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Page 13
A road trip to Alaska had been on my bucket list for several years. Finally, the opportunity presented itself, so I grabbed the friend who had gone with me many years back, and we started planning.
The route through the States for me was to drive from home in southeast Texas, visit family in Minnesota, then head west through North Dakota to Montana, where I picked up my friend.
We spent a day in Great Falls, then headed north into Alberta, then made our way northwest through British Columbia, staying mostly on the eastern side and into the Yukon. We allowed a week or 8 days for the Canada portion of the trip.
British Columbia is out of this world stunning, but the Yukon! Oh my...rugged, remote, and so very scenic. And lots of wildlife, which raises the happy level of all who see bears and moose in the wild.
Our final destination in Alaska was Homer, on the Kenai Peninsula. But we scoped out as much as we could on our way down and took lots of day trips, including a couple of boat tours out of Seward. We also took a trip up to Talkeetna and over to Skagway and Haines, where we caught a boat to Juneau. We stayed in Juneau a few days before taking the boat back to Skagway.
The weather wasn't the best...lots of rain, but not particularly cold. We made the best of the rainy days...they didn't really stop us from going and seeing. And they made us appreciate the sunny days more.
Our return trip was through the western part of B.C., hitting its Sunshine Coast and into Vancouver.
I covered about 15,000 miles that summer. From Vancouver, I dropped my friend off in Seattle for her flight back home, then continued on to Skagit County, Washington, for a few days. From there I headed back to Minnesota and into Wisconsin before returning to Texas. It was a grand trip and was every bit as enjoyable as I had hoped.
Here are the pix, as well as many from other places I've visited in the last couple of years. Enjoy and thank you for visiting.
Close-up of an iceberg, Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Kansas-along the Flint Hills Scenic Byway, Rt 177
A bobcat, Keepers of the Wild Nature Park, Valentine, AZ
Tumbleweed balls can get pretty big in Arizona. Here, several are gathered against a fence after being blown across an open pasture.
Sabino Canyon National Park, Tucson, AZ
Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden, AZ
Pacific Ocean waves, Coronado, California
Yucca plant, Oracle State Park, north of Tucson, Arizona
Along Route 66 in Seligman, Arizona
The Yukon, Canada, in the Spring
Traveling Highway 24, Louisiana
Harbor seals are quite common in Alaska, this one taken at a marina in Seldovia.
Bartlett Lake, Arizona
The Badlands, South Dakota
The Badlands, South Dakota
Glass art by Dale Chihuly
Montana's Highway 2005 between Glendive and Great Falls
Taken somewhere along the Alaskan Highway between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake. The Alaskan Highway, also known as ALCAN runs almost 1400 miles between Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Delta Junction, Alaska.
Near the town of Milk River on Alberta, Canada's Highway 501
This is the Homer (Alaska) Spit. It extends 4.5 miles into the Kachemak Bay.
The Fraser River runs through the town of Lillooet, on British Columbia's Highway 99, Canada
Texas Canyon is a series of granite boulders on both sides of the Interstate 10 in eastern Arizona, 20 miles east of Benson.
Near Ryan Dam, Great Falls, Montana
The waters of the Lynn Canal, Alaska's Inside Passage
My first kayaking trip, in Washburn, Wisconsin, into some small caves off the shore of Lake Superior
Peyto Lake is located on the Icefields Parkway of Alberta, Canada.
This piece of driftwood was taken on the Homer Spit in Alaska. Does anyone besides me see the image of a camel?
Athabasca Falls on the Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada
Talkeetna, Alaska, where the Chulitna, Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers converge.
Every turn is a dramatic scene in the fjords of Resurrection Bay, Alaska.
Holgate Glacier in Resurrection Bay
Just a simple piece of driftwood can stir the imagination. Found at Oracle State Park in Oro Valley, Arizona.
The Chilkoot River forms from the Chilkoot Lake in Haines, Alaska.
A sea otter appears to be sleeping in the waters of Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska
Anyone who has been to Juneau, Alaska, knows that due to the surrounding glaciers, one can only get there by boat or plane. A car ferry leaves daily from Haines for those who want a car there. I did because I wanted to drive the Highway 7 all the way to the end, where, literally, the pavement ends, and a pile of dirt marks the end of the highway. Easily entertained, am I. Plus, I just wanted to say I did it.
Ocassionally in the spring, a snake, like this rattler, will cross a hiking trail in Arizona.
Several whale-watching tours are offered every day out of Seward, Alaska.
One of many mountain peaks seen from the Glenn Highway National Scenic Byway in Alaska
Sunrise near Ashfork, Arizona
In the far reaches of southern Louisiana is Tidewater Road, surrounded by large swamps as well as the Mississippi River. It's more than an hour's drive from any major town, but it's an ideal getaway for seeing coastal wildlife and seabirds.
Sandhill Cranes, Homer, Alaska
A cormorant catches a nice-size snackl in the waters off Tidewater Road in southern Louisiana.
The fading sun casts a peaceful glow over the desert landscape near Pleasant Harbor RV Park in Arizona.
The quail must be one of the most adorable birds of the desert for many reasons: their cute head plume, their call and the speed with which they run.
A tranquil lake, Summit Lake, near Houston, British Columbia, Canada
Roseate spoonbills grace the waters near the Texas City, Texas, dike.
Desert trees line the Interstate -10 in west Texas
Taken at the Phoenix Desert Botanical Garden, Arizona
Along the Granite Trail, Oracle State Park, Oro Valley, Arizona
Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska
In areas where there is wildlife, a car pulled to the side of the road almost always means a sighting. So with cameras ready, we pulled behind a car to capture this beautiful grizzly bear and her cub. We could have stayed all day, but they were in for a nap, so we let them be. Taken in the Yukon along Kluane Lake
On Kachemak Bay, Alaska, is a colony of common murre on what is called Gull Island. Thousands of birds can be seen nesting there, as seen in the photo to the left.
Roadside park outside Houston, British Columbia, Canada
Taylor Dock in Fairhaven/Bellingham, Washington
Layers of Arizona mountain ranges can be seen from Tower Mountain above Crown King, Arizona.
A night heron searches the pond of a golf course in Oro Valley, Arizona.
Roseate spoonbills and white egrets fly over nesting grounds near the Texas City dike, Texas.
Muncho Lake along the Alaskan Highway in British Columbia, Canada
Along the Highway 2005 in Montana, between Glendive and Great Falls
The reddish egret seen near the Texas City dike, Texas
This is my favorite rock formation in Kachemak Bay's fjords. It's called "Man Banging Head Against Wall." (Not lying)
Sunshine Cove Beach along the Glacier Highway in Juneau, Alaska
A rotted saguaro arm creates an interesting formation. Taken in Sabino Canyon Natl Park, Tucson, Arizona
Egret resting on the granite jetty at Texas City, Texas, dike
The Ely Cemetery, Minnesota
It's not unusual to see wild boar (javelinas) roaming the Arizona neighborhoods. They're harmless unless threatened, but they play havoc on vegetable and flower gardens. This one was found in Oro Valley, Arizona.
Open prairie along Arizona's Route 66 between Peach Springs and Seligman
On the grounds of the Athabasca Falls on the Icefields Parkway, Alberta, Canada
What appears to be a golden eagle soars through the winds in Juneau, Alaska.
A tufted puffin rides the current in Kachemak Bay, Alaska
One doesn't have to go far to run across a loose moose in Alaska. This one was seen off the highway south of Talkeetna.
St. Anthony Greek Monastery, Florence, Arizona
The construction of Eldred Rock Lighthouse was completed on June 1, 1906. It is Alaska's oldest original lighthouse and is located at the northern end of Lynn Canal between Haines and Juneau.
Kachemak Bay, Homer, Alaska
The Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park near Milk River in Alberta, Canada, is a vast area of sandstone rock formations. hoodoos and petroglyphs, sacred to the First Nation Blackfoot tribe. The park straddles the Milk River.
Called the Devil's Kettle at the Judge C. R. Magney State Park, Minnesota's North Shore Drive along Lake Superior
Riding through the narrow passageways of the fjords on Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Kluane Lake in the southwest corner of the Yukon was one of my favorite spots. It covers 158 square miles and is the largest in the Yukon. A sandstorm rolled across the lake while we traveled the south side along the Haines Highway.
Haines, Alaska's small-boat harbor
At the Chilkoot River, Haines, Alaska
Teslin Lake, the Yukon, Canada
The desolate Haines Highway in the Yukon, Canada...remote, wild and beautiful
Is it a 'gator? Found on the Haines, Alaska, coastline
Taken in Seward, Alaska
Scattered about the mudflats at Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula were several American bald eagles. What a thrill!
Seeing moose in the wild is always exciting, but seeing the babies is even more special. You can bet Mom was not far away.
The splash of purple nicely compliments the otherwise rugged wilderness of the Yukon.
Starfish seen in the waters of Kachemak Bay at Halibut Cove, a tiny community southeast across the bay from Homer.
I'll always remember seeing this moose, being so close we could hear its hooves sloshing in the water. Taken in the Yukon, Canada
The Granite Trail, Oracle State Park, Oro Valley, Arizona
Sheep Mountain, taken from the Glenn Highway, Alaska
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The rugged beauty of the Yukon, taken on the Alaskan Highway northwest of Watson Lake
The Yukon, Canada, between Johnson's Crossing and Whitehorse
Taking in the view...Homer Spit, Alaska
Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Glacier in Resurrection Bay, Alaska
Open road in South Dakota
The Granite Trail, Oracle State Park, Oro Valley, Arizona
Another bear sighting in the Yukon, Canada
Lupine line the bike trail on the Homer Spit
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