October 2022 – Wandering Dawgs

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 222 – Mountains are Calling

October 28, 2022Posted in Nature, PhotographyTagged Denali, Lens-Artists, Mountains are Calling, Photo Challenge, Rocky Mountains20 Comments

Amy has asked us to share our joy of visiting/climbing mountains. I live in coastal Georgia where the nearest mountains are many miles away. Some of our most memorable trips are ones we took to visit mountains.

A few hours north of where I live is Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia at 4784 feet in elevation. I don’t have a picture of the mountain itself but here is a view from the top.

View from the top of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia

If we travel a little farther north into North Carolina, Tennessee or Virginia we can visit the beautiful Great Smokey Mountains National Park or take a ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Cataloochee Valley Overlook Great Smoky Mountains National Park

We can keep going farther north in Virginia to take a ride on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park, Virginia.

We’ve made a few RV trips to the western United States to visit the majestic mountain ranges there.

Storm over Sangre de Cristo Mountains, Colorado

Pikes Peak – “America’s Mountain”, Colorado

We even traveled to the Canadian Rockies.

Of all the mountains I’ve seen, the ones in Alaska are my favorites. The rest of the images are from our RV trip to Alaska several years ago.

Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley), 20,320 feet tall, is the tallest mountain in North America. The last three images were taken from three different locations. No matter where you are when you see it, it is an amazing sight.

Many thanks for Amy’s Lens-Artists Challenge #222 – Mountains are Calling

2022 Alaska and the Inside Passage – Part 8 – The Inside Passage to Vancouver

October 27, 2022Posted in Alaska, British ColumbiaTagged Alaska and the Inside Passage, British Columbia, Inside Passage, Vancouver, Viking Cruise, Viking Ocean Cruise, Viking Orion15 Comments

August 29, 2022 – After our exciting bear watching excursion in Ketchikan we returned to our ship for an early afternoon departure from Ketchikan.

We enjoyed a late lunch ending with Success Cake, our favorite dessert.

While enjoying a delicious Italian dinner at Manfredi’s that night we watched a Canadian Pilot boat pull along beside our ship. Both vessels were moving as the Pilot boarded our ship.

August 30, 2022– Cruising through the Inside Passage from Ketchikan, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia was a perfect last day at sea.

By afternoon the sun was shining and we finally saw blue skies. It was a perfect day to sit on the sun deck and take in the spectacular scenery as we cruised south.

August 31, 2022 – Our ship arrived in Vancouver in the early morning. We disembarked about 9:30 a.m. and said goodbye to the Viking Orion and our amazing Alaska adventure.

September 1, 2022 – A little more than 24 hours after we left the ship we arrived home exhausted but very happy travelers.

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 221 – Flower Favorites and Why

October 22, 2022Posted in Flowers, Nature, Photography, WildflowersTagged Flower Favorites and Why, Lens-Artists, Photo Challenge20 Comments

For this challenge Ann-Christine asks us to show our favorite flowers and share why they are our favorite.

How can I pick just a few flowers? I love them all. Flowers make me smile all year round.

Winter brings Camellias and Hibiscus blooms to the garden.

In spring I love to see the Azalea, Dogwood, Day lily, Magnolia and Hydrangea blooms.

The colorful blooms of summer are not only beautiful but often attract butterflies and other critters.

Fall in the garden is filled with butterflies drinking their fill of nectar from the last remaining blooms.

From Texas to Alaska to Virginia and here in Georgia wildflowers always brighten the landscape.

Roses always make me happy.

Many thanks to Ann-Christine’s Lens-Artists Challenge #221 – Flower Favorites and Why

2022 Alaska and the Inside Passage – Part 7 – Bear Country and Wildlife Expedition in Ketchikan

October 18, 2022Posted in Alaska, Birds, WildlifeTagged Alaska Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary, Alaska and the Inside Passage, Alaska Raptor Center, black bear, Eagle Creek, Ketchikan, totem, Viking Cruise, Viking Ocean Cruise, Viking Orion11 Comments

August 29, 2022 – Shortly after the ship docked in Ketchikan we boarded a bus for a scenic drive to Herring Cove in the Alaska Rainforest Sanctuary. The tour started with a nature walk on an easy path through the forest to raised boardwalks beside Eagle Creek. Our guides Bryn and Claire were on the lookout for Black Bears that come to the creek to fish for salmon. We learned Eagle Creek is named for the many Eagles that are often seen there. Unfortunately, we didn’t see any that day.

The scenery was spectacular and we found bears! There were eight bears sighted including three cubs. Some of the bears were walking through the dense woods and others were far off at the edge of a field. I saw seven of them but was only able to capture this adult black bear feeding on berries and wading in the creek in search of salmon.

We came out of the forest and walked to the Alaska Raptor Center where we were introduced to these three birds. The birds were rescued after receiving injuries that would prohibit them from surviving in the wild. The mission of the Alaska Raptor Center is to promote and enhance wild populations of raptors and other avian species through rehabilitation, education, and research.

Ketchikan is home to the most standing totem poles anywhere in the world. A native master totem carver told us how the totems are made before we walked outside to see some of the finished totems.

With about six cruise ships in port the town of Ketchikan was crowded with people as we rode back to our ship. There wasn’t enough time for us to explore the town.

Spending our last day in Alaska seeing bears, raptors, totems, and the town of Ketchikan was a great way to end our Alaska adventure.

Next up – A final day at sea

Lens Artists Photo Challenge # 220 – One Subject Three Ways

October 15, 2022Posted in Birds, PhotographyTagged Lens-Artists, one subject three ways, Photo Challenge12 Comments

For this challenge Patti asks us to show one subject three ways.

Every time I drive to and from my neighborhood I pass a tree I call the bird tree because I often see birds perched on its dead branches. I’ve chosen three images of the tree. All were taken on the same day.

The image above is a recent photo of the tree will Roseate Spoonbills and a Great Egret. The image below was taken with a zoom lens for a closer look. The third image is cropped to show only the Roseate Spoonbill.