when did july end?

And where did my background go?? I guess I will look into that later.

I feel like the summer is just blowing by, but I have definitely been enjoying myself in the sunshine. For now, I will share some highlights of my week in Alaska (for work). I love these opportunities that pop up now and again (I was told a week in advance I was working in Alaska-- what a nice surprise) for me to travel and explore a new place. I hope I am always able to enjoy my own company, and to make an adventure of the opportunities that come my way.
The Seward Highway that heads south out of Anchorage is really beautiful. I loved the drive about a year and a half ago when I was here, and I can confirm it's gorgeous in both winter and summer. But I personally preferred the long sunlight hours of the summer months.

There were people fishing everywhere. Obviously, because it's July in Alaska. I did not go fishing but used my one free day for a glacier cruise. A kind coworker who is an avid fisherman sent me home with some salmon from his freezer-- it was so nice of him!

This is the tunnel to the town of Whittier. It's 2.5 miles long and only one lane, so they alternate turns for traffic coming in and out (both cars and trains). There wasn't much to the town, but driving through the tunnel was so cool. It's carved right into the rock, and the speed limit is 25 mph, so you get a fair amount of time in there.

Here I am on my day cruise through the Kenai Fjords. The cruise left from Seward, which was a darling town. This was such an amazing day. The mountains and glaciers surrounding the bays and along the coast were gorgeous. I saw five different hump back whales flipping around in the water throughout the afternoon. I saw a family of orcas swim up towards the boat, and then swim under the boat. One did a full body breach, right there in front of me. I watched a group of dolphins (who have the same coloring as orcas-- gorgeous) swim along our boat and then swing alongside a smaller fishing boat next to ours for 10-15 minutes. I loved how playful the orcas and dolphins were with the boats.

Up on the steep cliffs I saw a mountain goat and it's baby. And (in a different spot, thank heavens) I saw a huge black bear. It was a full grown male and it was amazing. I had wanted to see a bear so badly, and it was every bit as cool as I had hoped it would be, although maybe a little far away.

I also saw puffins, sea otters, sea lions, jellyfish, and lots of birds on the cruise. My friend Chris took me on a drive one night around Anchorage, and I saw a few moose too. Really close to the side of the road. One was so close we could hear him chewing. Totally awesome.

Watching this calving glacier was so spectacular. It was massive, and the ice was the most electric blue color. The sound of the ice groaning and cracking (while moving forward into the ocean at a rate of 3 feet per day) was as loud as thunder. It was such an impressive sight to see the huge chunks of ice break off and fall into the ocean. I spent a solid half hour watching ice move, and it was fascinating!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by how beautiful the earth is??