Taking To The Air! 7/7/11

Everyone who comes to visit asks what I think is the one thing I’ve done that I consider a not-to-be-missed experience.  I always say that a sightseeing flight around Denali National Park is at the top of my list. 

 On a beautiful day, there’s just no view like it.  Since I just couldn’t make my friend go on the flight alone, I went along for my second Denali flight.  Sometimes you just have to be with a friend in her time of need. ;)  There were some clouds on the way from Talkeetna to the Alaska Range, but “the mountain” was out in all its glory, as were many other peaks.  It was awesome once again!  I think I'll let the photos speak for themselves...

And this time, I have an iPhone, so I got some (admittedly novice) videos to go along with the photos. Perhaps this one will help a little with the perspective. 

Denali Scenic Flight from Mary-Beth Schreck on Vimeo.

Off to Valdez! 7/5 to 7/6 2011

Our next road trip was to Valdez. We camped overnight and then drove back to Anchorage the next day.  Valdez is very similar to Seward in a lot of ways, but there are some key differences.  Seward is a larger community and is set up for tourists since cruise ships dock there.  Seward is also much a much shorter drive from Anchorage (2.5 hours vs. 5 to 5.5 hours to Valdez).  The drive to Valdez is a beautiful one though, driving through Chickaloon Pass, past Matanuska Glacier, through the Copper River Basin, Past Worthington Glacier, through Thompson Pass, past some beautiful waterfalls, and into Valdez. 



Showers have a tendency to develop over the mountains... this one was particularly neat, I thought.



The famous Alaska Pipeline.  There are several points along the road system where you can see the pipeline... this is one of them.

Thompson Pass... getting close to Valdez!



Thompson Pass... a place that sees a lot of volatile weather.



Onward to Keystone Canyon... this is Bridal Veil Falls.  So beautiful! This photo was taken at 10:30pm.



Also in Keystone Canyon... Horsetail Falls. This photo was also taken at about 10:30pm.

 There is a fish hatchery near Valdez with some great views and opportunities to see bears, eagles, and several other wildlife. We camped at a campground near Valdez Glacier that was nice and quiet, and then went to check out the glacier that was just down the road. 



Icebergs... with Valdez Glacier in the background.  The glacier used to reach down to this lake!



More glaciers...



The wind became nearly calm while we were there... and gave us some great reflections! 



A panoramic view of Valdez Glacier

We spent some time that morning at the Valdez Small Boat Harbor, where we watched fishermen getting ready to head out to fish for salmon. It was busy, but relaxed at the same time.  The boats were all crowded into the harbor, and nets were being fixed, food loaded on the boats, and repairs made to the boats.  We enjoyed watching them for quite awhile, and wanted to see them all leave the harbor, but we had to start working our way back to Anchorage. 



Near the fish hatchery

Fireweed... blooms from bottom to top throughout the summer.

On our way back, we stopped at Worthington Glacier (it was raining pretty steadily there) and then continued on back to Anchorage.



Worthington Glacier.  You can see a couple people (in yellow jackets) on the left side of the photo... for perspective.

Proof it was raining at Worthington Glacier?  Or... just a fun "texture" shot.  :)

Denali Visit #2... The Mountain In Hiding 7/3/11

My second visit to Denali National Park... an afternoon and evening ride through the park on one of the longest days of the year.  Our trip to Denali National Park was planned as an overnight trip, but a sick cat caused us to adjust our itinerary.  So we drove the 4 ½ hours to the park in the morning, rode the park shuttle bus for 8 or 9 hours, and then drove 4 ½ hours back home that night. 

The great thing is that it is July 3rd, so there was no “dark” to drive in, even at 2 and 3 am.  The weather was a little rainy/misty, so being on dirt roads meant that the windows on the bus didn’t stay very clean. The windows were cleaned at some of the rest stops along the way, but within minutes of leaving the rest area they were too dirty to see out of again.  So we didn’t end up seeing very much wildlife, but we did get one very special experience.  We came upon some vehicles that were pulled over, so we knew there was some sort of wildlife to see.  We finally saw it… on the road ahead of us… a young grizzly bear!  As we got closer to it, and took our turn at the front of the line of vehicles, the bear continued to walk right on the road ahead of us.  I then got my favorite photo of this trip through the park.



Bear butt! :)

We did see some beautiful scenery along the way, despite the rain.  The last time I was at the park, it was late fall (mid-September) and all the fall colors were past peak.  This time... very green and lush! We didn't get to see "The Mountain" because of all the clouds, but we were still treated to some great views along the way.