The thing about shooting photographs in Alaska is everytime I put my lens cap back on my camera, stuff it back in my bag and figure I'm done shooting photos for the day, some spectacular opportunity presents itself almost immediately. Inisde the harbor at Petersburg are all of these marvelous boats, and this one is a purse seiner. We stopped at the Sons of Norway hall to watch middleschoolers dance to a polka in native costume. It's OK to call these costumes but you cannot call the regalia worn by Alaska natives a costume. We were not planning to walk over the hill after strolling through downtown Petersburg, but I was thrilled that we did because the view was magnificent. You'll find lots of flowers and Norwegian touches throughout this seaside town of Petersburg. I asked these people... 09/05/2013

This is an Indian Paint Brush and our guide said it was unusual to see it in bloom this time of year. Alaskan Dream has exclusive rights to use the property at Hobart Bay for its passengers. The land is owned by the Goldbelt Corporation, which is owned by Natives. The Zego is an individual water craft, like a miniature jet ski boat. We also had kayaks at our disposal, but since we mainly go around in circles in those, we passed. When our ship pulled into the dock, fog was just beginning to lift, but it is common to see misty fog settling in the morning hours. The water was stunningly still. 09/05/2013

This beautiful humpback whale was feeding when we cruised into the harbor. Our ship is a catamaran, so it doesn't cause a lot of waves and is relatively quiet. A long lens is a good help, too. Look at that snout. You can tell that a humpback whale is feeding when you spot a flock of seagulls flying overhead. And no good whale spotting is complete without a tale just above the water before the whale dives. Once these humpbacks dive, they can stay down for 30 minutes, but most of them come back up in 4 to 6 minutes. These photos were shot as we were heading north from Wrangell in the Inside Passage in Alaska. 09/04/2013

You can spend your entire life travelng to view wildlife and never shoot a photograph like this in the wild. Our guide carried a rifle, along with bear spray, just in case. We photographed a lot of black bears, and a brown bear by the shore. I have photos of bears eating fish and dripping blood down their chin to the rock below, but that might too gross for some of you. Here is the beginning of the path built by the National Forest Service. There are only 60 permits a day issued by the government for visitors. When we spotted our first eagle in Ketchikan, I felt so thrilled to spot such a magestic bird like an eagle in the wild. Now, ha, there are eagles everywhere, but I still get a kick when I spot one. They don't look so mean when they are soaring. This is a Sitka Spruce. It's so st... 08/31/2013