Wednesday's.whimsy:alaska.part.1

i am back!!! & to be honest, still adjusting to jetlag, time change (a four hour difference!) & one active, truly wonderful adventure in Alaska!! i have to say, i have been incredibly blessed in my lifetime to be able to travel to a number of different places, however Alaska truly blew me away. i know i will most definitely be making another trip out there in my lifetime. it is not called the "great land" for nothing!!! i would strongly recommend a trip to Alaska if you have a love of nature... it is nature at it's best!

so without further delay, i did promise you a super duper "wednesday whimsy" for today! there is seriously SOOO much i want to share, however it is going to have to happen in increments. i figure giving you a bit at a time will be much more delightful anyway! below is part I of my alaska trip with some of the images taken leading up to Megan & Ryan's wedding (which was absolutely amazing!). here is just a little taste of this breathtaking great land!

...and trust me, there is more goodness to come. did someone say grizzly bear & moose, oh my !??!

*** also, i am working very hard at getting back to the mound of emails & voice mails that awaited me upon my return! unfortunately, both my phone & internet connection were incredibly bad/ next-to-none in Seward. i greatly appreciate your patience with me during this catch-up-busy-season time!! i did do some editing while away when i was able, as well (i brought my laptop for a reason! )... heather & adam, your esession is next on board to be blogged so stay tuned!!!


first up, my feet on Alaskan ground :

here is something you definitely will not see in Michigan! not only have i never seen a "bbq & coffee to go" nook before but go figure that it would be in the same lot as a Shell gas station! i had to take a picture :

on the ride to Seward from Anchorage (about 2 & 1/2 hours) the view was beautiful from every angle. we came across the Alaska Railroad :

we stopped to see the train to come by, & while waiting i met this beauty :

...at last! it came & it was something incredible :

we made it to the Seward Windsong Lodge only to be greeted with...

awesomeness everywhere!

this was the view from the parking lot :

i was even greeted with the best welcome bag ever! it had all sorts of Alaskan treats in it, along with Ryan's (the groom ) homemade moosejerky :

i don't think i could ever get sick of the view :

later that afternoon, we headed to the docks. it was a brilliant rainy day :

at one point, my girlfriend & uber talented photographer, Em (whose sister is Megan, the bride!), Will (Em's husband) & i also took a little venture towards the mountains :

here is Em shooting away :

Em & her sweetie Will... aren't they cuuuuuute?!

everyday the clouds in Alaska seem to paint their own story in the sky :

on the morning of rehearsal dinner for Megan & Ryan, we decided to go dog sledding & learn more about the Iditarod:

here is Braxton, our incredibly informative leader! the ride & experience is something i will never ever forget :

at one point during the ride, we stopped to give the dogs a break... they love to bark & drool :

have i ever mentioned that i looooooooooove dogs?!

& they were all so cute with their individual personalities :

our Iditarod leader Braxton also showed us the puppies from the newest litter. yes, i just about died when i saw these little critters !!!

one of them had a brilliant blue eye :

but then, i bumped into Chinook... who may look all tough in this photo :

but she was one big, lovable sweetie...

with the most incredible eyes :

& lastly for this first part of my Alaskan adventure, this is a photo taken at about 10:30pm --- right now in Alaska it stays light until past 11:00pm -- a photographer's dream...

...& this one was taken at around 11:25pm! happy wednesday everyone!