Report on Alaska

Jessica told me that I should post some photos from Alaska since I recently returned from a trip up there for work. I actually didn't take a camera with me the last time up (2/18 - 3/5) since everything is all very white at this time of year and starts to all look the same after a while. It's also very miserable to even go outside for any period of time and not too conducive to taking pictures.

I will go ahead and put up a few photos from the previous time I was up there (July/August 2007).

One of the cool things about going to Alaska in the middle of the summer is that it's light outside until late at night and you can still see all of the amazing landscapes and wildlife until at least 10 p.m. no problem. I went out driving almost every day after work - probably put a couple thousand miles on my rental during that 2 week period.

The picture below is of the fireweed flower. Very common up there. With this picture, I was also lucky enough to get a shot of the state bird perched on the leaf directly below the flower (I didn't find the mosquitos to be nearly as bad as people said they would be). This one was on a hike that I took to Gulkana glacier.


This next one is a self portrait on Matanuska glacier. Not an easy thing to do when all you have is a telephoto lens, by the way. The time I spent hiking around this glacier was probably one of the best outdoor experiences that I've ever had. After signing a waiver, you are free to roam around and explore wherever you want to go - the mouth of the glacier is 4 miles wide, so there is plenty of room to venture. During the summer, the ice on top melts and carves streams over the surface of the glacier. The "landscape" changes every day depending on how warm it gets and how much melts off. Absolutely phenomenal process.


On the way back to Delta Junction from Matanuska, I stopped off on the side of the road and took this shot. Not sure what glacier it is, but the view was incredible. This is pretty typical of the drive between Glennallen and Anchorage on the Glenn Highway.


I got bored one Sunday afternoon and decided to drive to Canada. I'd never been to the Yukon before, and I can honestly say that I will probably never go again.


One Saturday we weren't assigned to work, so I took a jaunt down to Valdez. It's not a very exciting town in itself, but the last 60 miles of highway before arriving there are amazing. I was exploring a bit and saw this guy in Valdez bay just hanging out. The salmon had just spawned and there were dead fish everywhere. I'll spare you those photos.


On the way back from Valdez, I stopped on the side of the road and took a picture of this dormant volcano in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Never heard of it? Neither had I - but the park is the size of New Hampshire and Vermont combined.


I lost track of how many moose I saw as I was driving around the state. This was the biggest one that I saw, and the one that I could get closest to.


This bird was dive bombing me for no apparent reason. Seriously.


This one is from another previous trip to Alaska. I drove up to the Arctic Circle just to say I'd been there, and to take a picture. Very long, fairly scenic, 120 miles of dirt road, probably wouldn't do it again. The Dalton Highway may or may not be one of the roads that it states you are not supposed to travel on when you sign your rental agreement (I can neither confirm nor deny that I went on that road on the way to the Arctic Circle...).


Anyway, I've got lots more photos if you're interested. Alaska has been a fun experience - this last time up was trip number five for me. If you ever go to the inland areas on vacation, I've got some good suggestions for you.