Saturday, September 12, 2009

Photo links

I finally got more photos uploaded from this summer

Vietnam: http://picasaweb.google.com/melody.jordahl/Vietnam?feat=directlink

Cambodia: http://picasaweb.google.com/melody.jordahl/Cambodia?feat=directlink

Alaska (belated, but still true!)

In early August, 2009, I traveled to Alaska with my mom . The excuse was a friend's wedding, but we had both been wanting to go for a long time.
As most flights arrive in Anchorage late at night, we left on the train for Denali after a short night. It was a very overcast day which made for a quiet ride on the way up. And a very long 8 hours. It did clear a bit, but not much. We also realized once we got to Denali that what was clouds had changed to smoke: there were many fires in the area. Our first night there, we went on a horse-drawn carriage ride that included a family style dinner. It was nice and relaxing and a great meal.
The next morning was slightly clearer as it had rained. We slept in, did a little shopping, then headed out the the park mid-afternoon. Although the clouds were low hanging because of the rain (so we didn't seen any mountains, let alone Denali), it was still gorgeous. We saw some wildlife, including some male caribou several miles below us and some Dall sheep on the mountain. However, the highlight was seeing several grizzly bears. First was a mother with her two year-old cubs napping on the side of the road on the way in. Then, on the way out, we saw the same three bears plus another mom and cub eating berries. The groups got a little too close for comfort so we got to see a bit of a confrontation between the moms, which was amazing. Our driver said it was rare to see that sort of thing so close to the road.
Next day we headed back to Anchorage. It was a beautiful day which made for a much nicer ride on the way home (train again). Once back in Anchorage, we were picked up by a friend of mine for dinner. We went to the Bear Tooth Grill which was very good. While waiting for dinner, we stopped at Earthquake Park and did get a view of Denali, even if it was from that far away!
The next day we headed to Matanuska Glacier, where the wedding was held. A friend of mine, who also knows the bride, picked us up and we drove out. The reception was at a lodge nearby, but the wedding was actually out on the glacier, about a 40 minute hike. And yes, the bride wore a traditional wedding dress, although she did wear mukluks. We spent the night at the lodge where the reception was to enjoy our evening.
Next stop was Seward (via Anchorage of course). We picked up a rental car in Anchorage and headed south. It was another gorgeous day for the drive. We stopped along the way to take some pictures and just enjoy the day. After a relaxing evening, we went on a glacier cruise the next morning. We saw lots of wildlife, such as whales, Dall porpoises, sea otters, sea lions, and lots and lots of puffins. We spent quite a bit of time at the Holgate Glacier, watching the birds and the ice fall.
After spending the morning at the Sealife Center (funded by money from the Exxon Valdez settlement) and shopping again, we headed back to Anchorage. We had dinner at the Moose's Tooth, a good pizza place and the sister of the Bear's Tooth. We spent the next morning at Potter Marsh, where we finally saw salmon running (and more birds). After wondering around a bit more in Anchorage, we left for home.

Overall it was a great trip. Beautiful state. Friendly people. Relaxed atmosphere. I can't wait to go again and see even more!

To see a few pics, check out my Picasa album http://picasaweb.google.com/melody.jordahl/Alaska?feat=directlink