Alaska-Part 2

I forgot to put some pictures of Eagle River in the last post...just to show you how amazing that part of Alaska is:

Pretty awesome sight, no?

It's no secret that I'm a big fan of mountains. Having grown up camping in both the Sierras and the Rockies, I love to wake-up to a view of the mountains. Being on the East Coast, I don't have that many chances to see that.  In Alaska, the mountains are HUGE. That word is bolded and in all-caps for a good reason.  It's hard to find words to describe, but the physical beauty of the geography is breath-taking.  You can see this almost anywhere in Alaska.  

View from the Kenai Fjords

My wife and I were able to take a cruise there in 2006. We went with some great friends and were able to experience these mountains every single day.  Sailing through the Inside Passage gets you up-close-and-personal with the geography. Until I arrived in New England, I didn't think so many trees could exist in one place.

With our friends in Sitka

The cruise was one of the best trips that my wife and I have taken. Most of it was due to our friends. However, the amazing geography played a big part. While on the ship, the wind was a little strong:

We had a chance to visit Sitka.  Like many Alaskan towns next to the water, it's known for fishing, wildlife, native Indians and Russian Orthodox churches. While there, we all went kayaking, something I like to do (but not on a river). 

While in the kayak, the fish (remember, these are BIG fish) were jumping out of the water to eat the insects flying just above the water-line. It was amazing to have these huge fish jumping all around us.

Life on the ship was pretty casual. Actually, my Grandmother would be proud that we dressed-up for "formal night".

In North America, dressing formally seems to be dying a slow death. It's a shame. As you can see, my friend M. and I would pass the time playing a little casual shuffleboard:

Most of the Alaskan cruises take you to see the glaciers. We were able to see the Menhenhall and the Hubbard Glaciers.  The ship took us to Glacier Bay, were you can see - and HEAR - the glaciers moving. My family was just there last week and witnessed a massive glacier breaking off into the water. You'd be amazed at how loud this is, when it cracks.

One other unique sight in Alaska is the aurora borealis. This can also be viewed in Canada, but it's striking in Alaska. On a good night, the sky lights up and for those of us Mormons, it's the closest we'll come to an acid trip as we'll ever be. I won't bore you with the scientific explanation of the phenomenon - I'll let you do the research on your own. I can say, however, that it's hard to find really perfect nights to view it. I've only witnessed it a few times, given the frequency of my trips to Alaska.

I only wish this were my picture...

One more thing that Alaska is famous for, is the Iditarod Race.  This is an interesting cultural phenomenon.  Basically, this is a sled dog race over 1, 150 miles of rough terrain - the race also runs right through the middle of several towns (include Sarah Palin's own Wasilia).  The temperatures reach far below zero (feels like Winnipeg ; )  Each team has about 12 to 16 dogs and they race for about 12 days!!!  There is a lot of debate about whether this is cruel for the animals, but these "mushers" do love their dogs and take good care of them.  I don't totally understand it, but there's plenty of strange things in everyone's culture.