Humpback whales bubble-net feeding in Peril Strait today. Saw from Alaska ferry Malaspina. 1st stop Sitka on way to Bellingham, WA.

Same view, same time 2 days later.

September Sunset in Tee Harbor

This was taken last night Sept. 26th.

Herbert Glacier Hike

Florence and I walked up to Herbert Glacier recently. The trail is easy and 4-5 miles one way. It was a brisk Fall day. Trees were beginning to color, a lot of mushrooms popping out and the forest had the pleasant odor of Fall. Florence and I poke around alot looking at what is growing and taking pictures. Well, Florence usually takes the pictues. The ones I've selected show a pretty pond with reflections, a look along part of the trail and both of us posing in from of Herbert Glacier. Florence took this with her timer and several tries later (with only an arm or a leg in the picture)she got success with this one.

The trail is in great shape. Several families rode up on their bicycles. It is a wonderful improvement from the old muddy, rutty, rooty, rocky trail of old.

Our first look at the glacier was awesome. We popped out of the woods to see a huge wall of ice riddled with blue-lined crevasses. I had expected a long pleasant walk in the woods and at the end of the trail to see a hanging glacier way off in the distance. Not so. That wall of ice was impressive and the Herbert River begins as a large river at the glacier's base. The day was overcast, termination dust on the peaks, and we assumed the cloudy day was the reason for such beautiful blue color in the ice. We picked a couple nice rocks to situpon and had our lunch in front of the glacier and strolled back to the car. Began just before 10am and back to car at 5:30pm. My feet were tired..............haven't done a long walk for awhile.

This will be a nice memory to take with me on my winter travels.

50th High School Reunion

Here we are: all 14 of us and a mother of one of our departed. It is hard to get me to leave Alaska in the summer, but I did venture out to attend my 50th High School Reunion. That and a family gathering in Maui took me south for a month of visiting and sightseeing.
The HS reunion was fun. I graduated from a class of 29 and we had 14 show up for the 2 day event. Most came with a companion so there were 30 or so. I enjoyed being re-acquainted and visiting with my classmates. The antique car is a 1929 Model A and a fun ride.

McKensie Pass

This pass is a delight to drive thru and the views at the summit are "otherworldly" with chunks of lava as far as you can see. There is an observatory at the summit with peepholes to look thru. Each peephole will show you a mountain in the Cascade Range and a label names the mountain with its distance from you.

Below McKensie Pass on the way to Salem is Clear Lake and Clear Lake really is clear. I don't know how far down you can see, but dad used to tell stories about fishing for trout there. He said he would watch a trout mouth his salmon egg on a hook, then blow it out to see if it looked natural. Do not remember it he ever caught any of those trout. I remember seeing tall tree rising from the bottom of the lake in the crystal clear water. Had not been there in 40+ years and was delighted to see not only is the lake still clear, there are still campsites, cabins and rowboats for rent.

The Steens

Awesome! The Steens were all I had imagined and more. Have been wanting to go there for years and finally did. The road to the summit is only open in summer...about mid-July to October because of snow. The summit is 10,000 feet. What is special about the Steens is the geology. I think it is called a fault-block mountain and a huge hunk of land rises gently out of the desert if you approach from the west and drops a mile to the Alvord desert floor if you approach from the east.

I met a friend in Burns, Oregon and we stayed in Frenchglen at an Oregon State Park Historic Hotel there. We drove up the gentle slope from the west to a viewpoint at the summit and YES!, you can look down a mile to the Alvord desert below.