Autumn in Montana

Julie and I are visiting Park County Montana for an Autumn visit with Carl and Shannan. On our first full day I managed to achieve a first...a day of photography from sunrise to sunset. The day included a morning drive through Paradise Valley, an afternoon in the Shields Valley,  through the Crazy Mountains and a visit to a "secret" Ghost Town mining village. Here are some pictures to share from the day.

Western Meadowlarks at Sunrise - Montana State Bird

Sandhill Cranes on the Yellowstone

Sandhill Cranes

Golden Eagle

Yellowstone Valley at Sunset

Safe return to our Brewery Flat in downtown Livingston

Alaskan Impressions

We are spending our last day in Alaska and are heading off to the Native Alaskan Center with a light rain falling. This has been a wonderful trip, recommended for everyone's "Bucket List".  The beauty of this vast land is a unique national treasure with many contrasts: Pristine beauty, vast scenery, natural resources, harsh climate and a hard life that the locals seem to embrace. The following are some favorite images before we  head home.

Denali Wilderness & Wildlife Tour

Up at 5AM, board the bus and off on the Denali 90 mile road into the park. Denali is an immense National Park with spruce forrest, glacial rivers and plains filled with berry bushes to delight the Grizzlies. We were able to see Caribou (Reindeer to our Scandinavian friends), several Grizzlies, (though off in the distance) and a cute clutch of Ptarmigans, Alaska's state bird.  We were able to see a rare site of a Grizzly mom with three cubs. Usually mom only produces two. The trip made for a long day with beautiful vistas and the anticipation of seeing wildlife around the next bend. Our guide did not disappoint however we are happy to be back in our rooms, resting before the dinner theatre tonight. We had an overcast day which is common for this time of year. Our guide informed us we were lucky to see Mt Denali yesterday as it appears through the clouds only about 20% of the time.

Into the Wilderness on the Alaskan Denali Railroad

Today we disembarked our ship and headed to the rail portion of our trip. We boarded the luxury accommodations of the Alaskan railroad and experienced first class treatment as we spent the next 9 hours heading into the wilderness. The pristine scenery unfolded as we crossed glacial rivers, and through birch and black spruce forests. As we approached Denali National park and  the newly renamed Denali mountain, we were treated to spectacular views before the clouds engulfed the mountain. Our guide told us this was a special day as the weather was perfect for viewing. Julie enjoyed the comforts of our coach while I retreated throughout the day to the open section of the car for lots of photos.  

An awe inspiring day in Glacier Bay Alaska

“Awesome” has become an overused adjective for many things which are not. Today we spent the entire day cruising the Glacier Bay National Park. The sights and sounds were truly Awesome and Awe inspiring. We were treated to mountain vistas, ancient glaciers, iceberg fields, calving ice slides, humpback whale, seals and even little sea otters. We feel truly blessed to have experienced this day. I regret that slow satellite internet service does not allow me to share more pictures.