TRIP IS OVER.....HOME

Creston, Ohio 5/27/2015

We drove almost 24,000 miles, 5,161 digital files, 101 Gigs of images. We saw bear, moose, caribou, and a few other animals. Wish we could have seen a wolf.  We did get good view of "the mountain" -- Denali.

Mt. Denali, Denali National Park, Alaska 7/24/2015

We were told that only 30% of the people who visit the park ever see this scene.  It is mostly shrouded in clouds.  At 20,320 feet, it literally makes it own weather. This view is from the east side and about 60 miles from the peak.

Fairbanks, Alaska 6/12/2015

One of the most interesting things we found not only in Alaska, but all through British Columbia and the Yukon, there were small Thai food trailers.  Almost every small bump in the road had one.

Copper Center, Alaska 6/30/2015

I always enjoy cemeteries, and Alaska did not disappoint. Every grave in this cemetery located in the Copper River basin has a fence around it.  And as if every family had it own color -- red, blue, yellow, white, and some unpainted.

Miles 1164, Alaska Highway, Yukon Territores, Canada

Amazing how many places we found abandoned. Obviously once thriving, now in total ruin. Must say it make for some good images.

HEADED EAST

ELY, NEVADA

Ely, Nevada is very tired place. 'Nuf said.

EAST BOUND AND DOWN....

Spences Bridge, BC, Canada

Today we leave behind the wondrous landscape of the west coast and east towards home. British Columbia was something else with its great mountain rangers and small towns.Loved every minute of it.

Cache Creek, BC, Canada

We arrived in Cache Creek late in the afternoon, and although hungry, we wanted to explore.  On the south side of town was a forest service road leading up into the mountains.  The views from high on the mountain were rewarding.

Cache Creek, BC, Canada

In that high, dry environment, the pines are decorated with mosses that are radiant green.

Cache Creek, BC, Canada

So far, the whole trip has been like this. Explore and we are rewarded with scenes begging to be photographed.  Ansel once said, and I'm paraphrasing, when he viewed a scene that took his breath away he thought that God wanted someone to make images of that place at that moment. I understand the feeling.

MIXED SYMBOLS

Seward, Alaska

Alaskan have mixed symbols just about every where.  So strange to see a Santa holding an ice cream cone in front of the Athabascan meeting hall.  Sometime it's the location......

Seward, Alaska

When I first saw this car on top of the old tree, it was an overcast day and the mountains that surround Seward were not visible, but on this afternoon, there were breaks in the clouds that revealed a small glacier as background.

Seward, Alaska

Little coffee houses like this one are just about on every corner.  You find them even in the smallest villages.  They are more abundant than Dunkin Donut in Massachusetts. I know, hard to believe.

Nenana, Alaska

And Alaskans love their moose antlers. It could almost be the state's symbol. This pair was over the entrance to an outdoor seating area for a bar.  It does get warm enough for people to sit outside.  The last two days the temp has hit 80F. And all the locals complain about it being hot.

LAST DAY......ALMOST

Anderson, Alaska

We had stopped by the little village of Anderson, Alaska, to make a few images, and when leaving I spied these guys hangin' around their bus.  I recognized them as forest fire fighters.  There have been numerous forest fires all over Alaska this summer.  At times, we have encountered heavy smoke, so much so visibility was down to less than a mile. We stopped to talk with them and find out where they were from.  Thinking somewhere in Alaska, we were surprised to find they were from Acoma, New Mexico.  Go figure.

Cantwell, Alaska

I have encountered several cemeteries where either the graves were surrounded by picket fences, or covered like this one, I need to find out what this tradition is all about

Rochelle Morris, Hope, Alaska

Stopped in the general store in Hope to buy our fishing license, and met this wonderful lady.  She was a hoot, for sure.  But on the back wall, we found her degrees frames and letters from the governor and senators from Alaska congratulating her on her degrees from college.  Seems she has a masters in finance, and has taught info systems at Univ of Alaska and several other universities here and in the lower 48.

Homer, Alaska

Last evening was the "blue moon" and it was amazing to watch it rise over the mountains and glaciers across Kachemac Bay.  We had parked the trailer in a RV park on the spit and had a great view of this wonderful even.

INDIVIDUALISM

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Homer, Alaska

You see it just about everywhere here in Alaska, individual free expression of life as they care to live it. I don't know if it is all that different than in the lower 48 states, but it seems more out in the open here. "Live free or die" could easily be the motto of this state, also.

Seward, Alaska

There are so many places with old cars, trucks, washing machines, building materials, and just about anything else you can think of strewn about their front yards, but every once in a while there is that one thing you find placed in the middle of no where, standing tall and proud.

Seward, Alaska

And many times, it's just parked on the side of the road with a "for sale" sign attached. This is especially true of boats. Good Lord, do they have boats, boats of all sizes and shapes

Homer, Alaska

You may have noticed that just about all my images so far have had no bright sun shining. That's because it has rained almost everyday since I've been in the state. My wife, Ellen can attest to this for it has rained everyday since she's been here.

THE SKY, MOUNTAINS, RIVERS

 

Willow Lake, Alaska

Behind those clouds are the Wrangell Mountains with peaks over 14K feet. We only seen a few sunny days so far, most days starting off like the above image.  Not complaining because it make for very dramatic skies. Thankfully the sensor on my Pentax 645D has a great dynamic range.  Weather and skies change rapidly in these parts. Willow  Lake is on the Richardson Highway -- Alaska Highway 4 -- and not twenty minutes later driving down the road to Chitina -- Alaska Highway 10........

Mt Blackburn, Alaska

.....looking back across the Copper River valley, Mt Blackburn shows its peaks above the clouds.  At 16,391-feet, this is the tallest peak in the Wrangells. Clear from this angle, but obscured from another angle as in the first image.

The Copper River joins the Chitina River, Alaska

Past Chitina, the gravel road rides the ridge line overlooking the confluence of the Copper River and Chitina River.  This is big country and the river systems are equally big.  Most all the rivers in Alaska are braided rivers. Because of rock and frozen ground, they tend to spread out rather than dig deep channels.