Sunday, May 31, 2009

Last Trip Down The Seward Highway

I know that we went to Seward a few days ago, but I had to head down that direction just one more time before we leave Alaska. We only went as far as Portage yesterday, but it's not about the distance of the drive...it's all about the quality. The Seward Highway sums up all that is great about Alaska in one beautiful package. The bore tide was heading back out to sea. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains. Eagles were flying in lazy circles overhead. Now here is something you don't see every day. This is a helicopter towing a plane back to Anchorage. I'd love to know the whole story about this, but for now, we'll just have to wonder what was going on.

We saw several moose along the road. This is a young bull moose getting a bite to eat on the side of the road. He's a handsome devil, isn't he? Since Bob never came back to say "good-bye", this young fellow will just have to do.

Here is a good looking porcupine. I didn't get a good shot of his teeth, but let me tell you...they were spectacular. (Someone needs a teeth whitening kit. They were bright yellow!) We won't even mention the lovely aroma that wafted up from him. I wouldn't want to undermine his confidence. Still, he was very kind to let me take his picture, and I do appreciate it.

Even with the rain and wind, it was a beautiful drive. I will definitely miss this.

At first glance, this looks like a bunch of white dots on the side of a mountain. On closer inspection, you will see that they are a family of Dall sheep, high up on rocks above the highway. You have to understand that this picture was taken with a zoom lens, through the windshield of a van traveling pretty fast on a windy road. All that taken into consideration, it's a pretty good shot. (I get my picture taking technique from my Dad. "Do you want me to pull over?" Click. "Nope, I'm good. I got it. Keep on trucking." I'm quite sure that all the famous photographers use this approach.)


Back to the big city of Anchorage. One step closer to our new adventure. The days are flying by, and it won't be long now.

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