ALASKA
Yes! A trip to Alaska is a life experience! Central Alaska was our choice for it has roads!!
"We" were talking about it and "She" just booked the flights so we were going!!
If you chose to stay in a hotel - you still need transportation. The additional layer of scheduling and the prices for hotels ( and their appearance! ) caused us to choose a rental RV.
We were picked up at the airport, checked out on the operation of our new home, and on our way in an hour.
We were wandering about trying, to find our campsite, and were welcomed to Alaska by a very large Bull Moose! Wildlife Welcome!!
The trip to our first site included a stop for provisions on the way. If you think Publix is high - wait until you shop in Anchorage!
The trip is told in the Latest Additions and the Trail Report and will appear here - as well!
8400 RAW Photos are still, in editing, to bring Alaska to you.
I hope you enjoy the photos and the tales spun along the way!
August 29th, 2014:
Wow! Still editing Alaska, with local trips, interspersed during the remarkable heat of the Summer.
The Road to Seward leaves Anchorage with a stop at Walmart for supplies { gotta remember the Anchorage Amber~ It's special!! }.
you leave Seattle and you are still 1500 miles from Anchorage! The cost of the extra mileage that the "stuff" all comes to the consumer in Alaska - makes shopping less than a pleasure in Alaska. My favorite: Watermelons "On Sale $9.99! The scenery makes up for it!!
Twenty miles South of Anchorage begins the Turnagain Arm. The road and the Alaskan Railroad follow the shores of Cook's Inlet. The road offers many places to pull off and enjoy the scenery. Gasoline is reasonably available! { It's there, but the price, may not also be reasonable! }
The road splits into the the highway West SR 1 and South SR9 at Tern Lake. The Arctic Terns are very evident over the lake. The area is a bird watchers' delight.
The little town of Moose Pass offers a water wheel turning a grinding stone - for all those with an axe to grind - you might as well sharpen it here! I don't think I could count to ten buildings in Moose Pass but the bar was friendly! The Kenai Lake is a remarkable scenic event - further South.
Seward s a changed place after the Tsunami of 1964.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/1964seward.html
The town sits in a u-shaped harbor very exposed to the high-speed waters that destroyed it. Since the rebuild, of the city, they have constructed significant rock structures to deflect and absorb a repeat of 1964 event.
Seward is a host to the RV and marine site-see'ers of the world. Several Tour lines provide marine animal, glacier based tours, and everything in between. The tour we chose had a reasonably priced steak and salmon buffet that was devoured by all!
Photographers beware!! The boat we choose said the Coast Guard would not let them allow tripods on board. Bring a big lens and prepare for the workout of your life!
Part of the selection process was to pick a big boat. Little boats become large corks as they approach the open waters at the South of the bay.
The 6oomm lens with a 1.4x tele-converter is a good piece of equipment for the job at hand. Put it on a monopod in a rolling sea and you would sell your soul for a 300mm f2.8 with a selection of tele's.
Remember: Once you commit , one hand for the boat - so you stay on board, you are one hand short of handling the camera!
The Canon 100-400mm or a Nikon 80-400mm is the mainstay of the wildlife and nature photographer. Couple it with a full frame -high pixel count DSLR to preserve resolution of the image or go bigger! { and do the 3 axis boat dance!! }
Saw nothing for miles, .... and then everything as we got further down the inlet. Stellar sea lions, seabirds, and finally dolphins and orcas!! Glaciers and mountain goats along the way!
The regret was we didn't spend a few extra days in and touring the Seward waters. The campsite outside town was one of the very best we stayed at - but next time!!!
Enjoy the trails!
Yes! A trip to Alaska is a life experience! Central Alaska was our choice for it has roads!!
"We" were talking about it and "She" just booked the flights so we were going!!
If you chose to stay in a hotel - you still need transportation. The additional layer of scheduling and the prices for hotels ( and their appearance! ) caused us to choose a rental RV.
We were picked up at the airport, checked out on the operation of our new home, and on our way in an hour.
We were wandering about trying, to find our campsite, and were welcomed to Alaska by a very large Bull Moose! Wildlife Welcome!!
The trip to our first site included a stop for provisions on the way. If you think Publix is high - wait until you shop in Anchorage!
The trip is told in the Latest Additions and the Trail Report and will appear here - as well!
8400 RAW Photos are still, in editing, to bring Alaska to you.
I hope you enjoy the photos and the tales spun along the way!
August 29th, 2014:
Wow! Still editing Alaska, with local trips, interspersed during the remarkable heat of the Summer.
The Road to Seward leaves Anchorage with a stop at Walmart for supplies { gotta remember the Anchorage Amber~ It's special!! }.
you leave Seattle and you are still 1500 miles from Anchorage! The cost of the extra mileage that the "stuff" all comes to the consumer in Alaska - makes shopping less than a pleasure in Alaska. My favorite: Watermelons "On Sale $9.99! The scenery makes up for it!!
Twenty miles South of Anchorage begins the Turnagain Arm. The road and the Alaskan Railroad follow the shores of Cook's Inlet. The road offers many places to pull off and enjoy the scenery. Gasoline is reasonably available! { It's there, but the price, may not also be reasonable! }
The road splits into the the highway West SR 1 and South SR9 at Tern Lake. The Arctic Terns are very evident over the lake. The area is a bird watchers' delight.
The little town of Moose Pass offers a water wheel turning a grinding stone - for all those with an axe to grind - you might as well sharpen it here! I don't think I could count to ten buildings in Moose Pass but the bar was friendly! The Kenai Lake is a remarkable scenic event - further South.
Seward s a changed place after the Tsunami of 1964.
http://www.usc.edu/dept/tsunamis/alaska/1964/webpages/1964seward.html
The town sits in a u-shaped harbor very exposed to the high-speed waters that destroyed it. Since the rebuild, of the city, they have constructed significant rock structures to deflect and absorb a repeat of 1964 event.
Seward is a host to the RV and marine site-see'ers of the world. Several Tour lines provide marine animal, glacier based tours, and everything in between. The tour we chose had a reasonably priced steak and salmon buffet that was devoured by all!
Photographers beware!! The boat we choose said the Coast Guard would not let them allow tripods on board. Bring a big lens and prepare for the workout of your life!
Part of the selection process was to pick a big boat. Little boats become large corks as they approach the open waters at the South of the bay.
The 6oomm lens with a 1.4x tele-converter is a good piece of equipment for the job at hand. Put it on a monopod in a rolling sea and you would sell your soul for a 300mm f2.8 with a selection of tele's.
Remember: Once you commit , one hand for the boat - so you stay on board, you are one hand short of handling the camera!
The Canon 100-400mm or a Nikon 80-400mm is the mainstay of the wildlife and nature photographer. Couple it with a full frame -high pixel count DSLR to preserve resolution of the image or go bigger! { and do the 3 axis boat dance!! }
Saw nothing for miles, .... and then everything as we got further down the inlet. Stellar sea lions, seabirds, and finally dolphins and orcas!! Glaciers and mountain goats along the way!
The regret was we didn't spend a few extra days in and touring the Seward waters. The campsite outside town was one of the very best we stayed at - but next time!!!
Enjoy the trails!
© Charles F. Littlewood