Aloe Blooms

Aloe Blooms, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Taken at the Huntington Library and Gardens near Pasadena, California. A visit to this amazing place was part of our package tour for the Rose Parade. They have a world-class succulent garden, including aloe that were blooming.

Rose Parade HOP

We are with an Escapees group over New Years. Will attend several Rose Parade events.



Getting the Information for our Rose Parade events.

Getting the information about building a Rose Parade float. We later worked on a float.




These flowers were trimmed and will become the blue field of a float.

Quartzsite

Quartzsite, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Stayed overnight on the way to SoCal. This is the 14-day BLM area near the freeway. Only a little traffic noise. We hope to be back in this area in a few weeks.

Where to Stay the Winter with Your RV

http://gypsyjournalrv.com/2012/11/snowbird-roosts/

Some userful RV travel information from the great Nick Russell. This post is about some possible winter retreats for RV'ers.

Fisherman, Rogue River, Oregon

Fisherman, Rogue River, Oregon, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

During our stay at the Rogue River State Park, we took a walk along this very scenic river. Note only is the river area quite pretty, there were fishermen out in the water.

Fall Color, Rogue River, Oregon

Fall Color, Rogue River, Oregon, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We stayed at the Rogue River State Park in southern Oregon. Fall coloring was starting to appear, so we grabbed some shots.

Veterans Memorial

Veterans Memorial, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

This is a highway wayside near Coos Bay, Oregon. We stopped here during a car trip out to the coast.

The coastline near here is fascinating. In particular, there are huge sand dunes in this area.

Olympics

Olympics, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove up to the Olympic National Park today. The views of the mountains are wonderful. There hadn't been any rain (or snow up here) for many weeks, so the glaciers on Mount Olympus appeared smaller.

This photo was taken from Hurricane Ridge.

Port Townsend Building

Port Townsend Building, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We walked around this classic downtown, and got some excellent photos.

Driftwood Dragon

Driftwood Dragon, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

While visiting friends along the Olympic Peninsula, we spent a day on "their" island. This island is along the Hood Canal.

The visitors to this island have built a "dragon" out of driftwood and other found objects.

Johns Hopkins Glacier

Johns Hopkins Glacier, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We made an unplanned side trip into Glacier Bay. Here is Johns Hopkins Glacier, which we have never seen from the water.

On previous cruises, this glacier was "off limits" to the ships.

The weather was wonderful, which is very rare inside Glacier Bay.

Sawyer Glacier from the Amsterdam

Sawyer Glacier from the Amsterdam, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a cruise from Seattle to, where else, Alaska. This was just after we drove our RV back from nearly 4 months in that amazing place.

The cruise was altered due to weather, but the results were some wonderful scenery.

Wooden Boats, Priest Lake, Idaho

Wooden Boats, Priest Lake, Idaho, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent the Labor Day weekend at Priest Lake, Idaho. The scenery is wonderful.

Red

Red, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We stayed for a few days in Kettle Falls, Washington. Needed to get some rest after the heavy driving in Alaska and Canada.

This town has some interesting older architecture.

Brown Bear

Brown Bear, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove up towards the lake from Haines, and noticed that everyone in the parking lot was moving quickly back to their cars. We did too, after taking a few shots.

Finally!

Finally!, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Got to get a clear photo of Denali.

Nagley's Store, Talkeetna, Alaska

Nagley's Store, Talkeetna, Alaska, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove over to Talkeetna for a quick look. There are a lot of old buildings in this town.

Locomotive

Locomotive, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Unplanned night spent along Turnagain Arm.

The trains ran just outside our bedroom.

Bird Portrait

Bird Portrait, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent another night (unplanned, this time) at Turnagain Arm, south of Anchorage. As we sat on the rocks near our RV, we noticed a small bird flying very fast, and swooping into the rocks below.

I was able to capture one good image. This bird must be a relative of the "swift" because it flow very fast, and was probably tending a nest in the rocks on the cliff.

Worthington Glacier

Worthington Glacier, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

As we drove back north from Valdez, we passed by this glacier area. It is easily accessible from the Richardson Highway, and some brave souls climb up to the bottom of the ice.

Valdez Fish

Valdez Fish, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We finally had a beautiful day in Valdez, and included a walk around the fishing piers in our plans.

There are many amateur anglers around, and the boat crews are happy to display the catch. These halibut are pretty big!

Meares Glacier Calving

Meares Glacier Calving, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a boat trip around the Valdez area, which included a stop at Meares Glacier. There was plenty of ice falling.

Our boat trip included seeing Stellar Seal Lions, and Harbor Seals.

Eagle

Eagle, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Valdez was really interesting. One of our stops was the Soloman Creek hatchery. The salmon were fighting their way into the hatchery, since they had been born and imprinted there. This action brought about the arrival of millions of salmon during our visit.

This eagle was just one of the animals (including people) who were dining on the arriving salmon.

Bee on Tufted Vetch

Bee on Tufted Vetch, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove the Glenn Highway from Anchorage, heading out for Valdez.

Along the road, there were some pretty wildflowers. This bee was taking advantage of the flowers, too.

"Light at the End"

"Light at the End", a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove through the Whittier Tunnel, only to find more rain on the other side. After a night of pounding rain, we drove BACK through the tunnel and spent a lovely night along Turnagain Arm. But that's another story...

Puffin and Ducks

Puffin and Ducks, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

It rained and rained in Seward, so we spent a day looking around the sealife center. It is an excellent facility.

Dandelion Tufts

Dandelion Tufts, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

It was raining (a lot!) in Seward. Bob was having lens troubles with his D700, so decided to dig out the "old" lenses that had been used way back in the old days: D50.

It had stopped raining just long enough to get out of the RV and take some test photos. These macros turned out pretty good, considering that it was a lens designed for the film era, and was a "cheapie".

Aialik Glacier

Aialik Glacier, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took an amazing cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park. It was an all-day trip, and we got to see Orcas, humpback whales bubble-feeding, birds, and this calving glacier.

A great day, we took hundreds of photos.

Silver Shadow

Silver Shadow, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We got to Seward on June 28, expecting to stay past July 4th. The RV parks get very crowded during the holiday, especially near Anchorage.

We saw lots of cruise ships from the front window of our motorhome.

Bald Eagle

Bald Eagle, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove out to the mouth of the Kasilof River and saw a number of bald eagles. Some flew by as we walked on the beach.

Russian Orthodox Church

Russian Orthodox Church, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove around the Kenai area, and saw this Russian Orthodox Church. Our drive included a visit to Cook State Park and some river mouths.

Sandhill Crane

Sandhill Crane, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

It was raining in Homer, so we stayed close to home. Imagine our surprise to see a group of sandhill cranes walking through the very wet Elks parking lot!

Amsterdam

Amsterdam, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Taken from our RV location in Homer, Alaska. The Amsterdam was visiting the port, so we got a shot as she left.

The location of Homer is amazing, with glacier-covered mountains across the bay, and famous fishing.

C47

C47, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent a great day at the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla.

Mountains Around Hatcher Pass Road

Mountains Around Hatcher Pass Road, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a drive up Hatcher Pass Road, as far as the Independence Mine area. The views are wonderful. This is a very popular area to visit. We saw lots of hikers and plenty of cars at the trailheads.

This is very much alpine scenery. These mountains are the Talkeetla Range, and from here you can easily see the Chugach range to the south.

Denali

Denali, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove from Cantwell to Wasilla, and had a nice view of Denali from the turnout.

Mountains Behind Cantwell, Alaska

Mountains Behind Cantwell, Alaska, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent a few days in Cantwell. Unfortunately, it rained buckets for most of that time. When the sky cleared up for a little while, we drove around and saw some beautiful mountains to the west of the town.

Denali is lurking somewhere around here, but we haven't been able to see it.

Carpe at Denali National Park

Carpe at Denali National Park, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent several days in the Riley Creek Campground. Nice facility.

Alaska Railroad Bridge, Denali National Park

Alaska Railroad Bridge, Denali National Park, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We had hiked around the bottom of this trestle, but wanted a wide view. During our park tour, the bus driver suggested a location, and we set up and waited for one of the tourist trains to go through.

We took this type of train in 2008 as part of the land section of our Alaska cruise.

Brown Bear

Brown Bear, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a bus tour into the Denali National Park. The tour ran all the way to Eielson where we hoped to see the mountain. Well, the weather was not on our side there.

However, on the tour, we saw a lot of animals, including this brown bear, who was foraging for roots near a river. We also saw Dall Sheep, and caribou.

Fungi

Fungi, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a short hike from our campground, out to the Alaska Railway trestle. There were lupins blooming, and these quite pretty mushrooms, all alongside a roaring river.

Savage River -- Denali National Park (BW)

Savage River -- Denali National Park (BW), a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We drove to the "end of the road" and got to see some lovely scenery of the Savage River.

Along the Dalton Highway

Along the Dalton Highway, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We took a tour up to the Arctic Circle. Our small tour bus drove up the Dalton Highway. Here is some of the traffic along this highway.

Antler Arch, Visitor Center, Fairbanks, Alaska

Antler Arch, Visitor Center, Fairbanks, Alaska, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent a day in Fairbanks being tourists. One of the things we saw was the Museum of the North at the University.

This photo is taken in downtown Fairbanks.

Alaska Wildflower

Alaska Wildflower, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Taken along the Richardson Highway, as we drove from Tok to Fairbanks, Alaska. We spent several days in Fairbanks.

Bear Rug

Bear Rug, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We visited Chicken, Alaska, in the car, while the RV was parked in Tok. The road to Chicken from either side (Alaska or Yukon) is very rough.

The fried chicken we ate at Chicken was excellent, too.

White Pass Railroad

White Pass Railroad, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

We spent a day in Skagway without the RV. We drove down from Carcross in the Ford.

This is the rear of a train about to leave Skagway for the White Pass.

The train ride is wonderful, we did it in 2008. The scenery along the Pass is daunting, but beautiful.

Black Bear on Alaska Highway

Black Bear, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Yesterday, the 19th was a big day for us. It was our first REAL day on the Alaska Highway. We were exhausted after the drive. We saw 10-11 bears, several of which we managed to photograph. They all seemed to be black bears, and they were eating the grass alongside the highway.

Fortunately, the traffic was light, and we could stop the RV and grab photos.

Mud

Mud, a photo by RV Bob on Flickr.

Staying in Fort Nelson, BC. Between rain and snow, everything was covered in mud.

We were all parked here, because the Alaska Highway was blocked by snow. Apparently they had put the snowplow away for a while, and there were a couple of feet of snow covering the road around Summit.