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Sunrise over Anchorage, the most populous city in Alaska at ~300,000. The state's population is ~650,000, for an area ~2.5 times the size of Texas. |
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I took the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Fireweed flowers, visible here, line the track's edges for much of the route. |
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Aug. 19, 2005: MODIS Aqua. I was in Denali at the time -- one of the few areas in central Alaska not obscured by forest fire smoke |
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Sunrise, inside Denali National Park, near the eastern park boundary |
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Fireweed with braided glacial meltwater stream in the background, Denali National Park |
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Grizzly bear in Denali National Park |
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Denali is the tallest mountain on Earth, measured from base to summit (Everest is the highest because it sits atop the Tibetan plateau) |
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Silt from erosion by glaciers can give streams a turbid, grayish appearance |
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Near Polychrome Mountain, Denali National Park |
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Near the Denali road (the only road in Denali Park & Preserve -- an area larger than Massachusetts) |
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Ptarmigan in summer plumage; Denali National Park |
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Caribou; Denali National Park |
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Alaskan Oil Pipeline, near Fairbanks |
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This cabin's roof uses plants for insulation. Long daylight hours help Alaskans grow huge flowers in the summer. |
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Suspension bridge for the Alaskan Oil Pipeline |
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Yukon Territory: 532,000 square kilometers; population ~30,000. (California: 411,000 square kilometers; population ~30,000,000.) |
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Lake near the Alaska-Yukon Territory border |
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The US and Canada cut a swath of trees down the line marking the Alaska-Yukon border |
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Kluane National Park, Yukon Territory |
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Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory |
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Cumulus clouds over Takhini River, near Whitehorse |
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Takhini River, near Whitehorse |
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Cars can plug in to the city's electricity to keep engines from freezing while parked in cold climates |
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Takhini River, between Whitehorse and Skagway |
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Between Whitehorse and Skagway |
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Emerald Lake, between Whitehorse and Skagway |
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Stream crossing near Skagway |
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View from the White Pass Railroad, near Skagway |
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Alaskans hold more private pilot's licenses per capita than any other state; many areas are accessible only by plane or helicopter |
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Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park |
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A meltwater stream formed a cave beneath this tidewater glacier; Glacier Bay National Park |
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Debris from a lateral moraine darkens the left edge of this glacier |
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Inside passage, British Columbia |
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Lighthouse on Vancouver Island |
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