Category: History
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LA With a Toddler
Los Angeles, California (June 2004) Our little guy first touched the Pacific Ocean near the Santa Monica Pier (map). Dad got to carry him right next to the water and then run back when the waves came. Nobody else was around on this quiet morning with perfect weather. All was fine with the world. Third…
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Talkeetna
Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, USA (July 2010) We left Anchorage, heading up the George Parks Highway with Talkeetna on our minds (map). We cut up the Talkeetna Spur and arrived soon enough at the rural outpost situated along the confluence of three glacially-fed braided rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and Talkeetna. It’s an unusual place for a…
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Southeastern Alaska and the Inside Passage
August 1995 Southeast Alaska Travel Index We captured this image a long time ago on our initial trip to Alaska in 1995. We took a small-ship cruise through Glacier Bay and to Juneau and Sitka. Then we spent several days in Juneau where we did a lot of hiking, went to a nearby glacier and…
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Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel
Whittier, Alaska, USA (July 2010) I’d long wanted to traverse the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel heading to Whittier, Alaska and the Prince William Sound (map). The tiny town of Whittier holds a couple hundred people where nearly the entire population lives in a single building. You might wonder why the government built a tunnel nearly…
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Sitka National Historical Park
The City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska, USA (August 1995) Sitka National Historical Park became the first park in Alaska to become Federally designated (map). It commemorates the 1804 Battle of Sitka that took place between the native Tlingits and agents of the Russian-America company. The 113 acre park also features totem poles placed at…
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Sitka Points of Interest
The City and Borough of Sitka, Alaska, USA (August 1995) American history recognizes the 60-foot high promontory known as Castle Hill for a significant event (map). It marks the spot where Russia transferred Alaska to the United States after its purchase for $7.2 million in 1867. It also has a notable history from earlier times.…
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Various Points Around Juneau
The City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska, USA (August 1995 & July 2000) Mount Roberts The Mount Roberts Tramway delivers visitors 1800 feet up the side of the mountain, above Juneau (map). On a clear day the view extends for miles along the Gastineau Channel. Snow still clings to mountaintops in July. Trails radiate from…
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Grand Pacific & Reid Glaciers
Glacier Bay: Hoonah–Angoon Census Area of the Unorganized Borough, Alaska, USA (August 1995) Grand Pacific Glacier The Grand Pacific Glacier heads in the St. Elias Mountains and trends east into British Columbia. From there it flows southeast to the head of the Tarr Inlet along the Alaska – Canada border. The glacier completes its slow-motion…
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Shell Falls and Devils Tower
Northern Wyoming (June 1992) Shell Falls We cut across northern Wyoming on Route 14 as we gradually began our Bighorn Mountains ascent. These mountains formed about 60 million years ago as the land forced upward. Erosion slowly scraped away the sedimentary rock in many places, leaving behind the harder granite beneath it. We entered the…
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Ribeira Grande
São Miguel, The Azores (Açores), Portugal (March 2001) Ribeira Grande, translates to “Large Stream” in English. It serves as the main town on São Miguel’s northern coast (map). A large stream runs through town as the name implies. It provided power for grain mills in the early days of settlement, and a town flourished along…