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This is Page 5 of 5 - the best of July 2021!
posted: August 2nd, 2021
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Well, here it is, the conclusion of this month's best photos out of approximately 4,150 photos which we kept this month.  When you finish looking at this page you'll have seen about 345 of those photos - we certainly hope you found something which you said "WOW! about.  On this page you'll find our best photos from July 18th, 19th, and 20th - the final three days of our vacation.  The 18th was a day of climbing and flower hunting, the 19th was mostly a day of driving, and the 20th was just coming the final 150 miles to get home.  Click on any thumbnail to begin.

Begin July 18th
  Another day, with more travel later on today, but first of all - there is a small pond on a mountain which we want to climb to and see what grows along its shores. The first shot was taken where we spent the night, the second shot was taken as we drove to the spot we were going to start climbing from and the third shot was taken as we began the climb.
July18th_001_HatcherPassRC
July18th_001_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_001_HatcherPassArea_SceneryRC
Jul18_001_Hatcher
PassArea_SceneryRC
Jul18_002_HatcherPassArea_SceneryRC
Jul18_002_Hatcher
PassArea_SceneryRC

  Now we are climbing to the pond area and the first thing we find is this beautiful Dwarf Fireweed (Chamerion latifolium). Then, we were surprised to again find Chocolate Lily (Fritillaria camschatcensis). Great!
Jul18_014_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_DwarfFireweedRC
Jul18_014_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_DwarfFireweedRC
Jul18_018_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_DwarfFireweedRC
Jul18_018_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_DwarfFireweedRC
Jul18_026_HatcherPassArea_Jul18_026_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_ChocolateLilyRC
Jul18_026_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_ChocolateLilyRC

  We found one more Albino Form of Woolly Geranium (Geranium erianthum) along with lots of Sitka Valerian (Valeriana sitchensis). The third shot shows Kazuya on the climb.
Jul18_048_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_AlbinoGeraniumRC
Jul18_048_HatcherPassArea_
ClimbToPond_AlbinoGeraniumRC
July18th_071_HatcherPass_ValerianaSitchensisRC
July18th_071_HatcherPass_
ValerianaSitchensisRC
Jul18_052_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
Jul18_052_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC

  Here is another shot of the Albino Form of Woolly Geranium (Geranium erianthum), and behind it are non-albino forms for contrast. The second and third shots show the amazing scenery we had the good fortune to be able to see.
July18th_114_HatcherPass_GeraniumErianthumRC
July18th_114_HatcherPass_
GeraniumErianthumRC
July18th_143_HatcherPassRC
July18th_143_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_055_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
Jul18_055_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC

  The first shot in this row is a zoomed version of the photo which is immediately previous to this one. The second and third photos show some late blooming specimens of Twinflower (Linnaea borealis).
Jul18_056_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
Jul18_056_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
Jul18_060_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_LinnaeaBorealisRC
Jul18_060_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_LinnaeaBorealisRC
Jul18_062_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_LinnaeaBorealisRC
Jul18_062_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_LinnaeaBorealisRC

  The first shot here looks at Hatcher Pass and the road which leads up there from this side of it. The second shot shows scenery and Daniel and the third shot shows the pond we are searching for - there is no trail, we just went UP. We overshot the pond and are now above it, no problem though.
Jul18_071_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
Jul18_071_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_SceneryRC
July18th_186_HatcherPassRC
July18th_186_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_079_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_079_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_PondRC

  There is the pond - we're getting closer now. The center shot shows Kazuya and the pond and the third shot shows Kazuya wandering on the mountainside searching for flowers.
Jul18_081_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_081_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_085_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_085_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_089_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPondRC
Jul18_089_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPondRC

  As you can see, we have finally arrived at the shore of the pond. Here is an Alpine Forget-me-not (Myosotis asiatica) up here.
July18th_221_HatcherPassRC
July18th_221_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_091_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_091_HatcherPass
Area_ClimbToPond_PondRC
Jul18_104_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_MyosotisAsiaticaRC
Jul18_104_HatcherPassArea
_ClimbToPond_MyosotisAsiaticaRC

  Oh my heavens, we've found Fivestamen Miterwort (Mitella pentandra). We used to find a different species of Mitella in Japan near Mt. Takao. What a shock to find this here. In third position is another example of Fireleaf Leptarrhena (Leptarrhena pyrolifolia) - this one gas really brilliant red seedheads.
July18th_225_HatcherPass_MitellaPentandraRC
July18th_225_HatcherPass
_MitellaPentandraRC
July18th_226_HatcherPass_MitellaPentandraRC
July18th_226_HatcherPass
_MitellaPentandraRC
Jul18_101_HatcherPassArea_ClimbToPond_LeptarrhenaPyrolifoliaRC
Jul18_101_HatcherPassArea_
ClimbToPond_LeptarrhenaPyrolifoliaRC

  Here is a beautiful patch of Woolly Geranium (Geranium erianthum) and Dwarf Fireweed. In center position is Sitka Burnet (Sanguisorba canadensis) and more Dwarf Fireweed, and in third position is Daniel walking on the road back to the rig. We made it up to the pond and back down without incident, though the descent was a challenge.
July18th_233_HatcherPass_GeraniumErianthumRC
July18th_233_HatcherPass_
GeraniumErianthumRC
July18th_260_HatcherPass_SanguisorbaCanadensisRC
July18th_260_HatcherPass_
SanguisorbaCanadensisRC
July18th_268_HatcherPassRC
July18th_268_
HatcherPassRC

  Here is another scenic shot, and then in center position, we are up at Hatcher Pass, Summit Lake area to be specific, and are looking at the pond we just finished climbing to and descending from. The third shot again shows the pond we climbed to.
July18th_275_HatcherPassRC
July18th_275_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_109_110_AutoPanoATAnnotated_HatcherPassArea_ThePondWeClimbedToRC
Jul18_109_110_AutoPanoATAnnotated
_HatcherPassArea_ThePondWeClimbedToRC
Jul18_113_HatcherPassArea_ThePondWeClimbedToRC
Jul18_113_HatcherPassArea
_ThePondWeClimbedToRC

  Daniel walks along looking for the prime spot to take the photo he is after, and then he finds it and shoots the two-shots to make up the panorama of Summit Lake shown in the center. The third shot shows a better angle on the pond we climbed to. If you study this photo you can find two more people who climbed to this pond today, though they are on the opposite side from where we were.
July18th_287_HatcherPassRC
July18th_287_
HatcherPassRC
Jul18_119_120_AutoPano_HatcherPassArea_SummitLakeRC
Jul18_119_120_AutoPano_
HatcherPassArea_SummitLakeRC
Jul18_114_HatcherPassArea_ThePondWeClimbedToRC
Jul18_114_HatcherPassArea
_ThePondWeClimbedToRC

  We left the Hatcher Pass area and headed back east on the Glenn Highway, back towards Glennallen. The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms this afternoon and after we drove for a while and looked back at the Hatcher Pass area, we saw that the forecast was correct. WOW! We were glad we left when we did. The third shot shows Matanuska Glacier from the Glenn Highway.
Jul18_134_GlennHwyBackTowardsHatcherPassRC
Jul18_134_GlennHwyBack
TowardsHatcherPassRC
Jul18_135_GlennHwyBackTowardsHatcherPassRC
Jul18_135_GlennHwyBack
TowardsHatcherPassRC
Jul18_136_GlennHwy_MatanuskaGlacierRC
Jul18_136_GlennHwy_
MatanuskaGlacierRC

  Here are the final two shots we'll show you from today - Matanuska Glacier. We stopped for the night on the Lake Louise Road at the same place where we camped a couple of nights ago. The thunderstorm caught up with us later on after we were in our Topper Motel. We heard a Common Loon call before the storm came.
Jul18_138_GlennHwy_MatanuskaGlacierRC
Jul18_138_GlennHwy
_MatanuskaGlacierRC
July18th_336_GlennHWYRC
July18th_336_
GlennHWYRC

End July 18th, Begin July 19th & 20th
  Well, seeing as we camped in our Topper Motel on the Lake Louise Road, and it was only an additional 20 miles to drive to Lake Louise, and the end of the road, we did. When we arrived at the end of the road look what was showing itself off to us not very far from shore. It's a Common Loon (Gavia immer). We had heard the calls of one where we were camped last night, and we had seen one at a different spot too - it was a fortunate trip for us and loons - had never seen nor heard one before in our Alaska travels. This one never called for us, but it stayed close enough for photos for several minutes.
Jul19_003_LakeLouise_CommonLoonRC
Jul19_003_LakeLouise
_CommonLoonRC
July19th_028_LakeLouise_GaviaImmerRC
July19th_028_Lake
Louise_GaviaImmerRC
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July19th_030_Lake
Louise_GaviaImmerRC

  Here are two final shots of the Common Loon and then a photo of a part of Lake Louise from up on a hill. We had no idea the area was so civilized. We knew there are fishing lodes there, and had assumed that there was probably at least one pretty fancy one. We did not expect lodges on islands and the need to be picked up at the parking lot with a boat.
July19th_036_LakeLouise_GaviaImmerRC
July19th_036_Lake
Louise_GaviaImmerRC
Jul19_020_LakeLouise_CommonLoonRC
Jul19_020_LakeLouise
_CommonLoonRC
Jul19_036_LakeLouise_AlaskaRC
Jul19_036_Lake
Louise_AlaskaRC

  How much are those folks paying right now to be taken out on a boat for some pike fishing (I am not at all sure if they were fishing for pike, just speculating)?
July19th_054_LakeLouiseRC
July19th_054_
LakeLouiseRC
Jul19_037_LakeLouise_AlaskaRC
Jul19_037_Lake
Louise_AlaskaRC

  Now we are driving back through country we have been through just a few days ago, though we were going in the opposite direction and did not see the views from this way. The first shot was taken along the Tok Cutoff Highway and the second shot was taken very near to Moon Lake Campground on the Alaska Highway, it is a two-shot panorama. The third shot shows Moon Lake, where we stayed in the Moon Lake Campground - one of two vehicles that stayed the night, and the other one was all the way at the extreme other end of the campground.
July19th_067_TokCutoffRC
July19th_067_
TokCutoffRC
Jul19_046_047_AutoPanoAT_AlaskaHighway_NearMoonLakeRC
Jul19_046_047_AutoPanoAT_
AlaskaHighway_NearMoonLakeRC
Jul19_048_MoonLakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_048_
MoonLakeCG_MooseRC

  While walking the length of the campground, one end was this view when we were there. The first two shots show two moose which were quite a distance away down towards the end of Moon Lake. After a while the third shot was possible as a different moose and calf walked out of the woods and started eating lake vegetation just maybe 200 feet away from us. We were sitting and relaxing at a picnic table in the campground and just kept sitting there quietly and shooting photos.
Jul19_049_MoonLakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_049_Moon
LakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_058_MoonLakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_058_Moon
LakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_104_MoonLakeCG_MooseRC
Jul19_104_Moon
LakeCG_MooseRC

  Here are two more shots of the cow and calf which were eating only a couple hundred feet away from us. The third shot was taken near sunset time, it was 10:34 PM.
July19th_157_MoonLakeCampground_MooseRC
July19th_157_MoonLake
Campground_MooseRC
July19th_183_MoonLakeCampground_MooseRC
July19th_183_MoonLake
Campground_MooseRC
July19th_268_MoonLakeCampgroundRC
July19th_268_Moon
LakeCampgroundRC

  Here is a morning shot of Moon Lake from close to our campsite. The second shot was taken in Delta Junction and shows a small portion of the Delta Barley Project.
Jul20_1_MoonLakeCGRC
Jul20_1_
MoonLakeCGRC
July20th_007_DeltaJCTRC
July20th_007_
DeltaJCTRC

End July 19th & 20th, End July 2021's Photos, Begin Our Publications Links


We'd be thrilled to have you buy one of our books. For additional information regarding any title please click the "General Information" tab on the "Our Books" button down at the bottom of this page. Click on any thumbnail to go to its Amazon.com webpage.
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 1: Mt. Daisetsu (Mt. Asahidake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 2: Mt. Chokai (Choukai) Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 3: Mt. Gassan Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 4: Mt. Hakkoda & Mt. Zao
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 5: Mt. Kumotori Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 6: Mt. Shirane (Kusatsu) Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 7: Mt. Shibutsu Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 8: Mt. Kiso-Komagatake
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 9: Mt. Kitadake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 10: Mt. Mizugaki Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 11: Mt. Shiroumadake (includes Mt. Shakushidake & Mt. Yarigatake Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 12: Mt. Tate (Tateyama)
Climbing a Few of Japan's 100 Famous Mountains - Volume 13: Mt. Yatsugatake (Mt. Akadake) Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 1 of 3 (Winter & Spring) Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 2 of 3 (Summer)
Outdoor Photography of Japan: Through the Seasons - Volume 3 of 3 (Autumn) Some Violets of Eastern Japan - 2nd Edition English - Ilokano AND Ilokano - English Dictionary English - Ilokano and Ilokano - English Dictionary - With Some Notes on Ilokano Culture
A Book of Anagrams - An Ancient Word Game A Book of Anagrams - An Ancient Word Game: Volume #2 Forest Resource & Allowable Cut - Fairbanks Working Circle (Alaska) Samurai Seasons Exposed: Nipponese Outdoor Rhapsodies
Heaven and Hell in the Philippines: Journal of a Peace Corps Volunteer All Calendars Wildflowers_of_Interior_Alaska Twelvemile: Summit to Summit

End Our Publications Links, End Page 5 of 5, July 2021

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