Trip to Haines, Alaska

So... This is going to be a little backwards because I forgot to charge my battery before we left for Haines yesterday (Saturday). These are all from today (Sunday) in Haines and on our way back. Debbie has many pictures of our trip up that I will have to steal from her asap.

Meanwhile, you must all admire the BUSH PONIES, and I didn't get a picture of the one grizzly bear we saw. But the wild horses were so much better anyway!!!!

I didn't even know there WAS such a thing as wild horses - "Bush Ponies" in the Yukon. These were spotted on our own side of the highway about 50 kilometers out from Whitehorse.

While grizzlies are very shy, and run into the bush immediately when you're bearing down on them on the highway in a van, bush ponies pay no attention whatsoever to the traffic and love to have their pictures taken, as they feed voraciously on the grasses by the highway. Obviously you can snap pictures and take video as long as you please. I will have to figure out how to make my video smaller tomorrow and endeavour to upload it, but for now, please admire the beautiful bush ponies from Yukon, AK, posted herewith in still form.

I know the old growth forest isn't nearly as exciting as the grizzly I have no pictures of (except for the bush where he disappeared... he IS a shadow in behind there), and the BUSH PONIES, but we snapped a few pics at the Battery Point Trail Head, which is right beside where we stayed in a cabin at the Beach Roadhouse.

These trees are magnificent! Would that I had had time to explore the trail, though I don't think we had any bear spray on board, and apparently that is always a good idea when trailing through the woods in Alaska.

I have also included a few pictures of Haines itself here. There's the signpost (very nice one) on the way in, a couple of street scapes, harbour pics (another nice sign there) fjord on mud road (where the kids were camping), some cool granite statues, the incongruous industrial lot with the majestic mountains in the background, and some very cool bears from inside the gift store we found stuff in.

It was the best store ever! Called "The Bear Den" Fantastic Alaska themed displays, and a huge variety of gifts. The two bears were particularly fun. HE welcomed you to the store, just inside the porch like area, while SHE presided regally over a huge hat section. I think Debbie will have pics of us in various hats, no doubt posted to facebook by now.

We also stopped by Kathleen Lake (near Haines Junction) for some photo ops. These are grouped together here - lake view, Debbie and I by the water, and a cool shot through the 'lodge' that has a wood stove inside, can be booked for various functions (i.e. bluegrass workshop) and I rather suspect may be maintained for safe bear watching as well.