Alaskan Reflections    (Jul 21-22. 2007)

Turnaround Bay -- so named by Captain Cook  after the failed attempt to find the mythical Northern passage, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Lilies & Peaks...
Glacier -- this is one of the easiest to  access glaciers on the Kenai peninsula. It is the smallest flow of nearly 23 such in an area, large like Rhode Island, covered with up to a mile thick layer of ice.
Glacier Flow -- it is not recommended getting near the glacier, as all kinds of calamities are likely to occur.
Glacier Terminus -- this is the end of the glacier. Some of the ice layers are thousands of years old. Most of the glaciers flow directly into the sea.
Pre-Christoric ice -- estimated to more than 2000 years old packed ice.  Due to the enormous compression in the depth of the glaciers,  the ice turns black like glass.
Fancy Beach Resort -- no vacancies. Indeed, during the halibut season all able bodied vacationers dogsled down to Seward to fish.
The best beach in town -- if you do not mind the Orcas, this beach is pretty "cool".  Who needs the tropics.
Mountain climbers -- the Dall goats can climb the gnarliest  cliffs away from predators.
Primary mode of transportation -- many remote locations are reachable only by air. And only in good weather... !! The possibility of being left in  "Grizzlyland" for an extended period of time until the weather clears is very real.
Dry Weather? No, not for long -- this is Alaska and good weather is not a requirement. Nature didn't market this product  that way... Indeed, the moment one gets the impression that Alaska can have a stretch of fair weather, the comeback of the  thick  clouds makes a convincing  statement to the contrary.
Temperate Rain Forest --the cold Jurassic jungles of the North.
Moss -- the most spectacular mosses and lichens cover the forest floors. With the colors of coral reefs...
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The main reason why I went...  More on that here