...birds and sunrises

Sunrise over Captain Cook State Park.
The long view.

Taking flightAn immature Bald Eagle surveys the scene.

We took our first camping trip of the season last night and it was great! We spent the evening at Discovery Campground in Captain Cook State Park. Gabby seemed to wonder what we were doing (it was her first camping trip) but, after a couple of long walks she settled in for a good rest.

I woke up early this morning and happened to catch the sunrise which was exquisite and lasted all of eight minutes. Yep, I timed it.

I added the photos of the eagle, but they were taken yesterday morning on the Kenai River Flats. It was a beautiful bird even though the magpies pestered it until it finally flew away.

The weekend was great and filled with...birds and sunrises (well, two sunrises anyway).

...views from the Swanson River Bridge

I was looking through some of the pictures I have taken over the past couple of weeks and found several that were taken from the Swanson River Bridge in Captain Cook State Park. I thought it was interesting that they were all so different even though I was standing in the exact same spot on different days when I took them. The composition, light conditions, cloud cover, and camera settings resulted in totally different images. Made it kind of fun to compare the changing...views from the Swanson River Bridge.

...a hike on Burney's Trail

Laura, Emily, and Gabby at the trailhead located at Hidden Lake Campground.

Posing for the camera during a rest stop.

Moving up the trail.

Laura, Emily, and Gabby enjoy the scenery from the overlook at the end of the trail.

The weather was beautiful when we left Nikiski. But, as we got closer to the mountains the clouds blocked the sun and the threat of rain didn't seem to be unrealistic. It didn't really matter. We intended to hike no matter the weather so we shouldered our packs and strolled through the campground to the trailhead where we began hiking in earnest. The trail was mostly dry and we made good time to the first overlook where we sat on the bench and took some photos. Then it was off to the end of trail. We stayed there for about 30 minutes taking in the view, drinking water, and sending text messages (I know, I know). On our return we enjoyed several games of hide-and-seek with Gabby and before we knew it we were back at the truck. The rain failed to make an appearance making us very glad that we had taken...a hike on Burney's Trail.