Behind the times

You would think that three months after our vacation to Alaska, I would have completed photos/blog posts. You would also think that after three full days on the couch I would have had an excuse to finish. Neither option is true.

Day Five: We drove from Seward to Homer. The most interesting photo of that day is...

	I wish I could blame my lack of enthusiasm from a dose of pain killers but no. Just tired of being holed up in the house. I don't do well with being dependent on others.

I always find this interesting

Todd and I often carry our cameras at the same time. His is so much better than mine but mine is decent. What I find interesting is that Todd and I are looking at the same things on our adventures but our photos are always from different perspectives. Here is my photo from Saturday of a blue heron.

From henricus

and now look at his.

The day I had been looking forward to...day four

When Todd and I decided to go to Alaska, the one thing I knew I wanted to do was go whale watching. I began researching companies and reading reviews on all the different tours. There was an incredible sounding trip. A nine hour tour with no more than 25-30 people. The captain questioned the passengers that morning on what they wanted to see and then he decided the route of his boat. One problem. We arrived August 22nd. The last date of this tour was August 23rd. Oh well. I found an eight and half hour tour that did a very large tour of Kenai Fjords National Park and also stopped for dinner on the way back. The tour we did was with Kenai Fjords Tours. It was a long and wonderful day. I became emotional as we were leaving Seward. Most of it was from anticipation. A very small part was my need to see wildlife (especially whales-Killer or Humpback) and my tears were from sheer happiness that a dream was being fulfilled. Here are some of my photos. My purpose was to enjoy the day and not necessary capture it on film. (Todd did that for me...wait to you see his large mammal photo).

From alaska #1

This is the town of Seward...seen from the boat.

From alaska #1

My best picture of the Orca.

From alaska #1

Stellar sea lions...I love the one yawning.

From alaska #1

Doesn't he look like he is covering his ears. I either under or over exposed all my photos of sea otters.

From alaska #1

Here is the glacier calving. I believe this is Aialik Glacier but I can't remember exactly. I am going by a map I have from the trip.

From alaska #1

This is one of my only two pictures of the humpback. He was a lone male feeding when we (or the captain) found him.

From alaska #1

A strange place for the horned puffin to take a nap.

Day 3 begins with Sourdough Pancakes

When we decided to go to Alaska and began researching places, buying books, and looking on-line, I noticed the claims of legendary sourdough and longstanding sourdough starters at several restaurants. Day three we were scheduled to travel to Seward. I requested eating at an establishment along the way that boasted of sourdough pancakes. I just had to try them. I had already figured out how to get to Gwennie's before I even asked to go. I got my sourdough and was so excited by the smell as the waitress put the plate in front of me. I must say once the syrup is on there, you can't taste the sourdough anymore. Oh well, at least I got a chance to try them.

The drive to Seward from Anchorage is considered an Alaska Scenic Highway and voted an All-American Road by the Department of Transportation. You drive along Turnagain Arm, through Chuguch State Park and Forest, pass by people picking blueberries in the fields, have a chance to see Beluga Whales in Cook Inlet or spot a Dall sheep along the cliffs. It is a beautiful drive and has many turnoffs so that you can stop and take in the scenery. I, of course, wanted to see the beluga whales. The Cook Inlet belugas are genetically distinct and geographically isolated from other beluga whales. That is not the reason I wanted to see these whales. I just want to see a Beluga and thought this may be my best chance. At milepost 110, you can turn into Beluga Point. From this vantage point, you may watch the bore tide or possibly see belugas as they follow the bore tide. We were there at low tide. No beluga whales. We also stopped at Bird Point. This is another turn off along this stretch of highway. Even though its Bird Point, this is the location with the beluga sculptures and information about the Cook Inlet Beglua Whales. The tide was still out.
There were options of things to do along the way to Seward. You can go to Girdword and ride the tram to the 2300 foot Mount Alyeska. There is a restaurant up there and supposedly beautiful views. You can stop at Portage Glacier and take a short boat trip to see the glacier. The glacier has receded from view from the Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. We stopped here and we could see icebergs that had drifted down to the center. We chose to not see the glacier up close since we were doing the tour of Kenai Fjords the next day. We chose to go to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The animals are here due to rehabilitation needs. I got very close to a moose with just a wire fence between us. The grizzly bears were equally as close but it had electricity attached to their fence. While there, the gift shop staff reported that some of the animals were used in the film Into the Wild. (I suggest reading the book before seeing the movie.)

Slowly we made our way to Seward. Which will be a day four post. Below are pictures along the way on day three.

From alaska #1

This Black-bill Magpie decided to pose for me at the appropriately named Bird Point.

From alaska #1

A view of Turnagain Arm and surrounding mountains. See it wasn't too sunny this day either.

From alaska #1

This was the younger Grizzly bear at the wildlife center and yes I was this close. I didn't zoom in for this shot.

From alaska #1

This is an iceberg in Portage Lake. That isn't Portage Glacier in the view. I believe that is Burns Glacier. For those of you who believe the glaciers aren't receding, you just need to go to Alaska and view the evidence. Every one we went to had pictures of where it had been 40, 30 or even ten years ago. The rate at which they are receding seems to be accelerating. At one time, you could see Portage Glacier from this center. You no longer can and have to take a boat to the face of it.

From alaska #1

This is an unknown (possibly not named) glacier high on the mountain. We pulled over to a little picnic area just below the Portage Area and this was part of our view. The water was so blue there-as it was everywhere in Alaska.

Day Two of our trip

Day two we continued to our exploration from Anchorage. Our dilemma was "what to do". The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, Alaska Botanical Gardens, Eklutna Native Village and the Alaska State Fair were all options that were discussed. Some more easily dismissed than others (state fair for example). However, our decision was to go to Hatcher Pass. This is a scenic drive through the Talkeetna Mountains. On this drive, you pass few people. At points, we were surprised at how quiet everything was...obviously, this was when we got out of the car. You pass an old mine that while in operation searched the mountains for the mother lodes that produced the flakes that other miners were panning for in the streams. It is now a historical park and has very picturesque buildings settled in a valley in the mountains. I did not get a picture, which I regret. At the summit, there is a place to stop. There were some workers there and they suggested we hike this trail that they recently had cut on the hill. They said there is a lake at the top and it is very scenic. I was not dressed warm enough and still sore from the hike the previous day and opted to not go which I think made Todd not go. I suggested he go without me but, he didn't. This is something he regrets and I do too now. It was a rare opportunity. I learned to dress better after that day. I just wasn't prepared for the wind. I needed a windbreaker actually. These are some pictures from our drive.

From alaska #1

I believe this river is Little Susitna. AND yes, the water is blue. All streams, lakes, ponds were blue. (By the way, I am guessing this is a river. What is between a stream and a river?)

From alaska #1

This is an Arctic Ground Squirrel. I was sure it was a prairie dog of some sort and for the longest time, the only wild animal we saw in Alaska. I was starting to believe they lied about the moose and the bear. Anyway, like typical squirrels, they are not too afraid of humans and are actually hanging around for some handouts.

From alaska #1

This is either from the highest point or looking out from Summit Lake. I am not sure. Summit Lake is just a little ways further on the drive.

This is at Summit Lake. I don't even think I attempted a picture of the lake. This was a stream feeding into the larger body of water. I just liked that little patch of red at the top. It was unbelievable how many flowers were blooming and the variety of colors that we saw on our trip. Many times we were surrounded by wildflowers.

Day 1-Sunny (or so it said)

Upon arriving in Anchorage, we looked at the forecast. Our best day was to be Sunday. The forecast said sunny. Todd and I had plans to visit Potters Marsh on Tuesday as we drove to Seward. Since it appeared our weather was going to be poor, we decided to move Potters Marsh and our hike to Flattop Mountain to Sunday. Sunday wasn't sunny...or at least not until 4 p.m.
Potter Marsh, at the southern end of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge, is an easily accessible and scenic wildlife viewing area. To the south, Turnagain Arm sweeps out to Cook Inlet. Bald eagles, water birds, and spawning salmon are found here. A 1,550-foot boardwalk assists individuals in their pursuit of the plentiful birds. Spring is the best time to visit but it appeared we may be privileged to some shorebirds and swans. Here are some pictures from Potter's Marsh. Notice no birds, in my pictures at least.

From alaska #1

First, we drove past the main entrance and went down to another area...not as friendly to the visitor. No birds but I did find this "grass" wonderful. I really appreciated the purple horsetail affect.

From alaska #1

Here's the salmon. Where are the bears?.

For the second 1/2 of the day, we tried to hike Flattop Mountain.

Flattop is climbed more often than any mountain in Alaska, and that is a mixed blessing. It has a high trail head with plenty of space for parking, a mostly maintained trail (until you get to the top when you are already tired), and summit vistas from Cook Inlet to Denali. Alaska is famous for its beautiful wilderness, not for its crowds. Flattop has both. Flattop's peak is at 3500 feet. Hikers only have to climb the last 1300 hundred feet in 1.5 miles. Remember how I said the forecast was sunny. Well it was cloud covered most of the day including our hike. We couldn't tell how far we had come or how high we were. Sometimes we could barely see fifty feet in front of us. This may have been a blessing in disguise. I think Todd and I would have hesitated long before we did if, we could actually see our location or destination. We were almost to the top...the point where you have to use your hands in addition to your feet to reach the summit. This was where we both chickened out and both said we couldn't do the last stretch.

From alaska #1

Near the top looking over a ledge.

From alaska #1

This is Flattop Mountain after we came down. Notice the clouds/fog had burned almost completely away at this time.

Honey, I'm home.

Guess where I just got back from?

Black & White or Color

Todd and I have been to South River Falls Trail two times this month: May 3rd and again May 17th. Our goal was birdwatching, not actually going down to the falls. I do not have my hiking legs as of yet and that 3 1/2 miles is enough for me. I haven't captured too many fascinating items on film (disk that is) but, I did play with the black and white feature on my camera. Below is virtually the same photo in color and black & white. I do not think these are outstanding photos. Just a look at the same scenery, two different ways.

Farmer's Markets

It is that wonderful time again when the farmer's markets open up. Just around the Richmond area, there is the original downtown market open Thursdays and Saturdays. In Ashland, Forest Hill and Goochland, there are markets open on Saturday. Tuesday you can get to a very good market in Oregon Hill and just recently a market opened on Wednesdays and Saturdays in Lakeside.
Last year, I spent many a Saturday buying fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, local pork, chicken, eggs and beef. I only went to the grocery store for cereal, milk, and things like laundry detergent.
Last week was my first visits to the markets and this is my list of purchases: fresh asparagus (so yummy), strawberries, cabbage plants, and a cherry tomato plant at the Lakeside market. Saturday, I purchased pork bratwurst (raised in Farmville), hamburger meat (beef raised here in Powhatan), a Black Brandywine tomato plant, a basil plant, and freshly baked sourdough bread (that was very yummy too!)
I like that I know the individuals (or at least their faces) I am giving my money too. The Ault Family Farm is the man I buy pork and eggs from. He always has whole chickens but I have yet to be that brave. If he cut it up for me, I would buy it in a second. He also sells free range turkeys for Thanksgiving and is taking orders as early as now. The first year (yes this will be my third year) he brought beef but not since. However, I pass Brookview Farm on the way and they sell beef also from their farm. I have been stopping there to get beef or eggs. As I said earlier, there was a Powatan farm selling beef. I have yet to cook what I bought. I am very excited to have these wonderful resources open again!

Dutch Gap

Last Saturday (April 16th), Todd and I went birdwatching at Dutch Gap near Henricus. I mostly bird observe and point out birds as they fly by or flutter in trees in case he misses them. He tells me what I am looking at if I don't know. He actually is the bird watcher. Just being around a bird watcher though you pick up information: e.g. bird calls. I know some and can name the bird. Some I know I know but can't quite guess the bird. Examples: I will hear a tufted titmouse saying "peter peter" or today a Eastern Pewee saying "pee a wee". (That one was sheer luck.) However, as often as I hear a Carolina Wren out my back door, I never can guess it when I am out in the parks.

I didn't get any pictures of birds last week. Instead, I have two pictures of frogs and what I believe are iris pseudacorus.

Cuth, huh.

Not a great photo...but look how many there were.