I had never been on a boat tour before, so you’ll have to skip over all this detail if you’re a pro or if you know all about glaciers, or if my low level of research here is annoying. I want to set this stuff down here while I can still remember a bit of […]
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Orcas in Resurrection Bay
Geez Louise, I just disembarked from a boat cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park, and it was all about glaciers and fjords and amazing views, but to me, it was the mammals and birds that blew my mind. We saw sea otters, sea lions, puffins, and I don’t even known what else right now […]
Spawning Salmon at Williwaw Creek
The Chugach National Forest campground we stayed in called Williwaw—the one that’s right on the Trail of Blue Ice and other trails with access to several glaciers—is also right on Williwaw creek, an unusually clear creek running from the glaciers far above. The Blue Ice trail runs alongside it for part of its five miles, […]
Finally Seeing the Light on Denali
What can I tell you about “the mountain” that you don’t already know? You know it’s the tallest mountain on Earth as measured from base to top. You know the absurd controversy about its name. Maybe you don’t know what it’s like to finally see it after you’ve been a curmudgeon about Denali National Park […]
Attitude Check in Denali National Park
Since writing this, I’ve learned more about the protection of the park through the Wilderness Act of 1964 and have a better attitude! Maybe we’ve gotten used to having glorious nature to ourselves. In Yukon, especially, we’d pull off the road to camp, with stunning views and walks on the tundra in every direction—no one […]
The Perfect Campground Stay at Jasper
We’ve had two great-weather days hanging out with my friend Jess and her daughter Nicole, who are camped beside us in Jasper. We miss Jacqui and Hazel and Ruth (they added to the greatness a few days ago) and I’ve been uploading photos to our shared cloud album like crazy to keep them in the […]
A Reunion in Jasper Despite Angry Fates
A long-awaited reunion of two families (and life-long friends) finally happened at the campsite beside us at Jasper–one mother-daughter pair from as far as New Zealand—and against every obstacle the universe could throw at them. Let’s see, the absurd events that seemed to conspire against this reunion include: Lightning struck Ruth’s house the day after […]
A Lake Hike; A Glacier Hike; Add in a Waterfall
I swear, I have not reached “beautiful scenery overload,” despite how much these images look quite alike. I think my problem is that I’m stuck like a skipping record, taking the same shots from the same angles. But they’re all so lovely! Five Lakes Hike One morning we went on a loop trail that passes […]
We Hiked to See Grizzly; Instead, Elk Trapped Us at the Campsite
As I started to type this entry, Tracy yelled, ”Get in the trailer, quick!” One elk from the small herd that has spent the afternoon around our trailer got spooked and ran willy nilly, first toward us, and then across the campground and into the kitchen house (the building where campers can wash their dishes). […]
Alberta Raises the Bar
You guys know how I sometimes get ”beautiful scenery fatigue.” If you walk through several amazing deserts (or sections of the same one), eventually you start thinking about your favorite, and all the rest blend into a desert blur. Worse, the next deserts you walk through seem a little ho-hum. Same with beach-front campgrounds, boondocking […]
