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Monday, August 25, 2025

Alaska and Canada 2025

 

We drove to Alaska this year thru Canada From May 22 thru July 13. We entered Canada at Osoyoos and camped as a campground just before the crossing. Our route in on the map below. Shortly before leving the US I purchased a Starlink Mini to have internet in Canada and Alaska when out of normal service areas. It worked real good and enabled us to have Cell service everywhere.




At our first campground before crossing we saw birds and flowers. This is some kind of fleabane


A Killdeer trying to lead up away from the nest.


The babies in the nest are well camoflaged.

A tree squirrel



Another Kildeer


Yellowheaded blackbird


Overlooking a lake on the first day of travel north



The second night we stayed at a campground operated by a trump worshiper. He cooked a barbeque for everyone in the campground. That was mainly us.


Young Horsetail.




Speedwell Veronica


Serviceberry


We camped at this provincial park for 20 CD per night. It was quiet except for the buzzing of mosquitoes. We had internet there because of the Starlink. It was cloudy and misting rain.


The name of the lake.



In Dawson City we stopped by the Alcan sign.


We saw several black bears on the Alcan.


Some bison too.



And caribou



And more bison












Just one of the many mountains visible from the car



Jacobs ladder. We saw these all thru the north country



And elk


And Dall sheep




Suspect this is another fleabane






A memorial on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.


The stone marker at the site.



At one provincial campground we saw Calispo orchids. Not a very common plant.







Early morning reflection on a lake by the road.


Coyote


We finally reached Alaska



And saw more black bears



And some tan bears


Moose. Sad story: this is the moose that caused John to fall out of his truck and suffer a  long lasting injury.







Starflower



Moose tracks outside the guardrail on the highway


We parked down there in a small pullout to walk up the road to get a view of the glacier there. The moose tracks were on the narrow strip on the outside of the guardrail.



There was a glacier view at that location.


Starflower. These were at the campground in Anchorage and many other places.



Moose in the campground in Anchorage. Anchorage has a lot of forest parks that are full of moose.






Tree swallow





This is not in the park. It was in an estuary with a boardwalk for bird watching. We saw the tree swallow and some geese and this moose lying under the boardwalk


A starflower next to a northern blackberry



Marsh marigolds



Baby Canada geese.



Starflower



Bunchberry. a relative of the dogwood tree.



Red Baneberry



Same thing




Tall mountain blue bells


Wild geranium



In a different forest preserve we hiked up this stream and back down the other side looking for moose. We did see one near the end crossing the road near the parking lot.



Quiet ocean south on Anchorage on the way to Homer.



We camped right on the beach in Homer within walking distance of the restaurants.



a gull about to hitch a ride on an eagle.



The mountains across the bay from out camp on Homer spit.



We took a nature excursion to see puffins











And saw see otters.







And arches. We felt right at home.



Common Murres



Pigeon Guillemot



Comorant




This is the laundromat at the campground.



Harbor seal eatting a halibut







Wild lilly



Bearberry?



This moose was easy to spot. The visitor center was closed.








Unidentified duck



Labrador tea




A small random lake we saw on a driving excursion on a rainy day.




More Jacobs ladder



We stopped by Deana Swaneys house on a lake for a visit. This is their boardwalk to the lake. She is the author who wrote the book on hiking in Valley of Fire.



Cup mushroom



Deanna's back porch



Deanna's lake cabin



Thimbleberry flower.



Moss



Cup mushroom



On the way to Denali we passed a braided river.











A rock ptarmagin



Moose by the road in Denali park.




Ravens nest on a bridge.








Another moose by the road in Denali



This moose was by our camper one morning



Mother moose




The sun came out and clouds went away so we took a flight around the mountain






















This glacier on the mountain is where some of the flights land so you can walk around on the glacier some.







tree squirrel








Shrubby cinquefoil







Wintergreen



Common Merganser



Type of saxifrage



Touch me nots



The campground in Denali had ice cream



Later on in Fairbanks we saw a field of Sandhill cranes.




Tree swallow nests



Wild iris



Grebe



Tree swallow



Grebe



Red necked grebe



Tall mountian bluebells with pink ones too.






Old light fixture in a train car museum



Old steam shovel



The train we rode around the park in Fairbanks on. 




Baby robins about to leave the nest.



Santa's gift shop at the North Pole.















The actual North Pole






Back to th sandhill cranes in Fairbanks




This is the office of the campground we stayed at in Fairbanks. The mosquitos were terrible.




After leaving Fairbanks John an I split up and we headed on the Valdez Alaska. You go over a pass that is above tree line.



Before the pass we took a short drive out the Denali Highway which is a east/west shortcut back to Denali if we were going there.




We only followed the road as long as it was paved. Most of iit is dirt.





There was fantastic scenery along the way



White-winged scoter







Dropping down into Valdez we pass several waterfalls.




Harbor in Valdez. We camped one block away from here.




Eagles were plentiful in Valdez













We took an excursion to a glacier and to see wildlife



Iceberg








Humpback whale tail








Two otters on an ice floe







Harbor seals



Colorful character on the excursion boat.












Harbor seal on ice



The glacier

















Another puffin taking off











Stellar sea lions




Arctic tern at Valdez harbor







Western oyster catcher around the valdez harbor










Wild? domestic columbine









Leaving Valdez we saw our first Grizzly



We camped on this lake in a campground where grizzlys congregate. we didn't see any



Anemone flower



chickweed



Mountain avens




Mt Charleston blue flew all the way to alaska




western swallowtail


The tent camping area at the campground has an electric fence around it.




Bear tracks on the lakeshore



Yellow paintbrush



Lupine




On the way to Haines AK














Famous hammer museum




Harbor in Hanes




Hanes pass



False lily of the valley





Thimble berry



Slug


Columbine



Our campsite in Haines





Loon on the road into Haines







In whitehorse BC we camped in town and took an excursion to Skagway on a bus and a train, This is a totem pole on the way







The skagway train












Bear on the road



Sign post forest







The famous alternate route back south (not the alcan) its very remote and only has gas about every 200 miles. No cell phone service for 400 miles. Except if you have a starlink, no problem,



This is what they call a narrow dangerous road. Nice



this in on the pass into Stewart alaska. There were many grizzlies in the area. We didn't see any but counted 33 piles of bear scat in the road over the pass. The saying about bears shitting in the woods does not apply here. They do it in the road.



Another arctic blackberry


Triple rainbow.





Another glacier from the road


The lake we camped at when we saw the triple rainbow


Common Yellowthroat. First time for me




Wolf in the estuary







Fighting finches







Our only grizzly cubs. Almost got hit by a logging truck while crossing the road.



A campground on an First Nation reservation



Replica of a native village








Hiking thru a rain forest



Ferns and Devils Club



Queens cup flower






Foam flower



foam flower








Trail near Mt Robson CA




















Mt Robson










One sided wintergreen



Wild geranium



Wild strawberry



Orchid




Twinflower



On  a 6 mile trail to a lake in Mt Robson park.








Butterfly different from ours



Single Del;ight



Speedwell








Near Jasper NP a fire devastated a lot of forest around there











Moss Campion




Moss Campion



Another Avens kind of flower



White heather




Yellow paintbrush


White heather


Cinquefoil



Spotted saxifrage




At the top of the tram on a windy day



Moss campion


Moss campion




White heather


Milkvetch



Chickweed











Looking down to our campground from the top of the tram








Deer along the road


Two baby eagles on the nest





Athabaska falls











Camping on the Icefields parkway




Mid day in the campground was kinda crowded.




Tourists on the glacier at Ice Fields parkway



Mt Athabaska





White thistle



Columbia glacier



Golden saxifrage




Spotted sandpiper



Pink wintergreen



Orange paintbrush








HIking to the columbia glacier. The sign shows where the glacier was in 1982 which was the last time we were there. 



This is the 1992 marker and is as far as you can go without a guide.




Golden saxifrage







Alpine avens







Viewpoint on a trail on the opposite side of the valley from the glacier








Anemony flower



Spruce cones



The trail above timberline




Looking across the valley to the columbia glacier







Mountain dandelion. Not common and orange in color



Two chairs someone hauled up the trail for a viewpoint

Mountain avens in seed







Bow lake










Young grizzlies 



Mamma grizzley


Front door of the Fairmont Lake Louise


Moraine lake



Moraine lake



Moraine lake



When we arrived at the hotel they had a birthday cake for Brenda


Also a bottle of wine, box of chocolates, and a souvenir glass.


We stayed on the 7th floor which is the gold floor. Speial


Free continental breakfast qwas better than usual














Custom omelettes included


Nespresso machine in the room
 



Bathroom in our room. Notice a tub and a shower.There was a digital bathroom scale under the sink


The living room



Bedroom


Snack tray in the room



Lobby



Some kind of rein orchid



Us in front of the hotel






One sided wintergreen


The trails to the closest lake was very crowded.



The tea house at the second lake. It is like a starbucks except they have tea. Long line to get in.



The tea house is on this lake


Penstemon


Ground squirrel



Marmot



Red Saxifrage



White heather







Other side on the lake where the tea house is



Twinberry



Death Camus



Butterwort












Our Keycard for the 7th floor