OK, this is REALLY my last Alaska post, I swear :)

I shot pretty poorly on Saturday (68) and backed it up with an equally poor 68 on Sunday. The course was fun, the tournament - outstanding, my shooting - lacking. I was feeling pretty dejected on Sunday night, (but alcohol helped).

Monday morning (even though Grouse Ridge was closed) I had a chance to reshoot the whole course. It helps being friends with the range owner, and the general manager (Thanks Arlene and Glenn).

Four of us had the whole place to ourselves. That in itself is a pretty amazing experience. Yesterday, without the tournament going on I was able to crush most of the targets that eluded me the day before. It turns out that if I have a plan, and really look at the birds, I can break them. Who knew

Afterwards I drove up and over Hatcher Pass, Where I again had the whole place to myself. After that I went to Talkeetna for lunch, but there were too many tourists and too many hippies, so I left.

People ask me why I love Alaska so much. Is it the fishing, is it the natural beauty, is it the amazing sporting clays course, sure it's all those, but mostly it's the people (and maybe a little bit of when I go off on a ultra right-wing conservative tirade, nobody looks at me funny).



Glenn Hodge - The man, the myth, the legend



What we lacked in shooting skills, we made up for in good looks



This is the future of our sport. The camaraderie shown by these shooters was nothing less than amazing. There is hope for mankind (at least in Alaska)



Ninja in the FITASC shoot-off

Summit Lake - just below the clouds (Hatcher Pass)

That funny looking cloud in the middle aint no cloud, it's Denali

Talkeetna - Too many damn tourists and too many damn hippies (do I sound like an Alaskan?)

[Blueface]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

CLICKY HERE
Roadhouse!

[pnoon]

Originally Posted by Blueface

CLICKY HERE
Roadhouse!

A slow day at Willow Creek.

[Bruins Fan]

Very nice, to bad your shooting was off but your consistent
They still have hippies in Alaska

[Remo]

Great pics...I really need to go up there

[marktomblin57]

Hey Brad! You keep posting this great stuff - it's the best thread on CA I fully enjoy anything to do with Alaska . I'd give my left nut to be up there enjoying life.

[massphatness]

Originally Posted by ysr_racer

The camaraderie shown by these shooters was nothing less than amazing.

Substitute "cigar enthusiasts" for "shooters" and you will understand why I enjoy meeting up with my brothers for a herf.

Glad you enjoyed the trip - the scenery really is heaven on earth.

Thanks guys, I'm glad you enjoyed the pictures. Alaska is an amazing place, if you ever get the chance to go up, take it.

Actually, when I tell people I go up every year, they look at me like I said I was going to the moon. Getting there from So Cal is really no different than me going to the east coast. It's a 2 1/2 hour flight to Seattle, than a 3 1/2 hour flight from Seattle to Anchorage. Airfare on Alaska Airlines is 5 or 6 hundred if you buy it in Sept when it's on sale.

Get to Anchorage, rent a car, and drive north or south. Denali is a 4 hour drive north, the Kenai Peninsula (Seward, Soldotna, or Homer) is 3 hours south.

If you're a sporting clays shooter, going up any other time but when they're holding the state championship (always the last weekend in July) doesn't make any sense. Next year the 5-stand and sub gauge events are at Birchwood (20 - 25 minutes from Anchorage) and the Prelim, Main and FITASC are at Grouse Ridge in Wasilla (20 - 25 minutes from Birchwood).

If you need any help setting up a trip, feel free to ping me. As usual, I have no official connection to the events, I just love to go up.

A word about this picture. I must have taken 10 shots of the same thing, then just stood there for 15 minutes just staring at it. This is what Alaska represents to me.