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.

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

Sandy, Ken, and Jon waiting for the Whittier tunnel to open

Jon and Rochelle in Whittier

Whittier boat harbor

Jon, Danielle, and Nate looking out over the Whittier boat harbor

Nate, Jon, and a very large anchor

On Thursday evening, Jon and I drove up to Anchorage to pick up our last Alaska visitors. Jon's brother (Nate), Nate's girlfriend (Danielle), and Jon's Godparents (Ken and Sandy) flew up for a week long stay. We spent the night in Anchorage on Thursday before heading out for our adventure Friday morning.

We drove to Whittier, a small town only accessible by a 2.5 mile single lane tunnel used by both cars and trains. The tunnel opens every half hour to travelers going in and out of Whittier. To get out of Whittier you travel through the tunnel on the hours. To get in to Whittier you travel through the tunnel on the half hours. At 10:30am we were driving through the Whittier tunnel, right on top of the same tracks the trains use. At 25 mph we traveled through the 2.5 mile tunnel, the longest tunnel in North America. It was eerie, but exciting. Once through the tunnel, you are immediately in the town on Whittier. They still have quite a bit of snow. After checking in for our ferry ride, we explored the small town.

Official Sign of Spring (May 1, 2012)

The robins were singing today! Spring is now officially here. We spotted three, our first ones of the year, while out on an evening walk. After going to bed around 10:00, they were still singing as the sun was beginning to set. Looking forward to our company coming tomorrow. Ken, Sandy (Jon's Godparents), Nate, and Danielle will be joining us in Alaska tomorrow for a week long visit. Yay to company!

Spring Phenology (April 25-29, 2012)

algae on Headquarters Lake

Centennial Trail at the refuge with moose scat

Kenai Beach

Eagle at Kenai Beach

Mount Redoubt

Wednesday- first 2 sandhill cranes spotted coming in for a landing over the Kenai Flats
Thursday- first 2 trumpeter swans spotted on the Kenai Flats, snow completely gone from the front yard 

We have also been watching a pair of hawks gliding by our house. Not sure what species they are. We think the darker one is a juvenile sharp-shinned hawk and the lighter one is a male Northern Harrier. We are seeing less moose by the roadside, which means the break up is almost done. Not much snow left. Everyone, including us, thought we've have snow clear into May. But with all the sun we have had as of late, the snow has evaporated quickly. We went hiking at the Wildlife Refuge on Sunday. There is still some snow along the trail, but most of it is gone, exposing all the scat from the fall and early winter. In the early evening, we walked down to the beach and watched the eagles and gulls.

dawn= 5:11 am
sunrise= 6:05 am
sunset= 9:59 pm
dusk= 10:53 pm