From Alaska, With Love
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Letter 1
Lauren & Shannon
Hello from Alaska!!
I’ve just returned from my trip to Alaska and would like to share a few pictures with you. The 4 enclosed photos are ones that I took from the plane on my trip back down to Seattle the day before yesterday.
As you can see, it was an absolutely spectacular day and after departing Anchorage I spent the first hour or so with my face glued to the window. I was positively mesmerized by an endless scroll of snow covered mountains laced with huge winding glaciers.
Glaciers, Glaciers, Glaciers!
Everywhere I looked I found another glacier.
And so intrigued was I that I quickly found myself purchasing a book on glaciers, and not just any glaciers but more specifically, Alaskan glaciers.
A keen buy, I quickly discovered because, according to this book, this is what Webster’s dictionary says about glaciers
Alaska has a glacier cover of approximately 29,000 Sq. miles. The rest of the United States has a glacier cover of less than 200 Sq. miles.
No one knows the exact number of glaciers in Alaska, but it may exceed 100,000. Only about 650 of them have names.
Glacier ice is different from all other ice on earth. Unlike lake ice or sea ice or even refrigerator ice, which form by the freezing of liquid water, glacier ice evolves through the metamorphism of snow. This metamorphism happens not over night, but rather over a number of years, as each successive year’s snowfall creates a new layer on top of the older layers, weight and pressure increase, and transformation takes place.
As a glacier builds and grows, it can actually begin to “flow.” Typically glaciers flow at a rate of inches per day up to two to three feet per day, often snaking their way down long mountain valleys before dropping off into a lake or ocean. These features can be seen in the enclosed photos - massive icefields, ribbon glaciers, and also those that met their demise at the ocean’s edge.
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
These glaciers, these mountains, this stunning beauty!
Alaska - land of incredible proportions.
Quoting directly from my glacier book “The Juneau Icefield is the best studied in Alaska and one of the most studied in the world. It includes one of the most accessible glaciers in the state, Mendenhall. The Alaska section of the icefield covers more than 1,215 Sq. miles with more than 30 valley glaciers that descend to near sea level. Taku Glacier, at more that 30 miles long, is the largest that descends from the Juneau icefield.”
Geophysical studies determined that Taku has a maximum thickness of about one mile and reaches nearly 2,000 feet below sea level.
Yes, incredible proportions!
And incredible majesty, this land of Alaska!
Much love to you both,
Dad [Top]
Lauren & Shannon
Hello from Alaska!!
I’ve just returned from my trip to Alaska and would like to share a few pictures with you. The 4 enclosed photos are ones that I took from the plane on my trip back down to Seattle the day before yesterday.
As you can see, it was an absolutely spectacular day and after departing Anchorage I spent the first hour or so with my face glued to the window. I was positively mesmerized by an endless scroll of snow covered mountains laced with huge winding glaciers.
Glaciers, Glaciers, Glaciers!
Everywhere I looked I found another glacier.
And so intrigued was I that I quickly found myself purchasing a book on glaciers, and not just any glaciers but more specifically, Alaskan glaciers.
A keen buy, I quickly discovered because, according to this book, this is what Webster’s dictionary says about glaciers
- A large, perennial accumulation of ice, snow, rock sediment and liquid water originating on land and moving down-slope under the influence of its own weight and gravity; many of the most spectacular glaciers on earth occur in Alaska.
- A dynamic river of ice.
Glacier ice constitutes the largest reservoir of fresh water on earth, and aside from the oceans, the second largest reservoir of water. Three times more water exists in frozen glacier ice than all of the liquid fresh water on and in earth.
Alaska has a glacier cover of approximately 29,000 Sq. miles. The rest of the United States has a glacier cover of less than 200 Sq. miles.
No one knows the exact number of glaciers in Alaska, but it may exceed 100,000. Only about 650 of them have names.
Glacier ice is different from all other ice on earth. Unlike lake ice or sea ice or even refrigerator ice, which form by the freezing of liquid water, glacier ice evolves through the metamorphism of snow. This metamorphism happens not over night, but rather over a number of years, as each successive year’s snowfall creates a new layer on top of the older layers, weight and pressure increase, and transformation takes place.
As a glacier builds and grows, it can actually begin to “flow.” Typically glaciers flow at a rate of inches per day up to two to three feet per day, often snaking their way down long mountain valleys before dropping off into a lake or ocean. These features can be seen in the enclosed photos - massive icefields, ribbon glaciers, and also those that met their demise at the ocean’s edge.
I hope you enjoy these pictures.
These glaciers, these mountains, this stunning beauty!
Alaska - land of incredible proportions.
Quoting directly from my glacier book “The Juneau Icefield is the best studied in Alaska and one of the most studied in the world. It includes one of the most accessible glaciers in the state, Mendenhall. The Alaska section of the icefield covers more than 1,215 Sq. miles with more than 30 valley glaciers that descend to near sea level. Taku Glacier, at more that 30 miles long, is the largest that descends from the Juneau icefield.”
Geophysical studies determined that Taku has a maximum thickness of about one mile and reaches nearly 2,000 feet below sea level.
Yes, incredible proportions!
And incredible majesty, this land of Alaska!
Much love to you both,
Dad [Top]
Letter 2
Lauren & Shannon,
Hello from Alaska!
Home of the snowy snouted moose!
This comical jester periodically wanders into town to amuse us with is unassuming and endearing nature.
Just the other day after a relatively heavy snowfall I discovered this buffoon snorting around in the new fallen snow behind the Puffin Inn. He was soon alerted to my presence and raised his frosty muzzle to reveal his proud new look.
I was laughing so hard that I has some trouble focusing on this nimble nosed clown but was finally able to stay steady long enough to snap a couple of acceptable pictures.
Hope you enjoy ‘em!
Love to you both,
Dad [Top]
Lauren & Shannon,
Hello from Alaska!
Home of the snowy snouted moose!
This comical jester periodically wanders into town to amuse us with is unassuming and endearing nature.
Just the other day after a relatively heavy snowfall I discovered this buffoon snorting around in the new fallen snow behind the Puffin Inn. He was soon alerted to my presence and raised his frosty muzzle to reveal his proud new look.
I was laughing so hard that I has some trouble focusing on this nimble nosed clown but was finally able to stay steady long enough to snap a couple of acceptable pictures.
Hope you enjoy ‘em!
Love to you both,
Dad [Top]
Letter 3
5/24/2008
Hello from Alaska!
Where summer seems to already be in full swing, with sunset at 11:04 pm today after a sunrise at 4:49 am!
Yep, that makes for a full day to enjoy things like softball, hiking, picnicking, fishing and, aw heck, let’s just stop at fishing and talk about that for awhile since that just happened to be yesterday’s activity.
Lauren flew up from Seattle Wednesday night and Thursday we packed up our car and headed down the Kenai Peninsula to Anchor River for our Friday fishing trip. We left Anchorage about 4:30pm and arrived at the lodge just after 9pm, about an hour after everyone else had hit the sack.
It wasn’t until the next morning that Lauren and I came to appreciate the wisdom of that 8 O’clock bedtime, for at 4AM we received a loud knock at our door, alerting us that breakfast was ready.
Breakfast at 4AM????
How about brunch at Noon, I thought to myself as I struggled to come to grips with the impending reality that we would soon be out on that cold tossing ocean, trolling along for cold slimy fish. Yes, that bed seemed a far more logical option.
Nonetheless, my fishing instinct overcame sleeping desire and I rolled out of bed to face the day. After a good breakfast, we hopped in Phil’s truck and drove over to the beach to launch our boat. Despite my semi comatose state of mind I was still on the lookout for moose since we had seen three moose the night before on our drive down from Anchorage. However, on the short half mile or so drive to the beach, there were no moose to be seen. Mmmm… I thought to myself, even those big ol’ dumb critters must have sense enough not to get up at this unseemly hour of the morning.
Once at the beach we backed our boat into the surf, hopped in and took off. Within 10 minutes we were in position and trolling for king salmon. The morning was cool; well, ok, COLD!! - Cold and cloudy. However, by midmorning the clouds had disappeared and the skies were blue and sunny, so sunny in fact that Lauren and I both got a bit of red on our faces.
But sunburn wasn’t what we were looking for. Salmon was the more desired target and it didn’t take too long for us to get our first action as my pole suddenly bent over and my line began peeling off the reel. I grabbed my rod and held on tight as the line stripped off. The mighty king pulled out 30-40 yards of line before spitting up the hook, leaving me with nothing but a limp line and a bare hook.
What a way to start the day - a nice rush of excitement for both Lauren and me but nothing to show for the effort. Nevertheless, after a bit more trolling, we got another hit, this time on Lauren’s pole. Phil hollered that heart pumping phrase “Fish On” and told Lauren to grab her pole. Just as Phil got the net ready and was positioning for the dip, Mr. King rolled over, spit the hook our and made a dash for deeper waters.
“Oh, shoot!!” - At least that’s what I think we said as I lost our second king.
Zero for two and with no technical errors that we could see-
Drag set just right
Good bend in the rod
No slack in the line
Maybe I had a pair of mismatched socks….who knows??
At any rate we quickly got our lines back in the water and soon got another hit. I jumped on it and immediately stated “Third time’s a charm!” and after fighting it, finally got it to the boat only to discover that it was a 27 pound Halibut, not a salmon. An unlucky bottom dweller who made the wrong choice for breakfast. But with something in the box we felt a little better and dropped out lines in the water still looking for our first king.
And finally it happened, an 18 pounder around midday to join our halibut in our fish box. This midday trolling was delightful as we were able to watch bald eagles soaring overhead and sitting on the beach, all well illuminated by a glaring sun. By mid afternoon Phil said that it was time to head for the barn. With that direction I stood up to reel in my line and as I did, Phil hollered “Fish On!” It didn’t take me a microsecond to grab my pole and commence the battle and lo and behold, when all was done we had a 27 pound king salmon to add to our 27 pound halibut and 18 pound king.
Not a bad day we all agreed as we motored over to the beach with a warm sun on our backs.
Once the boat was out of the water we returned to the lodge, cleaned out fish and drove back to the beach to feed the fish scraps to the bald eagles and seagulls. This was quite a show as the eagles would dive straight out of the sky and down onto a fish carcass which was being enjoyed by several seagulls. It was clear that the seagulls understood the pecking order for they were quick to vacate their meal when they found themselves in the path of a dive bombing eagle.
The eagles having been fed, we returned to the lodge, said our goodbyes to Phil and hit the road for home, returning just as the sun was setting at 11 pm.
What a day, a 19 hour day!
An Alaskan Day!
And, oh yes, we say another moose on the way back.
Summertime in Alaska, hard to beat.
Love, Dad [Top]
5/24/2008
Hello from Alaska!
Where summer seems to already be in full swing, with sunset at 11:04 pm today after a sunrise at 4:49 am!
Yep, that makes for a full day to enjoy things like softball, hiking, picnicking, fishing and, aw heck, let’s just stop at fishing and talk about that for awhile since that just happened to be yesterday’s activity.
Lauren flew up from Seattle Wednesday night and Thursday we packed up our car and headed down the Kenai Peninsula to Anchor River for our Friday fishing trip. We left Anchorage about 4:30pm and arrived at the lodge just after 9pm, about an hour after everyone else had hit the sack.It wasn’t until the next morning that Lauren and I came to appreciate the wisdom of that 8 O’clock bedtime, for at 4AM we received a loud knock at our door, alerting us that breakfast was ready.
Breakfast at 4AM????
How about brunch at Noon, I thought to myself as I struggled to come to grips with the impending reality that we would soon be out on that cold tossing ocean, trolling along for cold slimy fish. Yes, that bed seemed a far more logical option.
Nonetheless, my fishing instinct overcame sleeping desire and I rolled out of bed to face the day. After a good breakfast, we hopped in Phil’s truck and drove over to the beach to launch our boat. Despite my semi comatose state of mind I was still on the lookout for moose since we had seen three moose the night before on our drive down from Anchorage. However, on the short half mile or so drive to the beach, there were no moose to be seen. Mmmm… I thought to myself, even those big ol’ dumb critters must have sense enough not to get up at this unseemly hour of the morning.Once at the beach we backed our boat into the surf, hopped in and took off. Within 10 minutes we were in position and trolling for king salmon. The morning was cool; well, ok, COLD!! - Cold and cloudy. However, by midmorning the clouds had disappeared and the skies were blue and sunny, so sunny in fact that Lauren and I both got a bit of red on our faces.
But sunburn wasn’t what we were looking for. Salmon was the more desired target and it didn’t take too long for us to get our first action as my pole suddenly bent over and my line began peeling off the reel. I grabbed my rod and held on tight as the line stripped off. The mighty king pulled out 30-40 yards of line before spitting up the hook, leaving me with nothing but a limp line and a bare hook.What a way to start the day - a nice rush of excitement for both Lauren and me but nothing to show for the effort. Nevertheless, after a bit more trolling, we got another hit, this time on Lauren’s pole. Phil hollered that heart pumping phrase “Fish On” and told Lauren to grab her pole. Just as Phil got the net ready and was positioning for the dip, Mr. King rolled over, spit the hook our and made a dash for deeper waters.
“Oh, shoot!!” - At least that’s what I think we said as I lost our second king.
Zero for two and with no technical errors that we could see-
Drag set just right
Good bend in the rod
No slack in the line
Maybe I had a pair of mismatched socks….who knows??At any rate we quickly got our lines back in the water and soon got another hit. I jumped on it and immediately stated “Third time’s a charm!” and after fighting it, finally got it to the boat only to discover that it was a 27 pound Halibut, not a salmon. An unlucky bottom dweller who made the wrong choice for breakfast. But with something in the box we felt a little better and dropped out lines in the water still looking for our first king.
And finally it happened, an 18 pounder around midday to join our halibut in our fish box. This midday trolling was delightful as we were able to watch bald eagles soaring overhead and sitting on the beach, all well illuminated by a glaring sun. By mid afternoon Phil said that it was time to head for the barn. With that direction I stood up to reel in my line and as I did, Phil hollered “Fish On!” It didn’t take me a microsecond to grab my pole and commence the battle and lo and behold, when all was done we had a 27 pound king salmon to add to our 27 pound halibut and 18 pound king.
Not a bad day we all agreed as we motored over to the beach with a warm sun on our backs.
Once the boat was out of the water we returned to the lodge, cleaned out fish and drove back to the beach to feed the fish scraps to the bald eagles and seagulls. This was quite a show as the eagles would dive straight out of the sky and down onto a fish carcass which was being enjoyed by several seagulls. It was clear that the seagulls understood the pecking order for they were quick to vacate their meal when they found themselves in the path of a dive bombing eagle.The eagles having been fed, we returned to the lodge, said our goodbyes to Phil and hit the road for home, returning just as the sun was setting at 11 pm.
What a day, a 19 hour day!
An Alaskan Day!
And, oh yes, we say another moose on the way back.
Summertime in Alaska, hard to beat.
Love, Dad [Top]
Letter 4
March 9, 2009
Hello from Alaska!
And yes, it’s Fur Rendezvous time again! Time for Alaska’s true cultural colors to blossom forth for all to see. True to form this year’s list of activities included time honored events such as Snowshoe Softball, The Miner’s and Trapper’s Ball, Hide and Horn Auction, Eskimo Blanket Toss, Running of the Reindeer, Dogsled Races and, of course, my two most favorite events, the Snow Sculpture competition and the Outhouse Races.
Yep, that’s right, the Outhouse Races! An event that, like no other, serves to highlight Alaska’s highly refined cultural sensibilities. mmmm.. . Whatever the heck that means. Sometimes it appears as if my fingers tend to get somewhat ahead of my brain, a decidedly dangerous situation to be sure.
But be that as it may, the outhouse races always seem to draw a good crowd, another sign of the heightened sophistication that may not, at first glance, be recognized by outsiders seeking to integrate into our multifaceted culture.
All things said and done this year’s Fur Rondy was again an invigorating event for all that have gotten a bit weary of Alaska’s long nights and brutal cold.
I’m sending along a few pictures that I hope you’ll like. My favorite was the outhouse with the Wasilla Weekly newspaper on the wall and the Joe the Miner sign on its floor. Yes, as I said, highly refined and cultural - that’s us! [Top]
March 9, 2009
Hello from Alaska!
And yes, it’s Fur Rendezvous time again! Time for Alaska’s true cultural colors to blossom forth for all to see. True to form this year’s list of activities included time honored events such as Snowshoe Softball, The Miner’s and Trapper’s Ball, Hide and Horn Auction, Eskimo Blanket Toss, Running of the Reindeer, Dogsled Races and, of course, my two most favorite events, the Snow Sculpture competition and the Outhouse Races. Yep, that’s right, the Outhouse Races! An event that, like no other, serves to highlight Alaska’s highly refined cultural sensibilities. mmmm.. . Whatever the heck that means. Sometimes it appears as if my fingers tend to get somewhat ahead of my brain, a decidedly dangerous situation to be sure.
But be that as it may, the outhouse races always seem to draw a good crowd, another sign of the heightened sophistication that may not, at first glance, be recognized by outsiders seeking to integrate into our multifaceted culture. All things said and done this year’s Fur Rondy was again an invigorating event for all that have gotten a bit weary of Alaska’s long nights and brutal cold.
I’m sending along a few pictures that I hope you’ll like. My favorite was the outhouse with the Wasilla Weekly newspaper on the wall and the Joe the Miner sign on its floor. Yes, as I said, highly refined and cultural - that’s us! [Top]
Letter 5
March 26, 2009
Hello from Alaska!
Cold yet beautiful Alaska where we’ve been experiencing an extended stretch of clear blue skies and chilling temperatures. On the bright side, however, these particular conditions have provided some fabulous winter scenery as can be seen in these photos that I’m sending.
I took these shots several days ago on a drive along Turnagain Arm, a long slender finger of water that is fed by the Cook Inlet. This body of water is roughly 40 miles long and is known for having one of the world’s most extreme high tides, with a diurnal range of more than 33 feet.
These radical movements of oceanic water provide some very curious conditions, one of which is known as a bore tide. A bore tide is an abrupt rise of tidal water just after a low tide, moving rapidly landward, formed by a flood tide surging into a constricted inlet such a Turnagain Arm. This foaming wall of water may reach a height of six feet and is very dangerous to small craft.
However, there were no bore tides out on the Inlet several days ago as I was meandering along taking pictures of the ice strewn waterway. No, just a serene, spectacularly beautiful array of nature in the raw.
Wintertime Alaska at it’s finest! [Top]
March 26, 2009
Hello from Alaska!
Cold yet beautiful Alaska where we’ve been experiencing an extended stretch of clear blue skies and chilling temperatures. On the bright side, however, these particular conditions have provided some fabulous winter scenery as can be seen in these photos that I’m sending.
I took these shots several days ago on a drive along Turnagain Arm, a long slender finger of water that is fed by the Cook Inlet. This body of water is roughly 40 miles long and is known for having one of the world’s most extreme high tides, with a diurnal range of more than 33 feet.
These radical movements of oceanic water provide some very curious conditions, one of which is known as a bore tide. A bore tide is an abrupt rise of tidal water just after a low tide, moving rapidly landward, formed by a flood tide surging into a constricted inlet such a Turnagain Arm. This foaming wall of water may reach a height of six feet and is very dangerous to small craft.However, there were no bore tides out on the Inlet several days ago as I was meandering along taking pictures of the ice strewn waterway. No, just a serene, spectacularly beautiful array of nature in the raw.
Wintertime Alaska at it’s finest! [Top]
Puffin Inn - Anchorage, Alaska
4400 Spenard Road, Anchorage, Alaska 99517
Toll free: 800-478-3346 Phone: 907-243-4044
Email: info@puffininn.net
