August 29, 2014 Kenai Fjords National Park

It was foggy again this morning as we headed out toward Seward...

...but it seemed different today as the sun began to break through the clouds...

,,,and the mountains came into view at Tern Lake,

This place was very scenic for a small roadside turnout at the intersection of the Seward and Sterling highways.

We had to move on because we have to catch a boat in Seward.

A little further down the road, we stopped to take a short hike to a salmon stream. It was here that Chrissy began her photo fascination with the incredible amount of funky mushrooms that grow in Alaska.

It turns out the only fish we saw were dead salmon along the shore and in the water.

Another stop along the way because blue skies were visible for the second time this week.

We finally make it to Seward. Ken & I park the car while Chrissy & Karen pick up our Kenai Fjords Boat passes.

Here's our boat...

...in the scenic Seward Harbor.

I love childish humor.

We got seats on the upper outside deck.

There were otters in Resurrection Bay.

The soon to be gone alpine glaciers along Resurrection Bay.

We passed by several whales.

We cruised out of Resurrection Bay into the Gulf of Alaska on our way to Aialik Bay.

K & K trying to stay warm.

We passed Pederson & Addison Glaciers on our way to the main attraction Aialik Glacier.

The scenery was amazing throughout the day.

Approaching Aialik Glacier...

...there are waterfalls everywhere because all these glaciers are part of the Harding Icefield.

Our boat got pretty close to Aialik Glacier.

There were several small calvings but nothing big enough to rock the boat.

We moved on when another boat showed up. Now you can get a better idea of the size of this glacier. 

Seals hanging out on a small island.

We zig zagged through small islands...

....this one had birds on it and not surprisingly...it was covered white.

We saw puffins all day long and this was the best picture.

I'm just gonna say it...this was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. We saw whales throughout the day. But none were this close or having this much fun. The cruise narrator sounded amazed while whales were breaching and fin slapping on both sides of the boat.

It looks like that beer will stay cold for you.

Scenes on our way back to Seward.

Back on land, Chrissy made me pose with this otter...I have no idea why.

Since the sun doesn't set until about 10pm, we have time to hike up to Exit Glacier. 

This is the valley were the glacier was a couple hundred years ago.

I was here ten years ago and the glacier has retreated at a non glacial pace since then. Back then you could walk right up to it, now you can not.

Here's the valley where the glacier was 10 years ago.

Two cousins from New York City walking in Alaska.

The National Parks have been called America's best idea. I agree. Most of the trips I have taken the last fifteen years have been to National Parks and I always leave feeling like I visited someplace special.

October 11, 2014 A Perfect Fall Day (And Concert #38)

Blues skies and sunshine. A perfect fall day. So me and the dogs headed to the 95th Street bridge for some lunch. I grabbed some fried and smoked shrimp with a RC Cola at Calumet Fisheries. It turns out the only counter guy that serves me regularly tells me he is leaving for another job. I wish him well and head over to Calumet Park to enjoy my lunch. Then we walk along the beach...

...toward the power plant on the Indiana Illinois state line. It has been closed for two years and now it is being demolished.

We walked out on the pier...

...wait for it...

...two pyrs on a pier.

At first I was enjoying the solitude of an empty park. But then I was saddened by the fact that on a beautiful fall day, no one else thought about coming to one of Chicago's largest parks.

After last winter's severe weather, I would think Chicagoans would take advantage of any nice days we have left before another polar vortex arrives. Nothing I can do about the rest of the world.

I decided to walk out on a concrete break wall and relax above the lake. After sitting down, I took a few pictures from my new vantage point.

Oslo photo bombed my first shot...

...the shoreline toward the Coast Guard station.

A giant Roxie head in my face.

Roxie was excited to take a selfie with me...

...Oslo was not that interested. After dropping the dogs off at the house, Chrissy & I headed down the street to Lansing's Autumn Fest.

Rockzilla was performing classic rock cover songs.

I was impressed because instead of the usual overplayed songs from my much younger years, they played deep album tracks. A few took me until the chorus to recognize them.

Chrissy rocking to Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap by AC/DC. 

Rockzilla also played "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent, "Snortin' Whiskey Drinkin' Cocaine" by Pat Travers, a Michael Schenker and a Deep Purple song that I either did not know or remember.

Chrissy had to be the girl because she wasn't tall enough to be the man. I couldn't be either one because my giant head would fit in either hole.

My niece, Kristian refused to let me take a picture of her...

...I waited and waited, her cheese fries got cold, and she still wouldn't let me take a picture. We enjoyed some schnitzel for dinner with several long time Lansing residents. They were a bit older than us and were not enjoying the music Rockzilla was playing. But I really enjoyed their lively spirit and the time we spent with them. After all, isn't that why the village has events like this...so you can meet people that live here but may not be in the same social circles as you.

By the end of their set, the lights and fog machine were taking effect. 

I figured that why they saved Metallica's "Enter Sandman" until later in the set.

After the fest, Chrissy wanted a fire. I wanted to watch the Blackhawks game. So as usual she always gets what she wants, while I started the fire the Hawks scored twice in the first three minutes of the game.

The fire felt good on a cool night. Eventually Kimmy and Kristian joined us. Oslo and I went inside to watch the Hawks and Roxie stayed outside with the rest of the girls. My perfect day ended with a 6-2 Hawks victory.

October 10, 2014 Alpine Thunder at Lansing's Autumn Fest (Concert #37)

Our little village tries really hard to keep that "hometown" feeling alive for all the residents. I applaud all they do to bring together the people of Lansing. Today Chrissy & I are walking down the street to attend Autumn Fest. We are going to see Alpine Thunder. Judging by Chrissy's hoodie, she thinks they are some kind of Nordic death metal band.

It turns out they are a traditional German band. I got a little worried because the only words I understood from the first couple of songs were "Heil! Heil! Heil!". But it turns out they play German folk and drinking songs.

The accordion player was really good but looked pissed off the whole time.

Chrissy was having fun. We both have German ancestors and Chrissy's lived right here in Lansing when most of the town was either German or Dutch.

The band even had people dancing. Maybe they were just trying to stay warm because the temperature tonight made it seem more like a Winter Fest.

Now I love a band with a horn section....

....but this band has the biggest horn section I have ever seen...

....they went around the Fest playing at several tables for the crowd. Overall, it was an enjoyable set of German music. When I decided to try to see 50 concerts this year, I never imagined one of the bands would only sing in German. But that's what is so great about seeing live music. Sometimes it is something completely different and you find a new band to love.  

October 4, 2014 "Lord have mercy on your soul" - It's Vintage Trouble (Concert #36)

I fell in love with this band after seeing their video for "Not Alright By Me". 

Being a fan of music, I bought their CD, "Bomb Shelter Sessions" right after seeing this video. Every song on the CD blew me away. Then I saw they were the opening act for The Who in Chicago and I was impressed. The night they opened for The Who, they also played a late show at the Beat Kitchen. I was there. The show was so amazing. I never saw anything like it. The energy, the music, the showmanship, the interacting with the crowd, the dancing. Pure entertainment on every aspect of the show. I am only guessing here but it was the closest thing to seeing a James Brown show in the 1960's that I will ever see. I saw them again last year and had the same reaction.

The Soul Selector Tom "Papa" Ray opened for Vintage Trouble spinning old blues and soul records, yes vinyl records, for our listening pleasure. 

Vintage Trouble is a high energy show. Ty Taylor never stops moving and the camera I brought with doesn't do well in low light...

...apparently no one in the band ever stands still. We were right up front for the show and these were the best shots I got. I gave up taking pictures then... 

...the band just released an EP of acoustic songs and decided to play them in the same way they were recorded. This was just as good as the rest of the show. I love acoustic bass guitars as much as I enjoy hearing the vocals over quieter music. This is one of the tightest bands I've ever seen. They seem to  enjoy playing music together and that makes the show so much better for the fans. After the show, they have always greeted the fans at the merch table and genuinely seem grateful for the support of their fans.

I had a few minutes as the exhausted crowd made their way to the exits...

....please check out this band if you enjoy music that comes from the soul and can make you feel so good you can't help but dance. I will see them again in a few weeks at the Life Is Beautiful Festival in Las Vegas...a perfect festival for Vintage Trouble to play.