A beluga whale Ice fields above the pass In the pass Across the water A stream on the other side I am not much of a photographer compared to others on the forum, and I had to shrink the files way down, but ....
Beautiful pictures, @Don Alaska , and it really shows the beautiful country up there where you live. I have a step-daughter that lives near Palmer, and she posts some really beautiful pictures on facebook sometimes, too. She especially enjoys the moose that come wandering into her yard up there.
This is a "parade" that went through our yard a couple nights ago. It is very unusual (although I don't think you can see the leader) as there was a very mature bull leading a cow, a young calf, and a less mature (but still antlered) moose. It is very unusual to see a mature bull allow a calf and another bull to hang out together during the rut. I had to snap it through a window as they headed for the woods as soon as I opened the door. The leader had about a 40 inch rack...still not legal in this area.
You should definitely take that Alaskan cruise, Chrissy ! Robin did that with some friends a few years ago, and the pictures that she posted were just awesome. The cruise ship stopped here and there along the way, and she also went whitewater rafting and zip-lining, which she loves. (She did NOT get her sense of adventure from her mother !) There is an onboard ship-cam (or whatever it is called), and I also followed her cruise from looking at the ship-cam . Sometimes, they were at sea, and it was foggy, but other times, the view was amazing.
Great photos! Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your world! It is in sharp contrast to my corner of the world!
Yep, @Chrissy Cross, you can take a wonderful cruise, and even take the train from Anchorage or Seward to Fairbanks (but it isn't overnight and you don't have to worry about berths on the train. If you are more adventurous, you can take the ferry from Bellingham, WA instead of the fancy cruise. On the ferry you can take your car if you wish and drive back the AlCan Highway. THAT I wouldn't recommend doing on your own without a partner, though. Both the ferry and the cruise are safe to do on your own, but more enjoyable if you have someone to share the experience with. I personally don't like many of the "canned" tours, though, as they don't allow time to explore on your own if they are going to serve as your only trip to Alaska, but they the tour is to serve as your introduction to get the "lay of the land" so to speak, they are fine. There are often a lot of old people in a big herd.
My close friend, Joy, was my next door neighbor when we were growing up together in Sandpoint, Idaho. She lives in the same house as when she was growing up, after inheriting it from her mother. Yesterday, she sent me a video that she took just outside of her front door, with her phone camera. I would have loved to have been able to post the video, but since I can’t do that, I took a screenshot to share with you. The moose have started coming into town in the winter time in the past few years, and they wander through people’s yards just like they were rambling through the forest. The reason that the moose are this close into town is because there are now wolves in this part of Idaho, and they kill the deer, elk, moose, and other wildlife ; so the wildlife has had to come in the small towns around , in order to stay alive in the winters.
Oh, I would love to see that in my front yard. I love reading the stories every year about a moose in Maine or the vicinity who falls in "love" with a VW or a riding mower or maybe a concrete deer statue and hangs around mooning over it or trying to get jiggy with it. Apparently moose aren't particularly discriminating when the urge surges. Moose are my favorites. Who wouldn't fall in love with that face?
I don't think you want to have that in your front yard, @Mary Robi. They destroy your garden, decimate fruit trees, and we have one or two people killed by the things every year around here. We call them Swamp Donkeys, and they are terrible pests. If you want to stay inside and never go out in the winter, then you want moose around your house. My wife was terrified of them when we had livestock. She would often get trapped in the barn and couldn't get back to the house for hours, as the moose would attack her.
Yes I saw a Documentary just last week about the Moose that wander into urban areas @Don Alaska , they charge at people, and cars, very scary.... Many people are stuck in their homes because the Moose are in their gardens... and then when they get the chance they have to dash out fast, into their cars and drive away speedily before the moose charges them. The damage to cars is horrendous.
Just another reason Florida, the South or East Coast isn't for us! We seen a Moose and her calf while going thru Rocky Mountain National Park when we lived in Colorado. Seen a big Bull Moose laying down in some brush when we were going thru Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.