Lens-Artists #65: Pick a Place

This week, Tina has challenged us to capture the spirit of a place that is vivid in you memory.

My husband and I have been fortunate to be able to travel to most of the United States, parts of Canada, and a few other foreign countries. The one place that I think of most often is the state of Alaska.

It’s been six years since we towed our fifth wheel over 14,000 miles to Alaska and back. There are so many things that make Alaska memorable. The people are friendly and proud of their state. The mountains and glaciers took my breath away every where we went. I was constantly on the lookout for wildlife and often saw bears or moose beside the road. Sometimes we would be the only vehicle on the road for miles.

One of our favorite towns was Haines. We loved all the great people, the Hammer Museum, eagles and bears, and fresh Dungeness Crab for dinner. Probably best of all was the waterfront view from the campground. We enjoyed our cocktail hour searching for whales and watching the ships go by.

It's only raining to the left
View from our campground in Haines

As we traveled around Alaska we would sometimes drive for miles without seeing another car. I was constantly on the looking for bears and moose.

Beautiful view along the highway
Gorgeous scenery every where we went
20130714Day-60Talkeetna-to-Wasilla-(5)
Moose cow and calf crossing the road

One of our most memorable days was the day we left the fifth wheel in the RV park in North Pole and drove north on the Dalton Highway. After stopping at the Arctic Circle we continued on to Coldfoot, the farthest north we have ever traveled. At Coldfoot we turned around and arrived back at the camper after 10:00 pm and it was still daylight.

We traveled behind the motorcycle as we followed behind a pilot truck
Behind a motorcycle on the Dalton Highway

On a wildlife cruise from Seward, the captain turned off the engines so we could hear the ice calving at Aialik Glacier.

Calving on Aialik Glacier
Ice calving on Aialik Glacier on the Kenai Fjords trip from Seward

One of my favorite things in Alaska was seeing wildlife.

I’ll never forget the Orcas cruising close by our boat on a wildlife cruise from Valdez.

Pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez
A pair of Orcas on Columbia Glacier tour from Valdez

The mama bear was too busy finding fish for her cub to pay attention to us.

Mama bear looking for more fish
Mama bear looking for more fish near Valdez
Black Bear Cub
Black Bear Cub

There were more bald eagles in Alaska than anywhere else I’ve ever been. As we rode close to the shoreline on one of the wildlife cruises there were too many eagles perched in the trees to count.

Pair of Eagles
We spotted this pair of Bald Eagles as we cruised by on a wildlife and glacier cruise from Valdez
Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church
Eagle soaring over bluff at Russian Orthadox Church in Ninilchik

Riding on a train and a taking a plane ride to land on a glacier after seeing Mount Denali up close were two of our favorite excursions.

Going down the tracks
A ride on the Alaska Railroad to the Hurricane Turn
We went really close to Mt. McKinley
Mount Denali from the air

It’s been over six years since we were there. One day we will return…

Many thanks to Tina for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Pick a Place

 

Lens-Artists #64: Countryside and/or small towns

This week Amy has challenged us to show countryside and/or small towns.

We’ve traveled many back roads during our travels around the United States. As we drive along I love seeing the crops growing in the fields and knowing where our food comes from. I am grateful to all the hardworking farmers who grow the food and other crops that we need.

20070504Wine-Country-(2)
California Vineyard
20110621Illinois-Corn-(3)
Illinois Corn
20160917Lake-Chicot-Levee-Tour-(64)
Cotton in Arkansas
20130523Day-8Illiinois-Iowa-(8)
Barn in Illinois
20130524Day-9Minnesota-(9)
Red Barn in the Midwest

Sometimes the countryside is filled with colorful wildflowers and other interesting sights.

20150331Day-25pm-Willow-City-Loop-(10)
Boots and Bluebonnets in Texas
Cows crossing the levee road
When traveling the back roads, you never know what you’ll see crossing the road

Many thanks to Amy for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Countryside and/or Small Towns

 

Lens-Artists #63: Magical

This week, Ann-Christine has challenged us to show what is magical to us.

What is more magical than an ancient castle? As we traveled through Ireland and Scotland earlier this year one of my favorite things was seeing the many castles.

For me, the most magical of all was Dunnottar Castle in Stovehaven, Scotland. Sitting on top of a cliff that juts out into the North Sea, it seemed to magically appear out of a thick fog.

20190520-Day-20-Aberdeen-to-Fernie-Clastle-Hamish-the-Highland-Cow-Sony-(33)
Dunnottar Castle on a Foggy Day, Stonehaven, Scotland
20190520-Day-20-Aberdeen-to-Fernie-Clastle-Hamish-the-Highland-Cow-Sony-(15)
The North Sea was barely visible below Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland
20190520-Day-20-Aberdeen-to-Fernie-Clastle-Hamish-the-Highland-Cow-Sony-(31)
A path led down to the sea at Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland

Occasionally the fog would clear just long enough for a clear view. Even without the fog, it was a magical site to see.

Foggy-day-at-Dunnottar-Castle
Foggy day at Dunnottar Castle, Stonehaven, Scotland

Many thanks to Ann-Christine for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Magical

 

Lens-Artists #62: Silhouettes

This week, Patti has challenged us to find photos that feature silhouettes. For this challenge I chose some of my favorite sunset and sunrise photos from our travels. The photo above is of Henry enjoying the sunset over the Pacific Ocean on the beach at Cape Disappointment State Park, Washington.

I walked from our campsite at Golden Hill State Park to capture this silhouette of the Thirty Mile Light at sunset.

20080616Sunset-at-Golden-Hill-(9)
Thirty Mile Lighthouse at sunset, Golden HIll State Park, NY

Some of my favorite sunset and sunrise pictures have silhouettes of trees.

20091129Ortona-(3)
Sunrise over the The Caloosatchie River at Ortona South Campground, Florida
Sunrise over the Mississippi River
Sunrise over the Mississippi River in Missouri
20120121Sunset-(7)
Sunset in the Big Cypress Natural Preserve near Ochopee, FL

This couple was enjoying their early morning walk on the beach.

20111003Tybee-Sunrise-(5)
Morning walkers along the beach at sunrise, Tybee Island, GA

Many thanks to Patti at Pilot Fish Blog for this weeks Lens-Artists Photo Challenge – Silhouettes

 

Photo Challenge: Lens-Artists #61 – Precious Pets

For this week’s Lens Artists Photo Challenge Tina has challenged us to show Precious Pets.

We lost our precious dog Blondie almost 2 years ago. She lived a full life and traveled over 200,000 miles on her bed in the back seat of our truck as she accompanied us in our RV travels through the U. S and Canada. She loved to swim, chase tennis balls, and go for a boat ride. During our travels she swam in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Gulf of Mexico, all the Great Lakes, Cook’s Inlet in Alaska, and even the Yukon River in Canada.

Blondie returns with the tennis ball
Blondie was happiest when she was in the water
Blondie and the salmon
Blondie and the salmon at the fish hatchery in Valdez, Alaska
Blondie in Cook Inlet in Ninilchik, Alaska
Blondie in Cook Inlet in Ninilchik, Alaska
Going for a boat ride
Blondie loved going for a boat ride

We don’t have a pet these days but we have a grand dog and two grand cats.

20181201-Jack-(2)
Grand Dog Jack the Dachshund
20190707-Sandbar-with-Bela-(36)
Grand Dog Jack studies a crab at the beach
20190418-Tubbles-(4)
Grand Cat Tubbles
20171123Thanksgiving-at-the-Badgley-(16)
Our grand cats Tubbles and Tootsie anxiously await Thanksgiving dinner

This post is dedicated to the memory of all the pets who have made our lives so much richer – FD, FD2, Shadow, Howard, Blue, and especially Blondie.

Blondie's Treasure
RIP Blondie

 

Thanks to Tina at Travels and Trifles for the Lens Artists Challenge – Precious Pets this week