
2007 Alaska Photographic Adventure
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June 16th Alaska Wildlife Preserve
Bears Playing

These grizzly bears are enjoying each others company. The smaller bear is really enjoyed provoking the larger one.
Bears Playing Bears Playing Bears Playing Bears Playing Bears Playing Bears Playing
Bears Playing
Grizzly bears are known to chase each other, play fight or even nuzzle and lick each other once they are aquainted. The outcome of this process may be rejection or the formation of a pair bond that lasts from several days to a couple of weeks.

With a long telephoto lens, getting these great shots was easy. The bears hardly noticed our presence and just kept on playing.
June 18th College Fjord
Harvard Glacier Calving (this sequence is large, be patient during loading)

One of the 7 massive glaciers in College Fjord. This time lapse photography of the Harvard Glacier calving is an awesome sight to see and hear. The calving starts with a gunshot like crack that fills the air just before the glacier gives way. These pieces of ice calving from the glacier are over 20 stories tall. The pictures where taken from the deck of a large ship about 1 mile from the face of the glacier.

Gull waiting for food
Gulls can often be seen hitching a ride on the newly formed icebergs. The calving glacier stirs up water causing the small fish gulls feed on to be forced to the surface. An iceberg is a great vantage point for the gull to wait for its next meal.

Glaciers don't calve continuously. The Harvard glacier did so about 4 times in the 2 hour period we where in the area. We where lucky to catch the 2 instances recorded above.

With the number of glaciers in College Fjord it a great place to see and hear the wonders of this phenomenon.
June 20th Meade Glacier
Mead Glacier

The Meade glacier is one of the largest inland glaciers in this part of Alaska. Known as the "river of ice", it stretches some 25 miles from Juneau to Skagway.
Meade Glacier
Meade Glacier
The ride to the glacier by helicopter is spectacular. At the point we landed, the Meade glacier is actually joined by another glacier. The dark medial moraine down the middle of the glacier is created by the rock and dirt that fell on each glacier as they made their way down the valley. Medial moraines are formed when the inside lateral moraines of two glaciers merge together. They form a ridge down the center of the combined glaciers. During the day, water flows in small streams down the top of the glacier. This pure water tastes great. The dark blue color of the ice is due to how compact it is. This ice is 10 times denser then ice we make in the refrigerator.