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Old 01-07-2011, 04:02 AM   #75
Exer
I see Russia!
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Posts: 205
Karma: 234787
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Alaska
Device: Etch-A-Sketch
I've lived in Anchorage, Alaska, for the past 12 or so years. I tried to include a few photos that show a non-snowy side of Alaska. Everyone always imagines Alaska covered in snow, but we have an absolutely goergous summer as well (though it is fairly short).

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I took this one from the top of a hiking trail. I go on a lot of hikes and take lots and lots of photos, but I believe I snapped this one at Flat Top Mountain. A very easy day hike trail. There were 3 of us who started the hike, but only 2 of us made it to the top. About half way up, we met a guy who was running back down the trail. He didn't even stop, just flew past us and gasped something about a moose. Sure enough a few seconds later a big, angry moose comes charging down the trail, and all 3 of us bolted in different directions. One of my buddies kept on running and didn't stop till he was all the way back down the trail. He gave us a call a little later to let us know he was safe in the car and wasn't getting back out.

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Downtown Anchorage by night. Anchorage is of course a port town, so you can see the inlet and mudflats in the background. There is an amazing set of recreational paths that hug the coast for miles and miles. Some of the best bike riding you can ever find. Or you can ski it or go skijoring during winter. I had been planning to take some firework photos, so was out at night practicing my low-light skills when I took this one.

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We always joke that we only have 3 seasons up here in Alaska: Summer, Winter and Road Construction, but we actually do have a brief Fall and Spring. It isn't anywhere near as vivid as the Fall changes you see on the East Coast of the States, but we get a bit of color here and there. I snapped this photo at a local lake when a friend of mine in Florida asked me to take some Fall inspired shots.

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Fireweed. My favorite wildflower. Here in Alaska we have sort of a love-hate relationship with the Fireweed. When it blooms, it is a beautiful sight. The color just pops, and the plant just seems to be everywhere. Later during the summer the blooms turn into cottony white fluff. We consider that the official sign that summer is winding to a close (thus the 'hate' part of the love-hate relationship). I took this one in a field right down the street from my house, next to a church.

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OK, I had to include at least ONE photo that had snow in it. I do live in Alaska after all I didn't honestly sneak up on a sleeping polar bear, I actually took this one at the Alaska Zoo. This fellow was enjoying an afternoon nap and had no desire whatsoever to indulge us photogs. I couldn't pass up taking some of him anyway though, he just looked so comfortable (or 'cuddly', as my lady remarked).
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