Alaska Trip 2007

Alaska 2007

(Also national parks in Canada and the northern US toward the end)

Susan and I drove our motorhome to Alaska 28 June 07 - 01 October 07. 10,400 miles. The part of the trip from Dawson Creek, BC until we arrived at Smithers, BC was with a "Fantasy RV Tour". Absolutely great - great "wagonmaster" - great "tailgunner" - great traveling companions - Just wonderful in every way! We traveled almost all of the roads in Alaska. Roads were MUCH better than expected! Nearly all paved. Think there were about 120 miles of unpaved road outside of Dawson City, Yukon called "Top of the World Highway". Otherwise, all roads paved and in pretty good shape. Some a little narrow in places but not bad. (You don't have to take the "Top of the World Highway" if you just want to drive to Fairbanks or Anchorage or most other places in Alaska. Dawson City was worth seeing though. It was the center of the gold rush years ago. There is still a lot of gold there...)

All photographs here were taken using a Canon Powershot S3IS Progam camera. This camera has 12x zoom which was essential for photographing animals in the distance. Click on the thumbnail images below to retrieve and display a larger image.

Click on any image below to see a larger image.

Arizona Strip (Above Colorado River)	Arizona Strip	Colorado River - Navajo Bridge	Vermillion Bluff
Our rig	Zion National Park	Zion National Park	Zion Tunnel Port - 12x Zoom
Zion Tunnel Port	Zion Turkey Vulture	Evening	Squirrel
Great Falls, Montana	Sunset in Montana	Rabbit - Dusk in Montana	Big Dinosaur in Drumheller, Alberta
Bleriot Ferry in Alberta	Hoodoos near Drumheller	River in near Drumheller	Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum, Drumheller, Alberta
Squirrel	Beaver Statue - Beaver Lodge, Alberta	Squirrel	Mile 0 - Beginning of AlCan Highway, Dawson Creek, British Columbia
Mile 0 - The other marker.	Nearby Canola fields are bright yellow	Fire In Dawson Creek	Sawdust pile
Sue and Friend at Sasquatch Crossing	Stone Sheep on BC 97 highway	Stone Sheep on BC 97 highway	Stone Sheep on BC 97 highway
Oh! Am I in Your Way? Caribou stand in the road licking salt from the BC 97 highway	Butterfly	Steamboat Mountain Summit BC 97 highway	Hey Don! Don't get too close! BC 97 highway
Beaver Pond	Buffalo beside BC 97 highway	Buffalo beside BC 97 highway	Buffalo beside BC 97 highway
Laird Hot Springs, BC	Bufalo Crossing BC 97 highway	Sue and Buffalo BC 97 highway	Rainbow Teslin, Yukon
Ravens Yukon	Rancheria Falls Yukon	Mountain in Yukon	Mountain in Yukon
Fireweed behind Mukluk Annie's - Squanga Lake	Wild Rose in the Yukon	Whitehorse Rapids Dam Whitehorse, Yukon Anybody remember Sergeant Preston? Whitehorse, Dawson, mushing through the snow. Didn't he ever travel in the summertime when its warm and daylight 20+ hours per day?	Banjos - Frantic Follies Whitehorse
Sue And Mountie Whitehorse	High Rise in Whitehorse	Klondike Whitehorse	SternWheeler Whitehorse
We See You Yukon	GigiBird	Five Finger Rapids Yukon river	Five Finger Rapids Yukon river
Looking back to where I started walking Five Finger Rapids Yukon river	I call it Widow's Roost Five Finger Rapids Yukon river	I call it TheWidow Maker Five Finger Rapids Yukon river	Big Mosquito Moose Creek Lodge Yukon
Midnight at "Midnight Dome" overlooking Dawson City and the Klondike Valley Yukon	Yukon Nugget Dawson City Yukon	An expert can look at gold nuggets and tell exactly which location they came from. Dawson City Yukon	Dredge #4 outside of Dawson City Yukon
Dredge #4 Gears Dawson City Yukon	Dredge #4 Sluice Dawson City Yukon	HouseBoats Dawson City Yukon	Robert Service Cabin Dawson City Yukon
Cabin Dawson City Yukon	Conference Dawson City Yukon	Tribute To The Miner Dawson City Yukon	Flowers in Dredge #4 Bucket Dawson City Yukon
Downtown Dawson City Yukon	Yukon River Ferry to Top of the World Highway. You want me to drive my Motorhome onto what? A postage stamp? Yeah, but its FREE! George Black ferry Dawson City Yukon	Camp at Top of the World Highway Yukon	Top of the World campfire with rain Yukon
Alaska Border Finally we'll be in Alaska Poker Creek, Alaska	Alaska Finally Just after Poker Creek Border Station	Top of the World highway sign Just after Poker Creek Border Station	Togetherness in the wilderness. Just after Poker Creek Border Station
We Hear You! Who Wouldn't! Just after Poker Creek Border Station	What's All That Racket! Haven't you ever seen a wild Caribou before? Just after Poker Creek Border Station	Top Of the World Road About the only unpaved road we traveled on	Fireweed along Top of the World road
AlCan Highway End Marker in Delta Junction	Mosquito in Delta Junction	Pipeline Pig in Delta Junction	Pipline River Crossing near Delta Junction
Sue in Igloo at Ice Museum in Fairbanks	Fairbanks Marker	Sled Dog Plaque in Fairbanks	Cabbage at Georgeson Botanical Garden on the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks’ Experimental Agricultural Farm
dFlower at Georgeson Botanical Garden on the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks’ Experimental Agricultural Farm	Flower at Georgeson Botanical Garden on the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks’ Experimental Agricultural Farm	Flowers at Georgeson Botanical Garden on the Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks’ Experimental Agricultural Farm	Ready For Takeoff Flight to Barrow Alaska
Typical Lake	Pipeline pump station	Our plane at coldfoot, Alaska	Road signs at Coldfoot, Alaska
Sign at Coldfoot, Alaska	Restaurant at Coldfoot, Alaska	"And the rivers all run God knows where" ("The spell of the Yukon" - Robert Service)	Why there are no roads to Barrow
Barrow and arctic ocean iceburgs in the Chuckchi Sea	Barrow Sign Post	Dew Line Station at Barrow	Dew Line Radar at Barrow
Northern-most Totem Pole Note toilet seat at the top. An Inupiat Eskimo people's joke on the installation commander.	Our Barrow guide in the Polar Sea	Icebergs off Barrow	North Polar Ice Pack
Why there may never be a road to Barrow Alaska	Indecisive stream	Coldfoot Alaska	Coldfoot gravel/dirt landing strip.
Log House in Fairbanks	Sled Dog Demonstrations	Fancy Duds	Fish Wheel
Plumb Tuckered	Earthquake Shifted	Instructions: If its leaking, Run Like Hell!	Big Sluice
Saving Nuggets	Susan And Fireweed	Happiness	Warren, the Babe Magnet
Warren and Barbara	Rafters outside Denali	The only bull moose we saw Denali	A Valley In Denali (I'll bet Dr Seuss could really have run with that line: "There's a valley in Denali where the grizzlys hold their rally and the rangers take their tally lest they wind up in a galley..."
Dall Sheep in Denali	Hoary Marmot in Denali	Bears on ice in Denali	Bears playing in the snow in Denali
Denali Caribou	Grizzley Bears in Denali	Snowshoe Hare in Denali	Moose in Denali
Caribou Portrait in Denali	Great Denali Artist	Curious Hare in Denali	Curious Hare in Denali
Curious Hare in Denali	Hare Inspection in Denali	Hare Inspection in Denali	Hare Inspection in Denali
Ptarmigan in Denali	Ptarmigan and Susan in Denali	Well Insulated Bee in Denali	Denali Vista
Totem Pole Alaska Native Heritage Center, Anchorage	Flower Ball Anchorage	Flower Detail Anchorage	Who's Driving "Wildride Sled Dog Show", Anchorage
Opal And Puppy "Wildride Sled Dog Show", Anchorage	Glacier Portage Glacier area	Glacier Portage Glacier area	Glacier Portage Glacier area
Glacier Portage Glacier area	Eagle near Seward, Alaska	Exit Glacier near Seward, Alaska	Exit Glacier close up near Seward, Alaska
Sunset near Seward, Alaska	Mountain scene Exit Glacier area near Seward, Alaska	Mountain Scene Exit Glacier area near Seward, Alaska	Black bear from boat near Seward
Eagle from boat near Seward	Puffin Alaska Sealife Center in Seward	Seagulls from boat near Seward	Mountains from boat near Seward
Salmon Jumping from boat near Seward	Salmon Jumping from boat near Seward	Natural Bridge from boat near Seward	Sea Lions from boat near Seward
Sea Lions from boat near Seward	Glacier from boat near Seward	WW II Gun Emplacements from boat near Seward	WW II Gun Emplacements from boat near Seward
Cool Susan from boat near Seward	Mountain Goat from boat near Seward	Sun Setting from boat near Seward	Sun Setting from boat near Seward
Mount Augustine Volcano along road to Homer	Mountains And Flowers along road to Homer	Near Homer	Near Homer along road to Homer
Flowers along road to Homer	Flowers closeup along road to Homer	Glacier View from Homer	Homer Spit
Homer Spit	Cool Moose	Salty Dawg Saloon Homer Spit	Homer
Near Halibut Cove	Halibut Cove	Halibut Cove	Halibut Cove
Halibut Cove	Flower Halibut Cove	Berries Halibut Cove	View Halibut Cove
Homer Fish	Happy Bear	Howdy Moose	Flowers
Musk Ox Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center	Elk Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center	Musk Ox Musk Ox Farm in Palmer	Worthington Glacier On road from Palmer to Valdez
Worthington Glacier On road from Palmer to Valdez	Dall sheep on hillside On road from Palmer to Valdez	Dall sheep on hillside On road from Palmer to Valdez	Magpie On road from Palmer to Valdez
Cool Mountain On road from Palmer to Valdez	Glacier Note REALLY TALL snow poles! Guess why they are 20 feet or so high... On road from Palmer to Valdez	Mountains On road from Palmer to Valdez	Bridal Veil Falls On road from Palmer to Valdez
Salmon Spawning in Copper Creek In Valdez	Mountains with snow Valdez	Flowers Valdez	College Symbol Valdez
Tiny Hare Valdez	Could you turn up the heat? On boat from Valdez	Hi! On boat from Valdez	Hey You! On boat from Valdez
Speak No Evil! On boat from Valdez	Orca On boat from Valdez	Harbor Seals On boat from Valdez	Otters On Ice On boat from Valdez
Ice On boat from Valdez	Susan on boat - Cold outside On boat from Valdez	Puffin with three fish On boat from Valdez	Flying eagle On boat from Valdez
Sitting eagle On boat from Valdez	Columbia Glacier On boat from Valdez	Columbia Glacier On boat from Valdez	Harbor Seals in front of Columbia Glacier On boat from Valdez
Columbia Glacier On boat from Valdez	Columbia Glacier and Harbor Seals for Perspective. (The glacier is 300 feet high!) On boat from Valdez	Columbia Glacier On boat from Valdez	Waterfalls On boat from Valdez
Life On The Ledge On boat from Valdez	Waterfall On boat from Valdez	Squirrel in Tok, Alaska	Squirrel in Tok, Alaska
Kluane Lake, Yukon	Kluane Sunset	Trout from Kluane Lake Yukon (They said I could not catch one with wet flies. Also first time I ever used a barbless hook. That was a rule in Kluane lake. Well I didn't catch a big one! And I of course threw him back...)	Weather Vane in Whitehorse, Yukon Engineers said if they wanted to display it, it must be able to turn into the wind due to high winds. So it is essentially a weather vane and rotates with the wind!
Rainbow Lake, Yukon Lake bottom accounts for colors.	Bove Island In Tagish Lake?	Big Railroad Snow Blower Skagway	German Tour Bus Skagway
Mountain near Skagway	Skagway Harbor	Waterfall On boat from Skagway	Whales bubble-fishing On boat from Skagway
Whales bubble-fishing On boat from Skagway	Whales bubble-fishing On boat from Skagway	Whale tail - diving to do bubble-fishing On boat from Skagway	Whale tail - diving to do bubble-fishing On boat from Skagway
Eagle On boat from Skagway	Glacier On boat from Skagway	Glacier On boat from Skagway	Harbor Seals On boat from Skagway
Lighthouse On boat from Skagway	Ice Bridge On boat from Skagway	Harbor Seals On boat from Skagway	Black bear crossing road causing me to stop!
Rabbit	Eagle In Haines	Raven and Eagle In Haines	Glacier On boat from Skagway
Harbor Seals On boat from Skagway	Fall Colors	Tatogga Lake Mushrooms	A funny thing happened while you were out fishing... Tatogga Lake parking lot.
Cassiar Mountain Jade Store Jade Saws	Sue and Friend at Cassiar Mountain Jade Store	Rainy Day on road to Stewart/Hyder	Wooden Plank Bridge on road to Stewart/Hyder
Black Bear on road to Stewart/Hyder	Glacier on road to Stewart/Hyder	Bear Glacier on road to Stewart/Hyder	Bear Glacier on road to Stewart/Hyder
Pole Support on road to Stewart/Hyder	Salmon in Hyder, Alaska	Grizzly Bear in Hyder, Alaska	Black Bear in Hyder, Alaska
Great Blue Heron in Hyder, Alaska	Noseeums On My Hand They bite! in Hyder, Alaska	Salmon Glacier near Stewart, BC	Sue and Salmon Glacier near Stewart, BC
Keith Scott "The Bear Man" near Stewart, BC	Mountains around Salmon Glacier near Stewart, BC	Salmon Valley View near Stewart, BC	Lily Pads near Stewart, BC
WaterFall near Stewart, BC	Totem Poles Indian village of Gitanyow, BC	Houston BCs Gimmick "World's largest fly rod"	Flower
White Tail Deer Mt Robson area	Mt Robson	Red Squirrel on path to Fraser Waterfall	Fraser River's Overlander Falls Salmon meet their match here and do not normally jump these falls. Note kayakers on rocks for scale. They told me that they CAN run the waterfall but chose not to today...
Forest Scene on path to Fraser Waterfall	Jasper Elk Jasper National Park, AB	Jasper Sunset Jasper National Park, AB	Athabaska Falls Jasper National Park, AB
Jasper Glacier Jasper National Park, AB	Elk bedded down for the night Jasper National Park, AB	Tram Jasper National Park, AB	Sunrise Jasper National Park, AB
Sunwapta Falls and gorge Jasper National Park, AB	Sunwapta Falls and gorge Jasper National Park, AB	Sunwapta Falls and gorge Jasper National Park, AB	Flower Jasper National Park, AB
Elk and Sue Jasper National Park, AB	Mushroom Jasper National Park, AB	Sue and creek Jasper National Park, AB	Flower
Glacier South on Alberta Highway 93	Driver View through windshield South on Alberta Highway 93	Athabaska Glacier on Alberta Highway 93	Athabaska Glacier Snow Coach
Athabaska Glacier Snow Coach	Weather Maker	New Arrival	Glacier feeding into the Atahabaska Glacier valley
Sue And Snow Coach	Susan on Athabaska Glacier	Ice Road on Athabaska Glacier	RiverValley Jasper National Park, BC
Waterfalls Jasper National Park, AB	Mountain Jasper National Park, AB	Lichen Jasper National Park, AB	Waterfall Jasper National Park, AB
Snowberries Jasper National Park, AB	Elk calling to others Sort of a "Chirp". Almost sounds like a bird... I have a video recording of this... Jasper National Park, AB	Relaxed and sleepy Jasper National Park, AB	Yep, really sleepy Jasper National Park, AB
ElkInCampArea Jasper National Park, AB	Lake Jasper National Park, AB	Lake And Mountains near Jasper National Park, AB	View out our Motorhome window Jasper National Park, AB
Beware of Bears	Tram Terminal Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Lake Louise Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Lake Louise Lodge Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB
Lake Louise Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	The Way Down Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Lake Louise Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Flower Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB
Lake Louise Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Lake Louise Lodge Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Flower Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Flowers Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB
Flower Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Lake Louise Morning Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Moraine Lake Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Moraine Lake Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB
Mountains Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Mountains And Lake Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB	Raven Banff National Park, AB	Snow Capped Lake Louise area Banff National Park, AB
Bow Lake Banff National Park, AB	Critter Crossing Banff National Park, AB	Bow Lake Banff National Park, AB	Butterfly Banff National Park, AB
Butterfly Banff National Park, AB	Sue at Bow Lake Banff National Park, AB	Sue at Bow Lake Banff National Park, AB	Numa Falls
Red Squirrel Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park, BC	Raven Drinking Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park, BC	Red Squirrel Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park, BC	Mule Deer Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park, BC
Mule Deer Redstreak Campground in Kootenay National Park, BC	Goat Glacier National Park, MT	Goats Glacier National Park, MT	Goats Glacier National Park, MT
Saint Mary Lake Glacier National Park, MT	Goat Glacier National Park, MT	Red Bus Glacier National Park, MT	Antelope along road in Montana. There were LOTS of them.
Custer's Marker Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, MT	Devil's Tower Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming	Devil's Tower Climbers Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming	Prarie Dog Devil's Tower National Monument, Wyoming
Wild Turkey in campground	Arizona Flag Mount Rushmore Memorial, South Dakota	Waterfall	Crazy Horse Memorial South Dakota
Crazy Horse Memorial South Dakota	Colorado River along Utah 128	Colorado River along Utah 128	Pillars along Utah 128
Three Gossips Arches National Park, UT	Arch Arches National Park, UT	Brave guy Arches National Park, UT	Delicate Arch Note the guy under the arch for scale... Arches National Park, UT
Double Arch Arches National Park, UT	Double Arch Arches National Park, UT	Great View Arches National Park, UT	Elephants Arches National Park, UT
Eye Glasses Arches National Park, UT	Pond Arches National Park, UT	Bluff Canyonlands National Park, UT	Canyon Canyonlands National Park, UT
Green River Canyonlands National Park, UT	Pillars Canyonlands National Park, UT	Bush that looks like a rock Canyonlands National Park, UT	Sue and Canyon Canyonlands National Park, UT
Wilson Arch south of Moab, UT, along the highway surprisingly	Mexican Hat, UT	Mitten Monument Valley, AZ	North of Monument Valley
Near Monument Valley

Click on image to see video.
It is highly compressed, 320x240 pixels, so the quality is poor when compared with the original. The compressed movie is 11 Megabytes. (The original, high quality video is 640x480 pixels and is 211 Megabytes!) The video includes waterfalls, mountains, glaciers, rainbows, caribou, bears, elk, whales bubble-net fishing, elk "chirping" to each other, ptarmigan, octopus, jellyfish, deer locking horns, spawning salmon, snowshoe hare, great blue heron, beaver, etc.
11 Megabytes

Below are a few selected original high resolution videos.

Click on image to see video.
High resolution video of an elk calf "chirping" with answering chirps presumably from its mother.
Cursory search of the internet did not indicate that anyone knows about this. We all know that male elk "bugle" but I thought females and their young were mute. Interesting that the call is very much like a bird chirp. I wonder if that confuses predators.
3.4 Megabytes.

Click on image to see video.
High resolution video of Humpback whales engaged in "bubble-net" fishing. They dive way down, swim in a circle, blow bubbles to form a cylinder of bubbles. The fish somehow stay inside the bubble cylinder. The whales surface though the middle of the bubble cylinder with their mouths open collecting the fish. They breach the surface with their mouths open...
3.5 Megabytes.

Click on image to see video.
High resolution video of very curious Snowshoe Hare. We parked at a turnout in Denali National Park. I was using binoculars to survey a vast open valley when I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye. A very curious snowshoe hare was approaching me. A car then scared him away. Susan came out and then the hare again appeared, inspected our motor home then approached Susan to see what she was. The snowshoe hare is near the bottom of the food chain so they are supposed to be very skittish. This one was just extremely curious. I don't think anyone ever stopped there before for an hour so that he could pluck up his courage and do a close up inspection...
3.0 Megabytes