Beautiful Alaska
In June 2008 we flew to Alaska, Sarah was on business there but would have time to spend whale watching and riding the Alaska Express with me later in the week.
at the start of the week I drove all over the state looking at everything like a kid in a sweet shop, this shot looks across 'Turnagain Arm' just South of Anchorage
the weather was spectacularly good throughout the entire stay with sunshine all day every day (ordered specially by our friend Robert who made this particular journey happen....thanks Robert)
I love this shot of a mountain just outside Anchorage, I waited at a viewpoint along a small hiking trail for about 25 minutes hoping for the cloud to break, this is a firm favourite from the shots I took. My old Mum would never believe that I sat still for so long.
Whilst down on the Russian river I dreamed for a moment that I had found the worlds biggest gold nugget
this shot of a lake in Denali National Park reminded me so much of the Ecosse (Scotland flag) maybe it was an omen.....
the roads were predominantly empty between towns and driving was more about cruise control and mountain viewing, with huge ranges in every direction. Alaska is such a stunning location.
it's not just about the mountains, there are incredibly deep cuttings and gullies through glacial moraines and hundreds of thousands of acres of rainforest
when Sarah was free we took the train to Seward and got a whale watching boat from the harbour early in the morning
we first went to a huge glacier and the captain stopped the boat engine and we waited in silence listening to the constant creaking and groaning of the glacier, it was a truly atmospheric and incredibly memorable moment
and then....BOOM....an enormous chunk of ice broke away with a massive boom like a shotgun firing then collapsed into the sea creating a huge splash....good timing for the camera as I happened to be focussed in that direction.
we saw so many things on the boat trip, a sea otter carrying her cub far out at sea, seals, puffins, dolphins etc. but all of these pale into insignificance when compared to observing a whale breach the surface of the ocean and we were lucky enough to see quite a few, though I never captured a 'classic' breach on camera we still have the memories.
the day after whale watching we set off to walk to portage glacier....Sarah was not particularly well equipped for walking in Alaska, but she didn't care, she'd seen whales in the wild, nothing mattered any more.
this being Alaska I guess you knew this was coming at some point
we considered for a while if this critter was stuck or just enjoying himself in a stack of cut branches
we both agreed though that this could not be a comfortable position
there was so much to see in Alaska that this page could go on forever, but this captures the feel of our time there and the wonder of this spectacular State, the gallery below contains a few more for those interested. (click the pic for a larger version with caption)