Back from Alaska (with photos)

[kranky]

Nice photos! Our trip to Alaska was fabulous as well. We flew to Anchorage and did everything on land - fantastic. It is a big, big place.

 

[Exterous]

Nice, I'll probably never get up there again

You never know since you are so spry and young!

Great pictures, thanks!

Thank you

It is a big, big place.

Yeah - we saw lots of t-shits, hats etc making fun of the size of texas.

One of our guides told us that while its over 2x the size of TX it matches Rhonde Island in terms of total miles of highway

 

[MtnMan]

My daughter and her son's (12 & 14) just made a similar trip, and are still raving about it, and Alaska. She book an excursion (separate from anything the cruise line offered) that took them out into the wilds, and into the Yukon Territory of Canada.

They got to see a huge chunk of a glacier calve off when the ship was at its closest position.

She planned it so they rented a small house in Seattle after the cruise and spent another 4 days there, before flying back.

 

[rh71]

You got some great pictures and some good looking weather. We did the same Alaskan ports out of Vancouver back in '07 (with a crappier camera and worse weather). Vancouver itself was definitely a highlight, but the ship going through the glacier areas was one of the most remarkable experiences I've ever had. So serene it was like we were walking through nature that didn't exist anywhere else in the world. We splurged for this trip and got a balcony to take in the whole experience along the way. The ports themselves were just ok, but we did do kayaking in front of Mendenhall Glacier (2nd to last pic), some biking through Skagway, and a boat trip through the fjords. Saw some bald eagles near Mendenhall too... quite the experience. Here's a few notable pics.

 

[destrekor]

Gorgeous photos! Looks like you lucked out with some excellent weather that lends toward excellent natural lighting.

Did you use a polarizing filter? The contrast in the sky is what makes the photos themselves have that pop effect.
And did the camera spit out processed jpeg's, or did you take the RAW files?

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Stay they F*** out of the Pacific Northwest, Lebowski!

 

[Exterous]

She book an excursion (separate from anything the cruise line offered) that took them out into the wilds, and into the Yukon Territory of Canada.

They got to see a huge chunk of a glacier calve off when the ship was at its closest position.

She planned it so they rented a small house in Seattle after the cruise and spent another 4 days there, before flying back.

That sounds like a great trip. I wish we would could have gotten to see some caving but I am glad they did

snip

Thanks for sharing those pictures!

Gorgeous photos! Looks like you lucked out with some excellent weather that lends toward excellent natural lighting.

Did you use a polarizing filter? The contrast in the sky is what makes the photos themselves have that pop effect.
And did the camera spit out processed jpeg's, or did you take the RAW files?

Easily some of the best natural lighting we've gotten on a vacation and we didn't use a filter because it got busted in our luggage. We took the RAW files

 

[SAWYER]

Wow I would love to live there, thanks for posting those pics. What camera and lens were you using?

 

[FelixDeCat]

pics or it didnt happen

 

[Exterous]

Wow I would love to live there, thanks for posting those pics. What camera and lens were you using?

You're welcome. We used a Canon 6D and Tamron 28-75 f2.8 for most of those with the occasional Canon 50mm f1.8

pics or it didnt happen

:hmm:

 

[TheTick077]

I would love to go to Alaska. Truly one of the most wild places in the US left. Pure unadulterated beauty.

 

[Jodell88]

I went Alaska cruise back to back in 2013/2014, same Holland America ship. They're small ship and can get into Glacier Bay, I can tell the Glacier retreated a little when compare pic. So go sooner rather than later.

If you're from the east coast try to arrive a couple days earlier to adjust the time different.

I so want to watch milky way but fall asleep early everyday.

Reality is I won't be there for many years, decades even. It will cost me a small fortune to pay for such a trip. Even if I get all the money tomorrow, I'll still need a US visa. That's not the easiest thing to get these days :'(

 

[zinfamous]

Where is the photo of Russia?

 

[bradley]

Did the OP visit Big and Little Diomede? You can only see Russia from those Alaskan Islands.

Great pics, btw.

 

[SKORPI0]

Did the OP visit Big and Little Diomede? You can only see Russia from those Alaskan Islands.

Great pics, btw.

 

[n7]

Great photos!

 

[futurefields]

you shoulda jumped in the water with the whales

you know you wanted too

 

[John Connor]

The Russians really screwed themselves with Alaska, didn't they?

Looking on the GPS 500 for Alaska I have never seen so many landing strips. It's like their main means of travel.

 

[Jodell88]

The Russians really screwed themselves with Alaska, didn't they?

Looking on the GPS 500 for Alaska I have never seen so many landing strips. It's like their main means of travel.

It kinda is. A lot of villages are very remote so planes are sometimes the only access they have to the outside world.

 

[zinfamous]

^ I believe Alaska has the highest density of private airports and private pilots anywhere. A lot of the landing strips are water-based, too.

I recall driving from Anchorage down to Kenai peninsula and Seward, you see man-made narrow lakes all along the highway, just for landing. I think the majority of small aircraft travel is for guides and back-country expeditions. Fishing, hunting, hiking, etc.

 

[Wreckem]

Oddly enough no - or if they did then we were in the wrong dining room\restaurant when they did that



Thanks!



You're welcome - glad you liked them

RCCL menus are fleet wide. Typically baked alaska is on the second formal night of a 7 day cruise.

 

[Murloc]

interesting, but I hate staying on ships more than necessary.

 

[skyking]

^ I believe Alaska has the highest density of private airports and private pilots anywhere. A lot of the landing strips are water-based, too.

I recall driving from Anchorage down to Kenai peninsula and Seward, you see man-made narrow lakes all along the highway, just for landing. I think the majority of small aircraft travel is for guides and back-country expeditions. Fishing, hunting, hiking, etc.

That's counting the marked or reported airports. There are so many strips up there that are only locally known, and you can also see planes parked in the yard where they clearly use the gravel road that fronts the property for a runway. Look both ways, pull out and GO!

 

[KMFJD]

You got some great pictures and some good looking weather. We did the same Alaskan ports out of Vancouver back in '07 (with a crappier camera and worse weather). Vancouver itself was definitely a highlight, but the ship going through the glacier areas was one of the most remarkable experiences I've ever had. So serene it was like we were walking through nature that didn't exist anywhere else in the world. We splurged for this trip and got a balcony to take in the whole experience along the way. The ports themselves were just ok, but we did do kayaking in front of Mendenhall Glacier (2nd to last pic), some biking through Skagway, and a boat trip through the fjords. Saw some bald eagles near Mendenhall too... quite the experience. Here's a few notable pics.

We had about 16-18 Bald Eagles at the end of the grizzly bear tour in Prince Rupert , those birds are amazing!

 

[John Connor]

God's country.