Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Winter Experience - Homer's Winter Carnival

A Homer-Made Chinese Dragon

2015 saw the 61st annual Winter Carnival, a classic, small town celebration of winter with the theme "Warm Winter Hearts"  The carnival is held in February, the coldest

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Winter Experience - Ice on the Homer Spit

Slabs of Ice on the East of Side of the Homer Spit


Every winter, when the temperatures drop below 20 degrees for more than a couple of days, ice starts to form on and around the Spit.  The ice makes a fascinating

Monday, February 23, 2015

Monday, August 4, 2014

Experience - Flowers of Alaska

Fields of Fireweed


As we wander into the Alaskan wilderness (or even just around our back yard) we see flowers everywhere.  Many are small and hard to spot.  This post is a collection of photos of the wildflowers we have found

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Adventure - Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.

Glacier View from the Grandview Tour


Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                                   Time:  Half-day


Summary

Carol's parents visited us in Alaska in June.  Her father can't really walk much anymore so we went looking for cool activities that don't require much walking.  Not surprisingly, there aren't that many in Alaska, but we found a winner in the Grandview Tour on the Alaska Railroad.  The Grandview Tour is pure sightseeing into area of Alaska that cannot be reached in any way other than by train.


Opinion

This is a fun trip, even for those who have no trouble

Friday, July 11, 2014

Hiking - Watermelon Trail (the 1.5 hr version)

Seeping vistas from Watermelon Trail

Stats

Distance:  14.3 miles (one way)                       Difficulty: Easy-Moderate

Summary
Watermelon trail was recommended to us by some friends.  So on a beautiful day in early July we decided to try out the trail.  Watermelon trail is really an ATV trail (which is why it's so long), but we were the only ones on the trail the day we hiked it.


Opinion

This trail has some great views.  This hike will probably be amazing

Thursday, July 10, 2014

Adventure - Sightseeing on the 26 Glacier Cruise

Blackstone Glacier

Stats

Difficulty: Easy                                                                                               Time:  5+ hours

Summary


If you want a day packed with glaciers, wildlife, and flat seas, Phillips Cruises 26 Glacier Cruise out of Whittier on the M/V Klondike Express is right up your alley.  The cruise includes the 26 glaciers including a nice close-up view of 2 of them; a good chance (but no guarantee) of seals, sea lions, otters, dolphins, and whales; and a kittiwake nesting area.

Opinion

This trip is good for tourists or locals, photographers, sightseers, kids and adults.  Over the course of the five-hour, we took over 3,000 pictures!  We were actually beginning to worry about maxing out our 64 GB camera memory cards.  The company does a good job of