ALASKA Travel Guide AK South West and more

Vacation Country Travel Guide publisher Scott Graber took advantage of a half-day bear viewing tour option offered by Andrew Airways, an operator conveniently located at Kodiak State Airport in Kodiak.

The floatplane flight from their new office at Trident Bay to a quiet bay on the Island provided continuous bird’s eye views of Kodiak’s world famous scenery. After touching down at the shore, the pilot and three passengers walked a short distance to the mouth of a salmon stream, where a group of about 15 brown bears were busily feeding and interacting with each other.

With over 20 years experience on Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula, owner and pilot Dean Andrews has the knowledge and expertise to comfortably transport you to all the places you’ve always wanted to see, with packages designed to fit every itinerary and budget. Andrew Airways may be contacted by phone at (907) 487-2566, by email at info@andrewairway,com, in writing at PO Box 1037 in Kodiak Alaska 99615 or view their website at www.andrewairways.com.

Kodiak Island Expeditions

Feature Story

For 25 years, Jen Culbertson worked for the state of Alaska as a river ranger, boat ranger, and a backcountry patrol officer. Her husband, Willy Fulton, has over 25 years of experience flying tourists, mail, and medivacs throughout Alaska. Put these two together and you have the power couple of Kodiak Island. Though Jen doesn't remember their first meeting, Willy says he remembers flying her into Shuyak Island State Park when she was a park ranger. Fate would have them meet again several years later after Jen left the park service to start her own wilderness guiding service. Their love for nature and adventure drew them together and formed their new business, Kodiak Island Expedition. Kodiak has a 1.5 million acre wildlife refuge, plus a grocery store.

"I have no problem living in the Alaskan bush, but sometimes it's nice to have fresh produce," says Jen. The city of Kodiak is located on Kodiak Island, which is 100 miles long and the largest island in Alaska. Home to one of the top three fishing ports, the island boasts hundreds of boats and crab vessels, 12 shore-based processing plants, and the largest U.S. Coast Guard base in the country. Known as the Emerald Island, Kodiak is a magnet for wildlife enthusiasts looking to explore the beauty of the island's natural resources or for photographers wanting to capture the iconic Kodiak bear, the largest brown bear species in the world.

Kodiak Island Expeditions is distinctive among guiding services as they offer a tremendous amount of expertise in safely navigating the backcountry of Alaska. "As a guide, it is most important that you understand the animal. You have to respect what the bear is trying to tell you in order to keep your customers safe." Currently, they offer half-day and full-day bear viewing tours in Katmai National Park. Each tour includes two hours of flight time where Willy shares his love and history of the many hidden and special places that few visitors get to see.

On land, Jen guides groups to where the bears are, allowing visitors to get up close and personal, while at the same time respecting the bears' normal routines. During one guiding tour, the group was sitting on a log watching a mother bear and her cubs fish in a stream. Tired of fishing, or maybe just needing a break from caring for her offspring, the mother bear sauntered up to the group, sat down next to them on the log, and watched her cubs. "It was an incredible moment," says Jen. "Many people think there are bear attacks all the time in Alaska and really there isn't. To be this close to an apex predator is a humbling and awe-inspiring experience."