We Found Critters Today!!

We decided it was time to get out and about in nature and see what local critters we could find.  Dan said he had his bear spray,  and off we traipsed to see what trouble we could get into.  And boy did we find it!!!

You talkin' to me??

I got an itch!!

This brute is coming right at us!!!  Quick Dan ... the spray!!!  Dan .. DAN???   Hmmm, one down.

Then there was this beauty sleeping under a tree.  We were very quiet as we tip-toed by, snapping a few photos along the way.  Patty wanted to pet the kitty!!

There are otters everywhere around here.  These two and what looked like "mom" were swimming around on their backs having a good time.  

The flowers up here are gorgeous this time of year, and they are ALL in bloom!!  Patty knows what they are, but I lost her back at the tiger den.

There's still snow on the glaciers, along with the beautiful snowy owls.  Just amazing creatures, he looks like he's got his eyes on a rabbit.

Nope ... he was just making sure I was ready for him to pose!!

Musk ox are pretty plentiful.  Not all that big, they are certainly made for snow.  In Skagway, we found a yarn store that had balls of yarn made from the belly hair of the musk ox.  Must be some pretty nice stuff because it ran $99.00 per skein.  Darn, if Patty were here I could borrow her nurse scissors!!

Amazingly, I found the most beautiful snow leopard ever, crawling in the rocks above.

After climbing to the very top of the ledge, a big kitty stretch was in order before .....

Look out!!  Look out!!  She's coming after us!!!  RUN!!!

One big quiet jump and she was almost at the bottom ...  where's Dan and the bear spray????  Where's Patty?? 

Bear spray doesn't work on leopards??   Oh darn!!!  Look at that tail ... it's as long as her entire body!

Just before she bit my fingers off I snapped a quick photo .....       just kidding.  Of course my cohorts were right beside me enjoying this amazing animal.

More beautiful flowers, and ..... 

As you probably have guessed by now, we are at the Alaska Zoo!!!

There were two tiny baby moose, not much bigger than just born.  

Here's dad ... laying in the weeds snoozing.  He could hardly keep his eyes open and his head up!!  His rack of horns is covered with soft velvet ... and still growing.

Behind the baby moose was a nursery/care center with this fox peaking out.   It just amazes me how beautiful these animals are.

And of course the polar bear.  All of the animals here wouldn't be able to survive outside the zoo for one reason or another.  It's nice to see a bear this size, but sad he has to live here.

There were lots of these creatures around too, but my motto is the only good one is a DEAD one!!!  This guy is about half an inch long.  I mean to tell you they grow 'em big here.  

We actually stopped at Earthquake Park first ... got practically eaten alive because we forgot the mosquito spray.  There are no other pictures, because we ran for our lives back to the car!!

We made a quick pass by the airport so Dan could watch the planes take off.  He yelled at me to come take a picture of this 747 cargo plane.  The pilot barely made it ... the red lights are the end of the runway, and he's right there!!  See the black dot in the sky on the left???  That's a bird flying a little too close.

Just another amazing day in Alaska.