Nature – Slow Lane Musings

Awe-inspiring Alaska

Alaska is by far the largest American state. It has thousands of miles of coastline, five times more than Florida, which comes second. The total land touching the sea is ten times greater than its coastline, because of all its islands, inlets, and fjords. The southeast coast of Alaska stretches far south, along the Canadian border, and it is the perfect doorway to this fascinating state.

Because there are very few paved roads, the best way to explore southeast Alaska is on a boat and the easiest way is to board a cruise ship. We opted for a cruise that started in Vancouver, with ports of call in Ketchikan, Haines, Sitka, and Juneau, the capital. Each of these towns has a colourful past and a modern-day dynamism. Although we were told to expect mist and rain every day, we did not have a single day of rain during our ten-day cruise.

There were lectures on different topics offered on the ship throughout the voyage. In addition to our own preparation, those talks, given by an eminent naturalist, a geographer and other experts, brought the economic and social history, natural history and magnificent scenery to life. As we travelled up the Inside Passage along the British Columbian and Alaskan coasts, we marveled at the pristine landscape surrounding us. We sailed through fjords, lingered close to several glaciers, observed wildlife, visited frontier towns and witnessed the seasonal salmon run in two rivers.

**The part of Alaska we travelled to during our cruise.**

We learned about the history of the Indigenous peoples of the region, the Russian colonization of the area to exploit the fur trade, and the purchase of Alaska by the United States in 1867, negotiated by Secretary of State William Seward, for $7.2 million or about two cents an acre.

Alaska has a lot of glaciers, about 100,000 separate ones, covering five percent of the state. Each glacier, each fjord has its own story and characteristics. The scenery, truly breathtaking, made us made us rename the state: Awe-laska! Four natural locations we visited were particularly memorable.

Appy trails

Like for most people, our smartphones have become central in our daily lives. While we rarely make a phone call, we use them for a whole range of purposes from banking to listening to audiobooks. We also bring them with us when we go hiking, mostly to take pictures.

In the last few years, we have discovered six interesting free apps that enhance our knowledge of what’s around us and the enjoyment we derive from being out in the woods. We had fun using them recently on our favourite trail in Charleston Lake Provincial Park (PP), and that inspired us to write this post. These apps are worth checking out, in our view.

Daffodils

“When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.“
William Wordsworth

We always appreciate the efforts of neighbours who maintain attractive floral gardens that bring joy to all who stroll through the community. Although we have many trees and flowering bushes, we do not have a flower garden ourselves. Through trial and error, we had come to the conclusion that impatiens are the only flowers that don’t seem to mind our limited sun exposure and manage to survive the inevitable interest of our many voracious garden visitors.

However, since hope springs eternal, we decided to give daffodils a try his year. They bloom before the trees have all their leaves, and daffodils have a reputation for being unappetizing to squirrels, rabbits and raccoons. Our experiment was a success…

Winter visitors

We have fewer garden visitors in the winter but those who remain through the cold weather are hardy and admirable. We and the cats like to sit by the large window overlooking the garden and watch them go about their business. It’s very relaxing to observe their antics.

Winter icing

After two days of freezing rain and freezing drizzle in early January, all vegetation in our neighbourhood was covered with glaze ice. The clear ice coating is beautiful to look at but harbours dangers underfoot and overhead. Optimistic that no branch would snap and fall on our heads, we set off to our local wooded parkland with cleats on our boots to capture the beauty.

One busy bee

Ottawa is perhaps unique among capital cities for having a full working farm within its boundaries. The Central Experimental Farm is also a great place for cycling, walking, or simply taking time to stop and smell the roses. There is no better place to indulge in this latter activity than at the Ornamental Gardens, one of five public areas on the Farm.