Alaska Vacation
June 2005

Our Itinerary - Anchorage, Homer, Seward,
Denali National Park, Glennallen, Kennicott / McCarthy,
Valdez, Whittier, Anchorage.



We began our trip in Anchorage. Sunset was
approximately 11:30 pm and sunrise was 4:00 am.
But, don't you believe it!
It was still light at 2:00 am!



Our first stop was Homer.  Just outside of Anchorage,
we came across our first bald eagle!





We stayed at the Lands End, which was located at
the very tip of Homer Spit.  This is the view from
our room!



After our first night at Homer, we were driving to
the airport for our flight over to Lake Clark
National Park for bear viewing.  And what should we
see...two bald eagle perched on the side of the road!



Our flight over to Lake Clark National Park...
What is she doing up there!



Our first bear sighting!



And another, in the background you can see the
ATV that we used to get from place to place.



Love is in the air!



And a cub



Sow and cub



Our ride home has arrived!



Next, we went to Seward.  This is the Exit Glacier
which was located behind the lodge where we stayed.



Harbor in Seward.  The start of our boat tour of
Kenai Fjords National Park



Northwestern Glacier




A couple of seals lying on the icebergs from
the Northwestern Glacier




A waterfall on Granite Island



We saw both humpback whales and orca whales
 during the nine and a half hour trip



Next, we headed to Denali, with an overnight stop
in Talkeetna.  Talkeetna is the staging area for
climbers of Mount McKinley



A view of Mount McKinley
from Talkeetna



Upon arrival in Denali, we decided to test fate
with a white water rapid ride down
some class 4 rapids!

Kathleen putting on her drysuit



We have no idea what we are
about to get ourselves into!



A bird's eye view of the Class 4 rapids



It looks a little calmer from up here!



We took the nine hour bus tour of Denali. 
The bus just made it just to the half way point
when it broke down.  They had send another bus
out to pick us up to complete the tour.



A caribou in Denali



Dall Sheep in Denali
 

After spending a couple of days in Denali, we
embarked on our trip across the old Denali Highway.
The Denali Highway is 135 miles of gravel road, during
which we passed a grand total of five other vehicles! 
The fastest you can safely go is 25-30 miles per hour. 
This is one of the places that the rental car companies don't
allow you to go, but we won't tell!



The Denali Highway!




Bridge on the Denali Highway



A moose on the side of the road!



50 miles from the start of our day, we come to the
first restaurant / gas station!  About 20 miles prior, we
passed a car that had blown two tires and spun
out into a ditch.  And there is no cell phone
service in this area!




More caribou on the side of the road



Views from the east end of the Denali Highway



A Kodak moment just outside of
Chitina



The road to McCarthy / Kennicott is basically gravel
that was poured on top of an abandoned railroad
track.  Thus the warning above.  This is another
place the rental car companies don't allow you to go!



Salmon wheels are used to catch salmon as
they swim upstream.  Basically they are large
baskets that are rotated by the river currents, capturing
salmon and then dropping them through a trough
to a box below.  There must have been 25 - 30
of these, each one hand built and having a unique design.



The road is built on top of the tracks
for the old railroad bridge






Now the road does not quite go to McCarthy / Kennicott. 
Rather it ends at the river about 5 miles outside of town.
You have to park your car, cross over this footbridge,
and wait for transportation into town.



The Kennicott Copper Mine.  Kennicott was the
largest copper mine in North America in the early 1900.
It sits on the edge of the Kennicott glacier.  The National
Parks service purchased the land a couple of years ago
and is working on restoring the historic buildings.



Kathleen walking on the Kennicott Glacier!  The ice is
filled with the rocks and earth that it has carved out while
it is moving down the slope.  Until you get close, you think
you are looking at a pile of dirt!



Horsetail Falls on the outskirts of Valdez





Bridal Veil Falls on the outskirts of Valdez



Valdez Harbor



An otter playing around in the harbor



The only hotel in Whittier!  That's our rental
SUV in the foreground.




The entrance to the Whittier Tunnel.  The Whittier Tunnel
is single lane tunnel that 2.5 miles long.  The single lane is used
by cars and trains going in both directions.  The
signal lights in the photo above are used to ensure
you don't run into something going the other way!



Some icebergs from the Portage Glacier



The tram at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood,
right outside of Anchorage.



A panoramic shot of the Anchorage skyline.