Alaska is one of the last frontiers of the Americas. Because it's tucked into the top of North America most of us in the United States have no concept of its tremendous size. If you put California, Texas, and Montana together you still wouldn't have filled up Alaska. One of its most famous features is Denali, the highest mountain in North America at 20,310 ft. and the third highest in the world. Ithe world. It was called Denali by indigenous people for centuries. It was renamed Mount McKinley from 1917 until 2015 at which time the Department of Interior changed the official name back to Denali. Flying up to the snow-covered summit with a bush pilot was exhilarating!
The Alaska Range where Denali is situated is breathtakingly beautiful. It's a 600-mile-long mountain range in the south central region of Alaska and is the third highest range in the world after the Himalayas and the Andes.
This Mama Common Merganser appeared to have her chicks under control, for the moment. They eat fish, crustaceans, amphibians, and worms. Surprisingly, they fare as well in salt water as in fresh.
Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park is a haven for bear watchers, especially during the summer months. That is when the sockeye salmon swim up the Brooks River to jump over the 6-foot falls to get to their spawning area.
Alaska is home to approximately 30,000 bald eagles. They food they like is abundant and they have few predators. Brooks Falls is a natural landing place for them. They can even let the bears do some of the work and swoop down for the remains.
-Rebecca Webb Wilson
