Ahhh, laska (COMPLETE) 8/2005
Complete and unabridged. \o/
*Before leaving for Alaska, I spent a couple of days sightseeing in Seattle and although my main focus wasn't birding, I did manage to get a few lifers on this trip. While most pictures have a descriptive file name, some have additional comments/info in the form of a caption.
* I hope you get a feel for the land from the pictures I took, from the coastal waterways to the mountains, and back again. So, pull up a chair and enjoy.
* (p.s. - There are a few pictures that I don't remember the meaning of, so if you see a shot that is screaming for a descriptive caption and you can tell me what the picture is about, then, by all means, let me know.)
THIS ALBUM IS REFUSING TO LET ME EDIT THE DUPLICATE CAPTIONS OUT OF THE DESCRIPTION FIELD. WHY? THE JOYS OF G3 - YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE. I GIVE UP . . .
*Before leaving for Alaska, I spent a couple of days sightseeing in Seattle and although my main focus wasn't birding, I did manage to get a few lifers on this trip. While most pictures have a descriptive file name, some have additional comments/info in the form of a caption.
* I hope you get a feel for the land from the pictures I took, from the coastal waterways to the mountains, and back again. So, pull up a chair and enjoy.
* (p.s. - There are a few pictures that I don't remember the meaning of, so if you see a shot that is screaming for a descriptive caption and you can tell me what the picture is about, then, by all means, let me know.)
THIS ALBUM IS REFUSING TO LET ME EDIT THE DUPLICATE CAPTIONS OUT OF THE DESCRIPTION FIELD. WHY? THE JOYS OF G3 - YOUR GUESS IS AS GOOD AS MINE. I GIVE UP . . .
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sightseeing around Seattle
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Great Blue in silhouette
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Northwestern Crow
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imm. Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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Herring Gull
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walk in Lincoln Park, Seattle
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Bull Thistle
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mountain laurel as tall as a tree
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the ferry
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Herring Gull
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patient Great Blue Heron
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Golden-crowned Kinglet
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Golden-crowned Kinglet, juv.
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no bird - just for pretty
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Ester Strickland
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Kim McCormack
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Jenn Romberg
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Mike McClintic
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Cindy Warren
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Moby Duck
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sailing away
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living it "up" in Seattle
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elevated sidewalk
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Seattle looking like San Francisco
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life at ground level --->
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which is below street level
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one of the original Crappers
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people lived here at ground level --->
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but due to flooding --->
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the street was raised --->
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thirty feet
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first sighting
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full frontal
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the turntable
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fashion statement
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teeming harbor
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obligatory I-was-there shot
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Somewhere down there is the houseboat used in filming "Sleepless in Seattle".
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this is what I came for I timed it just right so that I could see the sunset.
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and I got it
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again
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Picture 076 and again.jpg
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sighhh
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I got up very early in the morning to get to the Pike Place fish market because I wanted to order some fish to be sent home. Th
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watching the day begin
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meet world-famous Rachel People from all over the world feed Rachel with pennies, quarters, checks, pesos, lira, yen, and ria
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and, the world-famous Pike Place Fish Market Seattles Pike Place Market, an historic, open air market located in the heart o
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I'm eyeing those salmon steaks
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but I have to wait for them to open
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Finally, Ben says to come in. He's such a flirt. (I love it.)
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my ship
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it's big
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my accomodations
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bye, Space Needle
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Seattle, WA
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leaving the harbor
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that famous mountain, Rainier
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heading out to sea
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new friends
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find the two orcas
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trio
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leaving WA state behind
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Doesn't everybody take a picture of the wake of the boat?
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intense gaze
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Deck chairs waaaay down below
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Ahhhhh..... laska at last
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sunny day at sea Although we had some rain from time to time, most of the trip had wonderfully sunny days. All week long, ev
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the water is green
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the hustle and bustle at the shore
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the Emerald Princess
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Bonaparte's Gull
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seaplanes are a common sight
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trawler
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Common Raven
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find the Bald Eagle
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the 'rain forest' in Juneau
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a salmon, pre-canning stage
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find the salmon (hint: there are several)
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Mendenhall glacier
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neat branch
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to grandma's house, single file
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flora #1
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flora #2
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flora #3
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flora #4
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flora #5
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flora #6
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Rooted Oudemansiella
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Rooted Oudemansiella
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Variable Russula
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Red-belted Polypore
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White Slime Mold
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Silver-Leaf Fungus
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our leader expounds
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flora and fauna
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Yarrow
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mussels crunching everywhere you step
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California Gull
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intrepid hikers
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find the nest
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creeping sedum
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awesome
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A lichen, not a moss, often called California Spanish Moss.
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our fearless leader
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Mendenhall Glacier
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Lysie at the rail
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Baby whining - are we there yet?
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heading to Skagway
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approaching the international wall of graffiti
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Painted rocks. Docked ships used to paint messsages on the rocks of when they had been there. As the years rolled by the locals
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Skagway
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waiting for the WP & YR scenic railway trip
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pansy
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Skagway is at the northern tip of Alaska's Inside Passage and got its name from the Tlingit (Indian) name "Skagua" whi
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In July 1897, gold was discovered in the Klondike, and the first boatload of prospectors landed. By October 1897 Skagway grew fr
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stick facade Skagway now is a restored gold rush town with a population of about 850 year-round residents.
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"Desire" This is a re-creation of the very first tour car run by a company founded in 1923. The first tour was give
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Potentilla
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In 1896 George Carmack and two Indian companions, Skookum Jim and Dawson Charlie, discovered gold in the Bonanza Creek in the Kl
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The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad (WP&YR RR) was orignally built as a result of the Klondike Gold Rush that these gu
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The White Pass & Yukon Route climbs from sea level in Skagway to almost 3000 feet at the summit in just 20 miles. We're onl
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The pictures of this train ride were taken through windows, so if you happen to see my reflection, well... I told you so.
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nobody's driving
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Nearly all the work between Skagway and the Summit was through solid rock. Dynamite wasn't used yet and huge quantities of black
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On to Alaska with Buchanan George E. Buchanan was a Detroit coal merchant. He began bringing boys and girls to Alaska on adv
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Caboose Lamp These lamps have colored lenses and they were (and are still) hung in the caboose to indicate the end of the tra
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caboose lamp
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110 miles of track, two tunnels, and numerous bridges and trestles.
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a mural
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one of many water crossings
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Fireweed - the 1st plant to grow after a fire
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another train heading up
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Going through the mountain. Work on the tunnel at Mile 16 (here) took place in the dead of winter with heavy snow. Temperature
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This is the view looking down the gorge just before we enter the tunnel.
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car wreck
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train wreck
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white specks are mountain goats
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Here's an old trestle that isn't used anymore.
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dark gorge
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Stampeder's Trail (think '49'rs gold rush). On July 17, 1897 a Seattle newspaper reported that 68 men arrived with stacks of
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450 tons of explosives were used to cut the rock for the WP&YR RR.
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anticipation The railroad has steep grades of almost 3.9%. To build it, it needed to accommodate some really tight curves of
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construction litter
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In some places along the route you can still see evidence of bones. Three thousand horses died on the White Pass (Stampeders) T
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Stampeder's Trail from higher up. 100,000 went North. 30,000 or 40,000 reached the Klondike. 4,000 or so found gold. A few hu
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helicopter pads for explorers with deep pockets
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During construction, 35,000 men worked on the WP&YR RR, and 35 lost their lives.
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desktop recommendation
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no space to walk
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Denver Glacier Trail
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I am stunt woman, hear me roar.
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graveyard
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the fence is built to keep ---->
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bad people's spirits from going to heaven
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back to my ship
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nice and cozy in here
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the Sapphire Princess
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can't get enough of the scenery
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scored by glaciers or rockfall
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high-water mark
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interesting scar
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dirty glacier
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graceful iceberg remnant
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wild rock formation - the rock is folded by its own weight
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aqua agua
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half the mountain fell
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ice tube (think lava tunnel)
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terraced waterfall
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icebergs ahoy
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Yiiiiikes
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tenacious plants
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glacier hiding around the corner
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and there it is
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pockmarked
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some are blue
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the bluest ice is the oldest ice, and the most pure
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find the mirror image
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ice tube going under and behind a rock bridge
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Ayla lives here
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another snow thingie
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rainy day in Tracy Arm
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find the face
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Picture 428.jpg
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ice goose
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brrrrrr - later it warmed up to 48 degrees
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rockslides are common - this is one of many
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snow bridge
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avalonesque
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My pals wha' adopted me and called me "Baby" for the rest of the trip.
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time for fun on board also
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getting good at this dance
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Tina Turner look-alike contest
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Wooork it! Wooork it!
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we have a contender
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village people wannabes
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Lysie competing at karaoke
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Where are we today?
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Ah, yes. Ketchikan
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We got to Ketchikan before daylight. As we arrive (about 6 a.m.) the shopkeepers are opening up.
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With an average rainfall of 160 inches a year, "misty" is an understatement. Natural attractions: thousand-foot wat
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On the roof, to the right of the totem pole, is another totem of an owl. This is to keep the pigeons away. Now look on the r
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Whale park
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Ketchikan suburbs
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old-fashioned fire hydrant
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totems of various sizes found everywhere
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totem capitol
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Ouch! Carved out of one piece of wood.
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Abe, honest.
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happy turtle
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in praise of hawk and salmon
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totem maker
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totem maker
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story of Saxman
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time to rest
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performing arts center
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and again
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the woods are lovely, dark, and deep
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some are forgotten
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Beaver
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dog and pig
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goodbye, Ketchikan
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Great Blue Heron_ believe it, or not
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Picture 530.jpg
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preparing for a canoe trip
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that's where the food is
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schmoozing the cook
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where's my machete
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Nick, our guide
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bubbling brook
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What a hunk! That tree is 1000+ yrs old.
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(ahem)
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that woman is taking a picture of me - again
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a motley crew
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(cough)
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galley slaves
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instruments of torture
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the dock we just left behind
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The water in Alaska is so full of minerals it's always murky. So this was a real clear-water surprise.
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State flower of Alaska, Forget-Me-Not
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Fireweed
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Nervous? Who? Me?
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Heading out in the rain to the back country.
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Turning off the main road. This looks like it won't be bad at all.
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I take it back. This is a killer jeep ride. Ouch.
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OK. We're here. It can stop raining now.
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stepping stool
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Sure enough, the weather clears again.
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mis amigos
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rock slide grown over
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view with lake barely visible in background
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Mountain Dew
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happy camper
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pretty as a picture
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finally - a polar bear
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I've got a "thing" for islands in the mist
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leaving Ketchikan
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supplies headed back up from where we came
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made time for fun on the ship also
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loved the "I Spy" routine
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spoofing the 70's
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more raucous fun
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oh yeah
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got my eye on you
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there were singers
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and there were (cough) singers
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exotic ladies
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champagne tower
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be careful
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all done, good job
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Heading to British Columbia
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not far from Victoria, BC
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Omar, too-funny-man
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tourist helper
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tourist helper
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welcome to Canada
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soaking up architecture in Victoria
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ethnic touch
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a flower basket on every lamp post
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more ethnic flavor
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jade ship
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lunch and then more tourist stuff
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the gates of something-or-other
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the phone booths are ethnic
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carriage ride
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even the trashcans are neat, clean, and painted
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some more architecture
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the Parliament building
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the Empress Hotel
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wax museum
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classic cars auction
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Port of Victoria, BC
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back of the ship
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BC - more flower baskets on lampposts
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detail flower basket
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the MC
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Lysie wins karaoke competition
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Frank
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Aztec calendar
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description of Sun Stone
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