At my friend Kathy's house in Anchorage, she has hundereds of these flowers all over her garden! It is just amazing how beautiful these flowers are. And to top that, each year she plants her garden by hand!

More flowers reaching for the sun in Anchorage's long summer days!

At the top of Flattop Mountain in Anchorage the ground is bare, hard and rocky. But despite the winds, weather and exposure, I find it motivating that these small flowers survive - and thrive! It just goes to show how wtih determiniation and a little effort just about anything can be accomplished.

Soft alpine grasses

This photo was taken just above Homer, Alaska as you drive Highway 1 towards the end of the road. Looking down towards Homer Spit all I could see were clouds shrouding the south end of Cook Inlet.

Large pieces of weathered drift wood are scattered up and down Homer Spit in Homer, Alaska! On an unrelated note, this photo was taken just outside of the Boardwalk Fish & Chips Restaurant! If you ever get to Homer, eat here! Their Fish & Chips are to die for! The best I have ever had!

If ever in Homer, AK, you need to check out the Salty Dawg Saloon. This historic site was one of the first cabins built in Homer after Homer became a town in 1897. This building has been used as a home, office, school to name a few. Now it is a quaint salooon with dollar bills pinned to almost every inch of the interior walls; each dollar is signed by a traveler. Read more about the Salty Dawg Saloon at www.saltydawgsaloon.com.

A closer look at the Salty Dawg. You can see the dollar bills posted to the door. www.saltydawgsaloon.com

Mako's water taxi ((http://www.makoswatertaxi.com/) dropped Heather and I off at the beach at Kachemak Bay State Park at low tide. We jumped off the bow of the boat into knee-high water and waded to shore where we prepared for our hike. In this photo, you can see a orange sign on a tree that marks the start of the Glacier Lake trail. Our day hike took us 9 miles, around the mouth of a glacier, up a ridge and back to a beach 4 miles southwest on the coast from where we started. Kachemak Bay State Park ((http://www.dnr.state.ak.us/parks/units/kbay/kbay.htm) is Alaska's first state park containing ~ 400,000 acres of wilderness, glaciers, forests and ocean! It truely is a wilderness experience.

After Mako's water taxi ((http://www.makoswatertaxi.com/) departed, Heather and I were instantly immersed in the wilderness. I looked around and the only prints on the small sandy patch of beach were of seagulls looking for remnants of clams or other bits of food. It was surreal. Just 20 minutes earlier we were in Homer and now we were alone on a beach and our only way back home was to hike and get to the pickup point! This was going to be a wonderful day.

In Kachemak Bay State Park the trails are well marked as seen by this trailside sign post.

Views from the top of the Alpine Ridge Trail in Kachemak Bay State Park are amazing. The Grewink Glacier is seen on the upper left of this image. From this ridge, you can turn and see the glacier's terminus and the drainage back to the ocean. The hike up to the top of Alpine Ridge is strenuous and overgrown. But, the 2.5 mile hike (straight up the ridge with little switchbacks) is well worth it.

This bald eagle landed and was sitting on the waters edge on Homer Spit for the longest time. Heather and I watched it and just when I was ready to snap the photo he started to fly away. I guess he was camera shy.

This bald eagle landed and was sitting on the waters edge on Homer Spit for the longest time. Heather and I watched it and just when I was ready to snap the photo he started to fly away. I guess he was camera shy.

This bald eagle was soaring in the winds off of Homer Spit. He kept circling in the air currents just above our heads.

This large brown bear is happily grazing in a field just off the beach at Silver Salmon Creek Lodge, Alaska.

These coastal brown bears like to dig a "butt-hole" in the sand and watch for salmon in the creek. Why shouldn't a bear be comfortable?

I find it interesting that some bears learn how to dig for clams while others do not. I am impressed with how fast this gal could dig and get the clam! Sometimes they would have to dig around three feet into the soft sand.

Clamming is a learned behavior for bears. It looks like this little guy is just not that interested in what his mom is doing. Or, is he just being a cub?

Well, mom continues to dig and eat. This little guy looks a little wet and hungry. Maybe he should start paying attention?

Hey! He finally got a clam! Although I am not sure he knows what to do with it. Good job little buddy!