For $7.2 million, Russia sold Alaska in 1867 to the United States -- about what it would cost to buy an oceanfront home in Malibu these days. Of course, the question in my mind is how did Russia come to own Alaska when Alaska was settled by native peoples who still live there today, but I imagine it was more along the lines of a promise to stop beating up on people, raping women and stripping the oceans of otters, leaving all of that stuff to Americans to carry on. South Marble Island in Glacier Bay is home to many forms of wildlife, including these Steller sea lions. When I first heard the visiting park ranger aboard the Alaskan Dream talk about Steller sea lions, I thought he was saying they were stunning and remarkable, which of course, they are. That big one in the middle, he made ... 09/09/2013

The John Hopkins Glacier is one of the few glaciers in Alaska that is advancing and appears to be a healthy glacier. The cruise ship in the center is the Zandaam, a hugely gigantic monstrosity. Our much smaller Alaskan Dream was able to get pretty close to the glacier but there is a lot of ice floating about. The Alaskan Dream can maneuver fairly well due to its catamaran. The Lamplugh Glacier required a close-up shot to show its intense colors, which are really just reflections of light but you don't have to know that. Nature painted it. We spotted many brown bears on shore searching for food. Good thing we were onboard the ship and not strutting about ourselves on the shore. Although, I imagine they prefer fish. Not all glaciers reach the sea. Some of them are "hanging glaciers" that... 09/09/2013

The only thing I kind of regret about visiting Skagway is the fact we didn't shoot photos of the cartoon characters who work in the tourism industry. They are dressed to the period and to say they were way over-the-top with enthusiasm would be an understatement. It's like they were wound up to number 11. With rehearsed scripts that ran together at warp speed. But this is the restored town, much like Old Sacramento except larger in scale and more people live there. There are about 900 year-round residents of Skagway, Alaska. When the cruise ships leave in September, many of the shops are boarded up. I did not take a photo of Sarah Palin's childhood home (becuase we drove by it too quickly), which is located in Skagway, but trust me, you could NOT see Russia from her front steps. No joke... 09/08/2013

11/01/2009