Travel Photography: Alaska To The Yukon

I had some time off so thought, “Hm, what should I do?.”  More specifically I asked, “What is something I’ve always wanted to do?.”  The first thing that came to mind was dogsledding. “Is that ridiculous?” (yes, I often have conversations with myself).

For fun I looked up plane tickets and they were dirt cheap (even for last minute), so I took it as a sign that I had to go. “Do it for you,” my gut told me. I got out my American Express, pushed a few keys, and booked it.

Shortly after I was talking to my friend Zach and he said, “What?  You’re going to Alaska without me? I’ve always wanted to go.” I sent him my itinerary and said, “Come if you want!.” Before I knew it I was on a plane to Juneau with one of my favorite people sitting next to me.

Below are some photos from our road trip through Alaska and the Yukon. Zach is into photography as well, so photos of me were taken by him.

Juneau.

The next set of photos are from dogsledding. I did this portion of the trip alone. It was really special to me.

Helicopter ride (it was my first time in a heli) over Mendenhall Glacier.  I felt like a little kid!

He let me honk the horn.  Did you know helicopters had horns?

See those tiny specks at the bottom of the photo?  That’s where we landed.  Home to 250+ Siberian huskies!

This guy says, “It’s go time!.”

Thanks to my tour guide for taking this for me!

Met back up with Zach and our next stop was Haines, which was one of my favorite places we visited.

I always wanted to stay in a yurt.

 I am thankful Zach came. He is the perfect balance of pushing me to be more adventurous while at the same time being extremely patient. Traveling with someone is an intimate thing. Things are easy with Zach. We can be side-by-side quiet for hours. He, too, has a love for photography.  He loves to drive and I love being the passenger. Most importantly, we can walk around in our underwear and neither of us could care less.

The wildlife in Alaska is out of this world.  We saw eagles, bears (just sitting on the side of the road), porcupines, and all sorts of other cool critters. If you don’t know by now, I love animals.

Met this couple when pulling over on the side of the road.  They drove up to Alaska from Arizona in their camper.

“Honey, get your beautiful blue eyes over here!  She wants to take a picture of us!.”

After Haines we drove through the summit into Canada.

You better believe I dipped those fries into the soft serve.

We stayed at Sky High Wilderness Ranch in Whitehorse.  They offer a bunch of actives including horseback riding, dogsledding (during the winter), and viewing the Aurora Borealis (also during winter).

 

 

Puppies galore!  I didn’t want to leave.

Our quaint little cabin. No running water or electricity but one of the coziest places I’ve ever stayed. I love wood burning fires, propane lamps, and putting in the effort to heat your own bath water.

Driving through the White Pass back into Alaska. I love touristy photos. More specifically, taking pictures of tourists taking touristy photos.

Irises in bloom in Skagway

Putting our cars on the ferry back to Juneau

We met this guy in the cafeteria.  Him and his wife are from the small town of Haines.  He said they were in Juneau getting an ultrasound.

“27 weeks.  It’s a boy.”

We also met Sebastian who is from Germany.  After university he decided to save up and spend a year traveling.  He shipped his van from Germany to Argentina and has been on a road trip for the last 8 months up to Alaska!

Zach: “Can you stand still?  I just want a regular picture.”  Nope!

 I thought this was a moose, but it was just an old Great Dane crossing the street.

Whale watching with Captain Nick! I met Nick on Couchsurfing.com and he was an amazing host while we were in town. Thanks Nick!

Humpbacks are solitude creates (unless it’s a mom traveling with her calf), but once in a while they join forces to bubble net feed.  The leader (usually female), will sing at  pitch that will freeze the fish, and then all the whales make a circular “curtain” of bubbles to trap and push them upwards.  The whales follow the fish and breach the surface with open mouths.  Apparently they also all take turns so everyone gets their fair share of food.

Alaska is one of my favorite places I’ve ever traveled and photographed. I got to do so many cool things (so many firsts), but you know what my favorite part about the whole thing was?

I did it for myself.

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