back from Valdez...

 again loads of pictures to work through so these are just a snippet taken with the cell phone.  i really need to clear up the space on the phone.  take it to costco and get a few cd's made of all the pics/video's so i can delete them from the phone . it keeps telling me i have no space anymore. 

 a few are from a walk to Arctic Valley with friends the day before i left for Valdez. 

 always so pretty up there with the views.  hard to imagine in that valley below one man was killed and another mauled by a bear.  it's still out there by the way.  last i heard. 

 so my plans had changed due to the costochondritis.  i had already arranged a pet sitter so i decided i may as well make some new plans and do a few things i would never do because i always have the dogs when I'm here. 

 it was a beautiful drive out of course, which always means it takes much longer since i stop everywhere and take photos.  nice without the dogs as anytime you stop, they assume they are going to get out and play...makes you just take pics from inside the car rather than really get out all the time as they just get too hyped up.  that is Matanuska Glacier above. 

 i took the time to stop there, pay the small fee and wander around.  it has receded quite a bit since last i paid that fee a few years back. fun to wander around.  i stayed in the campground i usually stay at but i stayed in one of the cute little cabins they have that are dog free.

 it looks pretty small, but it had a full bed, small kitchenette, toilet/shower and all the amenities one would want.  pretty sweet! liked the little plug in heater as it really warmed up the place.  as i headed towards Thompson pass the weather looked worse.  fog/rain.  above was shot on the glacier, Valdez Glacier

 this is pups on the Arctic Valley hike.  some lady got a major flat tire.  air was flying out of it.  that road is worse than most other roads I've driven in AK so far. 

 my first adventure the next day was a short kayak across Valdez Lake, a landing on Valdez Glacier and then a hike on the glacier, followed by the little paddle back across the lake.  we paddled slowly around all the ice on the lake, taking photos. 

 figured it would be minimally strenuous on the ribs. i did start to feel it slightly part way back to the shore so i think it was a good choice.  slight increased discomfort that night but i did not have the bad break through pain I'd had the last paddle so it must be healing....as long as i continue to not do too much.  this little excursion really looked like fun when i have seen others go out on it.  not too spendy and the guide i ended up with was super fun.  she grew up in Valdez...great as most Alaskan guides you run across are up here for the summer between college semesters.

 i was a bit anxious, not surprising, when they told us that morning we would land on the glacier and we had to be careful as it was a drop into 300 feet water at the edge of the glacier.  would our landing area collapse under us, calve?  thankfully it didn't. 

 we were also on inflatable kayaks that were sit atops.  that was new experience as well.  strange but perfect for the situation. 

 as we landed we discovered that there were steps made of ice at the lip of the glacier edge...who knows, those could have been an inch thick and buckled under our weight or 50 foot thick.  ultimately we landed and took off safely. 

 that is our landing spot.  glacier covered in shale type rocks. 

 views on the way down.  Mount Drum.

 me on the glacier.  that shale is a bit deceiving.  right below it is ice.  oddly we all did fine in our xtra tuff boots (or similar).  we did climb one hill of ice/shale and at one point i had the shale slide out under my feet, which leaves you with just ice.  not much of a way to stop your slide or get back up on the ice.  the guide took my camera and water until i could get myself back up and on top of the hill.  no crevasse rescues required that day.

 my fellow paddlers getting ready to load into kayak.  he is checking the ice step with his paddle. 

 it was cloudy but still really flat calm water.  no wind made for a sweet paddle, which was perfect for me.

 if you have never done this, i would highly recommend it.  great day out there.

 there are our boats headed back to town.

 strange to be without the pups.  they seemed to have done well though.  i was tired at the end of both days. woke way too early in excitement for the days activity

 looking up the glacier.  we could walk quite a ways.  a few sketchy bits but overall, it felt super safe. 

 cruised around the old main part of town.  after the earthquake and tsunami of '64 they moved town.  32 lives were lost in the tsunami so it seemed smart to shift where town was for future safety.

 lots of pretty flowers in the area, not much left to see of the old town. they do have photo's placed where stuff was.

 above you can see our kayaks sitting on the edge of the glacier.  if it calved and our boats fell in we'd be screwed but at least we had no concerns for the tide coming in and taking them i guess.

 lupine all over, so beautiful!

 this is me on the next days excursion.  an 8 hour boat trek past Columbia Glacier and on to this glacier, Meares.  beautiful and relaxing. i  could not have relaxed if I'd left the dogs in the car back in Valdez. 

 these are from the kayak trek.  more of some ice caves we entered and the boat on the edge of the ice.

 lupine in town at the harbor

 these are all jumbled...that is how they load from the phone. 

 on the way out to Valdez i spotted 7 moose on or near the road.  on the way home my final tally was 11 moose.  one section really ramped up the numbers. seems there are always a lot of them in that area.  i took my time.  i didn't leave Valdez last night until around 7pm and it's like a 5 hour drive back.  again i stopped when i felt like it to stretch a bit, enjoy views or take photo's. 

 i also saw a fox and a porcupine on the way back. 

 keystone canyon never disappoints.  the big waterfalls and rock formations.

 lots of wildflowers along the roadside.  i really hadn't noticed the columbine on the way in.  not sure if that was because the weather was looking more sketchy and i was tired and just booking or if they just have bloomed in the days since i arrived.  both are possible.

 i haven't even began to look at the photo's i took. still have to unpack the gear. should take off again for a few days or just do some fun day trips...maybe Seward, Talkeetna....so many things to see and do up here.  love, love, love it.

 at Meares Glacier.  nothing out there but our boat and the seals and birds.  i think the face is nearly 1/2 mile wide i think or more...can't recall.

 a little photo op spot.

 my first moose sighting on the way back from Valdez. 

 more flowers on the side of a road in old Valdez.

 the rest are from portage area and the wildlife conservation center on the way to Homer a few weeks ago or last week?  not sure.

 moose is getting his rack back.

 little grooming porcupine.

 they are really cute in their own way

 and of course, the bears.

 several baby bison which were fairly close to the road there.

 well, i better get moving.  lots to do today.  did get the yard mowed though so that was a start.  we just hit the dog park.  off to look at pictures...

grateful for:  A.  safe travels, moose on road and not on car.  B.  beautiful scenery and wildlife and those who fight to protect it for the future C.  to live here in the most beautiful place on earth....well, from what I've seen anyway.  :-)