard – throwing every combination of shinies and nums at them.  I know it is not going to get dark, so I use the old excuse “I am hungry”.  We take a break and I start the food preparation.

More Pipeline

Then...Sam catches the big one.  I can almost guarantee he will never catch one as long or as heavy as this, ever again.  It is over 6 feet long and 200 pounds.  He is grinning sheepishly as he brings it to show me.  He had the spinner that I had picked out connected to a treble hook.  I was glad it was this one, and not the monster spinner he had picked out.  The hook will be easier to remove.  He could not remove it himself and asked if I could try.  I could not and found the camp hostess, who just happened to be near our camp.  She had experience with this, and could not get it out.  We, meaning Sam with me watching,  ended up driving the 35 to 40 miles to Glennallen, so a physician’s assistant could use wire cutters (from a fish tackle box) to snip the hook prongs and push it on through.  Sam cannot fish for a week, as fish slime can cause a particularly nasty infection that fishermen – not fisherwomen – are prone to.  No more King salmon fishing for now.

All Treble Parts Helped To Hook 'The Big One'

As a side note:  On the way to Glennallen, we saw a second moose.  The medical assistant told us that the moose in Alaska are much bigger and taller than those in
Canada.  Which made me feel better because Sam teased me when I calmly pointed out “Watch out for the horse!”.  I am not sure why He was teasing Me in the first place -considering where we were and why.