The Traveling Widower

Kodiak Day 4 – Huh? What Happened?

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Richb

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A man in a gray suit and orange gloves steps onto the float of a red and white seaplane docked at a waterfront. The plane has an open door revealing seats inside, surrounded by lush green trees and calm water.

August 28th, 2026

This was supposed to be our first day on the Natural Habitat Bear boat, the Ursus, getting there on a float plane. We started out the day visiting a local author/photographer/master gardener for a very interesting talk on photography, followed by a walk through her beautiful gardens. Absolutely stunning, with incredible views from her backyard. It’s not too surprising that things grow so well here in the summer – perfect weather with lots of rain.

A close-up of purple flowers in front of a calm lake, with evergreen trees in the background under a cloudy sky.
A scenic view of a calm waterway featuring a large ship sailing in the distance, framed by vibrant purple flowers and evergreen trees in the foreground.
Cluster of orange lilies with green foliage, some petals displaying raindrops.
A lush garden with vibrant orange flowers, green plants, and a gravel pathway featuring decorative stones. A wooden fence borders the garden, and a house with a red roof is in the background. A bald eagle perched on a wooden stump adds a unique touch to the scene.

From there, we headed over to the seaplane airport, for our 47 minute flight to the boat. They weighted all our bags, and our bodies, and divided the group up for two planes, and then we waited for a bit. Once the plane was ready, we crammed ourselves in – I got to ride next to the pilot. Woo Hoo. I just had to promise not to touch anything

A person wearing headphones and a cap, sitting inside an aircraft cockpit, with a serious expression.
Cockpit view of a small aircraft featuring flight controls, instrument panel, and navigation screens, with raindrops on the windshield.

The take off was fun – sort of like being in a high powered speed boat until you suddenly get airborne. After that we gained altitude, and started climbing up over the mountains, crossing the width of Kodiak Island. The scenery was spectacular.

Aerial view of a mountainous landscape with a lake and lush green forests, featuring a cloudy sky.
Aerial view of a lush green landscape with rivers and mountains, captured from an airplane window.
Aerial view of lush green mountains and forests, captured from the wing of a small aircraft.

We crossed over some large fjords, and one native village, and then headed over the sound/channel to get to the mainland. Everything was going well up until that point. Up ahead though, was a wall of clouds and as we entered, visibility went down to about 0. The pilot kept dropping down until we were at about 100’ above the waves, which we could see, but it obviously was too dangerous to continue on.

Aerial view of a foggy ocean with a seaplane wing in the frame.

Plus the ride was extremely rough – we hit on pocket and dropped down hard – we were buckled in, but were still tossed around. I had to be careful since I could not grab onto anything. It would not be good to push the throttle control by mistake. So, the pilot let us know that we were heading back. No complaints from anyone. 

The trip back was a bit easier once we got out of the clouds, and we landed without incident. There was still a possibility of trying again that afternoon if the weather cleared, so some of us went out with another guide, looking for bears. We did some nice hikes, but did not see any unfortunately. Nice scenery and a lot of salmon.

A close-up view of fish swimming above rocky riverbed stones in clear water.
A river flowing through a lush landscape with trees on either side and a cloudy mountain in the background.

So, we lose one day, but the bears will be waiting for us tomorrow.

Peace

Comments

2 responses to “Kodiak Day 4 – Huh? What Happened?”

  1. Ann H-G Avatar
    Ann H-G

    Better safe than sorry- our friend’s son and now soon to be daughter-in-law went on an Alaskan flight that landed on an ice covered lake- and it wasn’t solid. They went into the drink and eventually all saved- son asked girlfriend “if we make it out of this alive- will you marry me! Safe travels and kudos to pilot to turn back. Now hopefully on to the bears. 🐻

    Reply
  2. Kyle Wallace Avatar
    Kyle Wallace

    Thank goodness you are safe and sound. That had to be so scary! What an amazing trip and your photography is spectacular Rich!

    Reply

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