From Chicken to Dawson City Driving away from Chicken, I paused on the hillside across the creek and used my binoculars to look down at Tisha’s schoolhouse. I could barely see the roof of the building—but at least I could claim that I had ‘seen’ it now. My postcard would have to suffice for a photo, though. The Milepost showed that I would need to travel 108 miles to reach Dawson City, Yukon Territory. My route would take me over…
Next Stops, Puffin Paradise and Seldova I spent my first night alone at a roadside pullout just north of Homer. When I woke up the next morning, I discovered that someone else had pulled in to camp behind me. I couldn’t decide if having someone camp in the same pullout made me feel safer or creeped-out. After a quick breakfast, I headed into Homer to catch a ferry to Seldova, where friends of my parents live. I had met Paul…
Cygnets in Unexpected Places Throughout our entire trip to Alaska, I had wanted to get good photos of Trumpeter Swan cygnets. We saw some from a distance on our Nabesna Road adventure, and I took better photos of Tundra Swan cygnets on a canoeing adventure. But I really wanted closer-up photos (I know better than to approach wildlife with young). In the early 1900s, swan populations dwindled due to hunting, and many people believed that the species had become extinct.…
Seeing Alaska for the First Time I didn’t realize that our trip to Alaska would open my eyes to all that I missed during my first visit to that beautiful state. When I traveled to Alaska the first time, I came away remembering two mountains. I vaguely recall a mountain towering behind the Alyeska Glacier. Mayme explained that the mountain held the only ski resort in Alaska. For some reason, this fact amused me. Marathon Mountain in Seward, Alaska holds…
Close Encounters of the God Kind I faced a dilemma at the beginning of our Alaska adventure—the budget kind of dilemma that often plagues me. We had enough money to make the trip if we kept our expenses in Alaska down. But I really, really wanted a better telephoto lens for my camera. The 100-400mm lens that I already have didn’t seem adequate for capturing the wildlife we would certainly see along the way. I reasoned that since we would…
