Blue and HullBoss's Alaska adventure - part 1 (9 pix)

[Blue_In_AK]

First stop, Matanuska Glacier. We left home about 5:30 a.m. last Saturday, so we got up to the glacier early before the light became too harsh. I just love this view.



This is looking the other direction, Matanuska River at the base of the cliffs.



Lake Louise was our first night's camping destination, but when we got there, what we discovered was a downed sign and an ice-covered lake with a couple of loons (so we weren't alone in our looniness :) ) swimming around in the open water.



No, I mean REALLY icy.



We're tough Alaskans, though, so we set up our tent anyway and took a nap when it started raining since it was too cold to do anything else. When we woke up a few hours later, it had cleared a bit and would have been somewhat warmer except for the 30 mph wind blowing off the lakes. Lake Louise is the first in a series of three connected lakes so the wind had picked up quite a bit of chill by the time it got to us. But we walked around, kept ourselves entertained for a while, and waited for the sunset, which was stunning.







We felt rewarded for our perseverence. We went to bed fully clothed in our sleeping bags with a blanket over the top, but still shivered through the night. In the morning, we awoke to this.



Yes, it had snowed during the night ... June 3 and snow. Who would have thought?

We slept through the sunrise since it was only a couple hours after sunset, but the sun was still pretty low on the horizon when we got up. This is how it looked over the lake as we were breaking camp and preparing for the new day.



More to follow.

[CC]

1. Welcome home

:hug: for the brrrrrrrrs that first night. Beautiful pics and can I vote for you showing us all 500 if they are anything like these? Not picking a fav because I can't decide.

[JeffR]

2. Never been to Alaska

But from your consistent visual testimony it looks like there's no such thing as an unspectacular sky. The mountains, the glaciers, the wildlife and the water are just icing on the cake.

And soon you'll have the Porkbarrel Bridge to boot!

[Blue_In_AK]

3. Hey, now...

Leave Uncle Ted and Dandy Don Young out of this - I was enjoying myself.

[JeffR]

4. Ah, sorry

I'm anxiously waiting for my absentee ballot and still agonizing over my primary choice, and I'm having one of my Republicans-will-kill-this-country-and-I'm-afraid-I'll-live-to-see-it nights.

FWIW, the damned bridge will probably be a great vantage point for more of your spectacular photos. There, I tried a little optimism, and it didn't kill me...

[Blue_In_AK]

5. There, there, I understand...

I have those moments myself. But, frankly, I'm not too sure the bridges will ever be built. People here aren't all that excited about them, especially that one down in Ketchikan. The one from Anchorage to Pt. McKenzie makes a bit more sense since there's otherwise only one way out of here north to the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, but we've gotten along fine that way for all these years, and the bridge really would be a mammoth undertaking considering the extremely high tides, earthquakes, etc. I've got my fingers crossed that all the bridges, drilling in ANWR, and every other "rape and plunder Alaska" scheme falls by the wayside.

[RagingInMiami]

6. You've really perfected the art of landscape photography

You make the clouds come alive.

[Blue_In_AK]

7. Thanks, Raging...

I'm glad I don't have to do people. :)

[Maestro]

8. I love that

glacier shot. How much has it receded I wonder?

[Blue_In_AK]

9. You know, I have an enlarged photograph here somewhere

that my ex-father-in-law took back in the late '70s or early '80s from almost this same spot. If I can figure out where I put it, I'll let you know how much it has receded. I don't think it's pulled back nearly as much as Portage Glacier which is south of here, but I'll let you know.

[Blue_In_AK]

10. Well, I found the picture

but it's taken from a different angle than this one. Even from the shot I have that's most similar, it's hard to tell. It does look like this particular glacier has receded some, but not drastically. I haven't been able to find anything definitive in a quick internet search.

[Maestro]

11. Don't kill yourself.

I was just wondering. I'm glad to know that it hasn't receded too much. Take care.

[Blue_In_AK]

12. It wasn't that hard to find -

I had stuck it behind a filing cabinet. :)

[Maestro]

13. Logical place.

:rofl: