Coastal Pictures from beautiful SE Alaska

Here's a pictorial of a trip from Cordova, AK to the coastal area by the Tsiu river in SE Alaska. Our Cessna 206 single-engine plane takes us across the Bering glacier, the Copper river delta, and down to the Driftwood Lodge, into a remote location close to the Gulf of Alaska coast. I hope my pictures can convey some of the extraordinary beauty at the beach. (I almost said: "Beauty and the Beach" - but you would have killed me, right?) Come along with me, if you would, and see an untouched piece of nature, so soothing to the soul. Coastal Pictures of Alaska

Bear Hunting With Sarah Palin

...and other grisly grizzlies. The big game hunting issues won't be resolved easily. Killing animals for sport and trophy is a completely natural thing in many peoples' minds. I understand that. We are raised with certain values and it's hard to change when you don't see any reason for doing so. My upbringing did not include any hunting, so it would be easy for me to judge others on this subject. I won't do it, though. I just don't hunt myself - for balance. We'll all find out sooner or later what's the right thing to do. Who says I'm right? I made a page with very graphic images from a recent bear hunt in Alaska, and I included a few links and clips about Sarah Palin's wisdom. Please visit and judge for yourself. Bear hunting with Sarah Palin GrizzlyBay.org offers a wealth of more info on these issues.

Flying to Alaska - Flying in Alaska

I live in Austin, Texas. It takes a while to get up to Alaska from here. First to Denver, Minneapolis, or Chicago, depending which airline we use. Then to Anchorage, and with a small jet or twin prop back down to Cordova. Here, our boss picks me up in his Cessna 206 and we fly out to the Tsiu River. One year, I hitched a ride in the jump seat of the DC-3 that flew supplies to the lodge. These Alaska "workhorses" seem to be indestructible. The pilots told me that their plane has flown on D-Day across the Normandy, already. Can you imagine? Over 60 years ago! During our 90-minute flight to the lodge, the pilot and co-pilot had a lively conversation about all the things NOT working on the plane. Eavesdropping from my shaky little folding seat right behind them, I started to get a bit nervous. I asked them if at least the landing gear would function properly. They laughed and offered me a cigar with the words: "This is a smoking plane, buddy!" Look at some great pics at my "Alaska Lodge" lens.

I'm back from Alaska!

My internet connection was way too slow for blogging. But I'm back with a lot of stories to tell. While I was gone, the good folks at Squidoo HQ decided that I'd make a worthy Squid Angel, so they gave me a badge. I'm tickled pink, honored, humbled, excited. And I made a new Squidoo lens about it: Squid Angel Blessings by Chef Keem My annual cheffing gig at the Driftwood Lodge was a great success. We served fabulous food and the guests were very happy. Many of them go on fishing trips all over the country, several times a year. They always tell me that they are surprised at the quality of my food, and that they haven't eaten this good anywhere else before. That's nice to hear. It makes me proud! Over the course of the next few months, I will post regularly about my adventures and recipes, with a load of great pictures. To whet your appetite, I start with a few impressions of the Driftwood Lodge, our home for the silver salmon season at the Tsiu River in SE Alaska, next to the mouth of the Bering Glacier.

Fresh from the Tsiu River - Alaskan Silver Salmon

You know what? I don't really like salmon. Never did. Until... ...I had my first freshly caught silver from the Tsiu River in SE Alaska. This is good eating! My favorite cooking method is a quick saute in butter and spices, finished in a hot oven. Watch this video from my Alaska lodge kitchen for a demonstration of my way of cooking silver (coho) salmon fillets.

Alaska is calling - and I come...

Next Sunday, I will hop on the planes. Yes, it will take four planes to get me to my Alaska lodge kitchen: Austin - Seattle - Anchorage - Cordova - Driftwood Lodge. I've been cooking for our guests - fly fishermen from all over the country - for the last 10 years. The Driftwood Lodge operates only during the silver salmon (coho) season from mid-August through mid-October. The fishing is awesome, the duck hunting is great, and my food is quite popular. Let me show you how I like to prepare wild duck breast. I made a little video, directly from my lodge kitchen.