Baby Polar Bear

A month ago, a cub was abandoned on the North Slope, rescued, and brought to the Anchorage Zoo.  Just this week, she's been out for the public to see for two hours a day.  However, she is of the opinion that two hours is not enough, as evidenced by her climbing, bouncing, and clawing at the door to "outside" before she was let loose in the bigger cage!

She has lots of toys to play with, but particularly enjoyed the box and the bowling ball.  I wanted to reach in and give her a huge hug!

Burlap sacks are also pretty fun!

As a polar bear ought, the cub enjoyed frolicking in a tub of water.  By the end of her hour, she was pretty muddy!

Currently, the cub can be seen at the Alaska Zoo from 11-12 and from 4-5.  If you're in the area, check it out!  She's adorable!

Arctic Terns

 The Arctic Tern is one of my favorite birds ever.  They're really amazing, migrating from the Arctic to the Antarctic twice a year - 12,000 miles each way!  They eat bugs, and they are way cooler than seagulls.

 Since we are leaving soon, I really wanted to see the terns again.  Fortunately, they just arrived back in Alaska and we took a trip down to the marsh where they nest today.

 I love watching them swoop around.  They have this weird ability to nearly hover in mid-air.  It's so cool!

The Great One

The Alaska Range overlooks the Anchorage Bowl.  Denali, Foraker, and Hunter loom large on the horizon.

Kenai Adventures

 

Portage Valley

This weekend The Husband and I headed down to the Kenai for a weekend of fun, adventure, and black bear hunting.  We didn't see any bears, but we did see a bunch of tracks, so we were at least in the right place!

Either a good-sized sow or a young boar.  My money's on the boar

 

Even though we didn't get a bear, we did see a bunch of wildlife.  This cock grouse was eager to defend his harem against our intrusion.  I also brought home a snowshoe hare for the stewpot.

After our hike, we made time for a stop in one of our favorite towns, Seward.  It had gotten a bit rainy, and we didn't particularly feel like camping in the rain, so we went on down to the Army Rec camp.  I wanted to see the otters and, as usual, they obliged.  This one gave us a great look as he motored his lazy way along the shore.

 Dinnertime for Otters!

On our way back to Anchorage, we stopped at the Wildlife Conservation Center.  The WCC is a great rehabilitation and preservation center.  I particularly like how the enclosures are large enough for the animals - large enough that visitors may not get to see them, because the animals comfort is first priority.  Despite the large pens though, the grizzlies put on quite a show for us!

 The WCC's first birth of the year, a baby caribou!

When we were unloading the car, a momma and yearling decided to watch.  They actually passed right behind us - less than 20 feet away!  I froze when I saw them so close, but The Husband didn't notice!

Northern Lights - 3/9

The other day there was a solar event, so I was keeping an eye out last night.  After a hint from a friend on facebook, I decided to drive out.  I was wearing PJs and didn't bother changing - if I had gotten dressed, there certainly wouldn't have been any lights, right?  Anyway, I grabbed the camera and off I went.

Within minutes of leaving home, I could see faint glows.  They kept appearing and disappearing so I was worried I'd miss everything!  By the time I got out to my spot, all you could see was a very faint band on the horizon.  I settled in to wait.  Shortly, I noticed pale, thin bands arcing across the sky - kind of like the trail a plane leaves.  I pulled out the camera, and sure enough the bands blossomed into color, running east to west directly above me, through the Big Dipper.

Here's a picture to the west, with the moon.  You can see how narrow the band was at first.  It was really cold (especially with no socks and no jacket!) but I scarcely noticed!

To the east, with the Chugach mountains and the Star-On-The-Mountain.  The glow from Anchorage and Eagle River can be seen.

Spruce trees.  Note the line from the airplane off to the left!

Lazy Day

Being a cat is so tough...

Mush!

 

We started off the day watching the ceremonial Iditarod start. As a fundraiser, they auction off the chance to ride in the sled with the musher during the Anchorage start.  The rider in this sled, however, is this year's Teacher on the Trail.  She'll travel from check-point to check-point, blogging and posting lessons for students across the country.

 

After the Iditarod start, we headed down to the Fur Auction.  Fur Rondy started as a get-together for trappers across the state to sell their furs, so this is really the beginning of it all!  There are several different auctions throughout the two weeks of Rondy.  This particular one was run by the Alaska Trapper's Association.  Since I am taking a fur sewing class later this week, we came home with a red fox and a beaver.  I was also a second away from getting a tanned lynx for the ridiculously low price of $175, but someone else snapped it up.

Our cat isn't sure what to think!

We ended the day with the 4th annual Running of the Reindeer.  It's great fun, and the proceeds go to Toys for Tots.  On the right, you can see how close we came to getting run over by the reindeer with the smallest antler of all!