We Have Leaves...And More Moose Visits! (May 13-16, 2012)

Stopping in for Another Visit

Time to Eat!

Checking Us Out

Jon Watching the Moose

Moose in the Swamp

This week has brought multiple visits from the same moose. She is still working hard on getting that lawn trimmed down. We sat in the dining room with the door open, watching her munch away. She would occasionally look up to take a peek at us, but didn't appear to be concerned by our presence. We will miss her visits after we move. On Tuesday after school we were driving past a swampy area and pulled over to watch a moose belly deep in the water eating the water plants. It was the classic picture of what you envision when you think "Alaska and moose". Today it was very apparent that not only do when have buds on some trees, but small leaves are beginning to show on many of them. Things are finally starting to green up around here. We have also been having incredible weather this week. Today it reached 57 degrees. With the warmer temps and the warm sun, we were able to go for a walk today without jackets!

dawn= 4:13 am
sunrise= 5:20 am
sunset= 10:42 pm
dusk= 11:50 pm
day length= 17 hours, 22 minutes

Hungry Moose Lawn Service (May 12-13, 2012)

This little gal was on our neighbor's lawn as we were leaving their house yesterday. She is one hungry girl. They even move, walking on their front knees. Who needs to mow when you can have your very own moose!

The weekend was overcast bringing on and off showers and rice sized hail on both Saturday and Sunday. We kept to Kenai this weekend taking in the wildlife around our house.

dawn= 4:32 am
sunrise= 5:27 am
sunset= 10:35 pm
dusk= 11:39 pm
day length= 17 hours, 7 minutes

Last Visitors: Palmer Area (Saturday, May 5, 2012)

Dall Sheep

Matanuska Glacier

hair-like seaweed stuck to a rock on the beach of Captain Cook

After Glennallen, we headed for the next notable town, Palmer. On this stretch of the Glenn Highway, we spotted many Dall sheep and saw the Matanuska Glacier from a distance. The glacial valley is beautifully carved out by the recession of this glacier. Once through Palmer, we headed south to Anchorage and continued on until we reached Kenai. From Valdez to Kenai we traveled over 400 miles making little sightseeing stops along the way.

Our guests stayed for one week, also taking in Captain Cook State Park in Nikiski, where Sandy found crazy hair-like seaweed stuck to a rock; Homer, where we of course visited Bear Creek Winery, the best winery in the world (we taste tested everything); and Seward (Jon and I had to work this day, bummer). Ken, Sandy, Nate, and Danielle also stopped in for awhile during our 7th grade field trip on Ninilchik Beach where our students spent the day clamming. In addition to clams, the students also found sea anemone, sea stars, mussels, barnacles, sea sponges, and shrimp. It was a great tide for tide pooling!

Last Visitors: Glennallen Area (Saturday, May 5, 2012)

Mount Drum (12, 010 feet peak rising out of the Wrangell Mountains)

Sandy, Ken, Nate, Danielle, Rochelle, and Jon in front of Mount Drum

Trans Alaska pipeline

Rochelle and Jon with the Trans Alaska pipeline in the background

View of the Wrangell Mountains from the Glenn Highway

Once through Thompson Pass, we entered into the low-lying black spruce forests. Throughout this stretch we caught glimpses here and there of the Trans Alaska pipeline, which runs from Prudhoe Bay (on the Arctic Ocean) all the way down to Valdez (on Prince William Sound). The oil runs through the pipes for a total of 800 miles.

As we neared the town of Glennallen, we also took in views of the Wrangell Mountains, including four main peaks: Mount Sanford, Mount Drum, Mount Wrangell, and Mount Blackburn. Mount Wrangell is the largest active volcano in Alaska, standing at 14, 163 feet.

Last Visitors: Through Thompson Pass (Saturday, May 5, 2012)

heading into Thompson Pass

nearing Thompson Pass

Thompson Pass

Taking in Thompson Pass

Rochelle and Jon in Thompson Pass

Worthington Glacier (still covered in snow)

willow ptarmigan- state bird of Alaska

Tsaina River

As we rode the Richardson Highway, it took us through Thompson Pass. Breathtaking.

Last Visitors: Valdez and Onward to the Richardson Highway (Friday-Saturday, May 4-5, 2012)

Daffodils in Valdez

huge snow pile in Valdez

Bridal Veil Falls

Horsetail Falls

mini avalanche next to Bridal Veil Falls

Horsetail Falls

A view of the Chugach mountains

Another view from the Richardson Highway

On Friday night we stayed at the Downtown B&B. Although, it is still their winter season, so it was just the first B, bed and no breakfast. It was simply a place to rest our head. You may or may not remember from an earlier post that Valdez had record snow this year. They received a total of 420 inches. As you can image, they still have enormous piles throughout the town. Despite the snow, as we pulled into our B&B, there were daffodils blooming.

 After checking into our rooms, we ate at an "authentic Alaskan-Mexican" restaurant. The food was actually quite good. On Saturday, we roamed around town the small town checking out all the snow before heading out on the Richardson Highway, which connects to the Glennallen Highway, which takes us into Anchorage. The Richardson Highway was a beautiful drive, especially with the snow still covering the mountains. Once we started entering the mountains, we took in gorgeous views of Horsetail Falls, Bridal Veil Falls, and even saw a mini avalanche.

Last Visitors: Whittier to Valdez (Friday, May 4, 2012)

The Aurora

Ferrying across Prince William Sound

Billings Glacier

icebergs

Jon, Rochelle, Danielle, Nate, Ken, and Sandy on the Aurora State Ferry

Stellar Sea Lions on the Sound

an oil tanker (pulling 2 boats behind it)

At 1:45 in the afternoon we drove our vehicles onto the "Aurora" ferry, our abode for the next 5.5 hours on our journey from Whittier to Valdez. Both towns sit on the shores of beautiful Prince William Sound, known for its breathtaking scenery, shrimping, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Unfortunately, this beautiful body of water and its wildlife are still experiencing the affects of the Exxon-Valdez oil spill of 1989.

 On the ferry we took in the Chugach Mountains, many islands, and Billings Glacier. We spotted much wildlife: Stellar Sea Lions resting on a buoy, Dall porpoises riding the bow of our boat, and sea otters floating in the water and resting on icebergs. We even saw a group of 5 otters together. We had never seen that many together before. The weather was cloudy with some rain, but no complaints.