Denali landscape

Wonder Lake is 4 miles long and 280 feet deep.  Four fish species, including trout, live in the cold waters.  Denali is shrouded in thick clouds in the distance.

This big glacial erratic was probably set down about 10,000 years ago during the last big glacial advance.  The photo was taken from Polychrome Overlook.  (See also this close-up photo by Heather Webber.)  I am sure we will return, a fourth time together, to hike or bike through Denali National Park.

Denali animals

Three of the six bears we saw in Denali.  Though most of their diet is plants, these healthy and numerous apex predators are a sign of a productive environment. 

We saw a lot of dall sheep.  These last two scenes are frames from video I took. 

This is one of two big bull moose we saw.  It was rutting season.  When he turned his head the wide span of his spatulate antlers probably exceeded 60 inches.  A couple not far behind us said they saw 12 wolves cross the road in front of them.  A healthy bull moose is usually safe.

Last harvest of 2011

This is the last weekly vegetable pickup from Rosie Creek Farm for the season.  It is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm only a mile away.  Each week throughout the summer we enjoyed eating veggies from the farm.  In this picture: kale, spagetti squash, pumpkin, storage cabbage, celeriac, leeks, carrots, French breakfast radishes, brussel sprouts, potatoes, tomatoes, and garlic.  Past weeks have included a cornucopia of other fresh vegetables.  Biologist Tom Paragi has extended the eating local ethic even further. 

Waning Harvest Moon.  No matter where we are, we all share the same sun, the same moon, and to a large extent, the same atmosphere that washes the face of the Earth. 

The crown of leaves on poplar trees are set aflame by the dying sun.  On my evening drive home, I saw the birch, their weeping branches were laden with leaves of an intensely bright yellow.  (It reminds me of the Golden Spruce, a tree that grew in British Columbia and carried a mutation that kept it gold year round.)

from Japan

These photos were taken by my wife's sister who has young children that enjoy playing with rolly pollies. So do I (which is why she sent them to me).  Thank you! 

None of these in Alaska.  But after the tidal wave near Sendai, they seem more plentiful there than before. 

A cicada that just emerged from the soil to begin a new stage in its life.

Tussock moth

I took a photo of a male rusty tussock moth (Orgyia antiqua) this morning that was on the wall .near our house door.  The two eye spots on the wings send a clear signal.  Females of this species lack wings.  The camouflage abilities of moths are very creative.

Angel Rocks

Interesting erosion patterns on granite tors along the Angel Rocks trail.  As a mayfly is to me, I am to this ancient rock.

The weathered rock, the long view from a steep hillside, and the setting sun in autumn combine in one photo.  It reminds me of visiting "Finger Rock" along the Dalton Highway, while on our way to hiking along the northern side of the Brooks Range.  Overlooking the broad course of the Sagavanirktok River as it flows toward the Arctic Ocean was unforgettable.

Summit Lake

Summit Lake is one of my favorite places one can see along the Richardson Highway.  This photo reminds me of the documentary Salt for it's minimalist feel.

Matanuska Glacier along the Glenn Highway is a geographic feature along the same road system that is hard to ignore. 

Erimo Misaki

Erimo Misaki is a cape on the southeast of Hokkaidō.

A view from the east.  I walked down the side of this rock to the narrow strip of beach you see in this photo.  It was a cloudy day but the sun broke through to glisten off the dark wet rocks and seaweed.  (photo source)

Creamer's Field Migratory Wildlife Refuge

Last week I visited Creamer's Field during their sandhill crane festival.  Two times a year migratory birds visit Creamer's Field on their way north at the start of summer and on their way back south again before winter sets in.  In this photo there are a lot of Canada geese, sandhill cranes are in the back right. An aside: Creamer's Field is the northernmost place I know of that has woodchucks.

More action in this photo.  A few sandhill cranes are coming in for touch down.  Their annual migration takes them from Alaska to Nebraska (or further south) each year.  These feathered dinosaurs must have an amazing view of the world.  This scene is begging for quality close-up shots. 

A pair of sandhill cranes in flight.  Large migrating flocks of birds fly in V-formations, chevron patterns in the sky that improve their efficiency over long distances. 

Speaking of migration, another spectacular scene is migrating rays in the Gulf of Mexico. Photo by Sandra Critelli. 

Kenai Peninsula in 2010

At low tide in Ninilchik - blue mussels and barnacles.

We hiked a trail to Grewingk glacier at Kachemak Bay State Park.

Then sea kayaked around Yukon Island, and under the arch in Elephant rock. 

We ate lunch under this arch at the launching spot on Yukon Island.  But that was before we left.  It was high tide when we came back.

Katchemak Bay has gull island, a seabird breeding site.  This bird, a gannet, lives no where near gull island at all, but it is an excellent example of some of the adaptations seabirds have for ocean life. 

Camping in 2010

On a camping trip in 2010 we saw a moose in a lake – a classic Alaska scene.

This fungus on a birch tree looks like a cauliflower.

At a campsite in Anchorage I saw a colorful harvestman.

There were big slugs and small slugs at Hope, Alaska.  We stayed a night in our tents and hiked part of the way to Gull Rock. 

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park

I recently declined an invitation to visit Hawaii.  Thurston lava tube is just one of many unique attractions on the Big Island that I want to see, someday.