Last weekend we brought Jaydyn to the Anchorage Zoo to reward her for brushing her teeth twice a day and sleeping in her own bed for a full month. Yahoo! I figured I better bring the camera to see what I could capture while we were there. I have to say that it is a fairly difficult place to capture good photos. Distracting elements are everywhere in a zoo. Between the cages and the unnatural habitat found in a zoo it was very difficult to capture anything I was happy with. Jaydyn was having fun though and that was what this trip was all about. The ice on the walking paths were fun for Jaydyn to slide on and a nightmare for Jeni to deal with while she is packing JT in her belly for a couple more months.

 I have to say even though the photography was difficult I was very impressed at how well the animals were taken care of and the facilities were in great shape. They have some very cool critters at the Anchorage Zoo, we saw Bengal Tigers, Snow Leopard, Grizzlies, Polar Bears, birds of prey, Otters, every type of fox in Alaska, Wolves, even a Camel.

Enjoy!

Young Musk Ox (Jaydyn was not impressed by the fuzzy cow)

Hamming it up for the camera!

Jaydyn and a Squirrel having a conversation.

Ducks are back, winter is not over but, the ducks are back. Did I mention winter is not over yet!

AHHHHHHH!

Star of the Zoo.

Chillin

All lovable until that bottle went empty, then he attacks the handlers leg, bites and claws  letting everyone know he wants more. I can see where this will be problematic as he becomes a bit larger, 2000 pounds larger!

Finally, the road into Denali National Park is opened up to Savage River! This means quick morning and afternoon road trips into the park before and after Jeni goes to work. Spring in Denali is really quite fascinating to witness. First off, bears.  You never know when you will see your first grizzly of the year and when you finally see the first one of the season, you can't help but get chills all over. Then there are the noisy and confident ptarmigan trying to find their mate; they carry on during the mornings and will wake you from a dead sleep. There are always porcupines waddling near the road and climbing trees, not having a care in the world. Coyotes, fox, and wolves are very active this time of year also. Last, but certainly not least, moose will be having their calves sometime in May and June. They are so ugly, they are cute.

The other night I drove up for my first trip into the park.  I had the music rocking in the truck with my camera in the passenger seat riding shot gun and needless to say I was excited to get out and shoot some photos. I really try to keep an opened mind of what I am going to shoot when I go out on these types of outings. It was fairly cold out at -16 F and the sun was shining bright. We all can see the light at the end of the tunnel for winter coming to an end and the long summer nights are just around the corner, hallelujah!

Until next time, take the time to play outdoors,
Justin

Nation Peak

They are just as happy as I am that winter is drawing to a conclusion.

Wolf (Canis lupus)

Denali National Park