Aloha all. This is another in a series of distraction diaries meant to provide a brief respite from the struggles of the day. This time we travel far to the north of my usual haunts. I recently returned from a photo vacation to Alaska and I will be sharing some of the results here over the next week or two. I will also be working on a more serious diary regarding the hunting of brown bears in the Katmai National Preserve but I need to do some research and put a bit more effort into writing that one. In the meantime here are some photos of one of the most spectacular (if politically problematic) places on earth.
Dawn over the Nenana River near Denali National Park
I did a one day fly in trip to view brown bears in Katmai National Preserve on the northern border of Katmai National Park. It was an amazing day and we saw many female adult bears, a few second year cubs, and one thousand pound male. At one point this female bear walked by about twenty feet away and gave me a bit of the stink eye. It gave my adrenal gland a bit of a workout.
Stinkeye
Surrounded!
The bears are feeding on dead and dying salmon here in the headwaters of the Bristol Bay drainage.
Mmmmmm Sashimi!
I will have much more on the bears of Katmai in an upcoming diary.
I also traveled north to Denali National Park and was rewarded with some really amazing weather luck. The mountain was completely clear and visible for the three days after I arrived. Just amazing, about as likely as getting rained on for three days straight at Death Valley.
The Denali Park Road
The South Summit of Mt. McKinley, or Denali. At 20,320 feet the highest point in North America.
Denali, "The Great One"
I planned the trip around the peak of fall colors in the taiga/tundra country of Denali park. I might have been a day or two late for the higher country deep in the park but near the park entrance the colors were amazing.
Along the Parks Highway south of the park entrance.
Tundra and Savage River
Fall Colors
The moose were in rut along the road at the park entrance. This is the area that is accessible by personal vehicle (after 15 miles you need to ride the park buses to access the park).
Bull Moose
Moose Cow
Moose Love
Thanks for visiting. There should be more of these in the near future if you like them. As always feel free to post your photos and please be good humans.
If you have a problem with this diary I refer you to the complaint department....
Complaint Department