Our Family: ALASKA!!!

For our 10th Wedding Anniversary Aaron and I decided that we needed a nice getaway. And for all you that know us well, we HATE to be hot! And I didn't want to go anywhere were I would have to diet to fit into a swimsuit, so after watching my favorite movie The Proposal, I decided I wanted to go to Sitka Alaska, and when I told Aaron about it he got all excited and remembered that he had gotten a brochure from some lodges for fishing tours at the last Sportsman Expo. So after researching them all I found one that caters to couples and not a large group of older gentlemen! So we booked it! (This was last fall) Dove Island Lodge here we come!

It was amazing!!! The scenery was breathtaking. Bald eagles flew all over the place. The sun didn't set until almost 4 AM and it rose again before 6 AM.We were there for 5 days and 3 days were fishing. Our lodge was on it's own little island so we had to get to it by boat. The Proposal actually didn't end up being filmed in Sitka, but when it was in the planning stages they had planned to use the lodge we stayed at to be the main house in the movie, but the little town of Sitka apparently didn't want the movie to shut down their town for a couple of months and wouldn't let them film there. So there is only one scene that is actually in Sitka.

Of course the week we go they had the worst summer storm they had had in decades. So it made fishing interesting. I was afraid of getting sea sick seeing how I had never been on a boat in the ocean besides a huge cruise boat, so I would take a motion sickness pill before I went to bed and another one right when I woke up. So I got a little tired but never sick. Aaron, being the tough guy he is was 'above' taking medicine and boy did he regret it. The first day he spent hanging over the side of the boat for most of the day. After that day, he got smart and took the pills! :)

We caught our limit of king salmon each day, but because of the storm we didn't go too far out into sea, which is where the halibut are. Aaron caught a baby one, so we kept it, and that's the only one anyone on the boat caught. By day 3 the weather was horrible so I decided that I would go into town with the other ladies that were staying there. I had been the only wife that went out fishing. And then all of the guys but 2 decided not to go out either. Aaron and another guy toughed it out. But the sea swells were over 10-15 feet so they ended up not being able to catch anything and came back early.

This is probably a once in a lifetime trip for us, but if we ever get a "few" extra bucks we will definitely go back again! This lodge was amazing! We ate like Kings and Queens. We had a 5 course meal every night, and the food was incredible. Halibut cheeks, Red stag, huge crab legs, kobe beef, and even duck. It was so YUMMY! Never have had such fancy food! The owners and staff were sooooo nice! They all love right there in the lodge on the island.

On our way!

Yep, that's the ocean right next to the runway. And it was the shortest runway I have ever seen! I was a wee bit nervous!

Dove Island Lodge and Island. Beautiful!

The view from the front porch of the lodge.

Us on the front deck with the ocean behind us. :)

Us with the lodge behind us.

Aaron relaxing on the deck.

Me relaxing on the deck.

The dining area.

Our room.

Yup, we had a hot tub on our deck!

I took this picture around midnight, and it's still somewhat light outside.

Aaron's "HUGE" halibut. ;)

Ahh, cute.

Aaron 'chumming'. haha

Aaron's first salmon. It was over 20 lbs. He held the record for biggest salmon, for a couple weeks anyways. :)

My king salmon.

Aaron fishin'.

Aaron's next salmon. I jumped in the picture. :)

My other salmon.

Us at the lodge, getting ready for some yummy dinner!

The lodge's float plane.

Some buildings on Sitka Island. Gorgeous!

A neat, old Russian church. It's a historical landmark.

Me and a large stuffed bear. :)

This is a pic from the only scene in The Proposal that was filmed in Sitka.

One of the guests was teaching the owners son how to fold a dollar bill into a ring. He was hilarious. All the other guest were in one group, but were very nice to us and included us in all that they did. :)