If you travel to Alaska you may not encounter a wild bear, but I can guarantee you’ll have an ice encounter! Whether you are drinking a glass of freshly squeezed glacier water or exploring the great outdoors, it’s never far away. While staying in Valdez we were fortunate to take a cruise on Prince William Sound heading toward the Colombia Glacier. We passed by humpbacked whales, sea lions, porpoises and sea otters. The sea otters were my favourite. They float on their backs snacking on their most recent catch. As we got closer to the glacier we passed by some of the bluest icebergs I have ever seen. I’m glad our Captain knew what he was doing squeezing in between the icebergs. When we got as close as we could to Columbia Glacier we stood in awe on the deck listening quietly for the crack. Then it happened—crack, splash and the glacier calved. A new iceberg was born. We are learning so much. Stay Safe. You are always in my prayers. Love Mom. Definitions according to NSIDC
Glaciers are made up of fallen snow that, over many years, compresses into large, thickened ice masses. Due to sheer mass, glaciers flow like very slow rivers. Some glaciers are as small as football fields, while others grow to be dozens or even hundreds of kilometres long. An Iceberg is a piece of ice that has broken off from the end of a glacier that terminates in water. The breaking off of icebergs, known as calving, is a normal part of the life of a glacier-fed ice shelf, even when the icebergs calved are massive.
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Even smaller than North Perth, the town of Valdez has about 4000 residents. This beautiful little town is right on the water and surrounded by some of the world’s tallest coastal mountains. One thing the residents take very seriously is their fish.
When we arrived we headed straight to the Solomon Gultch Hatchery. The pink salmon are just starting to run. We could see a few sneaking up the ladder into the hatchery. They will lay their eggs there. Once they hatch and are a little bigger they will be released. They release 250 million pink salmon fry (baby salmon) a year. What’s big already though is the halibut! May through September Valdez hosts a Halibut Derby. In the evening we can walk along the doc and check out the giant halibut Hanging on hooks. The largest so far this summer is 170 lbs (77 kg). Do you think that will be the winner? We should check back and see. Bears are in the area…I think they are looking for a tasty salmon snack. Stay safe. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. Denali National Park & Preserve covers six million acres of the Alaskan wilderness. What we have covered by Dome Train, bus, hiking, and by raft hardly touches a speck of this. The land is harsh and the winters here are extreme. Almost half of the park is covered in permafrost Only one-third of the visitors that come to the park catch a glimpse of Denali. It is the highest mountain peak in North America. We got up at 5:30 a.m. and were rewarded with a spectacular sighting. Shortly after it was covered in clouds. So, if you were a sleepy head you didn’t see Denali today. There is a lot of interesting wildlife in the National Park. Today they were mainly running away from us😄 Hopefully, I will get some pictures before we leave Alaska. We did get some great flower photos. Some of the plants that grow here are the same as we have in North Perth, but some are different. You can see purple Fireweed on the North Perth trail. However, we don’t have cotton grass. Can you imagine how these two plants got their names? Hopefully, my camera catches a few animals tomorrow. Maybe we’ll get close to a moose! You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. What better than hanging out with Alaskan Sled dogs? Well, hanging out with Alaskan sled dog puppies! These adorable month old pups could one day be part of the elite racing dogs of Trail Blazer Kennels (TBK). TBK was the home of lead dog Granite and his owner, and four time Iditarod, Susan Butcher. Granite who started out as the runt of his litter became a hero of the Iditarod Trail. He even has a book written about him. The Iditarod is an annual sled dog race in Alaska. It is 1000 miles long through brutal winter conditions. And as if those cuddly puppies weren’t enough doggy love, we met another group of sled dogs today—the canine rangers of Denali National Park. These are working dogs. They have been hauling supplies and protecting the wilderness in Denali since 1922. In the extreme Alaskan winters sled dogs are more reliable than snowmobiles. You never have to jump start a sled dog and their clever sled dog brain has saved many human park rangers. During the summer teams train pulling ATV’s and metal contraptions with wheels. We can only imagine how these incredible animals move in the winter. Maybe we will have to come back one day. You are Always in my Prayers. Love Mom. For More information on the Canine Park Rangers check out :
We arrived in Alaska past midnight last night. The sun still hadn’t set! This time of year it's light out pretty much 24 hours a day. Our cabin has very dark blinds to fool our minds into thinking that we should go to sleep.
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