visitors from norway

Elin Beate & Trine are two girls from Vågå, Norway; the small Norwegian town where my mom grew up. For the next three months they are on a big round-the-world trip: USA- AK- Peru - Tanzania. You can follow their adventures at their blog: http://budeienepaeventyr.blogg.no. It's in Norwegian, but you can get the gist from the pictures. Two teenage girls having a good time :) 

While they were here in Alaska, we ran dogs...

water break

Lisbet & Ruby (photo: http://budeienepaeventyr.blogg.no)

Nils & Vader

Elin B & Trine. Wow, things go fast with two helpers!

We drove to Denali...

The girls took a bus into the park, overnighted in Denali
and took the train back to Talkeetna. 

Fall foliage in full bloom!

Cantwell.... my favorite part of the Parks Hwy.

We went to Seward...

Beluga whales (tiny white speck) at Beluga Point (!)

The Resurrection River was in flood stage when we
arrived in Seward. Powerful & intimidating.

The girls at Exit Glacier.

Sunset dinner & cocktails at my favorite Seward
restaurant: Chinooks

A walk to Tonsina Point with Sarah Stokey's little
monsters. 

A wet & rocky trail.

Turnagain Arm

& we went to the zoo...

I always have mixed feelings about the zoo; sorry for
the animals but also thrilled to look at them up close. 

The snow leopards, licking each others ears through
the fence.

Snoozing polar bear.

The zoo's wolf pack.

Obese and undermuscled wolves. Animals that roam for hundreds of miles in their natural environment enclosed in a
couple acre pen at most.  Same story with most of the animals at the zoo.

Amur tiger. 

Snow leopard, my very very favorite animal to see.

Hope this is the closest I ever get to a bear.

Lovely playful river otters.

Otters in the rocks.