We learned from two of our groups Kathleen and Peggy, that these cute little guys are lagomorphs and related to rabbits! After our drive over the pass, we stopped to learn about long exposure photography with neutral density filters. We explored the uses of ND filters in photography slowing the water down in Fishhook Creek. That afternoon the group continued our journey to Matanuska Glacier; driving along the Matanuska River in the valley, we stopped several times to photograph the fall color, and in the evening, we went back down the road a bit to top off our evening, searching for beautiful evening light and beautiful fall foliage.
The next day we set out for Valdez. We stopped immediately for the spectacular mourning light hitting the eastern Chugach Mountain Range crest and highlighting Mount Witherspoon and Mount Einstein. Continuing towards Glennallen, we were ever-watchful for wildlife sightings. We stopped at one of my favorite Alaska State Park’s Liberty Falls State Park, to shoot this remarkable little waterfall. We continue toward Valdez with stops at the Worthington Glacier and Thompson Pass. As we make it into the Valdez area, we stop to photographed Keystone canyon, home to Horsetail Falls and Bridal Veil Falls, two enormous 300 plus foot waterfalls. This historic three-mile-long canyon has been used to connect Valdez to the rest of Alaska for over 120 years through projects like the Trans Alaska Military Pack train Trail and several attempts to build a railroad over the Thompson Pass.
At 7:30 AM the following day, we boarded our boat, the Kai Moana, with captain Josh Miller for a water-based excursion to see the port Valdez and the Valdez arm of Prince William Sound. Our tour began with playful otter sightings, the requisite flock of seagulls, and unique cloud-covered landscapes. Our group encountered a pelagic cormorant in our voyage, multiple eagles nibbling on that end-season salon run, a plethora of sea lions, and marbled murrelet. We boated to the base of Shoup Glacier in Shoup Bay, then went to the Valdez Narrows in Prince William Sound, where we saw Anderson Falls, which flows off of the Anderson Glacier. One of the most extraordinary animal sightings was a Red-Necked Phalaropes. The Red-necked Phalaropes that we found were nonbreeding immature birds who hadn’t developed their distinctive markings yet. After spending time by Anderson Falls and with the Phalaropes, our captain took us to a rock outcropping where we saw three enormous sea lions posing on rocks, just waiting for us to take photos of them. We boated into Sawmill Bay State Marine Park to find a raft of otters that typically contain anywhere from 10 – 100 otters.