Monday, August 10, 2015

Alaska, Wow!

Last week I went to a magical place -- Alaska.  Or, to be more precise, a cruise up the Alaskan Panhandle.  This is a wonderous natural wonderland chock full of bears, whales, glaciers, and even cute little critters like sea otters!  There's salmon running in rivers, totem poles, quaint little towns, and other awesome sights.  

Here is a shot of a humongous piece of ice breaking off of a glacier in Glacier Bay National Park!  They call it calving!  It was cold there, in the high thirties, in early August.




I like these little guys, sea otters taking their leisure by swimming on their backs:


This was near Sitka, a community with a fantastic Russian Orthodox church there.  It was kind of tucked away, so getting a good composition was not possible.
 We walked on a bridge over a stream that was filled with salmon swimming upstream.

Juneau was a cruise port.  It's the state capital, and the capitol is rather plain or nondescript.  Jewelry is sold at many places; and I guess it's de rigeur to buy some on a trip to the Last Frontier.  Nothing about gold rushes nowadays.  Juneau is unique among state capitals; it has no roads connecting it to other places.  As a person there put it, "There are three ways you can get to Juneau: by plane, by boat, or by birth canal."  They also tell of an Alaska Airways jet that collided with a salmon dropped by an eagle!

Ketchikan is quaint, with lots of totem poles plus a lot of rain.  It's the wettest town in the fifty states.

I'll write some more after I get everything back on an even keel.








13 comments:

Linda Kay said...

What a wonderful trip you must have had. My hubby and I have not made the Alaska trip, although many of our friends have and say it is awesome. Look forward to more pictures. Love the sea otters.

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer said...

It sounds like a great place. Hope to go there next year.

Duckbutt said...

I enjoyed seeing Alaska. Glad you saw it.

Mike said...

I could use some of that 30 degree weather right now. Or better, split the difference of what is here now.

Gorilla Bananas said...

A Russian Orthodox church? Were there any Russians there too, left over from the days of the Tsar?

John A Hill said...

Thanks for sharing your trip with us, Angel!
I look forward to hearing (and seeing) more.

Cherdo said...

Alaska is beautiful. I've never been there, but I think it is so majestic and awesome. Loved the otters!

Bilbo said...

I'm so glad you had a chance to do the Alaska cruise! Agnes and I did the cruise up the inside passage a few years ago and loved it. I have some fantastic pictures, and Agnes did - in fact - do the jewelry thing. We went on a whale-watching excursion and a salmon bake, too. Going back there again is on our to-do list!

Cloudia said...

I was JUST thinkin` bout YOU! How cool [lit]

Loved these photos and could smell the chill and wonder rising off of you....

Glad you home, safe, re-juvenated

allenwoodhaven said...

Welcome back! Excellent photos. It appears safe to say you had a fun time. Look forward to more tales of adventure. My parents took a similar cruise years ago and said the scenery was magnificent.

eViL pOp TaRt said...

Thanks for your comments, everybody, and your welcome back.

Gorilla Bananas, Russia owned Alaska until 1867, when Secretary of State William Seward purchased it for the United States. It was called 'Seward's icebox" at the time.

allenwoodhaven said...

My mother referred to Alaska's purchase as "Seward's folly". It amazes me that it didn't become a state until 1959 because I was born before that. I've heard that there were Russians there around the time of Lewis and Clark.

Cloudia said...

so cool........