This active hotel offers “modern rooms in rustic settings” so you know what you are getting into but I would imagine your might have a bit of apprehension as you find the “lobby” of your hotel in Stewart, BC. Stewart is at the head of the Portland Canel and the northern most ice free harbor in Canada. Before WWI the population was over 10,000 people and nearby Hyder, AK (only accessible via Canada) was also a large booming mining town. Today, Hyder has a population of about 80 and Start less than 500. Beautiful scenery and lots of bears!
Glide /
Serene moment across the glassy lake in British Columbia off the Cassier Highway.
Klaune National Park in Canada /
This is a vast wilderness area seen in the distance across this small lake in the upper portion of British Columbia. It joins the Wrangell St Elias NP in Alaska and some smaller units in Canada.
Before Its Time /
This car is an Owen Magnito that used a gasoline engine to charge an electric motor that drove the rear wheels. It used regenerative braking like in the newest F-1 cars and an electromagnetic transmission - both very creative approaches to driving an automobile. This early true hybrid was very expensive, 6,500.00 and never worked as well in life as it did in theory. However, it is a beautiful car, particularly in this color scheme a deep grey, bright blue wheels and some purple hued metal work.
Distance /
We were quite fortunate to see many animals from a safe distance yet many were very close. In Alaska you will also see animals from a significant distance that you would love to see closer. So take a good pair of binoculars. These Dall Sheep were shot with my telephoto lens at 350 focal length. You can see two in the right side of the frame and five more well down slope from the pair. There were more higher up the mountain not in this shot.
Fading Light /
The tundra by this date near the end of August in central Alaska was a bright red and it was spectacular. This shot was near our campsite for the night from about 300 feet off the road - which took awhile to navigate the spongy and uneven terrain.
Majestic /
“You are glorious and more majestic than the everlasting mountains.” Psalm 76:4 NLT
Not the Westminster /
They have their own version in Alaska. Here a young trainer puts his dog through the paces. Note this is a brown & white dog of medium size with perky ears - if you need specifics.
Blue Ribbon Winner /
From the Alaska State Fair, loved the color on this one.
Odds Are... /
Alaska has a fair share of the unusual. At the State Fair we saw The Rat Race and that certainly fits in the “really” category. A gerbil is released from a small space in the middle of this wheel. It stares for a minute or two at the crowd and then darts for a hole. If your 25 cent bet is on the color that corresponds with the hole you can win up to a dollar. The Alaska legislature had to pass special rules to allow this long tradition to continue at the fair. I lost 50 cents - I think the gerbil did not like pink.
Off /
The Seaplane from Alaska Bear Adventures leaving us behind at Lake Clark National Park where we transferred to an airboat to cross the wide mud flats to view grizzly bears. It did return:)
Bird's Eye View /
Flying over Glacier Bay National Park was one of the highlights of our Alaska trip. This is one of the glaciers that you might see from a cruise liner - but a very different perspective.
Firsts /
George Washington, “First in War, First in Peace, First in the Hearts of his Countrymen”
and the lessor known, First to Define “Hairline Fracture.”
George Washington - Mount Rushmore
Patience /
They seem to have endless patience to wait and watch.
“I wait quietly before God,
for my victory comes from him.” Psalm 62:1 NLT
Catch /
Salmon fishermen line the banks about as thick as the salmon in the stream.
Bee Hive /
This rock formation In Banff National Park towers over Lake Agnes and is reached by a 2.5 mile hike - the view is worth every step.
End of the Trail /
We hiked from Valdez a couple of miles past the end of the road on a thin trail. It eventually ended in waist high grasses and marshy footing so we turned back. The isolation was cool and the sounds were amazing.
Poor Photo - Great Birds /
I am standing on the soggy tundra about 100 yards from these darting birds in a pouring rain with winds gusting well over 40MPH shaking my camera. But then it was warmish, nearly 40. But the birds are great, a Parasitic Jaeger and a Long-tailed Jaeger, both firsts.
Birthday Girl /
Cindy, looking lovely yet windblown as she makes her way toward a glacier across this snowfield, celebrates a birthday today.
Yet, somehow, I am the one most blessed.
Short-Billed /
But only in relation to the Long-billed Dowitcher. This Pacific variation is still in breeding plumage. They have more orange tint and spots on the breast unlike the Atlantic or the Prairie variants that are grayer for the former and more clear orange for the latter. In the reeds in Potter’s Marsh south of Anchorage.
