July 12, 2012 Victoria, British Columbia

Today we arrived in Victoria Canada. This town was beautiful with flowers everywhere and even period dressed greeters when we got off the ship.  We went to the butterfly and botanical gardens. We saw poisonous frogs and all different species of butterflies and flowers.

July 10, 2012 Sitka, Alaska

I got more than I bargined for at this stop.  I jumped onto a boat to go on another search for wildlife.  We began by seeing a sea otter mom with a baby and then some seals on the rocks. As we were leaving the seals we saw a raft of otters. Some were fighting, others eating and mostly just resting. This was a group of all males as they collect by gender and females don't want males around. I learned that they have 1 pup a year.  As we left this area we moved on and came upon a mama humpback whale and baby. the baby was playing in the water and putting flippers in the air while the mom ate.

After we left the water we moved on to Fortress of the Bear. This is a rescue facility for orphaned bears.  There were 5 bears here. 

July 9, 2012 Hubbard Glacier

Today we arrived at Hubbard Glacier.  Luckily it was a beautiful day with minimal rain.  As we cruised in to the glacier we could see the small chunks of ice in the water.  As we got closer the water was covered with ice.  The face of the glacier was over a mile in the distance but looked as if it was right in front of us.  We watched as it calved before our eyes many times.  This is not something you see every day.

July 8, 2012 Kodiak, Alaska

Today I took a boat out and got to see some stellar sea lions, seals and lots of puffins. Seas were rough today so hard to take pictures. Pretty day with sun but cold on the water.

July 7, 2012 Homer, Alaska

I left out at 10:30 am aboard the Discovery for a 2 hours boat ride to Gull Island to see birds. The very first bird I saw was a Puffin. It has become my favorite bird with it's bright orange beak and head feathers. I got the perfect picture of it.  Next we came upon a group of sea otters. I got so many cute pictures of them playing in seaweed and with their friends. Later we spent 2 hours in Seldovia, Alaska.  I watcher them clean fish on the docks and met some locals.  Kristy went on a 5 mile hike which she loved and said was beautiful. 

Anchorage, Alaska July 6, 2012

Today was a gorgeous sunny day and our warmest at 66 degrees. Kristy started the day seeing the sights of Anchorage which included the Alaska Native Heritage Center were she gathered historical information for class. She finished the day doing a guided stroll through Chugach National Forest. I started my day with a one hour scenic drive to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Here I got up close and personal with brown and black bear, musk ox, bald eagles, moose, caribou, lynx, deer and a few other native animals.  The highlight was watching the brown bears play together and standing up on hind legs right in front of me. From here I boarded a boat to cruise out to the Portage glacier. The naturalist on board described glaciers as we enjoyed the beautiful mountains and waterfalls.  When we arrived at the glacier they told us to watch for calving. The boat captain said he thought one part was about to break off.  I videoed that spot and sure enough it did fall off right in front of us. It was a wonderful day full of animals and nature's beauty.

July 4, 2012 Icy Strait Point, Alaska

Today I rode a tram into the forest where I collected rocks for my class collection then Kristy and I attended another traditional tribal dance. This time Kristy joined in the dancing.  This was inside a reconstructed clan house. The traditional costumes were amazing. Here Kristy rode a one mile zip line which we will use in math to calculate her speed.

July 3, 2012 Juneau, Alaska

Gold Panning

Kristy at the top of Mendenhall Glacier

Kristy was the expert at gold panning.

Humpback whale during whale watching.

Devil's Club

Porcupine in a tree on the hike.

At the glacier with an ice berg chunk.

Marshmallow Roast

Whale tail

     Today I went whale watching and took a hike to the Mendenhall Glacier. Kristy took a hike to the same glacier but she was above it and I was below it at the water. I did see several whales blowing and got pictures of their backs.  I just missed getting a picture of the tail. We also got an opportunity to photograph some stellar sea lions.  Our hike to the glacier was informative about the plants of the area.  One such plant is the Devil's Club which is used by the natives for medicine.  The glacier was an amazing blue color which we learned was due to the density of the ice and the fact it can only reflect the color blue.  Later in the day Kristy and I reunited and took a trip gold panning and to a salmon bake for dinner. We even found a few flakes of gold. The salmon bake was delicious and we finished off the meal with a marshmallow roast over an open campfire. Great way to end a wet day.