These are the pictures from our two week honeymoon in Alaska.
We started in Anchorage, Alaska. The first picture below is of a road crossing a
runway at Anchorage International Airport (take a good look at the crossing gate sign)
and the second picture is the Bed and Breakfast we stayed at the first night.
This next group of pictures came from our drive between Anchorage and Seward on our
2nd day. This was also the day that we went whitewater rafting (pictures from that
coming soon). The town we have pictures of is called Hope. We ate a good dinner there
after rafting.
This is the small Inn we stayed at in Seward. The pictures of the road were actually
taken at the end of the drive way of the Inn.....at 10:30pm. The Sun really never
sets in Alaska in the summer. This is about as dark as it got at night.
Here is the big activity of the 3rd day - a wildlife viewing cruise. Unfortunately,
the weather didn't cooperate very well and the cruise was shortened. It seems that,
although Renae and I thought it was fun riding in a boat in 10 to 11 ft swells, other
passengers couldn't quite handle it and were starting to get sea sick. In these pictures
you can see a bald eagle in a tree, sea lions on the rocks, and lots of other birds.
We did see a grey whale, but unfortunately the boat was too unsteady and he was too quick
for me to get a good picture.
After the cruise, we walked along the beach in Seward (the beach was more gravel than sand)
and then went hiking on a trail.
A couple pictures of a train on the Alaska Railroad. This railroad has no link to
railroads outside of Alaska...all of their cars and engines have to be ferried to
Alaska by boat.
After the hike (and one of the best seafood dinners we have ever had) we drove out to
the only road-accessible part of Kenai Fjords National Park, the Exit Glacier area. Tomorrow,
we would be hiking to the top of the Glacier.
We are now at the third day of our honeymoon. This day was a hike up the mountain beside Exit Glacier.
The trail was about 4 miles long, with an elevation gain of about 3500 ft. As you can see in the pictures, some of the hiking was through the snow. About a half mile into the trail,
we looked behind us and saw an approx. 600 pound black bear following us. We stopped, started talking loudly and
singing to let the bear know we were there. It walked to within 30 ft of us, then turned off of the trail. That was definately
an experience! That day, we saw 6 other bears along the trail (but none as close as that one). At the top of the trail
was the Harding Icefield - 300 square miles of nothing but ice and snow. The pictures don't do it justice.
Again, it was rainy and it was a little cold (about 55F at the bottom, and probably close to 30F at the top).
This is a picture of a "buoy tree" that we saw in Seward.
At the end of the day, we went sea kayaking in the bay by Seward (pictures coming soon)
The 4th day was the drive from Seward north to Talkeetna. On the advice from a guide from the
rafting trip, we made a detour through Hatcher's Pass on our way there. The big machine
that we have pictures is actually an old snowblower that the Alaska Railroad used to use
to clear snow off of the tracks.
At the top of Hatcher's Pass, there is an old gold mine called Independence Mine. This mine is now
a state park, and they are slowly restoring the mine.
These are pictures from driving over Hatcher's Pass
After driving over Hatcher's Pass, we arrived in Talkeetna, AK. We happened to be be there for the first day of their yearly town festival,
the Moose Dropping festival (yes, it is what you are thinking!).
These are pictures from our "flightseeing" trip on the 5th day. We went up in a small plane, and they flew us close to Denali where we got to see
lots of glaciers and mountain ridges. Also, the flight included a glacier landing. The plane landed on a glacier, and we
were able to get out and walk around on it.
These are a few pictures taken at about 11:30pm that night from the Bed and Breakfast we were staying at. These are pictures of Mt McKinnley (Denali).
This is from the 6th day of the trip. We saw the parade of the first day of the Moose dropping festival, and then we drove up
to Denali National Park where we would spend the next few days camping at the Savage River Campground.
The 7th day - our first shuttle bus trip into Denali National Park. Beyond mile 13 of the approx. 90 mile park road, personal
vehicles are not allowed. You have to ride the park's shuttle bus system (they are big school buses). We saw a LOT of wildlife
out there.
The 8th day - another trip on the shuttle bus system. We did do some hiking towards the end of the day, we went up a small
mountain next to the park road and saw some beautiful scenery.
The start of the 9th day - one of the big blessings of the trip. Only 30% of people that go to Alaska get to see Denali, and at 6:30 in the morning
we got to see it.
After taking down our tent, we went and did some horseback riding. After the horseback riding we went and saw a sled dog
demostration at Denali National Park. After the demonstration, we drove up to Fairbanks
The 11th day saw us fly from Fairbanks up to Barrow, AK. Barrow is on the Arctic Ocean coast on the north side of the state. We went on a tour of the town, got to see some demonstrations by the
natives up there, and we got to see some very impressive whale bones. And, Renae and I joined the "official" Polar Bear
club by jumping into the Arctic Ocean (air temp was 45F, water temp was 37F).
Another interesting thing to witness in Barrow was the "midnight sun". These next couple of pictures were taken
at 3:30am. During the summer, the sun never sets in Barrow.
A few more pictures from around Barrow....
On the 12th day, we returned to Fairbanks and the place we were staying there. It was a Bed and Breakfast called the Aurora Express. All
of the rooms there were in old Alaska Railroad cars. Each car was converted into rooms, each room had a different theme. They also used
a dining car as the dining room.
On the 13th day, we drove around the Fairbanks area. We saw the Alaska Pipeline, and did some rock climbing. We also soaked in the
hot springs at the Chena Hot Springs Resort, and we drove through North Pole, Alaska.
This is the 14th and final day. We took some more pictures around the Aurora Express, and then began the long drive back
to Anchorage to catch our evening flight. After seeing an "interesting" Bar and Restraunt along the road (which, after spending
nearly 1000 miles in a car, can lead to some very mature conversation), we stopped and did some hiking around a lake close
to the road. After the hike, we snapped a few more pictures and made it to the airport just in time to fly home.
