Scenic pics of Alaska

[TrainNut]

As some of you probably saw, I posted a buncha pics of Alaska train shots in another section. However, most of these are just scenery shots I thought you all'd enjoy so I put 'em here instead.

Let me start by saying that the geological features of Alaska have a way of making you feel small, tiny, miniscule! ...insignificant! So, to try and capture that with a camera is... hopeless! Never-the-less, I tried my best and here are some of those shots.

The first day there, I took a float plane from Anchorage about 65 miles west. Most of the mountains in this area are around 10,000 feet tall and two of them are active volcanoes. The reason a lot of the glaciers here are so filthy is because when those volcanoes erupt, they cover them in ash!




After about an hour of flying, the pilot landed down below one of the glaciers on Beluga lake where we were able to unload and stretch our legs just a bit. Let me tell you, putting your hand in that lake was like putting it down inside an ice chest full of ice water! Pilot said we'd only last about 45 seconds if we fell in!


Later the same day, now down south of Anchorage in Alyeska, I took a tram ride up 2,000 feet above the valley floor and did some light hiking...






Next day out on the Kenai peninsula headed towards Seward...
I have never seen such vibrant colored water in the streams nor lakes as clear as those.


Of all the shots I took, this is probably my favorite... there's ducks out in that mist too.


The ground foliage was absolutely amazing. It was like this everywhere you looked...


A mediocre shot of the train sneaking through the trees along Upper Trail lake near Moose pass.






Ressurection Bay off the Gulf of Alaska...


The harbor at Seward...


This is a view across the valley of Exit glacier. Just off to the left of this picture, I watched a little blackbear play in the creek for about 20 minutes.


Sometimes it seems the prettiest places are off the beaten path...


And then you realize, in Alaska, the prettiest places are everywhere!




Independence mine...








The only thing I found disappoining was the lack of wildlife. Evidently it was hunting season (moose) and everything was hiding out. I only saw three black bears, 1 brown bear, 2 sea otters, 1 Hory Marmot, 1 bald eagle and pods n pods of Beluga whales feeding on Salmon.