Some cool Alaska Pics

[NightTrain]

Here are a few beautiful high-resolution pics from around Alaska for you to enjoy.

I had to correct the guy that posted them on his blog about spellings - there's some very tricky Alaskan names that derive from Native languages and it takes a few years to get the hang of them.

One thing that people notice right away is that many areas and towns have a suffix of 'na'. Na translates to 'River'.

So you'll see towns like Talkeetna, Soldotna, Nenana, Tolsona, Galena, Kivalina, Tanana, etc. Talkeetna, where I grew up, translates to "Where rivers meet". (the confluence of the Susitna, Talkeetna and Chulitna rivers)

http://www.movoto.com/blog/opinions/photos-of-alaska/

[Abbey Marie]

Beautiful!

[Kathianne]

Your Alaska pics are always among my favorite threads, thank you!

Funny, today my niece messaged me and said they are looking to celebrating their 10th anniversary next year, with an Alaskan Cruise. They hope close family and friends can join them. It looks like maybe I'm getting a bit of an inheritance, if that pans out, I may try and do this. I've always wanted to go to Alaska!

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Here are a few beautiful high-resolution pics from around Alaska for you to enjoy.

I had to correct the guy that posted them on his blog about spellings - there's some very tricky Alaskan names that derive from Native languages and it takes a few years to get the hang of them.

One thing that people notice right away is that many areas and towns have a suffix of 'na'. Na translates to 'River'.

So you'll see towns like Talkeetna, Soldotna, Nenana, Tolsona, Galena, Kivalina, Tanana, etc. Talkeetna, where I grew up, translates to "Where rivers meet". (the confluence of the Susitna, Talkeetna and Chulitna rivers)

http://www.movoto.com/blog/opinions/photos-of-alaska/

Alaska has always been on my list to someday visit. First place has always been Australia. Simply great pics and thanks for posting them.. My next big trip will be back to the Philippines to visit my wife's family for most likely a month. And trust me its not going to be a cheap one...-Tyr

[NightTrain]

Your Alaska pics are always among my favorite threads, thank you!

Funny, today my niece messaged me and said they are looking to celebrating their 10th anniversary next year, with an Alaskan Cruise. They hope close family and friends can join them. It looks like maybe I'm getting a bit of an inheritance, if that pans out, I may try and do this. I've always wanted to go to Alaska!

Make sure you let me know. If you come up, the offer still stands and I'll make sure you get the real deal.

[Kathianne]

Make sure you let me know. If you come up, the offer still stands and I'll make sure you get the real deal.

I should know if possible within a couple weeks. First thing I have to do is pay debts. Second is get passport, then tickets to England for August to see first grandchild born! If those things are done, I'll do the cruise! I don't know if one can leave for part of cruise, I've obviously never been on one! LOL!

[NightTrain]

I should know if possible within a couple weeks. First thing I have to do is pay debts. Second is get passport, then tickets to England for August to see first grandchild born! If those things are done, I'll do the cruise! I don't know if one can leave for part of cruise, I've obviously never been on one! LOL!

Usually the cruise ships will dock in Whittier and then Princess Tours herds all of them onto a fleet of buses and they get driven up to Denali Park (Mt. McKinley) and they'll do the usual touristy stuff like go on flightseeing hops with a glacier landing, go on some whitewater rafting there, blow a bunch of money in tourist traps, that kinda thing.

I've always felt sorry for a lot of those people because it's such a mass operation and it always struck me that they're almost treated like cattle. I've met a few that went on the cruise but they did the smart thing when they docked in Whittier by renting a car and they'd go see what they wanted to see on their own schedule and either rejoined the departing ship or hopped on a plane in Anchorage to back home.

But your niece might be thinking about doing a Southeast cruise, and that's out of my area of operations so you're on your own - but I've been to almost every town down there so I can give you tips on where the cool spots are. Many of the cruise ships have a racket going on where they have designated people to give out local info and they'll deliberately steer tourists to operations that have paid the cruise ship company for it - whether or not it's worth the money for the tourist. It's shameless but it's what happens... there was a big expose in the papers not that long ago about it and the cruise companies were pissed that it got out.

Still, you'll see some pretty awesome stuff like whales, glaciers calving, wildlife galore, etc. If you get a chance to go to Skagway, be sure to do it. That one is by far my favorite southeast town, just for the mountain of history behind it during the Klondike gold rush in 1898 & the brutal Chilkoot Pass... I spent 10 hours there checking out all of the historical stuff in museums & exhibits, the old steam engine trains, all of it was fascinating. Best of all, I did all of that on overtime because our chartered Otter wasn't there! lol

[jimnyc]

Rick, any chance you can swing the airfare for me? And lodging? And food? And supply me with a sweet pistol while I am there? And take me for some Large Mouth? :dunno:

Kidding aside, man I would love to visit there. I remember your offer from like 8 years ago and will hold you to it someday! I may even bring the shot glass you bought me to get drunk while I'm there! :beer:

[NightTrain]

Alaska has always been on my list to someday visit. First place has always been Australia. Simply great pics and thanks for posting them.. My next big trip will be back to the Philippines to visit my wife's family for most likely a month. And trust me its not going to be a cheap one...-Tyr

Australia is on my list, too. And New Zealand while I'm in the area as well... but the snake phobia I have will probably cut down on my enthusiasm to take off into the back country solo. Sharks and snakes... those are my personal sissy factors!

[NightTrain]

Rick, any chance you can swing the airfare for me? And lodging? And food? And supply me with a sweet pistol while I am there? And take me for some Large Mouth? :dunno:

Kidding aside, man I would love to visit there. I remember your offer from like 8 years ago and will hold you to it someday! I may even bring the shot glass you bought me to get drunk while I'm there! :beer:


Pistol, lodging, food and one of my vehicles to bomb around in are included! Really all you have to do is get your ass on a plane! lol

Oh yeah, and we don't have Large Mouth or any kind of freshwater bass up here... you'd have to settle for a 50 - 90 pound King Salmon or a 300# Halibut. Or Red, Silver, Chum or Pink salmon, Rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling, Lake Trout, Lingcod, Salmon Sharks, Irish Lords, Black Rockfish, Red Snapper, those kind of critters.

That's cool that you still have the shot glass... that was back in 2001 or 2002 because I was working at Conoco Phillips at the time. Is it heavily used?? :laugh: