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Post your favorite picture from Alaska thread

SFAM

By SFAM,
in Alaska

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SFAM

SFAM

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We're lucky, because Yellowstone is only about a 6 or 7 hour drive. I've been 3 times in the past two years, and am seriously considering a weekend getaway later in August. We've seen bears that last 3 times we've been -- much to my DD's dismay. We took her to Alaska -- no bears. We've taken her to Yellowstone -- no bears, until our trip last year, and then we did see a grizzly quite a ways off in the distance. Sounds like maybe we need to go visit the Great Smoky Mountains :D .

 

I couldn't recommend it enough. The best place to camp there is in Cades Cove. This gets you really close to a nice round loop where the bears usually hang out early in the morning. If you come later in the season like in August, you can watch them literally devour cherry trees in prep for the winter (the adults literally bite 2 inch branches in half, eat all the cherries, and then get the next branch). We watched a mother and two cubs up in a cherry tree for a good 40 minutes or so. The baby (see below) started growling so most of us left. LOTS of tree climbin going on, so in looking for them, you just can't watch the ground. But I also had one running up the side of a hill burst out of the trail at a dead run about 10 feet in front of me.

 

bear-baby2-cadescove1936.jpg

 

 

Aside from the bears, the other thing thats awesome there are the waterfalls. We went hiking to a different one each day. (You can browse through a picture directory of mine if interested). I'm still trying to get my wife to agree to go hiking in Alaska, but she's lots more afraid of grizzlies than black bears (I think the size has something to do with it). We did that wonderful 2 mile mountain in Yellowstone, but she's not having any more of that now. Hopefully I can find a way to convince her.

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Jenbo57

Jenbo57

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Gorgeous shots, Jenbo - Those mountains in Yakutat Bay behind the HAL ship look insanely large!

 

Well, you know what happens when you use a zoom! ;) But truly, the St. Elias range was one of the most stunning things we saw up there...they go on for miles and miles!

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kellywhitehills

kellywhitehills

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kellywhitehills -- Beautiful pictures of Tracy Arm & Sawyer Glacier. I'm intrigued by the killer whale in Tracy Arm. I thought that the whales didn't normally go into Tracy Arm, and so that was why the seals congregate there on the icebergs (you can see them so nicely in your picture of Sawyer Glacier) to give birth.

 

This Orca was a rogue?..I think that what they called him..He had been in the arm for a few days traveling by himself..

There were also some humpbacks with calves a short way up the arm..This was THE BEST thing we did in Alaska!

 

Kelly

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ute_fan

ute_fan

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This Orca was a rogue?..I think that what they called him..He had been in the arm for a few days traveling by himself..

There were also some humpbacks with calves a short way up the arm..This was THE BEST thing we did in Alaska!

 

Kelly

 

Were you on a small boat tour when you went to Tracy Arm? We were on one of the NCL cruises where a catamaran tour through Tracy Arm is one of the excursions -- and it's one of the few excursions that would be a "must do" if we ever do that itinerary again. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

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CruisinRoxy

CruisinRoxy

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Thank you THANK YOU to SFAM for starting this thread and all you contributing CC'ers!

The Disney boards have a thread similar to this and for months before we went, I was addicted to the Disney Pic of the Day.

Over that now, so Please keep this thread going, all of you!

Unfortunately, I have nothing to contribute, as I have not yet BEEN to Alaska - but this keeps me happy til next August!:)

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kellywhitehills

kellywhitehills

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Were you on a small boat tour when you went to Tracy Arm? We were on one of the NCL cruises where a catamaran tour through Tracy Arm is one of the excursions -- and it's one of the few excursions that would be a "must do" if we ever do that itinerary again. It is definitely one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen.

 

Yes a small boat..It was a tour we booked through Adventure Bound..They were actually pushing ice away from the boat with long poles so we could get as close as possible to the glacier..It was an excellent excursion!..I think there were 30 people on the boat and we all had plenty of room to walk around..They had very nice hand made sandwiches, chips, candy, fruit forsale at very reasonable prices..Only problem was...your ship had to be docked by 7 or 8 am to make the trip...We didnt get back until 5 or 5:30...

 

Kelly

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Jenbo57

Jenbo57

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You know, after going through all of my pictures, trying to figure out which ones to post, and looking at all of those that everyone else has posted, it makes me wonder about all of those threads where people talk about having no desire to cruise to Alaska! Do these people have any idea what they're missing?!? I guess not... ;)

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