Alaska 06
 

Oh my oleg....your photos have left me speechless...time to start planning Alaska! Thank you, thankyou, thankyou!!!

Fantastic photos!

I was especially impressed with the close-up shots of the wildlife. Seeing your photos makes me want to plan another Alaska trip soon.

Wonderful photos, Oleg! Can't wait to get back for another visit. :)

Wow! Amazing photos!! Do you mind if I ask what kind of camera/lens you were using?

You were so lucky to see that wolf up close--we saw some, but they were way down on a gravel bar. Great pictures!

caligirl -
I am using Panasonic FZ10. It has large zoom (12X). I do not carry detachable lens.

Those are amazing photos. I just returned from Alaska and have photo envy :)

Do you use a tripod? If not, how do prevent blur with such a long zoom?

The only one of the major animals in Denali that we did not see was the wolf, but your picture makes me feel like I did! Oh, next trip!

Oleg
With so many amazing parts of our world and country, it is always easy to compromise travel time. Just showed your pics to mistasista and have the greenlight to start the investigation process. Let the research begin! Mahalo!

sistahlou -
If you need any help in your investigation, let me know.

Really nice pictures. Where did you pictures of those whales? It'd be great if you would label your photos, so we know where to go next in AK! :)

Absolutely gorgeous - thanks for sharing!

Great shots! Can you go back in and "Add Comments"? Would like to know more about the 'What & Where'. Thanks for sharing. Seems lik you camera also has 'Image Stabilazatio' - that is necessary at 12X and your shots are clear & sharp.

I did not have a chance to label my pics or to write a trip report. I had to come back to work from my vacation the next day I returned to NY.
But I will answer all your questions and I will provide details that may be helpful in planning your 2007 Alaska trip.
To annahead: FZ10 camera does have an image stabilazer. It is helpful when shooting wildlife and other non-stationary objects. I also use the tripod when taking landscape pictures during sunset.

oleg, could you tell us about your encounter with the wolf? Were you just walking along the road and it came up? What time of year was this? Actually, what was the date and approximate time? :) We saw wolves but from a distance. We hiked alot in Denali, including along the road next to the wolf area, but none came up to us. I am so envious, but so delighted you shared your photos so we could share in your experience with you.

birder-
Our encounters with wolves were surprisingly frequent and very close.
On August 15, 2006 (my first full day in Denali) I took a 5 pm shuttle bus to Polychrom Pass overlook. It is the last bus of the day going to the park. Our driver's name was Jason. He is in late 30s, speaks with slight southern accent and has a pony tale. He is talkative and informative. As soon as we set out on our journey it stopped raining. As we approached the Pass the sky even cleared out a little bit. Just enough for the sun to peek shyly thru the heavy gray clouds. When we got off at the Pass, the clouds moved apart over the red mountains and we could see a piece of blue sky.
My first wildlife siting of this trip was a female moose quickly crossing the road near Savage River campground area.
We saw nothing significant on our way in - just flocks of Dahl Sheep far on the hills.
It was made up completely on our way out. We saw a grizzly, a bunch of male caribous and a pack of wolves. They just spilled over on the road, right in front of the bus. About seven of them. There was a black wolf among them. Jason hit the brakes and we dashed toward the front window suppressing gasps of disbelief. The wolves paid no attention to the bus. They just strolled on the road toward the bus and when they realized they have an obstacle they all move to the right and then into the forest. For about a minute, we could see just fragments of them among the trees before they disappeared.
My second encounter with the wolf was during my second bus trip on August 16, 2006. It was a 7:30 Fish Creek bus. Our driver's name was Ken. He is in early 50's, drives the bus for 29 years. We laugh when he says a joke from the very onset of the trip. It is drizzling (couldn't imagine other kind of weather by then) but visibility is good.
First 20-30 miles - nothing special. Just a few grizzlies viewed with binoculars, a lone caribou on the top of the ridge, sheep which is hard to see even with the binocular. The highlight of the trip came about 5 miles from Polychrom Pass. A thin grey wolf came onto the road in front of the bus. We stopped expecting it to stay a few seconds and move off the road. But the grey bandit has diffrent plans in mind. He started by harassing a little white sign the rangers placed on the edge of the road. The wolf tried to chew it several times. We heard the sounds of the teeth against the metal. The wolf soon realized that the little white square was no meal. It went along the left side of the bus slowly, looking at us as we hung from the windows with his hungry yellow eyes. It was at that moment that I took the best picture of the wolf.
The wolf stood on the right near the rear of the bus for about a few minutes. Then he yawned and went uphill on the left side. As we followed the wolf with our binoculars, we saw a huge black grizzly about 300 ft away up the hills. The bear was busy with a piece of the kill, its ‘hump’ on the back moving as it chew the meat. The next moment our wolf ran toward the bear trying to snatch a piece of kill. The wolf was a few feet away from the bear when the bear made a threatening move toward the bold raider. The wolf moved back quickly but then approached the bear again. The bear chased the wolf again. But the arrogant wolf just kept harassing the huge bear. He obviously was very hungry. The standoff lasted about five minutes. From the distance it looked like a play but it could became deadly for the wolf at any second. When Ken started the bus, the two animals were not far from each other – and both were eating. I took a picture but it did not come out good. Still, you could see the two side by side clearly.

oops - cut my post;
Continue:

My last encounter with wolves was on my third day in Denali on August 17, 2006. We were returning from Wonder Lake. We had seen tons of wildlife. We had been so spoilt that we only stopped the bus when animals were next to it. We had stopped using binoculars altogether. We encountered two wolves – one grey and one black about at the same spot as I saw them two days ago. The grey one was leading the bus. The black one was behind us. Both on left side of the road. The grey one showed absolutely no fear of the bus. We followed him trying not to keep the animal ahead all the time. He put quite a show: we saw him hunting two hares along the road edge. Both ran for their lives in opposite directions and the wolf got none. Then the wolf just shit on the road in front of us as we laughed. Both wolves were obviously in search of food.
Our driver, Barr (a woman in her late 30s) told us that there had been problems with wolves some time ago prompting temporary closure of Teklanika Campground.

Oleg: Fabulous pictures. Did you rent a car, or you took trips from Denali?

Shanghainese -
Rented for 10 days in Anchorage. Fox Rentals.

Shanghainese, have you been to Alaska yet? It's so beautiful. We went last year. I fell in love - ready to move there! ;-)

Hope you are having a great day! :)

BayouGal -
This was my reaction when I first visited Alaska in June 2002. My subsequent visits were also in summer.
Before you really decide to move talk to locals at least in Anchorage and familiarize yourself with the problems you will face there. Also, it is helpful to read Anchorage Daily News.
Alaska for tourists (in summer) is somewhat different from what its residents deal with on daily basis.

LoL, oleg. Yes, I've made friends with Fodorites from Alaska. It is a pipe dream for me - don't know if DH would ever truly go for it, and I wouldn't go without him! :)

Thanks!

Thanks, Bayougal, and wish you the same. Haven't been to Alaska, can't figure out which first, A or Big Island!

BRAVO! BRAVO! BRAVO!
=D> =D> =D>

The moment I opened this thread and saw your name, I knew I was in for a big treat! Spectacular, oleg!

And please, what was your itinerary? This looks like a trip I need to take.

Thanks!

Wow, Shanghainese, tough call. BUT you won't go wrong either way. Maybe make an itinerary and compare prices.

To really "do" Alaska is pretty darn expensive. And depending on how you do the BI, it can be expensive too, but I do believe it can be done more reasonably. The summer travel season is short in Alaska so you might be able to find better deals with the BI.

I'm not trying to talk you out of it, just points to consider. Personally, I hope you are able to do both soon! ;-)

kopp -

My itinenary in 2006 was:

08/10 Anchorage
08/11 Drive to Seward
08/12 Seward. Kenai Fiord NP cruise
08/13 Drive back to Anchorage
08/14 Drive to Healy
08/15 Denaly NP
08/16 Denali NP
08/17 Denali NP
08/18 Denali NP
08/19 Drive to Fairbanks ( road back to Anchorage was closed )
08/20 Back to NY

What amazing stories. Thank you so much for taking the time to share them!!!

LOVED this whole reading and the pictures are fabulous - OH! Wonder Lake - went back in 1998 and we are headed that way again - July 2007 - making my reservations now..Your info was very helpful..My husband's dream was to stay the summer in Alaska, BUT the price!!!!!!! So, we are down to 3 wks - going w/3 others to share expense of transportation/gas/and lodging..
Did you camp at Wonder Lake? Someone mentioned going the back road to Anchorage and you mentioned it was closed..Have you ever done that? Are there places to stay one night?

farm123-
I did not camp at Wonder Lake.
On 8/19/06 I had to return to Anchorage and fly home. George Parks Hwy was closed due to flood. So, I drove to Fairbanks and flew home from there.
Parks Hwy is the easiest way to reach Anchorage. There are other ways. One I know is Denali Highway - I guess you can call it 'back road'. It is unpaved and bumpy, and you need SUV there. In addition, very few rental companies allow you to drive Denali Highway. I am not aware of any places to stay along it. Denali Highway was not accessible on August 19 as well.