July 16, 2010

Rode from Soldotna to Tok, Alaska- 500 miles today. Rode along the Wrangle Mountain Range most of today so it was absolutely, incredibly beautiful. It was way easy to stay focused on God all day long as I rode seeing His amazing creation. No animals today, rare that happens. Big truck went by me and threw out a rock from his tire. It hit me high in the thigh and I thought for sure someone had shot me. Felt around for a hole and kept looking for blood to come pouring out, but upon closer examination in the shower tonight I just have a nice bruise!
Jon Abel, who is in our church, has a brother named Troy who pastors a church here in Tok. Troy came to the seminar we hold in our church in January. He took us out to dinner tonight to a very nice Alaskan restaurant. I had halibut and Glen suffered through prime rib. And now I am laying in a very comfortable and warm bed. I am really sleepy tonight because Chik's black lab licked me in the face at 4am this morning. Very hard to go to sleep after that.

July 15, 2010

Today is my last day of fishing in the Kenai River for sockeye salmon. 5 days, 3 fish a day limit, equals 15 fish. Not bad for an old guy. Had to work hard for them. My friend Chik Fisher whose cabin I am staying in is going to can the fish and bring them to me when he drives back to Oregon at the end of summer. He is also going to bring back my caribou full head mount as well. That is a major blessing because the cost to ship it was $800.
Fishing on the Kenai is always fun and I have met and visited with people from all over the world. Last night I stood next to a guy and his son who were from Florida. They didn't have a clue how to fish so it was fun teaching them how. Even gave them a bunch of my fishing gear. The son who was about 20 kept calling me "sir." I liked him. I think he thought I was the world's best fisherman. I really liked him alot.
My pastor friend Glen and I are meeting up at 7:00am tomorrow and heading home. Long day planned for tomorrow with over 500 miles. We hope to camp at Tok, Alaska tomorrow night. Have been seeing moose every morning and evening as we drive to the river. They just stand there and eat as we stop and look at them. Saw a momma and 2 little calves this morning. They sure are big animals.

July 14, 2010

Caught my limit of sockeye salmon this morning by 9am. 3 of them. They fought very hard and took me awhile to land each of them. A ton of fun. A couple were particularly rewarding. Lots of guide boats in the Kenai river with about 4 paying customers in each. I hooked one of my fish when one was very close to us where we were fishing on the shore. I loosened up the drag a bit on my reel so that the fish could run and jump a bunch. I thought I put on a nice show for those in the boat. I know, pride goes before a fall!
Washed my motorcycle today so it will look nice for the ride home. Will get in about 8 hrs of reading and writing today. I get really inspired to write sermons when I catch a bunch of salmon. Must be a spiritual truth in there somewhere.

July 13, 2010

Fished about 10 hrs today. Caught 2 salmon. I will catch 3 tomorrow, which is the daily limit. Hung up on the bottom today so I gave a big tug on the line and the hunk of lead I was using came flying towards me and hit me right into the middle of my knee cap. Can't hardly walk tonight. Fishing for salmon in Alaska is dangerous! I have a number of sermon outlines done and have lots of sermon illustrations written from my experiences.

July 12

Caught a sockeye today. Lost 5 others.

July 12, 2010

Reading Ecclesiastes today. Solomon wrote that book as an old man who had grown quite cynical concerning life. His favorite words in the book are "everything is vanity." I go through times when I get to feeling the same way. What starts it for me is thinking about all the things in the past that are lost because I can't remember them any longer. Got started down this path recently holding my grandson, Wyatt, in Fairbanks, praying for him. I thought, I won't remember this even happening and you won't remember this as you grow older. If I won't remember and you won't remember, it is like it didn't even happen so why even do it? I have been making myself quite melancholy the last couple of days even with fishing thinking about all the life that I have lived that I can't remember anymore. The word that came to mind was "vanity, everything is vanity." Then this morning I read 1 Corinthians 15:58: "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. Someday when I get to heaven it will all be given back to me. I am not sure how exactly but I am sure it will happen. Everything I do matters. I will keep praying for my grandkids, kids, and other people. I will keep serving the Lord. God is faithful.

July 11, 2010

Woke up this morning sore all over my entire body from my mishap on my bike. My right foot is especially sore but got up at 4am and went fishing anyway. Caught one salmon and had a couple of others on for awhile. Made all the aches go away. Works better than ibuprofen. Got in alot of reading and writing this afternoon, even got a nap in. Very few fish in the river. I am praying that a big run of fish come in tomorrow. I have never figured out if it is ok to pray for fish, but I will keep doing it until I now for sure it isn't. Had no trouble waking up this morning. The guy who I am staying with has this mongrel black lab dog and he came and licked me in the face. Woke me up with quite a start. I thought it was Patty kissing me.