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Crystal Creek Lodge and Sky Trekking Alaska announced a variety of Alaskan adventures for the 2003 season including: Explore the Inside Passage, Family Week, Bon Vivant! Guest Chef Week, Fishing for Romance, the Big Bird Adventure, and Photo Week.

And after studying the exciting choices, it will be no surprise to my regular readers that I chose the BON VIVANT Guest Chef Week. I think the Fishing for Romance sounds really good—but I think I need a partner for that. Friends tell me that

Alaska has great odds as far as men go--altho there is a saying about the odds being great, but the goods being odd.

Just so long as I do not have to catch my own salmon for dinner or shoot anything to eat, I think I will have a delicious experience. Since I am an Alaska virgin (we are talking about where I have traveled to) I look forward to seeing the place everyone says is so gorgeous. Right now I am off to buy all the adventurous stuff I need like a mosquito netting hat and etc. This might be the first trip in a long time where I actually went and got a new wardrobe. My shopping mantra is stuff that washes out in a sink and doesn’t wrinkle. Crystal Creek is so all inclusive, they even do your laundry.

Crystal Creek Lodge announces their first annual Bon Vivant! Guest Chef Week with Paul Mackay, proprietor of El Gaucho restaurants, and Ken Sharp, corporate chef. In addition to the regularly scheduled daily activities, guests will enjoy signature dinners each night designed by Paul and Ken. Menus will feature local seafood, 28-day Dry Aged Certified Angus Beef brand Prime, chops, ribs and poultry dishes, and flambé desserts. Cost is $6,500 per person. (El Gaucho is a premier steak house with locations in Seattle, Portland and Tacoma. For more information on El Gaucho restaurants, visit the Web site at www.elgaucho.com.)

Six full days of guided fishing, hunting and Sky Trekking activities including hiking, kayaking, wildlife viewing, and native culture tours

An intimate evening on the beach including a candlelight fireside dinner and a night under the stars

Bottle of champagne, fruit basket and fresh red roses in your room upon arrival

Fresh salmon shore lunch prepared by your pilot/guide and served with wine in a wilderness setting

Two one-hour massages and daily use of the hot tub and sauna

Champagne “flightseeing” tour of Tikchik State Park, the nation’s largest state park

Evening room service

Souvenir 8 x 10 photo taken during a daily trek

All necessary fly or spin casting rod and reel combinations; flies, lures and terminal tackle; hip boots or waders; all State of Alaska fishing licenses, small game hunting licenses and migratory bird stamps; cleaning, freezing and packaging of fish and/or game in an airline-approved shipping container

Cost is $6,500 per person

The “Big Bird Adventure” will take guests on a quest to spot the giant winged creature that has recently been sighted throughout parts of Southwest Alaska. Sky Trekking Alaska’s owners, experienced pilots and guides, Dan and Lori Michels, will utilize bush planes to “fly quest” participants throughout areas where the Big Bird, thought to be a rare Stellar’s sea eagle, has been sighted within the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge and along the Nushagak River. The four-day/three-night Big Bird Adventure package is $3,900 per person based on double occupancy and can be booked on a mutually agreeable date.

During Photo Week, guests will have the opportunity to experience Alaska through a camera lens with professional photographer Fred Hirschmann. Traveling by plane and boat to remote locations of Southwest Alaska, guests will photograph a variety of subject matter including azure lakes, volcanoes, crystalline glaciers, flora, brown bears fishing for salmon, walrus, and pelagic birds. Scenic backdrops in full fall colors will include Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks, Wood-Tikchik State Park, and the Togiak National Wildlife Refuge. Guided fishing, hunting and Sky Trekking adventures will also be available throughout the week. Cost is $6,500 per person.

Package prices include activities listed above, all meals, lodging, and transportation beginning in Dillingham, Alaska. Price excludes airfare to Dillingham and staff gratuities. To book any of these special weeks, call (800) 525-3153. For more information about Sky Trekking Alaska or Crystal Creek Lodge, visit the Web site at www.alaskaonthefly.com.

Sky Trekking Alaska and Crystal Creek Lodge are two premium, Orvis-Endorsed, adventure vacation companies owned and operated by Dan and Lori Michels of Wasilla, Alaska. During the winter/spring season, Sky Trekking Alaska offers statewide expeditions to remote and inaccessible areas of Alaska utilizing various aircraft and watercraft. During the summer/fall season, Crystal Creek Lodge provides an upscale and unique sports-and-adventure lodging experience complete with guided world-class fishing, daily Sky Treks, wildlife viewing, native culture tours, wing-shooting, and other outdoor activities.

Alaska Visitor Information
c/o Alaska Travel Industry Association
Toll Free: 800-862-5275
www.travelalaska.com

GET THE TASTE OF ALASKA AT HOME

The New Alaska Cookbook
By Kim Severson with Glenn Denkler
Sasquatch Books
www.sasquatchbooks.com

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