North to Alaska- Girdwood and the Alyeska Valley

After the "pause that refreshes" at the Tesoro gas station on the corner of Seward and the Alyeska Highways we were ready to head North up the Alyeska Valley to Mt. Alyeska. As we are driving, I casually asked Karla " Where is Girdwood?" She says we are in Girdwood, all I see are trees, sky and mountain tops but no inhabitants. All of Girdwood must be in stealth mode.

I finally seen an opening in the trees that would give me a view of the valley so I grabbed my camera and tried to get Karla to stop but that was no easy task since her and Dionna were in the front talking a mile a minute and not hearing anything I said. Thinking fast I tightened my seat belt, grabbed my camera and hollered MOOSE as loud as I could. The car came to a screeching stop with the back tires almost leaving the pavement and the two talking heads in the front soon became like a scene out of the Exorcist, with both heads rotating 360 degrees and shouting Where, Where, Where. Without missing a beat I said "back there in that opening, he came out and then disappeared". Karla threw the car in reverse so fast that I almost got whiplash backing up to where I said I thought I saw a Moose.

After the car finally came to a stop I told the girls to stick around the car and I would try to get a picture of the phantom Moose that so conveniently disappeared. As I made my way through the trees and into a meadow that was like a scene out of  a movie with  mountains stretching as far as I could see, blue skies with ever changing cloud formations and the forests of spruce, pine and birch meeting the lush, rolling meadows of tall grass and wildflowers.

I must have spent a couple of hours there walking and photographing such majestic beauty that ever meets the eye. I glanced at my watch and hoped the girls didn't leave without me and it was then that I came to the conclusion I might be lost since I couldn't find the opening in the trees that led back to the highway. A little twinge of panic set it but I remembered if I went back to the first frame I took when I entered the clearing I could align my self with it to help me find a way back to the car. Thank God for DLSR's and LED screens, it worked. Next time I will have a GPS unit and won't leave home without it.

Fortunately or Unfortunately, I didn't see a Moose, Bear, or any other wildlife up close and personal during my excursion into the Alyeska Valley. But, if you ever want to get an Alaskan's attention, just holler "Moose"  and its like E.F. Hutton talking, you have my guarantee that you will have their undivided attention.

Get ready for a trip to Sourdough and a float down the Gulkgana River coming up in my next segment.