KarlAnders

Located in the coastal town of Newport is a popular attraction. Situated on floating docks is an everchanging population of male California sea lions. They spend 11 months of the year here, heading to the Channel Islands off the California coast to mate in July, before returning to Newport in August.

A close encounter with a curious gray wolf, in remote Katmai National Park. The wolf was very interested in our group and spent a lot of time studying us. We were probably the first humans she had seen.

Katmai National Park is remote and hard to get to but is one of the best places to view Alaska Brown Bears (aka Alaskan grizzle, aka "Kodiak" bear). This massive male bear, which our guides estimated to weight about 750 pounds, approached our group and came to within 10 feet of us, but continued on his way and left us alone. He was busy looking for salmon, which were running in a nearby river.

A 5,000,000 liter tank holds an assortment of sea life and is the aquarium's most popular attraction.

Located a few miles from Libby is the largest fall in the state of Montana. The Kootenai River drops some ninety feet in a series of rapids and falls. This clip was taken in the spring, when the river was at it's peak flow rate.

One of the many hot pools in Yellowstone National Park. Note the water bubble up, and the thick colorful bacterial mats created by the water draining away.

One of the many pools of boiling hot water you'll see in Yellowstone.

A popular geyser in Yellowstone, Clepsydra erupts most of the time, to a height of around 45 feet.

These hissing steam vents are one of the many geothermal features you'll see in the amazing landscapes of Yellowstone. These were situated in the Fountain Paint Pots region of the Lower Geyser Basin.

While hiking on the park's Peninsula trail, we came across this path of leaf cutter ants, hard at work, carrying their cuttings to their nest.

Situated in northwestern Montana, the Yaak River flows from its origin in British Columbia through this remote part of Montana before it joins the mighty Kootenai River. We visited Yaak Falls in mid-spring, when it was flush with snow melt. It was quite a spectacle!

Two seals -- I believe Elephant seals -- are engaging in head-butting/wrestling. The lovely scenery of Antarctica is in the background,

Gentoo penguins like to build their nests on mounds of rocks and dirt. We were lucky enough to get close enough to see them with their chicks while visiting Elephant Point.

I'm always charmed by the walk of penguins. This loner is making his way around a group of travelers. If you listen carefully, you'll hear elephant seal grunts in the background.

The LeMaire Channel is one of the most beautiful and photogenic places in Antarctica and is on most travel itineraries to the region. The passage is about 7 miles long and a mile wide. Often it is filled with ice and can't be passed, but we were lucky and could enjoy the glaciated cliffs and lovely scenery This videclip gives a glimpse into what the experience was like..

A beautiful sunny day in the land of ice and snow. We visit Hidden Bay, with its lovely rock formations and tranquil environment.

One of the great pleasures of visiting Antarctica is seeing the colonies of penguins. Danco Island provides the opportunity to see lots of them, in a grand setting of mountains, glaciers and icebergs.

There are a number of Gentoo penguin colonies on Danco Island. They are a joy to watch, as you can see in this clip.

A large grouping of penguins on the ice and snow of Danco Island. It's nesting time, but there is too much snow on the ground for this to happen yet. Note the Zodiac carrying our fellow shipmates to and from our landing site in the background

The phenomenon of spawning salmon is a spectacular one to see. This video was filmed in late August, when the salmon ere running. The creek is shallow and has dozens of salmon reaching the end of their life.

Video of Fournier Bay taken from a zodiac, on an unusually clear day. The zodiacs provided us with close access to shore, including the glaciers, and had to navigate between a lot of icebergs.

Panoramic views of beautiful Fournier Bay on Anker Island, Antarctica. We were told by our guides that it was an unusually clear and sunny day. Video taken from the deck of the Viking Octantis.

Lots of action, as cars smash into and demolish each other.