Alaska's Beauty

Arcticulates Presents: ~~ ICY DESIGNS ~~ If you take a ride around North Pole, Alaska and the neighboring cities you might think that Ice Carving is a favorite winter past-time. There are ice sculptures in front of businesses, in the middle of the roundabouts, on lawns and along the highways... and there is a special park right next to the Santa Claus house that has some beautiful Ice sculptures called Christmas in Ice . I have been there several times and want to share these photos of some of the beautiful icy designs that someone with a wonderful imagination has carved out. I added ... Read Full Story

It has been said that Beavers are second only to humans in their capacity to manipulate the environment. They are the world's most efficient loggers. These little 3 foot long, 50 pound chewing machines usually live to about 12 years, and it is possible for the older beavers to tip the scales at 100 pounds. Beavers are built for underwater work, for instance the ears on the Beaver have these natural built in valves that close when they submerge, the same with their noses. The large front teeth, that Beavers are famous for, enable them to cut and chew wood underwater without getting water ... Read Full Story

Well, finally we have the warmer weather, I can see the brown grass since most of the snow has melted. This brings to mind 2 things that we have to be cautious of when running around outside. The first thing is the bears are out now, forging around for food, we have already heard of one bear mauling recently of a jogger and his dog, the dog got away, but the jogger didn’t and suffered severe bites on his body and head. Bear taking a break from forging to look us over! Picture by Stephen L. Fields He will survive, and he admits he ... Read Full Story

Tho...I have already told my tales of woe during Spring Break-Up! There are really some beautiful sights, that you won’t see any other time of the year! Piles of Thick Broken Ice Pieces along the River! Picture by K. Fields It is a wonder to see the ice cracked and broken laying in piles in the rivers! I am always amazed at how thick the ice is…yet it still breaks. Edges of Thick Broken Ice along a Swift River Picture by K. Fields And to see the water flowing swiftly again through the broken ice, taken back it’s ground is actually quite breathtaking! The ... Read Full Story

One thing that is pretty common in the rural areas of Alaska is the food cache, usually a small building on long log legs, so that it is high up in the air, with a wooden ladder that can be leaned up against the cache to climb up into it… Alaska Food Cache Picture By K. Fields It’s original use is for food storage. Keeping food up away from living area (tent, cabin, etc) helped lessen the chance of invasion of wild animals forging for food. Bears, wolverine etc… A long wooden ladder usually lies on the ground next to it, when the cache ... Read Full Story