Outdoors Blog

If you’ve seen some of my recent posts, then you’ll know that I just got back from a trip in Alaska and where I attempted to go on a fishing trip down the Copper River, but it was cancelled due to rough waters and heavy wind.

Well, while I was down there I remember feeling sorry for some of the people who had tents that were blowing all over the beach. Some of them weren’t able to withstand the strong winds, even if they were guarded by some trees and hills and staked to the ground.

Well, needless to say, we didn’t have any problem with our Cabela’s Alaskan Guide Tent (pictured right, without the outer shell). Yeah, I know, it’s cheesy that “Alaska” is in the model name and yes those are my Cheetos on the floor.

Anyways, the tent held up great. The only problem we had with it was when we were trying to find ways to keep it from blowing off during set-up. But once we got it staked and supported, that thing wasn’t going anywhere.

Once we were inside, the walls of the tent withstood the strongest winds outside that were not only knocking over other people’s tents, but the people as well.

Although our version of the Guide Tent is well over a decade old, you know that the latest version has got to be just as good, if not better.

The latest Alaskan Guide Tent is priced between $269.99-$599.99. And the price is based on whether you want a 4, 6 or 8-man tent.

The fiberglass poles I know for a fact hold up to the strong winds and the wind didn’t penetrate a bit through the walls.

The only negative thing I have to say about it is that since we had the 8 man version, it was just a tad heavy, so if you plan on going on long hikes, it may weigh you down.

Photo Source: Cabela’s

Although I couldn’t fish the Copper River, it doesn’t mean that I couldn’t get any pictures. Here are a few pictures that I took while I was there.

The river was a bit high that day and the weather was pretty windy. But down there next to all those other cars is where I camped out, waiting for an opportunity to go out.

Fish wheels like this one were planted along the river for those who had the right permits to operate one. They move with the current and scoop salmon up, then drop them in a basket. It takes away the sport part of fishing, but they seem to get their limit of fish every time.

When we couldn’t fish this river, we went south a few more hours to Valdez, where we were catching pink salmon like this one within minutes of our first cast. Although they weren’t very big, it still was fun to reel them in.

I recently just returned from a trip down the Richardson Highway to Chitna and Valdez. Although my dipnetting trip in Chitna had to be cancelled due to the dangerous river conditions, I could still take some nice pictures on the drive down. Here are a few of them that I had a chance to post.

I’ll post more when I get a chance. Personally, I like the glacier views the best along the drive. No matter how many times I see them, they still leave me mesmerized by their size and beauty.

Well, I arrived in Alaska yesterday afternoon and I wasn’t able to get to a computer till later in the night.

But I thought I’d share with all of you a glimpes of what it looks like at 9:30 p.m. in Alaska.

And if you look closely in this next picture, a few hours earlier I found these three moose playing in the same field. Sorry that I couldn’t get closer, but I spooked them before I could get a better picture. Although you can’t see the two baby calfs as easily, the mother is much more visible. Can you see them?

It’s kind of like that game, “Where’s Waldo?” but with moose.