Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve...

Sunrise on the Charley River - click

...north to Alaska, the gold rush was on,
and this is the country where it was born;
this area played a really important part...
..for those that made panning gold, an important art.

It's also known for archaeological sites too,
they are learning history, it benefits me and you,
but, it's the scenery that brought us to this place,
and we're also interested in the human race.

At the mouth of the Kandik River, looks peaceful to me. - click

The Charley River with exposed rock - click

Rent a cabin and stay a while - click

Kennecott, Alaska in the Wrangell-St.Elias National Park...

The smelter and other facilities, 27 stories tall-click

...over in the corner of this lovely park, it sits,
Kennecott, a company town, now dead and in the pits;
the mine was in the mountains, way over there,
but the ore was processed in this town, it was in their care.

Built by the Guggenheim family and J.P. Morgan, who were already rich,
they took a hundred million dollars, and left us with a ditch,
the place was name for a glacier, Kennecott in name,
see, you can do a lot - if you have the funds and fame.

The Kennecott Glacier-click

Another view of the mills-click

A small river of water, from a very large river of ice-click

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve....

View from a distance-click

...in southeastern Alaska, we have this wilderness place,
saved from development, the people won the race;
this land is a perfect example, of wild and wonderful things,
if you get a chance to visit, you will see what nature brings.

You travel a highway from Anchorage, and two gravel roads,
drive through the park if need be, but you can hike (with heavy loads),
climb among the mountains, see glaciers right up close too,
or you can just look at pictures, that's what I choose to do.

Mount Blackburn, a glacier in front-click

A glacier, seemingly at rest (it's not)-click

View from the Kennicott Lodge-click

Sitka National Historical Park....

Totemic object collection

...Alaska, the very first Historic Park, it dates to 1890,

it marks the end of the last war (1802)  between natives and Europeans;
on the site of the last Tlingit (ting-get) people and Russian explorers,
now used to display and store totems from all peoples.

Tlingit, Aleut and Haida all used totem to record...
..history of their people, carved in spruce.
Some poles are now reproduction of some of the very old..
..totem in the collection, come see, come out of the cold.



Tlingit ceremonial dress and dance



The Park shoreline

Part of the City of Sitka





















Kobuk Valley National Park...

The Kobuk River

...Oh my goodness, what a place!  Always something odd,
like sand dunes north of the arctic circle - yes earth that doesn't clod.
Half million caribou migrate here each year,
and swim the Kobuk River - very near right here.

It's a traditional hunting grounds, for the Alaska Native people,
hunted the caribou where they swim with spears, to keep things equal.
Now the caribou still migrate and the hunt is another kind,
rifles make things more distant, but the hunt is in the mind.


29 square miles of dunes, 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle



Caribou swim the Kobuk River



Kachemak Bay State Wilderness Park...

Grewingk Glacier

...Alaska, the is quite a chunk of land,
there's plenty of that here, so they gave this a hand;
it's preserved, as it should be, so people can see,
the wonders of this place, in natural harmony.

The critters and the birds seem to like it too,
but they leave plenty of land and water, for me and you,
come on up, you can drive to Seward, there's a real paved road,
but I'd wait for summer, but...those mosquitoes would be quite a load.

Just one of the lakes



Eagles wait for the fish



a small part of the bay

Kenai Fjords National Park.....

..that glacier is coming right at us...

...Alaska, it's one of the newest National Parks,
take a casual look around, and see what that sparks,
if you like scenery, then you'd like it here,
wide open spaces, and things you can hear.

It's a very large park, but not the biggest by far,
and I think if you wanted you can get here by car,
some people fly in, others arrive on a ship,
but you've got to see it.  You'd better get hip!


The Pederson Glacier



This formation is called Mountain Goat



A gray whale in the bay, Orcas (Killer Whales) are here too.



Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve...

A frozen meadow..

....Alaska, way up north of Fairbanks, you get here by air,
it's a mostly frozen wilderness, best suited for a bear;
but if you make it up here, the fishing is the best,
but you'll need a strong back to carry, this by need and behest.

It's suggested that you visit in the long summer nights,
thirty days with no darkness, you won't need any lights;
there is one thing they don't mention in the brochure,
you'll be swarmed by mosquitoes when you go out the door.


The Doonerak River



There is a large Caribou herd



The Arrigetch Peaks at sunset



Cape Krusenstern National Monument...

Kotlik Lagoon, April 2008

...north to Alaska, up on the north slope,
a land preserve that's huge, and natural one would hope,
birds and animals are here, in the warmer times,
not too many around though, in the winter climes.

There is a lot to see, if you were to fly in,
because there are no roads, you can say that again,
no people who live here, scientist some times,
and, once again, it's in the warmers climes.

Summer flowers



Bones, a Mammoth I think, they're very old