Living in Alaska - Life in the Last Frontier

Here it is May, and there is still more than a foot of snow in my yard. Over the last two weeks, we have had snow flurries just about every other day. It’s awful, and we’re all pretty much tired of it. Today, however, the sun is shining, there are puddles and mud, and the remaining snow is melting rather quickly.

It’s been two weeks since I’ve blogged. This might be the longest I have gone without writing, and I apologize. I have been super busy with portrait work, newborn sessions, maternity sessions, and recently - photographing the local belly dancers and troupes. The Spring Recital is on Saturday night, and I am the official photographer. Two weekends in a row, I set up my backdrop and lights and took formal portraits. I don’t think they’ve ever had formal portraits offered, and many people are happy about having images of themselves in full costume in dance pose. I will also be photographing the show itself, which will keep me extremely busy for the next couple of weeks too.

OVERNIGHT in VALDEZ

As I wrote in my last blog entry, my friend Amanda and I made a spur of the moment decision to drive to Valdez for one night. That was a first for me, as it’s about a 7 hour (350 mi) drive to Valdez. We left around 7am on Friday morning (April 19th) and the weather was absolutely beautiful! The sun was shining, the sky was a brilliant blue, the mountains were *out*, and there were only a few other vehicles on the road.

We didn’t stop too many time in the beginning part of the trip, as we’ve driven to Paxson so many times, we have plenty of photos of the gorgeous landscape along the way. Also, with all the snow covering the landscape, everything was more like a lunar landscape. The shining sun reflected off the bright white snow, making it absolutely necessary for Amanda and I to wear sunglasses (something neither of us do on a regular basis).

The Wrangell Mountains appeared on the horizon south of Paxson. Down the Richardson Hwy south of Glennallen, there’s a wonderful scenic overlook of the mountains with a beautiful lake in the foreground. I’ve never seen it frozen, so that was different. I think I much prefer it when the water is open, and especially when it’s reflective. But nevertheless, it was a gorgeous view and a good stop to stretch our legs.

I anticipated the appearance of Worthington Glacier, but was a little disappointed to see that the glacier was covered with many feet of snow, hiding the beautiful turquoise ice below. Snowmachine tracks snaked up the front of the glacier, further marring the otherwise pristine landscape.

We came upon one of those electric traffic signs warning of stopped or slow traffic ahead. It was then that we remembered hearing about the weekend “Mountain Man Hill Climb” taking place at Thompson Pass. As we approached the area where the snowmachiners would climb the snow-covered mountains, there was a little more traffic and vehicles were parked on both sides of the road. We stopped for a few minutes, and watched. The hill - or rather mountain - they were climbing was HUGE! And steep. I don’t know how they did it, without flipping over backwards. On the way home the next day, we stopped to watch for about 45 minutes, and took some photos of the competition too.

One of the coolest things we saw was frozen Bridal Veil Falls in Keystone Canyon. I have photographed these falls so many times - but always in the summer or fall, when the water is flowing strongly. To see them stopped in action - frozen in time - was not only breathtakingly beautiful, but also a bit hard to believe. How can such fast water freeze like that? Horsetail falls, just down the highway, was also frozen.

My car gets great gas mileage, and splitting the fuel expense with a girlfriend made this trip quite affordable for us both. We didn’t book a hotel room in advance, but I did call the Valdez Best Western the day before to ask them if they anticipated having some rooms available, and they assured me that we could probably get a room without any problems. I didn’t want to book one in advance and risk losing the money if something happened and we changed our mind about going, or worse - broke down somewhere. We were able to get a room at the military and off-season rate for $90/night. Certainly not cheap, but no where near as high as summer rates (more than double that).

We unpacked the car, and then took a walk around the harbor taking photos of the immense piles of snow. It was amazing! In some areas, the snow was nearly 12′ high, with tunneled walkways between the piles. Quite a few shops and businesses, which are usually only open in the summer months, were barely identifiable under the huge snow drifts.

We drove over to Allison Point, across the bay from the harbor, to look for eagles. The snow was so deep along the roadway, that we couldn’t even see the water! The parking lot near the hatchery wasn’t plowed out, so we couldn’t even get a good view of the many seagulls that hang out in that area. It was so unreal! I knew Valdez had a lot of snow accumulation in the winter, but seeing it was incredible.

We were really hoping for a beautiful sunset over the harbor, but the sun wasn’t in the right place for reflections, and the water was a little rough from the wind blowing. We were both so chilled to the bone, and it was in the high 30s. Brrrr! Amazing what a little humidity (and cold air blowing down from the mountains and off the water) can do.

Because we’re bargain travelers, we made a trip to the local Carrs store and picked up some microwave meals to eat in the room. We watched a little TV and fell asleep rather quickly. At 5:15am, I heard Amanda pull open the curtains to check the weather. Since we missed a good sunset, we were hoping for a beautiful sunrise.

We were up and out of the room in less than 15 minutes. We only had to walk a short distance to the harbor. The water was like glass in the dim morning light. We could see the sky growing brighter behind the mountains ringing the harbor. We snapped a few photos and waited for those first rays of light to spill over the craggy mountain tops.

It was a beautiful sunrise, although a bit subdued in color. The water, however, was amazing. Each boat was reflected back perfectly, as if perched on a mirror. And then the day slowly came alive with the sound of boat engines, cars passing, and people talking. We were starving.

Our room included a continental breakfast, and we piled paper plates high with bagels and cream cheese, pastries, sausage, fruit. All I cared about was filling my tall coffee mug. Check out was at 11am, and it was still early (not even 7am). We drove around town some more, taking photos, looking for eagles, and enjoying what was going to be yet another gorgeous day. Finally, it was time to load up the car and start back to North Pole.

We stopped again to photograph the frozen falls, and when we got to the area just past Thompson Pass, both sides of the highway were lined with vehicles for the Hill Climb. We got there just in time to watch Matt Smelcer climb all the way to the top of the mountain in about 1min 43 sec. Amazing! His wife and daughters were watching, and when he came down the hill, he gave them all a hug. His wife told us he’s been competing in these kinds of sports since he was a kid.

The rest of the drive was under sunny skies. With good conversation, and frequent stops for photos and leg-stretching, it passed much more quickly than I anticipated. We were home by 7pm.

I’m so glad we did it! I look forward to going back in August and in September with Steve.

DENALI - MILE 30

On April 23rd, Steve was off from work, and it was announced that the Denali Park Road was open to mile 30. Excited, we decided to drive down for the day. The drive was a bust in the wildlife department (we saw NOTHING!), but the scenery was beautiful as always. We didn’t leave the house until after noon, but made good time getting to the park. We were home before 8pm.

The park is still white with snow. There were a few areas that are thawing, and some dirt was showing. The park road was a real mess in some places, slick with mud and slushy snow. My car is still a mess, as I haven’t taken it to the car wash (nor will I, as we are in a very slow breakup season).

The day after we drove to the park, it snowed. From what I understand, the park had another 8″ of accumulation, which necessitated the closing of the road again. The snow continued for several more days, much to everyone’s disappointment, and I don’t think the road has reopened to mile 30 yet. I’m glad we went when we did. I do plan to go back as soon as the road opens that far again.

CYMBAL SALAAM 2013

I wanted to share a few photos of the beautiful dancers who will be entertaining the community on Saturday night at this years Belly Dance Recital. Their costumes are colorful, beautiful, sassy, and fun. If you’re local, I hope you’ll come out and see this fabulous show. Tickets are $15, $10 for military/student/children. Children under 5 free. The recital will be at the Alaska Centennial Center for the Arts Theater in Pioneer Park.

CRITTERS IN THE YARD

We have voles. Lots of voles. I’ve watched them scamper across the top of the snow, chasing each other. I’ve seen their tiny heads come out of a snow tunnel under the bird feeders, snatch some seeds, and disappear. It’s like “Whack a Mole” in my back yard.

I’ve also seen bunny tracks - but no bunnies (snowshoe hares). No squirrels either, nor tracks.

We’ve got the usual birds: chickadees and redpolls mostly, with a few woodpeckers here and there.

The other day, Steve tossed a slice of stale bread into the yard for the birds. I’ve seen a few chickadees investigate and do a little pecking. But they’re not as excited about the bread as the voles are.

These are photos of red-backed voles, taking advantage of the buffet of food in our yard.

Until next time…

SHARE ON FACEBOOK

Winter will not let go of Fairbanks. We still have nearly 2′ of snow in our yard. While the temperatures have risen into the 30s at times, it hasn’t stayed warm enough to create any substantial melting. It is so depressing, and many of us are OVER winter! However, on a good note - the days are getting longer. It is so wonderful to see the sky brightening at 5:00am and staying bright until after 10pm. Length of day is now nearly 17 and a half hours. I do love this part of spring. I don’t like that it’s still cold (in the teens today) and that we are still having snow flurries from time to time.

I apologize again for my absence. I have been very busy with portrait work. New babies, maternity, families - my schedule is very full with portrait sessions and the less exciting photo editing that goes along with it. But I do love watching families grow, and capturing sweet moments between new parents and their baby.

I haven’t done much shooting for fun lately. Besides being busy with portraits, I just haven’t had much motivation to go out into our snowy world and make photographs. As I said, I’m so OVER winter!

However, last weekend the aurora predictors were calling for an aurora ‘event’, so I went out with friends for what is probably my last aurora shoot of the season. While the sky didn’t light up with the intensity we had on St Patty’s Day, it was a lovely night for aurora chasing. I went with Julie and her husband Adam, and my friend Amanda, to Chena Lakes to watch and shoot. We didn’t stay out too long. The sky was already starting to get light a little after 3am. The orange/pink light you see in the photos below is actually light pollution from North Pole. I don’t mind it in the photos, although some folks are *purists* when it comes to aurora photos and prefer to shoot in a totally dark location.

Raven and I took a much needed walk at Chena Lakes the other day. We both had to get out of the house, and even though I took my camera with me, I didn’t take many photos.  Instead I relished in the silence of the woods, surrounded by beautiful birch trees, hoping to catch sight of a moose, or a hare, or maybe a lynx. All I saw were birds. The trees, however, were gorgeous against the snowy landscape.

We had some moose visitors to our yard last week, as new snow fell. Looks like the same pair that came through a few weeks back. The cow looks even bigger in her belly, and the young bull’s antler sockets are now growing out with the start of new antlers. Mama will be pushing him away as her pregnancy progresses. They’ve been back a couple of times since I took these photos. I found their hoof prints in my yard, and one set even stopped at the bird feeders.

THE ALLEN FAMILY and BABY JACOB

I wanted to share some of my favorite photos from my recent portrait session with the Allen Family. I am so happy for them, and their new baby. Jacob is welcomed with love by his parents and his older siblings, Neena and Devon.

GIRLS ROAD TRIP

My friend Amanda and I decided, spur of the moment, to take an overnight drive to Valdez.  Another photographer in town was just down there and took photos of the waterfalls - all frozen! It was beautiful and we can’t wait to see them.

I have only been to Valdez in the summer and fall, and have been wanting to visit in winter for the longest time. I am excited about the drive, as it’s one of the most beautiful drives in the state. It will be an exhausting two days of driving (about 350 miles each way), which is why we’re spending the night. If we can get down there by dinner time tomorrow, we’ll be able to check things out tomorrow night and then hang around until noon or so on Saturday before making the drive back to North Pole. I’m sure there will be plenty of photos to share!

MY SON IS COMING FOR A VISIT!

Yesterday, I booked tickets for my eldest son Chris to visit in September. I had enough miles to get him up here for only $10. He’ll be here for Denali Road Lottery weekend (I hope I win a pass or a couple of passes!), and since we’ll be seeing some darkness at night, there’s a good chance he’ll finally get to see the aurora too. The last time he visited (March 2011), he had a great time doing fun stuff, but never saw the northern lights. I hope this trip is different.  I am so excited!! Brandon and Becky are not fans of the cold, so they prefer to visit AK in the summer months. I’d like to get them up here next summer.

Until next time…

SHARE ON FACEBOOK

March has been a very busy month. Then again, March is always a busy month. It’s my favorite winter month for many reasons: the aurora, activities, better weather, longer days, and having or meeting up with visitors.

Sparkling snow is one of my favorite things about winter. I took this photo on a walk with Raven around the neighborhood:

In the entry prior to the St Patrick’s Day aurora, I left off with a visit to the ice park and some behind the scenes photos of the ice carvers working on the multi-block sculptures. I returned to the park a few nights later to photograph the completed sculptures under white light. Our local SMUG group (photographers) was given the opportunity to stay after hours in the park, which worked out really well for photo taking. By this time, they had been judged as well. It was really neat to see the completed sculptures after photographing pieces of them being worked on before assembling. I also did a quick walk through the single block forest and took a few photos of some of the sculptures I missed the first time through.

MEET-UP with FRIENDS ADAM and DAHLIA

In mid February, I received an email from a gentleman named Adam, who lives in SoCAL with his wife Dahlia. His wife came across this blog when researching how to photograph the aurora. Adam asked me if I’d be kind enough to share tips about photographing the northern lights, and I was happy to help.  I also advised him on attire and ways to protect his camera gear in harsh weather. We corresponded a few times before he and his wife came to Fairbanks a few weeks ago. We made arrangements to meet up; I looked forward to meeting them and showing them around town.

They were staying at a B&B about 30 miles south of Fairbanks. Our first meet up was at Pioneer Park, where I walked with them through the cabins in Gold Rush Town, and told them a little bit about the history of Fairbanks. It was a beautiful sunny day, although a bit chilly (by their standards). I was thrilled to see snow melting and steam coming off the ground under the warm winter sun.

From Pioneer Park, we drove over to the Carlson Center, and visited the ducks (mostly mallards) who winter over here each year. As luck would have it, there was a man feeding them while we were there, so they came closer to shore. I explained that the ducks have been growing in number each year, and about the warm water discharged from the power plant upriver, which keeps the water flowing there.

After visiting with the ducks, we grabbed a bite to eat at Alaska Coffee Roasters (yummiest flatbread personal pizzas!) before heading over to the ice park. It was a very full and fun day, and I felt like I had known Adam and Dahlia forever. Such great people who are now surely friends!

Here are photos from our first day together:

ROADTRIP!!!

If you’ve been reading me for awhile, you know how important roadtrips are. Especially at the end of winter, when we have enough light to go farther distances, and the roads are generally in good shape.

Friends Julie and Amanda and I (along with their 4yo sons Brayden and Marc) took a long and beautiful drive to Paxson and back. Cabin fever has been hitting us all pretty strongly, and with a sunny day in the forecast, we decided to take advantage.

Julie drove, and the back of her car was full of winter gear, camera gear and snack food. Poor Amanda was jammed in pretty tight with the two boys in their car seats, but she’s a tiny thing so it wasn’t as tight as it would have been for me!

While we did have partly cloudy skies, it didn’t make the trip any less enjoyable. The wind was really strong though, so anytime we stepped out of the car, the cold immediately went to our bones. It was hard to keep the doors from being blown off too, and if both doors were open at the same time, a *tornado* of wind would whip through the car, picking up napkins and other items that weren’t secure.

The mountains were partially visible, which is the best part about a drive south on the Richardson Hwy. Well, maybe the second best thing. The best thing is when we come upon wildlife. We were lucky on this trip. Not only did we see a half dozen or so moose, but we also came upon the Donnelly caribou herd. But the best part of the trip, was when I spotted three Dall sheep up on a cliff above the highway! It was an awesome wildlife day.

Then, to make a perfect day even more perfect, we had the most glorious sunset on the way home. What a fabulous, relaxing, exciting roadtrip - with some of my favorite travel buddies!

MORE FRIEND MEET-UPS!

When Steve and I went to New England a couple of years ago - to enjoy the autumn foliage - we met a couple (also from SoCAL) who were staying in the same New Hampshire B&B. Over breakfast one morning, Steve and I chatted with Chris and her husband Steve about Alaska. Chris is also an avid photographer and a world traveler and told us that they were hoping to visit Alaska to see the northern lights. Well of course this got me talking about coming in March, for all the reasons I wrote.

About a year ago, Chris emailed me and told me that they were finalizing their plans to visit Alaska, and I shared more information about things that were going on around town, as well as tips for photographing the aurora, what kind of clothing she’d need to pack, etc.

Over the year, we communicated via email, until finally she notified me that their trip was upon them and they were on their way. We planned to meet up for a meal, and to visit with each other.  Chris and her husband were traveling with another couple, Stefanie and Larry.

We decide to meet for breakfast on Friday morning, and then go downtown to see the start of the ONAC (Open North American Championship dogsled races). I invited Dahlia and Adam to meet up with us too, so that we could all see the dogs and the race start. There was quite the crowd, as always, and by the time we got there, people were 3 and 4 deep at the sidelines. This made photographs nearly impossible, so I suggested we go to Creamers Field for some good shots of the teams coming out of the woods and across the field. I’m so glad we went, as everyone was happy with the unobstructed view, and the natural backdrop.

When the last team came in, we parted ways - heading back to our home and hotels to take a nap before the big aurora viewing meetup later that evening.

My friend Julie called her friend Patty - who owns Pedro’s Hideaway just north of Fairbanks. She asked Patty if they had any guests in the cabin, and because guests had just checked out, Patty told us we were welcome to come up and hang out there - and view the aurora! We were so excited, as were our visitors from Southern California. Not only would we have open sky, but we’d have a cute and quaint cabin to duck into if we got too cold.

The light show was already starting by the time we got to Pedro’s. We set up our cameras and would take photos, go inside to warm up and chat, come back out and take photos, go back inside, and so on. It was a wonderful evening spent with awesome people, and one I’m sure none of us will soon forget. The aurora wasn’t bad - but not as spectacular as our St Paddy’s Day show (nothing could compare to that!).

We all left the cabin a little after midnight. Chris, Steve, Stefanie and Larry had an early flight out of Fairbanks the next morning and still had to get packed up. Julie had additional friends with her who flew in only a few hours earlier, from NY, and they were so jet lagged they ended up falling asleep in the cabin. We had to take them back to their family’s house so they could get some much needed sleep.

Because the sky was still lit up with lights, we dropped off Julie’s guests and then drove to the pipeline viewpoint to meet back up with Amanda. We didn’t stay very long, as it was quite cold and the clouds began to roll in. The aurora was quite odd looking, up through the clouds. Like ribbons of very dim light overhead.

The next day, I think we were all exhausted. I know I slept in and stayed in my pjs all day!

CHATANIKA DREDGE

On Adam and Dahlia’s last day in Fairbanks, I took them out to FE Gold Camp and the Chatanika Dredge. We had a beautiful sunny day, which was perfect for a drive north of Fairbanks. Along the way we chatted, and Adam told me that the one thing they hadn’t seen while visiting was a moose. I hoped that driving up the Steese Hwy 30 miles would be lucky for them.

We drove up onto the property of F. E. Gold Camp, and Adam took a few photos of the old mining equipment and decrepit buildings. I showed them the road to the old schoolhouse, and it was passable, so we drove to the school and looked through the windows.

Our next stop was Chatanika Lodge, where we parked the truck and then crossed the road to the old dredge. I explained to them how the dredge worked back in the gold rush days, and Adam couldn’t believe we were walking on old tailings that were discarded from the dredge. The hill down to the dredge was very slippery and deep with snow, so we couldn’t go down and explore the inside, but I told him that it’s an interesting piece of equipment to check out in the summer months.

Hungry, we decided to grab something to eat at the lodge. The burgers were a little dry (overcooked), which was not the norm. Usually the food is really good there. Nevertheless I was starving, so it suited me just fine. After our meal, and with several hours of daylight left, we decided to drive another 5 or so miles up the road to the mile 35 pull-out where we shoot the aurora from occasionally.

A few photos were snapped, and we started on our way back to Fairbanks. Only a few minutes later, a cow moose and her grown calf were spotted - one on each side of the road. How exciting! Adam and Dahlia got to see moose afterall! The cow moose was in the short wooded area off to the right, but the calf had crossed the road and was on the left side. The cow moose seemed a little distressed, so we didn’t hang around any longer than it took for Adam to get a few photos. I’m sure they were reunited after we pulled away.

We said our goodbyes in the Walmart parking lot (where I had left my car), and I told them that Steve and I would certainly let them know if our travels ever brought us to their part of the country. It would be wonderful to get together with them again. We also talked about the Denali Road Lottery, and I told them that they should buy a couple of chances and come back up in September if they win. Who knows? Maybe they will.

What a great time I had hanging out with Adam, Dahlia, and the others! I love meeting online friends in person, and I’m glad that everyone had such a great visit to Fairbanks. I hope they’ll come back again soon.

It has truly been an amazing month! I feel so blessed for not only the beautiful light shows we’ve had, but the amazing friends I’ve met via the internet, or on my travels - who I can now call *real* friends.

April will also be a very busy month, photography wise. I have quite a few bookings for maternity, newborn, and family sessions. I love what I do!

Until next time…

SHARE ON FACEBOOK