Alaska Fishing TripsAlright—let me get something straight before I jump into one of my various rants (stay tuned and you’ll soon know what I’m talking about.).

I am THRILLED, no OVERJOYED to have the “family” back in the family business. Luke, my son, started growing his own hunting operation out of Talaheim a few years ago. Now that’s something a father can be proud of! I’m thrilled to have this new addition to Talaheim.

On the other hand, my daughter K’Dee returns to Talaheim after spending the last fifteen years living in New York City, San Francisco and Los Angeles. And she’s got all these new-fangled, yuppie, artsy ideas— Yoga Retreats, Eco-Tours and now there’s the mandatory blogging, but not any blogging— blogging with PURPOSE. In California, I guess there’s a strategy behind everything… Oh yeah, have I mentioned the key phrase ‘Alaska Fishing Trip’ yet? I guess not, … forgive me as I now insert this phrase into the remainder of this blog. My daughter says I have to use it five times before it helps us to get out of a sandbox, or something like that…

Anyway— I provide Alaska Fishing Trips and have done so successfully for the last 30 years. So why switch things up now? But of course that’s not how my daughter sees it… now she calls herself the Marketing Manager and we have meetings that consist of me trying to define my audience group. I mean, people who like to fish tend to go on Alaska Fishing Trips. Call me crazy, but do we have to call a meeting for that? I feel like I’m suddenly working a government job… where are my papers I get to push around dammit??

And now there’s the Facebook… which I still can’t figure out how to log onto. And next to my toilet there’s FACEBOOK MARKETING FOR DUMMIES where my joke books used to sit.

I’m 62 years old and I’ve been running Talaheim Lodge and providing Alaska Fishing Trips for as long as I can remember, and now, 10 years shy of my retirement the entire world has to change. No offense to Twatter (@AlaskaFishLodge) or Facebook, but I remember the good old days where I’d send out a newsletter in the mail to all my clients and then I’d get Christmas cards back with deposit checks for the following fishing season. Brilliant! Where did those days go??

Okay, so I guess those days are dead alongside the clients… may they rest in peace…

So what am I going to do? Am I going to fight this new chapter? Hell no, I’m 62 years old, I’ve got to use my testosterone very wisely! Instead, I’m going to take my new web personality very seriously… I am going to twatter about the good ol’days when Alaska Fishing Trips were Alaska Fishing Trips. I’m going to find all my long lost fishing buddies on Facebook, and reunite over 140 character tweets about our Alaska Fishing Trip adventures… and I’m going to create a marketing video that 100% captures Talaheim Lodge’s personal touch and style. Yes, that’s right… I am going to become an online marketing genius at the age of 62. I will have so many online friends that when I retire and throw my computer in the river and do nothing but sit on my tractor doing wheelies on my airstrip, the internet will be shut down for a day of remembrance.

Yes, that’s right. I will be The Alaska Fishing Trip Internet King (have I used it five times yet? I hope so cause I’m on my fifth cup of coffee and that’s never a good things at my age…)

My daughter is going to post our “very serious” marketing video soon, … why? Cause I helped her buy the damn video camera so in essence I get whatever marketing videos I want for life!

Check out more behind the scenes shots on our Facebook page, and while you’re there—like us— or at least that’s what my daughter has forced me to say. I don’t give a damn if you like me or not. I’m 62 and spend my life flying helicopters and fishing, you think I’m really that concerned with how many friends I have on Facebook?

~ Mark Miller, Lodge Owner & Alaska Fishing Trip provider for over 30 years