One of the most beautiful places in Alaska is along Highway 1 which heads south from Anchorage along Turnagain Arm, so named by William Bligh in the late 1700s, when this part of Cook Inlet failed to be the route to the Northwest Passage. (He had to turn again to get back to the Pacific Ocean). As you drive down to the Kenai Peninsula, you can frequently see Dall sheep (Ovis dalli dalli) on the rocks on the left hand or northern side of Turnagain Arm (mile 106) . One tip for the eager photographer is to notice the other people parked at the turnouts, holding cameras and binoculars and looking up at the mountains or the rocks. At this point, be smart and pull all the way off the road using a designated turnout. You'd be amazed at the number of people who forget this. A spectacular part of Turnagain Arm scenery is the bore tide, which basically is what you get when the incoming tide is funneled into a narrow area, producing a distinct difference between high and low tide, which is a wall of water, with tremendous force. At times, the wall is jumping with fish--salmon and hooligan, which are small, oily fish much prized by fisherman. And where there are fish, there are eagles. I remember seeing a whirling mass of eagles and ravens flying along like a tornado as the bore tide roared in.

The other thing I can remember seeing, which I haven't seen in years, are the beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) which are small white whales. You can check them out at the park at Beluga Point, which if its open, also has bathrooms (thank goodness) and beluga sculptures. The number of beluga has population has decreased by half in the past decade, so if you see them, you might want to take a picture. The reasons for the population decline are controversial, but take a look at the Cook Inletkeeper website, and decide for yourself--should the beluga whales be listed as endangered?

Minnow's tip #1: The mudflats are dangerous because of the silty nature of the mud.

Minnow's tip #2: There are bears on the trails, especially McHugh Creek Trail. Take the bear warnings seriously

Minnow's tip # 3: There is a reasonable bike trail starting at Bird Point which is about 6 miles long and leads to Girdwood, if you find that you want to get out of the car and run or ride your bike into Girdwood to meet the rest of your party. Condition varies from year to year.