Refocused and Cartography

I returned recently from a week and a half trip to Alaska. It was amazing. The entire trip served as a refocusing adventure that was unexpected and surrounded by endless, indescribable beauty. Now I am home in Utah it feels hot, like the sun is beating down on me from directly above and the air is dry. Though the Rocky Mountains are gorgeous in their own way, I have seen little that compares to the majestic nature of the Chugac Mountain range. I am grateful for the beauty, the experiences and the people I met for the first time and those I reconnected with.

I will be making a few entries that relate to experiences I had there soon, but for now I will share with you some of the amazing pictures we saw. I took far more mental pictures than actual pictures that are more amazing than these.

This was the last picture I took on our boat tour around Prince William Sound with a fishing boat heading out to sea. Around these peaks is one of the glaciers we saw on our tour.
This is a humpback whale fluke. So amazing to see these animals in their habitat.

The harbor of the Port of Valdez.
This is a pod of Dall's Porpoise hunting. They surrounded the fish at incredible speeds and swam in a circle. They came over to the boat and swam off the bough where we were and it was amazing! They are often mistaken for Orcas because they have the same black and white coloring. It was thrilling to share their ocean with them.
Me with my windblown hair and the amazing mountains of Prince William Sound. The green does not show up as well and I could hardly take my eyes off the landscape.
My cousin Ray caught an Arctic grayling. Just wanted to prove I did fish (or rather watch someone fish) while I was in Alaska.
On our drive to Valdez (which is now one of my favorite place on earth...next to being with Josh and Brook) we turned a corner and this was our view. Between the towering peaks Worthington Glacier makes its home.
Eklutna Lake and Kellie. This gorgeous glacial lake is amazingly long and encompassed by mountains.
Kellie had me stand in the glacial river entering the lake. It was very, very cold.
The view opposite the lake....and Kellie.
The Hafen's (Kary, Ray, McKinley and Stephen) at mile 9 of the marathon Kary and Ray ran. It was so cool to be there to cheer them on.
This was the sunrise at 1:30 a.m. only a short time after the sunset.
Flowers growing on a rock in Hatcher Pass outside of Wasilla. This reminded me of Grandma Mabel, or rather I sensed her there.

The sun came out in the middle of our hike on the tundra of Hatcher Pass. I look surprised and Kel looks a little scared. It was so gorgeous!!
Kel on a rock (Hatcher Pass).
This is Ray's truck he let us borrow to do some exploring; we lovingly named it "Truck" because we are that creative:). I am grateful Josh taught me to drive a clutch so I could navigate the roads. It didn't have a radio but Kel and I took turns choosing songs we sang at the top of our lungs. Sweet!
Talkeetna, the Hippie Town.
Sunset. 'Nuff said.
Kary in her peace-full yoga pose.
Portage glacier. I'm such a brat!
Strong at Portage.
Kel ordered a salad and a side of these amazing corn fritters at a restaurant we went to. They gave us an extra order of fritter by accident so we got more for free!
Seriously...the best corn fritters ever.
We met this family (The Westenbroek's) on our tour of Denali National Park. A few hours after the tour we saw them at a Mt. McKinley viewpoint and they invited us to a hot breakfast the next morning. So great to meet such a family.
You can see Denali's (Mt. McKinley...one and the same) peak between the clouds in the middle of the photo.
At the Imaginarium in the Anchorage Museum. It was us and a bunch of kids trying this lift out.


Caribou (Raindeer) antlers. Much heavier than you would think.

At peace with Denali.