Our Alaska Route...

As the days that were filled with 20 hours of sunlight grow shorter and colder, we find ourselves saying goodbye to Alaska and heading back through the Yukon and British Columbia, Canada toward the lower 48 of the US.  While Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas, there are a limited number of roads and highways in the state.  We've traveled a good number of them, some of which were no more than a dirt and gravel road through the wilderness.  The scenery is immense with a scale that is tough to imagine.  Along the way, we've learned a lot about the native people of Alaska, the gold rush era and mining, glaciers and the environment and have seen amazing wildlife in the rivers, ocean, forest, mountains, and sky.  It's been everything we expected and more.



Alaska Roads and Highways in Red.  In addition to the Alaska Marine Highway system of ferries connecting cities along the coast, a large number of Alaskan residents have planes and pilot licenses to travel from one point to another.

 

Our Route included the Roads and Highways above in addition to Ferries from Skagway to Haines, Haines to Juneau and Valdez to Whittier.  We also took a plane flight over Denali National Park and a train from Whitehorse to Skagway.

 

A Dall Sheep near the top of Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska

A group of Dall Sheep near the top of Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska



A Dall Sheep mother with her 2 young lambs near the top of Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska



Todd standing above the Harding Ice Field in Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska



A view of the mountains near Seward, Alaska



A Marmot among the rocks in Kenai Fjords National Park

A Marmot among the rocks in Kenai Fjords National Park



The lake and mountain view at Tern Lake, Alaska



A Trumpeter Swan flying above Tern Lake, Alaska



Shonah loves his butterflies

 

A view of the Homer, Alaska "Spit" (peninsula of land sticking out into the bay) with mountains in the background

Sandhill Cranes in the marsh in Homer, Alaska



A Stellar's Jay perched atop a log in Homer, Alaska



Float planes like this one are a common way for Alaskans to get from one place to another without roads



Moose along the road in Hope, Alaska



A Cow Moose (female moose) with 2 calves along the road in Hope, Alaska



A young moose calf in Hope, Alaska



A Cow Moose (Mother) and her calf in Hope, Alaska



A Great Horned Owl in Hope, Alaska

In collaboration with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) in Girdwood, Alaska is working to reintroduce the wood bison back into the Alaska wild. In 2003, 13 wood bison were brought to AWCC from a disease-free herd in the Yukon Territory in Canada.  Currently, AWCC is home to the only wood bison herd in the United States. The first wood bison calves born in the state of Alaska in over 100 years were born at AWCC in 2005. In 2008, AWCC received 53 calves from Canada and placed them with the existing AWCC herd. Since 2006, AWCC has seen the birth of multiple calves every spring.  The AWCC Wood Bison herd will be released into the Alaska wild in 2015.



A Wood Bison at the AWCC



A Bull Moose (male moose) munching on branches at the AWCC



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska

 

Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska

Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska



Flowers in Anchorage, Alaska

Our free camping spot in downtown Anchorage, Alaska.  We spent a week in the same spot enjoying the park as our living room and participating in the free Yoga on Wednesdays, grilling steaks, sipping wine and watching locals play ultimate Frisbee, fly kites and jog.

Shonah in the park enjoying the sun and a glass of wine



Our 10 seat plane for the flight over Denali National Park



Todd and Shonah getting ready for the flight



Todd and Shonah's selfie on the plane

 

Mt. McKinley in the center of Denali National Park is North America's tallest mountain at 20,237 feet

Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter and Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska

 

The dark line extending down the glacial iceflow is called "moraine".  As glaciers slide down the mountain, they push rocks and dirt to the side.  When two glacial flows meet, the rocks and dirt are pushed up between them creating the moraine.

The mountains of Denali National Park, Alaska

The mountains of Denali National Park, Alaska



The mountains of Denali National Park, Alaska



The mountains of Denali National Park, Alaska

A Bull Moose in Denali National Park, Alaska



Todd cycling down the Denali road in Denali National Park, Alaska.  After mile 15 of the road, only park busses, hikers and cyclists are allowed.



A Caribou in Denali National Park, Alaska 

A Caribou in Denali National Park, Alaska 



After watching on our bikes from the road for a while, these 2 Caribou literally chased us away.  Thankfully we were able to avoid confrontation by using a passing park bus to play hide and seek.



A Moose in the meadow near Fairbanks, Alaska



A Cow Moose with her calf in a meadow near Fairbanks, Alaska

A Cow Moose with her calf in a meadow near Fairbanks, Alaska