July 2019 – photography

rabbit lake

July 23, 2019Posted in 2019, Alaska 20191 Comment

There is no shortage of hiking trails in Anchorage. The Municipality of Anchorage boasts an award-winning trail system covering about 250 miles of trails, and over 10,000 acres of parkland so we had many options for our weekly Monday hike. We decided to take the Rabbit Creek Trail to Rabbit Lake. Nine miles round trip with a 1,300-ft elevation gain — sure, why not?!?

The weather was perfect with just the right amount of cloud cover since there was no shade anywhere. The trail starts out on a wide, rocky path and we walked through mud and water. I’m not gonna lie, the uphill sections did get the better of me and I had to stop more than once to catch my breath. But at every stop we stood in awe of the scene that nature had provided.

About one mile in we had our first wildlife sighting — a moose! Our group of four, plus the dog, was walking single file and I was bringing up the rear. Kerry stopped short when a moose came out of the brush and walked across the trail. The moose seemed more interested in eating the vegetation so we stood quietly, watching her for a few minutes and taking pictures before continuing on our way.

The fireweed this summer has been spectacular. Fireweed is a tall, bright pink wildflower that thrives in open meadows, along streams, and roadsides. According to the USDA Forest Service, Fireweed earned its name because this plant is the first colonizer in the soil after forest fires. We saw it along the trail, in the meadow and on the hillside. At one spot we noticed three sheep amidst the flowers. Quite a sight to see the white sheep in the pink flowers with a patch of snow nearby.

We kept on trekking and I had serious doubts about reaching the lake. I stopped for a snack break and was ready to tell the others to continue without me. “We’re almost there, just ten more minutes!” Yeah, right. I kept going and I’m so glad I did! When the lake came into view I was actually surprised to see so many people there. It’s a pretty lake nestled against the Suicide Peaks. A perfect place to rest, have lunch and enjoy the peaceful beauty surrounding us. Except for the group of kids who were flying a drone. We didn’t hike all this way to be disturbed by the constant, loud buzzing. Thankfully they left soon after our arrival. There’s nothing quite like sitting quietly in a great expanse, being in the great outdoors and simply enjoying being alive.

Time to start the four-mile hike back to the car. The trail was more downhill this direction and the rocky path caused us to use different muscles. We had been warned that a bull moose was on the trail so we kept our eyes open. Sure enough, we finally came across the the big guy next to the trail, happily munching on branches. We stopped, looked and listened but he didn’t seem too interested in hikers. We watched along with another group of hikers and decided to exit the trail and go around the moose. It was a nice 15-minute moose delay but I loved watching him and got some fantastic images.

Dusty, dirty, happy and tired we finally reached the parking area. What a fabulous adventure with Kerry and Kai, Bridget, and Gary. To end the day and celebrate we headed for the Midnight Sun Brewing Co for a cold beer! Cheers to being in Alaska!

“In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”
–John Muir

moose #1
hello, marmot!
the trail
sheep
rabbit lake
barb and kai
rabbit lake
dusty shoes
beer!
hello, moose #2

baked alaska

July 8, 2019Posted in 2019, Alaska, Alaska 2019Tagged 4th of july, denali, heat wave, mckinley princess1 Comment

We’re having a heat wave! Temperatures in the Anchorage area have been breaking records and reaching all time highs. Now, to my friends and family in the lower 48, temperatures between 80 and 90 degrees during the summer is normal. Not so in Anchorage where the average is 65 to 70. And don’t forget that we have about 19 hours of daylight so the sun has a long time to heat things up. Stores have run out of fans, people are flocking to the lakes and any place that has air conditioning. I can’t remember the last time it rained and the fire danger is very high. The smoke from fires a hundred miles away is blowing into town. The air is smokey and this morning we could smell smoke in the house and we couldn’t see the mountains as they were hiding behind hazy, smokey air. Right now we’re grateful for the slight breeze that is shifting the smoke and providing a bit of relief from the heat.

So a couple days ago I headed for the mountains. It’s cooler there, right?? The day before I left, a fire broke out not far from my hotel. On the drive up I could see a huge cloud of smoke. That fire is still burning and some homes may be evacuated.

About 16 miles north of the Montana Creek Fire, I had to make a stop at Wal*Mike’s. It’s a quirky general store with lots of stuff outside (old and new signs, tires, antlers, you name it) and filled to the brim inside with everything from socks and jewelry to a human hand in a jar and animal pelts! I didn’t find anything I couldn’t live without but I sure had some fun taking pictures.

The farther north I went the skies were clear, the air was hot and I was lucky to have magnificent views of the 20,320-foot peak that is Denali. Another favorite stop to enjoy the scenery is the Denali Viewpoint South. And the vistas were spectacular.

Next stop, the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. This is one of my favorite places and the views from the deck and the brand new treehouse cannot be beat. Upon arrival I learned there would be a 4th of July parade. It was so fun to see the lodge staff in the decorated vehicles! The rest of the day and following day was spent enjoying the property, taking a nature walk, sitting in on a talk about moose, exploring the treehouse, relaxing and devouring delicious food. There were no fireworks in Alaska this year — it doesn’t get dark enough to see them and we’re living in a tinderbox right now. Whatever you did to celebrate America’s independence, I hope you took a moment to remember the reason behind the fireworks, parades, family gatherings and barbecues.

welcome to walmike
not your average store
need an old gas pump?
made a new friend
fireweed and denali
peek-a-boo view
the great one
treehouse view
fireweed and denali
the love boat??!
parade
parade “floats”
30% club
perfect view
nature path

smokey sunday drive

July 1, 2019Posted in Alaska 2019Tagged Beluga Point, flowers, Girdwood, Turnagain ArmLeave a comment

The skies around Anchorage have been hazy and smokey the past several days due to wildfires on the Kenai Peninsula. We’ve had to close the windows on the house because we could smell smoke inside. And it’s been strange not to see the beautiful mountains that are hidden in the haze. News reports have been warning of unhealthy air quality conditions and low visibility caused by the blaze which was sparked by a lightning strike in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge almost a month ago.

But, I had a rare Sunday off work, temperatures were in the 70’s, and a road trip to Girdwood sounded like a good idea. Girdwood is a scenic mountain town in the foothills of the Chugach Mountains, about a 40 minute drive from Anchorage. Our favorite reason to go there used to be to visit The Bake Shop (still a good reason!) and sit outside with a giant chocolate chip cookie amid their incredible flowers. My new favorite place to visit is the Girdwood Brewing Company. I’m not really a beer drinker however they offer a 4 oz. pour for $2 and it tastes good on a hot day!

The drive to Girdwood along the Turnagain Arm is typically very scenic, with fabulous views of snow-capped mountains. Not so much today. In fact, today, if you didn’t know the mountains were there, you would have no idea what was behind the layer of smoke.

Beluga Point is a scenic place to stop for a short walk to admire the views. If you’re lucky you might spot beluga whales, the relatively small white whales that make their way up and down the inlet. I just learned that Beluga Point Site is an archaeological location that was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. 8,000–10,000 year old artifacts have been found here that are evidence of early human habitation. Well, we didn’t see any whales or ancient artifacts but we did see pretty flowers, a train and lichen covered rocks.

Enjoy the drive!