May?

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel Leave a Comment

I haven’t had internet, heard the radio or seen a TV in over a week – I have to get caught up on recent events, hopefully I didn’t miss much!

We have had crazy weather on this trip.  As you can see here, a full on snow storm!  This was the end of April, but we had plenty of cold and snow in May too.  But, we have a great group and have seen lots of awesome stuff including one of the biggest glacier calving I have ever seen at Surprise Glacier.

After crossing Prince William Sound last week, we have now spent the last few days in Cordova.  Today we are flying over the delta which should be an interesting view of the massive shorebird migration.

Alaska Shorebird Migration

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel Leave a Comment

Monday morning will be the beginning of 5 fun weeks of travel for me!  It will start co-guiding a trip across Prince William Sound for a week, and then 4 days in Cordova for the amazing shorebird migration you see pictured above.  Not only will we be seeing shorebirds on the delta, but there are many other things planned including a flight to Kayak Island, a place I have always wanted to see.

I’m excited for a few reasons – first, I’ll be working with 3 good friends and fellow staff members from last winters trip to Antarctica.  It is an unexpected treat to be hired to work with these great guys  again so soon.

Second, the shorebird migration is really an amazing thing to see.  At times there are literally tens of thousands of birds at one time passing through the area in thick flocks.

Third – it is going to be a treat to spend a week in Prince William Sound aboard a beautiful boat like the M/V Discovery.  I love the Sound – and as many times as I have been there, I have never seen it in May – it should look very different with all the snow still on the ground.

So after Friday, it might be a couple of weeks until I have the time and internet connection to post again – hopefully I’ll have some interesting bird images to share then!

2014 Alaska Photo Tours

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 3 Comments

A Brown Bear cub nursing from its mom.  It is not uncommon to see amazing moments like this on my Alaska Bear Photo Tour.

Since I don’t have anything available in 2013, and I have been getting many inquiries about my 2014 photo tours, we decided we better schedule dates for 2014!  I know it seems like a long ways away, but every year they fill earlier and earlier!

So the biggest change is to my Southeast Alaska / Inside Passage Yacht based Photo Tour.  Because bears have proven to be so popular, I have decided to position this to be a bear tour as much as it is a whale and amazing landscape photo tour.  We are still going to be spending time in some of the best whale viewing areas in Alaska if not the world.  We will also still visit some stunning tidewater glaciers – in fact we will be having a jet boat meet us so that we can get extra close to the icebergs and tidewater glacier in LeConte Bay.

But, we are now going to be spending time in some wonderful bear viewing places including the Anan Creek Bear Observatory where we will watch Black and Brown bears fish for salmon in a beautiful rainforest waterfall.  We will stop at Neets Bay for a visit to one of the best Black Bear viewing areas in the world!  And finally, we will be going to a bit of a secret Brown Bear location that my captain recently discovered.  So now, I believe this week long trip gives you a great cross section of many of the amazing photo opportunities Alaska has to offer.

As the first person to charter this wonderful yacht for the 2014 summer season, I had my pick of the liter when it comes to dates, and I believe we will be going at the absolutely perfect time at the end of July – an extremely popular time here in Alaska!  Follow this link to read more about my Bear and Whale Photo Tour.

Of course I’m also offering my two Alaska Bear Photo Tours to Lake Clark National Park.  The 2014 season will be my 5th year offering this wonderful photo tour.  I could go on and on about this amazing experience.  Being up close to such magnificent animals is hard to describe with words it really is.  That said, you can read far more about it here:  Alaska Bear Photo Tour.  You can also see a video preview I filmed during the August trip my first year of the tour.

Of course if you have more questions, please feel free to email or call.

We may offer some photo tours outside Alaska including my annual  Anza-Borrego workshop – stay tuned.

Bells Alaska Travel Guides 2013

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Shameless Self Promotion, Travel 6 Comments

I am very proud to have the cover of all three Bell’s Travel Guides in 2013!  We have been working with this wonderful family owned business for many years now.  You will find these guide books all over Alaska in gas stations, campgrounds, hotels and restaurants.  Be sure to pick them up if you see one – they are loaded with all kinds of information and have the best town maps!

Here are the other two:  Read More

August Bear Tour – 1 spot now open due to cancellation

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Lake Clark, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

An unexpected career change has just lead to a sudden opening into my most popular photo tour – this trip was sold out by last October!  I already have a list forming of people interested in 2014!

Plus, thanks to an airfare war – I’m seeing some of the cheapest airfares to and from the Lower 48 then I have seen in years!  So if you don’t already have summer plans, this just might be the perfect time to come to Alaska and experience these amazing animals up-close!  To learn more go to:  Alaska Bear Photo Tour.

Under 16 Western Championships

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel Leave a Comment

My nephew Reilly Buck skiing in the Western Championships at Alyeska in Girdwood, Alaska.

As you can see we are back home.  Few sights offer a more dramatic reminder as to just how beautiful Alaska is as the view from the airplane looking down onto Prince William Sound and the Chugach mountains on a sunny day!  Wow just didn’t seem to do it justice.

We have had a busy few days.  Towing back to Arizona, cleaning and putting our RV back in storage, meetings in Phoenix and a long flight home ate up all of three days.

But, fortunately we got home just in time to drive up to Girdwood to watch our nephew ski race yesterday (Wednesday).   I can remember photographing Bodie Miller and Lindsey Vonn on this same course at the U.S. National Championships many years ago.  It was really fun to return to watch and photograph Reilly!  Now I’m not trying to say my nephew is in the same category as Bodie and Lindsey – well, except in his Uncle’s eyes!

Goodbye Winter, Hello Summer

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel 12 Comments

A frozen waterfall, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Excited to be taking off this afternoon – after 2.5 days of flying and driving we should be in Southern California, first Anza-Borrgeo, then over to the coast.  I have been in Alaska for 7 months straight – the longest stretch in over 10 years!  Over the next 10 months, we have a lot of travel planned.  As much as I have enjoyed my time in my home state, I also enjoy traveling and I’m getting excited to be hitting the road!

What I’m really excited about is where I’m going after we spend a couple of weeks in California – Antarctica!  It is going to be strange to go from our short days, to the long, Alaska summer like days down South.  I am really looking forward to seeing this amazing continent, should be a trip of a lifetime!

As you might guess, posting might be a bit spotty over the next week.

Petersburg, Alaska

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel Leave a Comment

This was from my trip to Southeast at the end of summer as I scouted for next summer’s Inside Passage Whale and landscape photo tour.

The rock formation off in the distance is Devils Thumb.  One of the chapters in Jon Krakauer’s book Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains was about his solo climb of this peak back in the 70’s.  When I was there, I couldn’t help thinking about that adventure – trying to picture a guy who actually used curtain rods as protection from a fall into a crevasse as he hiked / climbed to the base of the rock – crazy!.  Like all of Krakauer’s adventure books – the compilation of short stories in Eiger Dreams is fascinating reading.

Janine has our website completely updated with new sections for sections for Southeast Alaska and the Tongass National Forest, along with updates to some popular sections including our gallery of bear photos and whale photos.