Capturing the Moment

Stellar Sea Lions and the Safari Quest Sea Lion in flight Fluffy Sea Otter saying hello Brown bear eating some grass  Sea otters, moose, and bears, oh my! My first week back in southeast Alaska, and my first time on the new Petersburg to Petersburg itinerary provided a blast of Alaskan wildlife. And as amazing as the wildlife show was this week, it wasn't even the guests' favorite part of the trip! (See next post for more on that) Regal Eagle on its perch    Our wildlife list quickly grew over the week as the sightings and encounters rolled in. We had humpback whales and cute little sea otters, plus an orca encounter before breakfast on the first full day onboard. Lots more sea otters followed at the Bay of Pillars, including new moms with tiny fluff balls riding on their stomach. Pigeon Guillemot Playful orca encounter Orca and Iceberg   Not only did we have a beautiful sunset orca encounter with a lone big male on night on...

Brown Bear on Admiralty Island   I'm back in Alaska after almost a year to be expedition leader for UnCruise's newest itinerary: Bears, Bergs, and Bushwhacking . This itinerary is only run by our smallest boat, the 22 passenger Safari Quest. With wilderness management protections in place here in the Tongass National Forest, the Safari Quest is able to take passengers into highly protected areas where only two groups of 12 hikers can step foot onto ground each day. The amazing Admiralty Island, or what the local Tlingit people call the island "Kootznoowoo" or Fortress of the Bear, because it has the highest concentration of brown bears in the world.   The trip ends up doing a round trip back to Petersburg, which means that most of the time out on the water we are in prime humpback whale feeding grounds. Frederick Sound has been a hot spot for humpback whales spending the summer months here in Southeast Alaska. Calm waters of the Inside Passage mixed with snow ...

Heidi and Catalina on Stave Island  One of the big bonuses for us splitting our time between Vermont and Maui is that we give young Catalina a chance to spend some quality time out on Stave Island. June 11th, 2018 she first visited the island and from the picture here she looks pretty jazzed about it. I don't blame her, it is a pretty amazing spot for a kid to explore.

  Miami is a few thousand miles away but the draw of baby Catalina is great. It had been too long since we had hung out with Nate and Kelly (read about their Oahu visit , and us visiting Miami ).  I had just flown in from running trips off the coast of British Columbia and was ready for some friends and family time in Vermont.    During the visit our good friends Mary and Jackson came over and brought along their dog Rolo to play with Neka. All of us had worked in Southern California and out in Maui, so it's great to reunite with some fun adventures around the world. Proud Mama    We spent the day hiking around Jeffersonville, VT, exploring waterfalls, and drinking, snacking, and birdwatching our way down the river in canoes. Catalina didn't come along for the canoe ride but she was up for some serious hikes.  On the knife's edge Rolo, Jackson, Mary, Me, Kelly & Nate    The second day we hit the ground running with a...

I'm in front in yellow Air paddling    I enjoy a good white water rafting ride. You can judge that by my exploits down the Zambezi River and the Nile in Africa. So when my dad mentioned the possibility of some early season high water rafting down the snake river here in Jackson I thought it sounded right up my alley.   I didn't expect too much craziness from the way everyone was talking, especially since the entire trip takes less than an hour, but due to the high water caused by all the snow melt from the Grand Tetons it was a blast, and enough to get my nerves going! About to get a face full of ice cold water   I went with Lewis and Clark rafting company and the guide Aaron was great. He had just gotten back from a big rafting trip through the Grand Canyon and was gearing up for his 15th season on the Snake. He was really excited for the water to come down a little so the standing wave at Lunch Counter would start working for river surfing. He had...

Famous Barn in front of the Tetons Leading line to the Tetons Landscape Photos from Jackson Hole, Wyoming   It is a place of big skies, open plains, jagged snow capped peaks, and endless views. The landscape photo potential also seems endless here in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.   There are several famous photo spots and viewpoints here in Jackson Hole that have shown up in well known photographs over the years by legendary landscape photographers like Ansel Adams. But what I found is that there are still secret areas to find that provide everything you need for an incredible vista. Springtime in Jackson   There are three things I look for in a good landscape photos; an interesting background, a dramatic sky, and something in the foreground to give a little story to the landscape. If I can find a road or some other 'leading line' that draws the viewers eye deeper into the scene it is a definite bonus. Opportunities to combine all of these elements aboun...