LOVE AFFAIR WITH ALASKA: Part 7
My previous post, LOVE AFFAIR WITH ALASKA: Part 6, contained mostly pictures of moose, caribou, grizzly bear, and Dall sheep. Some people on the tour bus saw a snowshoe hare, porcupine, and a wolf. I didn't because I was on the other side of the bus. Guess I could have climbed over other equally excited tourists, but the thought of being on the top of a human mountain did not appeal, especially when the bus seemed to be tilting enough without my 125 pounds added to the pile. Hubby Ron managed to see the porcupine and the wolf (which looked like a fox to him).
Taking a photo of a golden eagle in flight (above) through the dirty window of a moving bus isn't exactly a piece of cake, but this is one of the two non-blurry shots that came out. Remember to click on picture to enlarge. Golden eagles, who usually mate for life, eat rabbits, squirrels, mice, marmots, other birds, and sometimes even young Dall sheep. Females are larger than males. Dark brown with a wing span of 72.8 inches to 86.6 inches, they range in length from 27 1/2 to 33 inches in length. Folks, that's a lot of bird. I thought they were beautiful, but not as regal as the bald eagles we have in Virginia.
Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali by Alaskans, is 20,320 feet tall, the tallest mountain in North America. Only 30% of the tourists visiting Denali National Park see it because of the weather. In a single day, one can experience sun, wind, rain, clouds, and rain. Two days out of three, the peak is covered with clouds. Conditions change in an instant, but we were lucky.
Mt. McKinley above and below.
Mt. McKinley, white behind the dark mountain range.
See how it towers over the other mountain and the cloud.
Me at the entrance to one of Fairbanks' many museums.
Sculpture in downtown Fairbanks.
Taking a photo of a golden eagle in flight (above) through the dirty window of a moving bus isn't exactly a piece of cake, but this is one of the two non-blurry shots that came out. Remember to click on picture to enlarge. Golden eagles, who usually mate for life, eat rabbits, squirrels, mice, marmots, other birds, and sometimes even young Dall sheep. Females are larger than males. Dark brown with a wing span of 72.8 inches to 86.6 inches, they range in length from 27 1/2 to 33 inches in length. Folks, that's a lot of bird. I thought they were beautiful, but not as regal as the bald eagles we have in Virginia.
Mt. McKinley, also known as Denali by Alaskans, is 20,320 feet tall, the tallest mountain in North America. Only 30% of the tourists visiting Denali National Park see it because of the weather. In a single day, one can experience sun, wind, rain, clouds, and rain. Two days out of three, the peak is covered with clouds. Conditions change in an instant, but we were lucky.
Mt. McKinley above and below.
Mt. McKinley, white behind the dark mountain range.See how it towers over the other mountain and the cloud.
I could write a dozen blogs about Denali National Park and Preserve, but I bet y'all would get sick of hearing about it. If you're curious and want to learn more, check out this website.
From Denali, we traveled to Fairbanks and visited the Alaskan Pipeline.
Pipeline Visitors Center
Hubby Ron standing by a cross section of pipeline.
Lengthier view of pipeline, which is 800 miles long.
Loved this sign! Click on picture to enlarge.
From Denali, we traveled to Fairbanks and visited the Alaskan Pipeline.
Pipeline Visitors Center
Hubby Ron standing by a cross section of pipeline.
Lengthier view of pipeline, which is 800 miles long.
Loved this sign! Click on picture to enlarge.
Me at the entrance to one of Fairbanks' many museums.
Sculpture in downtown Fairbanks.Labels: Alaska, Denali, Fairbanks, Mt. McKinley
posted by Sally Roseveare | 4:04 PM
2 Comments:
Great pictures and I'm still sighing...maybe someday.
Claudia, go to Alaska when you can. The trip is worth the long flights to get there.
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