That pot of gold is somewhere around here

Have you seen it?

Maybe it's under a different Sky!  Better go look.

Bridal Veil Falls

I wonder why Bridal Veil is such a popular name for waterfalls.  This one is located in Provo Canyon.  I drive to Provo once a month for work but this time I stopped and took some pictures.  It was so hot I stood in the shade of the trees.

This is a double cataract waterfall that is 607' tall (185m) and home to black swift birds.

That's a piece of My World in Utah.

All good things

When we left Valdez we took the Glenn Highway back to Anchorage.  It was a very misty, overcast day so the view with four mountain ranges was something we couldn't see, but it was still a beautiful stretch of road.

These are the Chugach Mountains in the background.

I think these poles are guides for snow plows in the winter?  How deep does it get???

It was so foggy and green that it looked like the northwest, except for the vegetation.  There were supposed to be lots of moose through here.  Uh-huh.

Here you can see the Matanushka Glacier and the valley it carved out plus another example of a braided river.

We camped in the Matanushka State Recreation Site.  There were only 12 camp sites and none of them had hook ups.  The campground wasn't even full!

We took a little nature hike to see what we could see.

Another shot of the glacier.

Raindrops on Long Lake.

The next day we drove in to Anchorage. This is the last picture I took in Alaska.  We unloaded the RV and went to a motel for the night.  I wish I would have taken my camera in to Anchorage that night because there was an arts festival with lots of great photo ops.  I'll just have to remember how fun it was and how diverse the population was and how tasty the fresh halibut was for dinner.

It's hard to believe that I am at the end of our trip, 41 posts later.  It's been a pleasure to relive our adventure and read all your great comments.  Thinking back I believe that Ketchikan, Seward and Valdez were my favorite places.  I especially loved seeing whales, otters and eagles.  I think it's a marketing hoax that Alaska is full of bears!  For those of you dreaming of Alaska some day, consider a cruise, it's actually pretty inexpensive these days.  Or consider renting an RV and explore the Kenai Peninsula.  Make that dream come true, it is so worth it!  If you can't make it come true, then I hope you enjoyed our trip instead.  And if you are heading there soon, have a wonderful time!

Hiking around Valdez on a rare sunny day

We began exploring with the Dock Point Trail, just a hop, skip and a jump from our campsite.

The eagle's nest can be seen from the north side of this trail.

This is the small boat harbor.

We enjoyed a lunch with fresh halibut after visiting a nice little museum about Valdez.  They have recovered from the earthquakes and oil spills that once devastated the town.

Then we headed over to the Shoup Bay Trail.

The trail began in the woods and then broke out on a field of wildflowers and led us to the beach.

There were too many waterfalls to even count them all!

Not quite like any beach I've ever visited before, though.

It was another incredible scenery-filled day in Alaska!

I had an interesting experience at work last week.  We were talking about camping versus a city vacation.  I was in the minority because I said I preferred camping.  The three other women I was talking with said they would prefer a city, which I think means shopping.  Hmmm, a mall or this?

No contest in My World!

Feeding the eagles

Sitting in the RV I happened to look out the window and see an eagle fly by.  I knew there was a nest not too far from where we were camped.  I headed out with my camera and started taking pictures.  A lot of the pictures did not turn out, but some of them did.  Thank goodness for digital cameras.

It took me a minute or two to realize that someone was throwing fish out for the eagles.  Here the eagle is coming in to pick up the fish on the ground.

It swooped in and grabbed the fish.

And flew away.

What magnificent birds they are.

I took a million pictures.  Then I thought about the danger of feeding wildlife.  I got up my nerve and went over to the woman throwing the fish.  I mentioned that perhaps it might not be a good idea for her to be feeding the eagles.  She said she had a permit from Fish and Game and that it was ok.  They were very hungry because the salmon had not started running.

At first I had thought the eagles were raiding the nests of the birds in the wetland but they weren't.  They also feed from the sloughs when fishermen come in and clean their fish.  It's a good place for eagles to live.

After having wild turkeys in our yard all year, I've decided that the eagle is a much better choice for the national bird!

If you' like animals, go visit Camera Critters!

In to Valdez

As we descended things started to green up and melt.

Of course we had to stop to admire the waterfalls.

The one below is called Horsetail Falls for obvious reasons.

How's this for a scenic camping view?  There were so many birds in the wetlands here.

We could actually hear the water rushing down the hill from where we were camped.

They have big fish in Alaska!  

We tried to arrange a fishing trip for the next day but it didn't work out.  So it goes sometimes.

Skies and other sights along the Richardson Highway over Thompson Pass

The Milepost told us that this lake is used in the winter time for races when the ice is thick and solid.  The racers are in teams, one drives a snowmobile and the other skis behind and they get going up to 80 or 90 mph!  There is no limit to man's creativity for winter entertainment in Alaska.

It was just beginning to melt when we arrived during the first week of June.

Here's a little frontier-style church that is currently in use.

The door is decorated with this beautiful stained glass peacock.  The interior is very rustic.

The great thing about heading south was driving out of the smoke and heat of the interior and getting back to where it was cooler in temperatures.

The mountains were still covered in snow.

We stopped to visit Washington Glacier but the path was not clear, it was still covered in snow as well.  Plus it was really cold.  Not to mention we had already seen many glaciers.

There was a fox just outside of the parking lot who managed to catch lunch.

Thompson Pass (2678' elevation) was socked in with clouds.

Looks cold, doesn't it?

Like winter in June, but oh so spectacular.  We agreed with everyone who told us that we should see Thompson Pass, it's breathtaking.

We had planned on camping in the Blueberry Lake Campground, but guess what?  The road was covered in snow so we had to resort to plan B, continue on in to Valdez (pronounced Val-deez).

Sky Watch Friday is filled with fascinating skies from around the world.  Go see what's there!