The Foxloft

Alaska–May 2011

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A spectacular view of Hubbard Glacier.

For our five year wedding anniversary, Roman and I embarked upon a lifelong dream trip for the both of us – an Alaskan adventure.  We started off spending time in Anchorage and Palmer, learning to care for musk oxen on a large farm there and then toured the coastline on a cruise with sixteen of our friends – it was an absolute blast!  We visited Seward, Hubbard Glacier, Juneau, Skagway, the Yukon Territory, Hoonah, Icy Strait, Ketchikan, the Misty Fjords, and Vancouver.  It was our first cruise and a wonderful way to see a little bit of a whole lot of incredible places – I can see why this amazing state has captured so many people’s hearts and spirits throughout the years.

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Zip lining in the Alpine rainforest. Roman feeds a reindeer at a big farm in Palmer. A humpback whale in the inland passage.

 

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A young female musk ox at the farm. Me and a young musk ox, about to go gathering qiviut (musk ox wool). Dreaming of musk oxen who will someday roam our own farm. (I always look like such a derp!) Playful musk ox trying out for the soccer team.
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Adult musk oxen. Reindeer farm! This was such a treat. Tame moose at the reindeer farm. Baby reindeer!
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Lots of young reindeer were following their mothers about. Roman was unsure about the reindeer at first. They became  buddies really quickly. Older male reindeer, antlers in velvet.
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Train to Seward. The train had open areas between the compartments that you could lean out of. Our friends Duncan and Takaza, who helped organize the cruise for 18 people! Gorgeous train and even more gorgeous ride to the coast!
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Train wheel. Another sort of train wheel. Glacier in the distance. Nearing the boat in port at Seward.
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Getting closer! Panorama of the boat, the Celebrity Millennium We got quite close  to the Hubbard Glacier thanks to nice weather. Amazing lighting showing the contrast of the ice.
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Gorgeous glacial walls. Snow was collapsing off the glacier into the water! A hike up to Mendenhall Glacier. Zip line through the alpine rain forest in Juneau.
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Me suited up for ziplining. And away we go! Zipline bridge. Those fluffs in her saddlebags are Pomeranians!
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Horseback riding in the Yukon – Roman saddled up! We had absolutely spectacular mountain vista views! The view from horseback. Incredible Emerald Lake. It really is that color!
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We are such tourists, taking photos of each other. Big male bear on the train tracks! Another shot of the bear – we was about four on our trip, including grizzlies! Roman and I posing at the Yukon Territory sign.
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Not sure I’d want to ride those rails. Even the glass detailing on the power lines was amazing to see. Old Yukon rails. Making snow, making water.
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Moos Line. Back to Alaska again! The views off the ship were always amazing and ever-changing. There were seals, whales, sea otters, and sea birds galore! Theatre on the ship.
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Old freighter on the water. Waterfall. Eagles were *everywhere*. We went whalewatching on a small boat – Roman was fascinated by the equipment.
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Whales! Small group of whales diving. Kayaking in Orca Cove and the inland passage ocean. Our flight plane arrives!
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It landed on the water right next to our boat. The tiny plane was amazing! I got to sit up front and ‘co-pilot’. We flew over the Misty Fjords.
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The fjords were so clear we could see forever! Incredible scenery. Flying in between the towering cliffs was breathtaking. So neat to see the bird’s eye view.
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Running water everywhere! Eagles more common than songbirds. Eagles everywhere! Big Alaskan ravens in the park at Junea. 
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Icy Strait Point. This painting shows what Alaska was really like, all the time.    

Our Alaskan trip was pretty much non-stop, the cruise offered a really nice chance to move-while-sleeping and not have to worry about meal planning, as well as the chance to relax with friends and share stories in the evening. 

If you’re going on your own trip, we highly recommend http://www.g-wind.com/ if you’re looking for a great whale watching tour experience! 

http://www.alaskazip.com/ was the zipline company in Juneau and that was also a whole lot of fun!

We hope to get back to Alaska to spend more time at the Musk ox farm and also get the chance to explore Denali National Park.