Alaska Day Ten - More Low Tides

Another day of very low tides here on the Kenai Peninsula. In fact, the tides in this region are the second most extreme in the world....and they move fast.

The low tides offer some wonderful opportunities to see what's going on beneath the surface....and gives those who live above the surface a good chance to eat. Here's some images from today.



Starfish, Kachemak Bay



Low Tide Details, Kachemak Bay

Waiting for low tide

Star Fish, Kachemak Bay

The Kids

Alaska Day Nine - Low Tides

Today was spent exploring shoreline as we have some of the lowest tides of the time in Alaska. Here's some images, plus a left-over from Chugach National Forest.

Low Tide, Kachemak Bay

Moose, Tidal Basin



Low Tide, Cook Inlet

Starfish, Cook Linet

Turn Lake, Chugach National Forest

Alaska Day Eight - Chugach and Kenai Fjords

A long day of driving, but it was made much easier by spectacular scenery throught the Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords National Park and the Seward area. It's late (even here in Alaska), so I'll share only a few shots (as always, click on the image to see a larger version).

Upper Trail Lake, Chugach Nat'l Forest

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords Nat'l Park

Exit Glacier, Kenai Fjords Nat'l Park

Old Ship, Seward

Lilly Pond Lake, Chugach Nat'l Forest

Alaska Day Seven - Glaciers and Katmai

A few more images from a day in Katmai National Park as well as an evening image of Portlock Glacier, which is across Kachemak Bay from Homer.

After a Salmon

Ptarmigan

Taking a Rest

Fishing Technique

Near Crosswind  Lake, Katmai NP



Shallows, Kamishak Bay, Katmai NP



Dusk, Portlock Glacier, Kachemak Bay

Alaska Day Six - Katmai and Bears

An amazing day spent at Katmai National Park. Almost 1,300 frames shot. I'll be editing for quite a while, however wanted to share a few (as always, please click on an image for a larger view).

I'll let the images speak for themselves, save this quote from Andy Russell:

"There is great strength and pride combined with a strong mixture of inquisitive curiosity in the make-up of the Grizzly character. The Grizzly can be brave and downright brash. He can be secretive and very retiring. He can be extremely cunning and powerfully aggressive. Whatever he does, his actions match his surroundings and the circumstances of the moment.

His is a dignity and power matched by no other in the North American wilderness. To share a mountain with him for a while is a privilege and an adventure like no other."

Special thanks to Emerald Air Service, Pilot Craig, and Guide Dave for a day I'll never forget.

Alaska Day Five - Kachemak Bay

Kachemak Bay on the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula is home to mountains, glaciers, eagles, and serious fishing. Some images from the last day or so (click on an image to see a larger version). Tomorrow, off by seaplane to Katmai National Park and a date with some big, fuzzy guys.

Kachemak Bay

Eagle on mast, Homer Spit

Looking for lunch

Fireweed and Glacier

Mom and the Kids

 

Dusk, Kachemak Range



Alaska Day Four - Along the Tides

A beautiful day in the Kenai Peninsula....a good day to spend some time along Kachamek Bay and the shore. I spend a good part of the morning on Bishop's Slough. For those who don't know exactly what a slough is (like me), it is a marshy inlet or back-water area of a body of water.

The Kenai region has very significant tides, which can leave exposed great areas of back-water and beaches when the tide is low, making it a wonderful habitat for shore birds. I'm hoping to spend some more time photographing the tide pools later during my stay when the tides are to be very low.

I found this pair (familiar from back in Wisconsin) working the slough.

Sandhill Cranes, Bishop's Slough

Another transplant from southern Wisconsin....

Wild Geranium, Bishop's Slough

Even when watching the slough for interesting features, one cannot ignore the Kachamek Range across Kachamek Bay. Here's an image from last evening as the sun was going down.



Kachamek Range



Alaska Day Three - Down the coast

Time to head to the Kenai Peninsula and the big, open water. I knew that Alaska is BIG. Still, traveling from Willow to Homer took pretty much all day. Of course, excellent scenery does tend to make the trip take a bit longer (and be much more enjoyable).

This was the first day of real rain here in Alaska, so it kept the mountain ranges of the Kenai hid for most of the drive. However, it did create some dramatic skies, as in this image from the Chugach Range (click on the image for a larger view).





Rain, Chugach Range


The weather broke a bit closer to Homer and the southern part of the Kenai Peninsula. Here's an image from the Kachamek Range.



Lupines and Kachamek Range



Alaska Day Two - Denali and Talkeetna

I decided that Denali was not going to get the best of me. With that in mind, I made my way to the south vista in Denali State Park to check out the Alaska Range (and hopefully, Denali itself). In the end, the mountain did win. You can see glimpses of Denali in the photo below - however, she decided to keep hidden again today.

Alaska Range from Denali State Park

In some despair, I headed off for Talkeetna, which bills itself as a "Drinking Town with a Fishing Problem." Actually, it also is a town with some great history and wonderful local art. Here's a couple of snippets from there.



Old signage, Talkeetna Alaska




Flights and Hunting, Talkeetna Alaska

 I would be remiss without talking about the largest member of the deer family, which plays a large role in traffic excitement here in the Land of the Midnight Sun - the moose. Saw two today, however they didn't want to sit for portraits. While most of us in Wisconsin are used to seeing (and largely ignoring) signage similar to the one below for the moose's smaller cousins, when it's a 1,400 pound beast crossing the road one is more apt to pay attention.

Watch for Bullwinkle