I’ve scanned a bunch more Alaska photos but haven’t had time to write a post for them. So enjoy this scenic picture of Alaska.
Not There Yet…
Still Working on the Next Post…
I’ve gotten behind on the Alaska pictures so here is a teaser of a whale breaching.
Alaska 2006: Johns Hopkins Glacier
This is the second in a series of posts based around our trip to Alaska in 2006. The first post covered our visit to Denali National Park. This post will cover our visit to Johns Hopkins Glacier, deep in Glacier Bay. It also includes a fun video of the glacier calving, that is dropping off a big chunk of ice into the sea.
When we left Denali Park, we traveled south by train to Anchorage and stayed overnight. The next morning we flew to Juneau and boarded our ship, the Spirit of Alaska. Run by the now defunct company Cruise West, the Spirit of Alaska was a small ship with only 70 passengers. This is quite a difference from your traditional cruise ship that carries 2,000 or more passengers. It is more intimate and in Alaska, you get to be much closer to the sights and wildlife.
This is the view up into Glacier Bay, looking to the northwest. This picture was taken as we were leaving the bay, but it is an accurate picture of what it would look like when we entered the bay. Click on any picture to get a full-sized view.
As we got into the bay leading to Johns Hopkins glacier, we could see the classic glacier shape snaking up the valley to the mountains beyond.
Alaska 2006: Denali National Park
Back in 2006, we took a vacation to Alaska. We went the whole nine yards, starting off in Fairbanks, overnighting in Denali National Park, and then cruising on a small ship our of Juneau for a week. While this was in the age of digital cameras, I had very good Nikon film camera equipment (Nikon FM2 with a motor drive, 35mm f1.4 and 85mm f1.4 Nikkor lenses) and so I took pictures on film. 13, 36-exposure rolls of them.
These pictures sat in a box in our house in Lake Riverside from that summer until last December. I had been given a high quality film scanner for Christmas and was intent on finally getting to edit and share the pictures I took over 14 years ago.
When I had the film processed, I had Samy’s scan the negatives in fairly low resolution. I loaded these lower resolution pictures into Lightroom and began to select candidates for scanning. Having selected 115 of the roughly 450 pictures, I set about scanning and editing the photos. This post is the first batch.
As I mentioned above, we started the trip in Fairbanks. After a nice visit with my brother-in-law, we started the official part of the tour. There was a river boat ride, a visit with some real sled dogs and their trainer/owner, and panning for gold. I haven’t gotten to those photos yet, and there wasn’t anything particularly remarkable about them since I am omitting photos of the family per my usual policy.
From Fairbanks, we took the Alaska Train south to Denali National Park. It is a pretty four-hour ride with ongoing commentary from a tour guide. Here is a view out of the train window as we round a curve. Click on any picture to see a full-sized version.
Upon arrival at Cantwell at the entrance to the park, we boarded a bus for an six hour or so drive across the park to Kantishna Roadhouse on the far west side of the park. Kantishna Roadhouse is a rustic lodge catering to tourists like us. But the real thrill was the drive across the park. It was overcast and drizzling when we set out, but the views were great.
Adventures with Water Equipment
We’ve had quite a spring, summer and fall with our water system at the desert house. It all started when I was looking at the back yard with our security camera and noted that the grass seemed to be turning brown. There are occasional issues with the irrigation valves, so I made plans to drive out on Friday to see about fixing it. When I got to the house, I went to wash my hands and noticed that there was no water pressure. Time to investigate.
When I got to the pump house, I noticed that there was a strange humming coming from the booster pump. It was warm, humming, and not pumping. I powered on and off, no change. I called our friendly plumber. We deduced that the pump had seized up for some reason and needed to be replaced. I locked everything up and headed home.
Continue readingFresh Seafood
We happened to be in Anacortes, Washington recently. At my brother-in-law’s suggestion, we decided to sample the best of the local seafood. This, of course, meant a trip up to Samish to Taylor Shellfish Farms on Samish Bay. It’s about a 30 minute drive from Anacortes to the turnoff on Chuckanut Drive to go down by the bay to their shellfish store and eatery.
The oyster beds are out in Samish Bay.
This panorama shows the whole view from Edison and Samish Island on the left, the San Juans in the center, and Lummi Island on the right. Click on the picture to open a full-sized version.
After the Storm: Marquette, March 2020
This is the third and final post of my experience and pictures with a nice winter storm in the first week of March this year. The day before the storm was March 4th, the storm was March 5th, and it had cleared out by March 6th. It was a wild, windy, and snowy night while the storm came through.
I was glad that took precautions with my windshield wipers so they didn’t get frozen to windshield. I had rented the car from Hertz in Chicago and they had it stocked with an ice scraper/ brush. Those of you from places that don’t have snow, this link will show you what an such an instrument looks like. As a side note, my last minute flight arrangements would have taken me two days longer and cost $1,500 more if I had flown directly to Marquette from Los Angeles.
After completing my errands for the day, I set out to the places I’d visited before and during the storm. The Sun was beautiful coming through the trees at the Noquemanon North Trails Trailhead on the Big Bay Road (County Road 550).
The pines were covered in snow with icicles dangling down.
It was then over to Presque Isle Park and the Upper Harbor break wall. I was unable to photograph this during the storm because it was, well, too stormy. The waves crashing against the ice-covered break wall were beautiful.
The Storm: Marquette, March 2020
This is the second of three installments with pictures from a major winter storm in Marquette in the first week of March, 2020. My prior post’s pictures were taken the day before the storm arrived. The next day, March 5th, it started snowing in late morning and by mid-afternoon was coming down very hard. Of course this was the day I was having my Mother’s belongings moved out of her apartment at Mill Creek. That’s Murphy’s Law for you.
After completing the move, I drove out to Noquemanon North Trails Trailhead on the Big Bay Road (County Road 550). It was about 5pm and the snow was coming down very hard. I’ve tried to capture it but it is really something you need to see in person. Click on any picture to get a full sized version.
The snow was coming down in big flakes and accumulating quickly.
The trees were getting quickly covered in snow.
Before the Storm: Marquette, March 2020
This isn’t about the pandemic, although it was well under way when I took my trip to Marquette in early March. It is the first of three planned posts about my time in Marquette, specifically sites around the city before, during, and after a blizzard that came through on March 5th of this year. Click on any picture to bring up a full-sized version.
I’ll begin with a shot of the iconic Marquette Coast Guard lighthouse. Build in 1866 and still active today, it is a symbol of Marquette.
I was down at McCarty’s Cove which, in more clement weather, is a popular swimming and beach spot. Not too good for swimming when covered in ice.
Two birds flew by the waxing crescent Moon.
I Blame the Pandemic
This will be the only post this month. Too many distractions. But I do have a backlog of pictures, so next month should be better.
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