Alaska Adventure: Month Two - August, 2016
This album contains photos I took in Alaska and Canada's Yukon Territory during the month of August, 2016. I started the month in Denali National Park, which was an absolute highlight of the month, and then continued south to the Kenai Peninsula, and eventually made my way to Haines and Skagway in the southeast, via Yukon Territory. It was a wonderful month full of great memories and awesome photographs.
Alaska Adventure: Month Two Route
The approximate route I took during month two (August, 2016) of my Alaska Adventure.
Denali National Park was one of the highlights of my summer, 2016 trip to Alaska. While there, I camped at Wonder Lake with the intent of shooting Denali – the highest mountain in North America – at sunrise and / or sunset. On the night that I took this particular photo, “The Mountain” was hiding in the clouds, as it does more often than not. Fortunately, the trip was a blast regardless, and as I was walking around in the evening, I saw a ton of snowshoe hares, like the two shown here. They change color with the season, so within a few months, these guys will be pure white. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle A): 10x8, 14x11, 20x16, 24x20, 30x24.
I knew Denali National Park would be one of my favorite places in Alaska before I visited it during the summer of 2016, but I thought it would be a highlight more for the scenery than the wildlife. Fortunately, both the scenery and wildlife were spectacular. No private vehicles are allowed on the one road that goes 90 miles into the Park – instead, visitors must go in on one of the shuttles that are operated by the Parks Service. I got extremely lucky on an early morning bus ride coming back towards civilization from Wonder Lake Campground, and was treated to a mother grizzly and her two cubs walking alongside the road. They were unfamiliar to the Parks employees, who hadn't seen this particular family of bears yet this year. Watching them wander around, play, and eat was one of my favorite experiences in Alaska. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24.
I went on two wildlife and glacier viewing cruises while in Alaska. The weather was atrocious on my first cruise, but quite nice on the second one, which made up for the lost opportunities of the first. Departing from the town of Whittier – one of the strangest towns on the planet – the cruise I went on in the middle of August, 2016, traveled down Blackstone Bay in order to see two tidal glaciers, including this beauty: Blackstone Glacier. Like most glaciers on the planet, it is rapidly receding, so I was happy to be able to see it in the condition I did. Available in the following sizes (Panorama A): 20x10, 24x12, 32x16, 40x20, 48x24, 60x30, 60x30 Triptych (3 x 20x30), 72x36, 72x36 Triptych (3 x 24x36), 80x40, 80x40 Triptych (3 x 27x40), 96x48, 96x48 Triptych (3 x 32x48), 108x54, 108x54 Triptych (3 x 36x54), 120x60, 120x60 Triptych (3 x 40x60).
The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, outside Whittier, Alaska, is a great place to see wildlife that might otherwise be difficult or impossible to see in the wild. The grizzly bears that live at the Center were a real treat to watch as they played together on the largest habitat for non-wild bears in the world. After splashing around in one of the on-site ponds, this bear relaxed and struck a few beautiful poses for me before going back to his primary task – having fun. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30, 24x36, 30x45.
Full Moon over the Kenai Mountains
Homer is a strange little town on Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. I had been in Alaska for roughly a month when I made it to Homer, and of that time, there had only been one day in which it didn't rain at all. So when the weather turned beautiful on the afternoon of August 20, 2016, I didn't think there was much of a chance it would stay that way for long. I've never been happier to be wrong. I intended to shoot the sunset from an overlook above town this evening, but ended up getting there too late. Oops. Fortunately, I had a backup plan. I knew there would be a full moon rising shortly after sunset, but wasn't sure of the direction in which it would come up. When I checked my phone and saw that it was going to rise above the Kenai Mountains to the southeast, I knew I was going to be in for a good show. This is one of my favorite photos from my entire summer on the road. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30.
The American Bald Eagle Foundation in Haines, Alaska, is set up to educate people about an American icon – the bald eagle. It was here that I took this spectacular photo of an adolescent bald eagle's head. Notice the white head isn't entirely white. This is because the eagle is young. They are born entirely brown, and their heads and tail feathers only turn white at five or six years of age. Available in the following sizes (Square): 10x10, 12x12, 16x16, 20x20, 24x24.
I'd left my campsite in Haines, Alaska one evening in order to go up the road to take sunset photos. After only a minute or two on the road, I glanced in my rear view mirror and was forced to do a double-take. Had I really just seen a rainbow as incredibly vibrant as I thought? I got out of the car and was thrilled to find that the answer to that question was a resounding “YES!” The nearly horizontal light from the setting sun really adds some punch to this photo. Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40.
Haines, Alaska, is, at times, a difficult place to take photographs. Any direction one looks results in beauty. So it can be difficult to plan shots. I'd shot Mt. Krause – the mountain in this photo – one evening, but wasn't entirely happy with the results. I figured it might work for a sunrise photo, though, and returned early the next morning in order to try again. I'd say the few hours of sleep I lost to get this photo were well worth it! Available in the following sizes (Rectangle B): 12x8, 18x12, 24x16, 30x20, 36x24, 45x30, 60x40, 72x48.
