|
Now we're in Skagway, AK. This is the farthest north we went this trip. You just can't imagine how big these ships are until you're right up next to one. They're just friggin' huge.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I grew up in New Mexico, so I always notice NM license plates. This is the only one I saw in AK. Long drive...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Skagway, AK public library.
|
|
This is an old snowblower engine. Pretty cool (and pretty huge).
|
|
|
|
|
The business end of the snowblower.
|
|
|
|
|
This was my favorite thing we did on the trip. We took a helicopter up to a glacier to tromp around for half an hour.
|
|
|
We were supposed to fly up to the mountains to do dog-sledding, but the fog was too thick.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's our particluar chopper coming in for a landing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here we are inside. Our pilot had a thick French accent, but I never did ask him where he was from. He seemed to be quite a good pilot.
|
|
|
|
|
Heh heh, who looks excited?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
And away we go...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Nice view from up here.
|
|
I could literally barely move crammed in the back seat, so there are a bunch of bad pictures in this batch...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It was incredibly cool up there.
|
|
|
|
|
Water, everywhere you look.
|
|
|
|
|
Is that cool, or what?
|
|
A bad view of a hanging glacier.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cool snow, huh?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Here's our destination, the cleverly-named "No-Name Glacier".
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's hard to tell without reference points, but from the ice plain below to the top of the glacier in the background is 3000ft. vertically.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On the ground (well, ice).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Our ride heading out to pick up another group. We hung out on the glacier for about 30 minutes or so.
|
|
|
|
|
Here's me wearing the Dorkmaster 2000. The primary use for these vests is to look as ridiculous as possible. As if I'd even survive a helicopter crash at 140mph at 3000ft elevation long enough to worry about floating...
|
|
It was cold and raining up here on the glacier. Of course, I forgot to bring a plastic bag to cover the camera, so I spent half of my time hunched over trying to keep it out of the rain. The Nikon Gods smiled on me, however, and everything still worked when we came back down.
|
|
|
|
|
Help me, I'm out of focus!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With all the water on the lens (well, on the polarization filter, actually), I had some trouble with auto-focus.
|
|
|
|
|
Not the most fun place to spend the night.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tons of little rock chunks. I brough back a big chunk for a paperweight, and a bunch of small pieces for the kids.
|
|
|
This nice lady is a 4th grade teacher somewhere (forgot to ask where) who asked if she could use my pictures for her class. Hi, Jenny! (I hope I remember your name right)
|
|
Julia and I, out of focus.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Third time's a charm (still having auto-focus problems). This is a fissure that closed back up. You can't tell, but it's about two or three inches across.
|
|
|
|
|
Another closed fissure.
|
|
If I remember right, our guide said the ice is about 1000ft. thick where we're standing. Wow.
|
|
|
This was a river coming right out of the ice. That cavity in the background is about 4-6ft. tall.
|
|
|
|
|
Bobsled time!
|
|
|
|
|
Our ride coming back. Way too soon. I could have stayed for a couple of hours.
|
|
|
|
|
These pilots were pretty amazing. They fly in and out of here over a dozen times a day. Guess you get good after a while.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
They start up the engines on these choppers in the morning, and never turn them off the entire day. They even re-fuel them while they're running. Guess is saves wear and tear.
|
|
|
|
|
Time to load up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
It's a bit scary being tall when you're near a helicopter...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Everything, including my glasses and camera lenses, fogged up as soon as we climbed inside.
|
|
|
Our pilot is visible through the fog.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ah, now that's a lovely shot.
|
|
Notice the complete lack of color and focus.
|
|
|
The fuzzy stuff is green, so it's a fair bet that this is a picture of trees in the rain.
|
|
|
|
|
Like the rain spots on the lens? Nice, eh?
|
|
|
|
|
Things finally clearing up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
We all had headsets so the pilot could tell us imcomprehensable french-sounding things as we flew.
|
|
|
Almost back down.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There's our ship again.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I think I need a career change. This guy was having a blast zooming around in the helicopter. I could do this for a living.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The boat behind ours was the Island Princess. According to one guy I talked to who was on that boat, this was it's maiden voyage (at least as far as carrying passengers went).
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Home again, home again, jiggedy jig.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On our way south again. This guy was apparently our escort.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another hanging glacier. AK has no shortage of glaciers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Bye bye, Skagway.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Headin' south.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haines, AK
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There was no shortage of waterfalls, either.
|
|
|
Look! It's the Loch Ness Monster! Or was it more humpback whales?
|
|
Yeah, well, they don't all come out...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Haines, AK. Apparently, this is the local artist/hippie/other asst. misfit commune.
|
|
|
They also have a metric buttload of bald eagles who hang out there in the summer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
They've sure got a nice view out the back door.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
That's probably more glaciers. Undoubtedly with clever names, like "No-Name Glacier" that we visited earlier. Perhaps, "Glacier Without a Name #769".
|
|
Glacier Without a Name #770.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
If I remember right, that's another cruise ship up ahead of us. It was actually getting pretty dark by this time, this was a long exposure.
|
