Alaska cruise and land review June10th-17th

[shutterbug285]

OK If i separate the word spider and man it works :D

[shutterbug285]

Everyone climbed with no problem .....except for me. I got about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way up and my knee started screaming. I tore a cartilage a long time ago. I didn"t think it would be a problem because I have rock climbed before. I don't think my knee liked the mountaineering boots.

Richard aka spider man was very concerned and was worried I would be disappointed , but honestly the climbing wasn't a big deal to me. I wanted to get up close and personal with the glacier. that I did !

 

 

 

 

We moved and set up another climb.

 

see spider man climbing..........(look ma no rope!)

 

 

 

even dragonflies like glaciers

 

 

If you look to the upper left hand corner, see the black dots on the blue part of the glacier? those are advanced climbers--- see next post

[shutterbug285]

Squint really hard.................. do you see them?

 

 

how about If I zoom in a little?

 

 

 

Bud reaching new heights...........spider man is taking photo's

 

 

 

the amazing spider man..............also known as Richard

 

 

 

and one more picture of Richard

 

 

 

I will tell you this tour was great!!! Natalie, Noah and Richard were top notch! Richard was so considerate. When he knew my knee was hurting, he very subtly set the pace for the hike back, and was always close when there a steeper down hill. I was touched by his concerned and subtle way he tried to help, so he wouldn't draw attention to it. I would highly highly highly recommend MICA guides . ps if you don't want to climb they have a glacier trek too.

[Wannaknow]

These are the most awsome pictures I've ever seen. Thank you a thousand times for sharing them. We just got back 2 days ago & you are making me homesick. The mountain climbing pics are just fabulous. Would never do it, but love seeing what it looks like. Many thanks!

Edited July 14, 2011 by Wannaknow

[Terry & Gail]

Shutterbug just when I think you have posted your best shots, here comes more pictures that are spectacular. Loved the glacier climb. Thanks for sharing keep them coming.

Gail

[ladymadeline]

This was wonderful to review. It's really got us excited as we leave on August 3rd.

[lotsofkids]

These are the most awsome pictures I've ever seen.

 

DITTO THOSE SENTIMENTS!

 

And, in less than 48 hrs.... My zoom lens arrived! It is the 75-300 which in the micro 4/3 world.... means it is equivalent to a 600mm zoom! And barely the size of a 12oz soda can. It is incredible. I was on the fence...till your blog just pushed me over the top! Today I was playing with it in my backyard and "wow". No regrets, I will really enjoy this!

 

You asked earlier, how I like my Pen, well... for me, I love it! I have the epl-1 and invested in some great micro lenses. Right now, they are now, Olympus is taking pre-sale orders for the EP3 (check it out on the Olympus site) Watching it, makes me want to upgrade....but after my lens purchase... I think I'll have to wait till they come out with an EP4.

 

My absolute favorite lens is the 14-150 (equivilent to 28-300mm) And they (Olympus) now have the epl-1 bundled w/ the 14-150 for $799 or at Adorama (w/no tax added!) That is amazing, considering I paid $675 for my 14-150 lens alone.

 

But....in the end YOUR pics will always be the BEST!

[shutterbug285]

Thanks to all of you! I'm very happy you like them. I wanted to show how beautiful and amazing Alaska was for me. All your nice comments means you see it too!! This had been a dream of mine for many years. Alaska exceeded all my expectations. Is it time to go back yet? :D

 

lotsofkids- believe it or not I have looked at the ep2 and the ep3 , they look like great cameras! I was researching them for my sister. If it was in the budget I would get on.e alot of features for a small camera. Can't wait to see your pictures. you have to post some

[shutterbug285]

Its about 6pm by the time we leave MICA. Has it really been twelve hours since we left Anchorage? and the day is not close to over. lol.

We are driving to Denali, according to the GPS we have 4 1/2 hours of driving to go. I call the Denali Park Hotel and let them know we will be late checking in. No problems they are there in the office until 1100pm, if we are later than that, they will leave the keys out for us.

 

I think I could drive for days here and not get tired of looking out the window. Please pardon the occasional raindrop in the picture, I was shooting out the car windows.

 

 

 

 

 

[lotsofkids]

Yes, unfortunately the 4/3 systems are grossly overpriced as they are a niche market. You are really paying for the "portability". They haven't really caught on in North America, but they are very popular in Asia. SO much fun in a little camera that packs a punch!

There is a dedicated forum for 4/3 users called mu-43.com ... many many professional photographers sharing tips & touting how much they love their new freedom!

[shutterbug285]

 

 

 

 

 

[lotsofkids]

Oh and Shutterbug....you might want to check this out!

 

It is the THIRD most funded project in Kickstarter history! And might actually take second place.

They are now in the final 28 hour remaining stretch! I secured mine last week!

 

[lotsofkids]

You can prepay $50 for a unit.

 

Note that introductory retail price of Capture will likely be $79.99 (as opposed to $70 as stated above). Approximate (not guaranteed) date of delivery for Bread and Butter pledging is August 1, pending manufacturing capabilities.

[shutterbug285]

I hope the people that live here still look at this when they drive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[snirp]

These are awesome pictures! I leave August 19th for two days in Anchorage before leaving Seward for our southbound cruise and now I am more excited!

 

It's giving me a great idea of weather and clothing options. Did you find you were wearing more summery stuff on the ship and more layers like jackets while in port?

 

Great pictures!

[travelin_hamms]

about how long did it take you to get to denali from mica? we are doing a similar post-cruise land trip on our own & are trying to decide if that would make for too much of a day (driving from mica to denali). also, how long did it take you to get to mica from anchorage? i know the website says 2-2.5 hrs, is that pretty accurate?

Edited July 16, 2011 by travelin_hamms

[Oscar_the_Grouch's_Sis]

Can you please tell me about what time the ship reaches Hubbard Glacier? I am just trying to figure out what time I need to finish breakfast and grab a spot on the helipad ... I will have aft 1104. I was hoping I could just stay out on my balcony :( but I think I will do what you did (and just head back when the ship turns)

[shutterbug285]

about how long did it take you to get to Denali from mica? we are doing a similar post-cruise land trip on our own & are trying to decide if that would make for too much of a day (driving from mica to Denali). also, how long did it take you to get to mica from anchorage? i know the website says 2-2.5 hrs, is that pretty accurate?

 

I think the estimate from Anchorage to MICA is conservative. I can't give you an exact time,we left at 630,but we took about an hour hiking at Thunderbird Falls. We also stopped and grabbed a quick breakfast and stopped a couple times for some photos and we still arrived about 45 minutes early. We didn't get stopped for any construction. so I would plan 2 hours. (little more if you planning on stopping)

 

The drive from MICA to Denali was about 4-4 1/2 hours also with stops.

I didn't mind the driving at all,there was always so much to see.

[shutterbug285]

Can you please tell me about what time the ship reaches Hubbard Glacier? I am just trying to figure out what time I need to finish breakfast and grab a spot on the helipad ... I will have aft 1104. I was hoping I could just stay out on my balcony :( but I think I will do what you did (and just head back when the ship turns)

 

I can't remember the exact time. It takes quite a while to get close,the ship is moving very slowly due to the ice. I believe it was about 7am. It was pretty close to what they put on our itinerary. People were on the helipad early,so if you want a front row seat, get there very early.

[shutterbug285]

These are awesome pictures! I leave August 19th for two days in Anchorage before leaving Seward for our southbound cruise and now I am more excited!

 

It's giving me a great idea of weather and clothing options. Did you find you were wearing more summery stuff on the ship and more layers like jackets while in port?

 

Great pictures!

 

I usually had a short sleeve shirt on and used a light thin fleece pull over if it was cooler on the ship. In port, most times I had a fleece lined windbreaker or just a regular windbreaker (both water

repellent)

[shutterbug285]

We get to the Denali Park Hotel. It about 1045. After checking in and dropping our bag, Bud suggests that we might want to drive into the park. It late,but its still fairly light out. We have a 615am bus to catch for Wonder Lake tomorrow..........................but what the hell, sure lets go!

 

 

 

 

 

[shutterbug285]

 

Even thought its a little dark,you can see how beautiful it is. I can't wait to see it in the daylight. We came to the 15 mile mark where you must turn back and started back out of the park. We were just commenting on whether or not we would get to see wildlife tomorrow and noticed something out taking a midnight stroll

 

 

 

We slowed down,but they just calmly trotted down the road

 

 

 

We didn't want to keep pacing them,even though mama didn't seem to mind,so we stopped completely and eventually they decided to move into the trees

 

 

[shutterbug285]

 

We were so excited our first moose in Alaska!

 

 

 

OOOoooh! whats that?

 

 

 

 

He definitely didn't care that we were watching him eat

 

 

[shutterbug285]

 

 

 

As we are almost back to the hotel, about 1245 it almost gets dark.....almost

 

 

Edited July 16, 2011 by shutterbug285

[shutterbug285]

Believe it or not, are up and ready for the bus the next day. Laughing about the shortest hotel stay ever,(four hours by my count). I'm loading our bag into the car and this is what greets me outside our room