Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA

Wow....Alaska is even more beautiful than I ever thought. While the surrounding mountains here along the Kenai Peninsula is covered in snow, down in the valleys and along the many rivers and creeks, spring is bursting with a balmy 25 degrees Celsius and most trees are butting and/or blooming. The Moose are walking with their newborns and the bears are hunting spawning salmon.

Over the past few days I have driven (with a brand new rental Ford) 400 miles around the peninsula visiting beautiful small villages and of course, spending a lot of time hiking in the unspoilt wilderness.

So far I have seen Alaskan Bald Eagles, Brown Bears, Moose, Orca Whales, Humpback Whales, Stellar Sea Lions, Mountain Goats, Dall Sheep, Sea Otters, Porpoise Dolphins, Puffins, Common Murres, and lots of ducks and Cormorants. (Note: these linked pictures were not taken by me). Walked this morning in the delta of the Ninilchik River right at the little village of Ninilchik to photograph the Alaskan Bald Eagle. Got a couple of real close-ups which made me feel I was back in the Galapagos Islands! Slept in a log cabin high on the bluffs overlooking the Ninilchik River...and down below a Moose and calf were grazing, while Beavers were re enforcing their dams.

Had close up views of Holgate Glacier and Bear glaciers (both part of the vast Harding Ice Fields), and had a walk on Exit Glacier...what an amazing experience to be so close to these icy giants...though I have been more impressed with the Perito Moreno Glacier in Patagonia, Southern Argentina! Believe me....these ice fields and glaciers are receding so fast due to global warming. If you wait another 10 years.. you may find only gravel and little ice!

Sun sets at 23:15 and rises at 4:15am...never really gets dark even still early in Spring.

UPDATED (May 29th)
In the meantime did some kayaking around the fjords and glaciers of Prince William Sound (saw more wildlife including many whales and sea otters), and visited two small communities only accessible by boat. What a life these people live! I am totally amazed by the beauty of Alaska! The past 7 days have been sunny and warm -- not a cloud in the sky.