Alaska

So here are some photos from alaska:
This first section is all from Denali.
sunset over savage river








toklat river


i was cranky this day




oops...sideways




can you find the bus? we hiked way up this hill. In denali, there are no trails. you just have to get out and go.


grizzly


toklat from the top of a hill


wolf tracks in the silt...but we saw no wolves. too bad, maybe next time.


So after we left denali we went down to Homer:

there was this crazy boat graveyard with castle turrets.


then we took a boat across to kachemak bay st. park


and hiked out to grewingk glacier and the lake/river it feeds.

glacier ice!


their insides look blue


then the sun came out the night we camped there






and then we went back to homer for a night before heading over to sweard. we caught this nice sunset.




Exit Glacier and Harding ice field






















Seward from Mt. Marathon:


Marathon Bowl


We hike to Lost Lake




and it comes into view...

completely magical





we took a walk up a hill




we saw marmots

I've made it to my final destination of Chicago and am finding it difficult to settle down after four months of being on the move and experiencing new things on a regular basis. The apartment that i'm sharing with my new friend Jenny however is great. It is spacious and light filled, windows on three sides. Conveniently located near public transit, grocery stores, and anything else one could need i'm looking forward to getting into the swing of chicago's pace and exploring the little hidden treasures that exist around each corner. Here are some more photos from the last couple of months of travel.

Entering the land of the big trees. Humbolt redwoods.



six rivers ntnl forest, wish we could've stayed here longer.
beautiful morning light through bright birches.



On the way to the tall trees grove in Redwoods Ntnl. Park



amid the redwoods



home for the night



banana slug!


we made it to crater lake to find that things were still closed due to snow.





it was still beautiful. we ate stuffed peppers baked on the engine.

like i said, snow.

june 13th.

Julia bought a pretty new dress. I bought a pretty new truck.


Oregon coast.


Julia says bye in Portland for a few weeks. See you in Alaska!


Mt. Hood Ntnl. Forest


Mt. St. Helens from afar.


Middle Creek Falls, Gifford Pinchot Ntnl. Forest


View of the Quinalt River from Pony Bridge, on the way to Enchanted Valley.


Enchanted Valley, Olympic Ntnl. Park


My deer dudes.


Enchanted Valley Chalet



View from my shelter on the Olympic Coast..left...

right...

the tree under which i stayed

the fog rolls in...


Welcome to Seattle
Sculpture in front of some museum near the space needle.


Space Needle


Happy 4th!


Seattle from Gasworks park



Up next...Alaska!

Continued adventures of Andrew and Julia (part 1)

These are some weird Dr. Seuss Plants that grow near tidal pools. When submerged in the ocean tides they stand up and wave around.
N. California.

This is the park across the street from where we were staying with Kim in San Francisco. A beautiful part of town and directly behind where the photo was snapped is Daniel Steele's house!
Also, in the park, they spray the woods with sprinklers to deter the homeless from sleeping there. This isn't the only tactic the city uses to keep the homeless population sleep deprived; the bus stop seats are on a pivot that doesn't allow for a comfortable wait, much less an evenings repose.

So this was Synimon, or Cinnibunz as we renamed her. A sweet little attention starved beast.











Northern California is an amazing place. It can go from sunny to crazy clouds like this pretty instantly. I forget the name of this little town but it was cozy and quiet.










When in the redwood forests we camped at a place called Whiskey Flats. It was a great place to be, aside from the huge clouds of blood-thirsty mosquitoes. Here i am in front of a rather large tree. I wish i could remember exactly what park we were in.

So see what i mean about being out of order? Here was a nice little guy hanging out in Joshua Tree.



















People in America really like their donuts. While traveling through the various states we sampled donuts here and there, mostly just eating them while we walked around in Safeways. Here though, we have a gem. In Los Angeles we made a trip out specifically to see this piece of donut architecture history! Behold, The Donut Hole! You drive in one side, and out the other....."It's the Quality!" I had a bear claw kinda apple thing, I'm pretty sure Julia had a cream filled chocolate topped donut. mmmm. donuts.






So here we are back in Northern California. The coast line is amazing, cliffs and steep bluffs leading up to lush headlands. Barely accessible rocky beaches allow for solitude, fun exploring, and tons of rocks to jump across.

This was in Andrew Molera State Park. Highly recommended if you're ever in the area, this park boasts a beautiful little beach, a large clear semi-river, and massive mountains that provide panoramic views of the oceans and surrounding areas. There's a really great trail that follows the bluffs along the coast then cuts up to the ridge. Along the way there was a really amazing stand of small evergreens clustered together and contoured to the hillside to create a huge shady area walled by vegitation; a magical space.

Here we are back in Marfa, TX. This was one of Dan Flavin's installations we saw at the Chinati Foundation. This is one half of the building, and there are six of them with Dan Flavin pieces. Marfa, Go Big or Go Home.











Right outside of Marfa, cruising down the highway, I spotted this. We whipped the car around and went back to investigate. A fun art project by some folks in town, this mini Prada store housed rows of fancy shoes. Obviously a non-functioning site for commerce, its' presence in the desert is dead pan ironic.







Gila Cliff Dwellings.
Amazing aside from the tourists.
Gila Ntnl. Wilderness is a spectacular spot.















Spectacular you say? Just check out where we camped. Too bad you can't see the river that's right behind us.

More Joshua Tree. Teddy bear cacti. Don't squeeze them though.

Since then

John Chamberlain sculptures at the Chinati Foundation.
Marfa, TX




Donald Judd works in aluminum. There's 100 of these in two buildings. Incredible.
Marfa



Conrad Bakker. conRAD.
this is carved out of wood
at the Blanton in Austin.





Chisos Basin. Big Bend National Park, TX



Casa Grande from Toll Mountain.
Big Bend, Chisos Basin.



Chisos Basin, Big Bend


Desert in Big Bend.
The ridge in the distance is Mexico.



The Greenbelt in Austin


Also at the greenbelt. if you know what kind of tree this is
lemme' know.

Big Easy

Barrataria Bayou, GATOR!

swampy canals




Julia and I have been in New Orleans for a few days. Such an interesting city with so much history. I guess when somethings about 300 years old there's a considerable amount of history involved. The architecture is is so unique and really defines something about the city. High ceilings and windows that stretch from floor to ceiling. Everyone we've met have been nice except the lady at the art museum who must've been having a bad day. The art museum itself is pretty nice. a good permanent collection with some great pieces by Joeseph Cornell and an impressive exhibition of African and Japanese artifacts. Went to the Barrataria Bayou. We saw some alligators and birds and lizards and fish. We saw some big boats. We listened to some great music. Thanks to our friend Carson we've had about as good of accommodations as one could ask for and wonderful company/suggestions on what to explore.
Next we're headed to Austin Texas to see Kevin.

Outa' Here

T-minus 5 hours to lift off.
We'll be headed to Asheville today then towards New Orleans on Monday.
This was the other night from the backdoor---->

whoa.
this could be my house.
wouldn't you wan to live in a bubble house?
not so sure about living in such a dry locale but....