Pedernales Post header
July 14-23, 2010 - Alaska Vacation with Zac

Here are 78 of the 700 (or so) pix I took in Alaska. These pix were mostly taken in Juneau, at Glacier Bay, and in Denali National Park.
CLICK ANY OF THESE PICTURES TO SEE A LARGER VERSION. FAMILY AND FRIENDS: IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO MAKE PRINTS FROM ANY OF THESE PIX, PLEASE DON'T DO IT FROM THE THUMBNAILS HERE, OR EVEN FROM THE 800 PIXEL SIZE YOU WILL SEE WHEN YOU CLICK A PIC. LET ME KNOW WHICH YOU WANT AND I'LL SEND HIGH RESOLUTION VERSIONS, SUITABLE FOR PRINTING.
Juneau-CozyLogExterior Juneau-CozyLogPorch Juneau-CozyLogZacWithNickNacks
First stop - Juneau - Cozy Log B&B at the foot of the mountain. Zac's bed decorations freak him out.
Juneau-FishEscalator Juneau-4Fishermen Juneau-1Fisherman
They use so much salmon at the pier-side restaurant we eat at that they are constantly unloading them with this fish escalator. Sports fishermen were pulling salmon out of the water one after the other. This guy gets a nice one.
Juneau-EagleOnContainer Juneau-EagleFlies Juneau-BarnaclesOnRocks1
Eagles are fishing too. Containers make a nice look-out perch. Of course, flying over the shoreline is even better for fishing. Barnacles make beautiful decorations on the rocks at our feet.
Juneau-MoreBarnacles Juneau-Even more barnacles Underwater scape
More barnacles - lots of variety. Another rock-scape, with shells. Here's what lurks just beneath the surface.
JuneauGlacierWide JuneauGlacier-Zac'sBack JuneauGlacier-ZacWithBinocs
On to the Juneau glacier. Here's a wide view. Zac checks it out. He turns just in time for this nice portrait.
BlueEdgeofJuneauGlacier Zac&NanabyJuneauGlacier JuneauGlacierWaterfallClose
The edge of the glacier is spectacular blue ice. Zac and Nana seem pleased with it all. This raging waterfall splashes from above.
JuneauGlacierWaterfall-High ZacByJuneauGlacierWaterfall LychenOnAtreeNearJuneauGlacier
Here's where it's coming from. Zac climbs up for a closer look. Lychen on trees in the woods above the falls.
MossOnRockByGlacier TrackInWoods ZacFliesPlane
It's so moist, everything grows everywhere. We turned around after finding this bear track. Leaving Juneau Zac gets to co-pilot.
GlacierBayWoods-Gramps&Zac Ric&AnnieJoin ZacIn Glacier BayWoods Reflections in Glacier Bay Woods
That plane took us to Glacier Bay. At last gramps got into a picture here in the woods. Not easy, but we got a self-timer shot to work for a family portrait. Water everywhere in the woods by Glacier Bay.
ZacOnBoardwalk Woodcut in Glacier Bay woods Mushroom condo
So much swamp that they had to build boardwalks all over. Natural art abounds here. Check out this woodcut. And this mushroom condo for frogs.
ZacBirdwatching Sloth stayed too long ZacSings
What's Zac looking at now? Could that be a sloth under that lychen? It's enough to make Zac sing.
MagicWoods ZacHides Moose by the bay
The woods are magical here by the bay. So why hide? Perhaps because mooses are big.
CloudsOverGlacier TinyShip GlacierReflections
Now we are on the tour boat, out in the bay. Look out! Glacier ahead! See that tiny ship at the foot of the glacier? It's got 3,000 people on board. The glacier was calving as we approached.
LayersOfGlacier GlacierBayBlueIce JaggedGlacier
Ice... ice... and more ice.
HandOnIce GlacierBayZacBearWatching BearOnShore
A crew member fishes a chunk of glacier ice out so we can have a close look. Zac and a young admirer watch out for bears. Zac is the bear spotting champ
SeaLions MoreSeaLions WhaleTail
We also get to see sea lions... Lots of them. And whales - amazing.
DenaliMuseumMoose LookOutZac UseOtherDoor
We fly back from Glacier Bay to Anchorage, where we pick up the camper thatwe will be using for the rest of our time in Alaska. Next stop - Denali National Park. First stop once we hit the park is the park's museum, where Zac almost gets attacked by a moose. Fortunately, he turns around in time to avoid losing some hair. He takes off, looking for an exit. But here he runs into a dilema.
DenaliZacRunning ZacRunsByRock RunsByRiver
Finaly free, Zac hits the ground running... and running... and running
Zac&NanaByRiver ZacLooksUp AnnieLooksAround
Nana asks where he's been. It turns out to have been way up here. Proud nana.
Ranger Camper GrumpyGramps
Oh Yogi, Mr. Ranger is watching. We make it back to our campsite and our cool camper. Next morning, a darkness-deprived grumpy grampa muddles through a bowl of cereal.
ZacNanaOnRoad LateDusk ZacByLake
After breakfast, we head to a bus stop, where we will get a bus up into the otherwise inaccessible reaches of the park. Like this spectacular lake, where Zac finds peace,
ZacGrampLake FoggyMountain Mooses
except while being tickled by grampa. Seems like it's always cloudy up here. We never actually cought a glimpse of the top of Denali. This peak is up there, though. Mooses like it up here.
BearFamily Bears comfort
And so does this family of bears. Here they are a little closer. Which will it be?
AnnieAntlers busbutt zacleap1
Annie tries on a pair of antlers. The end of the bus at the end of the line. Back down at a lower elevation, Zac goes for a little extra height.
zacleap2 zacleap3 zacleap4
Leaping lizards, he's jumping the creek, again, and again,
zacleap5 ZacNanaPuddles drivinghome
and again. Until it's time to head back to the campsite for our last night there before heading back to Anchorage. Here we go, to Anchorage and home.

And, if you are interested in previous postings, you'll find links to just about everything I have up on the web at our
Index of Sites.

Zip to the Top