Alaska Sunday XX

Trip Log - Part IV

June 15 - 25

The fourth installment of the actual trip log of 'The Drive from Texas to Alaska and Back'.

As mentioned previously, this log does not contain too much commentary. It is mainly sequential locations, dates, mileage traveled, photographs showing the trip progress, and how the landscape changed. The Alaska Trip Log is divided into two week intervals (parts) and I am posting it on consecutive Sundays. Past and future posts of Alaska Sunday (apart from the trip log) will have more detailed information, and more photos of each specific area. A small number of the photographs were previously posted when describing specific locations.

Most are new photos not previously seen.

We are resuming our posting of the trip log after time out out for the Olympics.
Last week I only posted one photo of a Large Moose crossing the road.

Be sure to click on the photographs for full screen views.

And so, on with the trip.

6/15 Bellingham, Washington, U.S. to Clinton, B.C., Canada 255 mi

One of 7 tunnels
Shot through a clean windshield.
Martha is a hard taskmaster.
I have to keep it clean for her photos.

Riding the tram down

Martha did not want to go down but relented since she needed to be stocking up on supplies for the journey across the wilderness. They had a store down there where she could buy dried beans, flour, rice, salt, sugar, extra rope, duct tape, extra spokes for the wagon wheels, leather for harness repair for the oxen, canvas patches for the wagon, etc. Instead I found her here at the following location giving in to modern advertising. We bought supplies at the following location.

Supplies here

6/16 Clinton, BC to Cache Creek (Prince George), BC 270 mi

6/17 Prince George, BC to Dawson Creek, BC to Ft. St. John 326 mi

Mile Post Zero
Dawson Creek on the AlCan Highway

6/18 Ft. St. John to Toad River, BC 360 mi


6/19 Toad River, BC to Watson Lake to Nugget City, Yukon 222 mi

If you come in with your hat on, they tack it to the ceiling

6/20 Nugget City to Johnson's Crossing 177 mi

Wild Horses (not mustangs)

6/21 Johnson's Crossing to Whitehorse to Haines Junction (Kluane Campground) 176 mi

Teslin - Johnson's Crossing

Kluane Campground

It was really cold here. There is a mile-thick ice sheet behind those mountains. The brochure for our TrailManor says it can be erected, leveled, and locked in 2 minutes. We did it quicker than that. The wind coming off of that ice was bitterly cold. This may have been one of the coldest places that we stayed during the entire trip. We turned on the propane and Martha went in and turned on the furnace. While she was organizing inside, I connected the water, electricity, and sewer. No cable TV here. After the trailer is warmed, which only takes a few minutes, we keep it toasty with two 1' cube, 1500 watt space heaters.

Destruction Bay
Notice the white sand blowing

6/22 Haines Junction, Yukon to Tok, Alaska 298 mi

Made it to Alaska

Martha cleaning the seals, on the bed rails

We ran through a heavy rain and it cleaned a lot of the road grime off.
We'll give the vehicles a good cleaning and wash tomorrow.

6/23 Rest Day (Tok area) - 3 mi

Go to the grocery store, wash vehicles, check e-mails, read a book, call home (cell service at last), organize maps. Put up the "Milepost Guidebook". The AlCan Hwy ends tomorrow at Delta Junction, AK. Tok is at Milepost 1313 on the AlCan Hwy. We will go towards Fairbanks tomorrow. Going South was out of the question anyway. The bridge was out going South. Big storm and flash flood. As it turns out, the bridge was out for about 2-3 weeks. We came back up that Hwy in about 5 weeks. The bridge was open, but they were still repairing the road and putting the finishing touches on the bridge.


6/24 Tok, Alaska to Fairbanks, AK 206 mi


The Alcan Hwy is really tough on vehicles. I think they were out getting repair parts for this one.

In need of repair

6/25 Fairbanks, Ak (River's Edge RV Park) Around the town 35 mi

Fairbanks at 1 AM

We left our Travel Trailer here for 8 nights as we traveled North to Prudhoe Bay(Deadhorse) and the Arctic Ocean. 1016 miles round trip, of which about 800+ miles were gravel, dirt, potholes, mud, rocks, construction, and repair work on the dangerous parts.

Next week will be the log of the trip North to the Arctic Ocean and back, then down South to Denali and on to Anchorage. Links will be provided to photos and previous post for that section of the trip with mileages.

Mileage for this section of the log ...........2328 mi
Mileage before 6/13 .................................5481 mi

Total miles to get to Fairbanks ..............7809 mi

(Mileage assumes we didn't miss some logs). It's easy to get caught up in the moment. In addition to the odometer, I have 2 separate trip meters on the console. One was for total trip and the other was for the day trips. A helpful service tech in Portland (where I had the 4Runner serviced and the oil changed), reset my trip meters. Grrrrrrrr.

Do you have a favorite photograph?
Comments are appreciated.
Let me know if you are keeping up with the trip, or are just a one-time visitor.

Troy and Martha

Fire Storm

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Forest Fire in Yellowstone - 2006
An angry sky in the late afternoon.

(Click on the Photo for the full effect)

Much of the light was obscured by smoke and clouds from a storm rolling in. We were lucky enough (depending on your point of view) to find a side road and get close enough and high enough to see the glow of the fire above the tree line.

In addition to the amazing colors, the photo is further enhanced by the stark silhouettes of the skeletons of trees from a previous fire, cutting across the sky.

The trees are a bit out of focus, but as I remember, I was trying to focus on the cloud edges.

Another Sky Watch Friday Adventure Photo.
Taken on our drive back to Texas from Alaska.
Leave a comment if you liked the photograph.

Troy and Martha

For other SWF posts,
see Tom's new SkyWatch site here.
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Flies, Frogs, and Flowers

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A collection of "F's" for your enjoyment.
Click on the photographs for details.

Fruit Fly (Delphina picta)
Picture-winged Fly

Closely resembles the Picture-winged Fly (Tritoxa sp.) posted by Marvin(click here) a while back.
The Delphina is recognized by the 2 white triangles on the leading edge of the mostly black wing as opposed to the white stripes for Tritoxa.

These is a great group of flies - the Fruit Fly family (Tephritidae)

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Tachnid Fly
Trichopoda sp.

The larvae of the Tachnid are parasitic on other insects and caterpillars.

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Mallophora sp. (probably orcina)
Robber fly (Southern Bee Killer)

This robber fly feeds almost exclusively on bees and wasps.

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Frog
Come on in, the slime is fine.
Free beauty treatment mud pack.

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Flowers make a fine "F"

Partridge Pea ( Cassia fasciculata)
Notice the very cool stigma

This is an interesting 5 petal flower. The upper 3 petals are red-spotted at the base. the lower 2 petals are cupped. The flowers are borne on a short cluster, but only one opens at the time. Notice yesterday's flower above is closed. The leaves are divided into 8-15 opposite pair leaflets. The foliage is partially sensitive and partially closes when stroked.

Notice the small orange gland at the base of the leaf. This produces nectar which the ants use as a food source. Notice the small ant on the way up to collect dinner (or a snack).

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Fireweed
Near the Arctic circle


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Foxglove
Photographed on the side of a cliff,
overlooking the Pacific Ocean

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Click on the photographs for details.

I hope you enjoyed the "F" post today.
Leave a comment.
Vote for your favorite so that we will know what you like to see.

Troy and Martha

ABC Wednesday Round 3 is here.
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Alaska Sunday XIX

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As last week, I spent most of my spare time this week watching the Olympics.
I will be back on my regular posting schedule for the travel log next week.
We will be continuing into British Columbia ( a most beautiful place filled with wildlife).

Speaking of wildlife, I will leave you with one photo from B.C.

While traveling, Martha always kept the D200 w/ VR lens in active mode for snapshots.
(BTW, the front windshield was always (most always) clean.

Moose on the Loose
200 mm focal length ....... at 70 mph
(Click on the photo for an up-close and personal look)

The Moose crashed out of the trees and trotted across the road.
Way to go Martha! Good eyes. Great action photo.
Do you think the Moose had crossed here before?
Look at those skid marks.

Photo by Martha
Good driving by Troy

Comments appreciated.
Scroll down one post and see if you can help with an ID.

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Peacock Fly

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I assume this is one of the large Fruit flies (maybe Tephritidae ?).
The Tephritidae are also known as Peacock Flies due to the wing pattern.
I haven't had any luck in my field guides, so I need a little help with the identification.

Update: May be Ulidiidae or a 'picture-winged fly'.
Update to the Update: Probably Rivellia - a Signal Fly

. Class Insecta (Insects)

. Order Diptera (Flies)

. No Taxon (Acalyptratae)

. Superfamily Tephritoidea

. Family Platystomatidae (Signal Flies)

. Genus Rivellia

Probably Rivellia

It was maybe 1/4" inch in length.
Some of these are known as Peacock or even Picture-winged flies due to the wing pattern.

I wish I had paid more attention to the size.
(Note to self: Buy a small digital Pocket Recorder.)

It was photographed at the Ft. Worth Nature Refuge, Ft. Worth, Tarrant County, Texas, USA.
I just posted it on Bug Guide here. For comments on ID, go to the link.


Troy

Choices

Sky Watch Friday

Life's Choices

Life's choices are like clouds.
Sometimes the way is clear,
to decide between black and white.

Occasionally the choice is grey,
and we call on experience,
prayer, and common sense.

We may be tempted by.....
beautiful oranges and yellows.
Make your choices wisely.

Photograph by Martha on the way home from work.
Nikon S51 - As photographed 08/21/2008

Photograph by Martha
Poor free verse by Troy

How do you make your choices?
Prayer, Experience, flip a coin?
Leave a comment.
Inquiring minds want to know!

For other SWF posts,
see Tom's new SkyWatch site here.

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Elfins and Egrets

w/ some Pink Evening Primroses

Henry's Elfin

One of my favorite butterflies. Not bright and showy, but dark and fast flying. Why do I like them? Because they are one of the earliest hatching butterflies in the Ft. Worth area. We always start looking for them when the redbud trees start to bloom.

Egrets
A very cool and calm bird.


Snowy Egret
Notice the yellow shoes


Great Egret
Notice all of the snails on the grass stems.


And finally some flowers


Evening Primroses (Pink)
Growing wild in my front yard. Photo taken at sunset.

Be sure to click on the photos for full page views (only ~75KB).

Troy and Martha

ABC Wednesday Round 3 is here.

Alaska Sunday XVIII

Trip Log - Part III

June 13-14

The third installment of the trip log of 'The Drive from Texas to Alaska and Back' .

Notice of Timeout: They Olympics is on and I am a huge fan. I haven't had a chance to organize any text and photos. Way too much TV.

As mentioned previously, this log does not contain too much commentary. It is mainly sequential locations, dates, mileage traveled, photographs showing the trip progress, and how the landscape changed. The Alaska Trip Log is divided into two week intervals (parts) and I am posting it on consecutive Sundays. Past and future posts of Alaska Sunday (apart from the trip log) will have more detailed information, and more photos of each specific area. A small number of the photographs were previously posted when describing specific locations. Most are new photos not previously seen.

So, just a quick post today to get back to the US, and to let you know that I am still alive.

6/13 Victoria, B.C. to Sidney, B.C. to Anacortes, WA (by Ferry) to Bellingham, WA 102 mi

Beautiful Ferry Ride through the San Juan Islands (in the rain) and then on to our camp site in Bellingham, WA.

Through the San Juan Islands by Ferry
(Click on the images for a better view)

6/14 Bellingham, WA to North Cascades Nat'l Park and back. 206 miles

It was my birthday today. We were back in the US to celebrate Flag Day and my birthday.

Small Waterfall and Polished Rocks
North Cascades

I'll try to steal some time this week from the Olympics and make the log a little longer next Sunday. If this is your first time here, go back and look at the photos of Parts I and II.

5481 miles to date.

Part I of the Trip Log is here.
Part II of the Trip Log is here.

It was a small post today, so leave a small comment if you liked one or both photos.

Troy and Martha

Flea Beetle

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A very cool beetle for your consideration.

Photographed at Santa Anna National Wildlife Refuge on the Rio Grande River, Texas

Eight-spotted Flea Beetle
Omophoita cyanipennis octomaculata

The adults are very small to moderately sized Chrysomelidae (i.e. among beetles in general they are on the smallish side).

They are similar to other leaf beetles, but characteristically have the hindleg femora greatly enlarged. These enlarged femora allow for the springing action of these insects when disturbed. Flea beetles can also walk normally and fly. Many flea beetles are attractively colored; dark, shiny and often metallic colors predominate.

Adult flea beetles feed externally on plants, eating the surface of the leaves, stems and petals. Under heavy feeding these holes may coalesce into larger areas of damage. Some flea beetle larvae (e.g. of Phyllotreta species) are root feeders.

In adverse weather conditions (rain, for example) some flea beetles seek shelter in the soil. At least a few species(Phyllotreta cruciferae and P. striolata) prefer warm, dry weather. The German name Erdflöhe (literally "earth fleas") refers to their jumping ability and this behavior of hiding in the soil.

Troy and Martha

For those that want a little more information:

From: Texas Entomology - Texas Beetle information

Range: Arizona, Kansas, Texas, Florida, West Indies, Mexico, Central America (Riley et al. 2003)

Hosts: Polyphagous (Mignot 1970; Clark et al. 2004)

Similar Species:

This genus includes about 50 species found throughout the Neotropics (Arnett et al. 2002), but only Omophoitacyanipennis octomaculata occurs in the United States (Riley et al. 2003)

Type Specimen:

Original combination: Oedionychis octamaculata Crotch, 1873
Current name Omophoita cyanipennis octomaculata

Etymology: Omophoita cyanipennis octomaculata (Crotch)

omo (G). The shoulder; unripe, raw
phoita ?
cyan, -e, -i, -o (G). Dark blue
penn, =a, -ati, -i (L). A feather; a wing; feathered
oct, -i, -o (L). Eight
=macula, -t (L). Spot; spotted

Biology: George Robert Crotch (1842 - 1874) was a British entomologist.

Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Long-horned and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) » Skeletonizing leaf beetles (Galerucinae) » Flea Beetles (Alticini) » Omophoita » Eight-spotted Flea Beetle (Omophoita cyanipennis)

Posted for your viewing enjoyment and
for those visiting from Camera Critters.

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Double Rainbow

Skywatch Friday

Double Rainbow
(Click on the photo to see the colors better)

Camped in British Columbia. Canada.
We had just pulled into our campsite after a rain shower.
The air was crisp and clean and the pines and firs smelled great.

Notice how strong and separated the colors are.
Starting from the bottom, the primary colors are:
violet, blue, green, yellow, orange, red

This photo is a poor reproduction of the scene.
We just stood there and drank in the scene for a long time.

For other SWF posts,
see Tom's new SkyWatch site here.

Troy and Martha

An ode to "D"

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Driving in the Dirt,
Deadhorse bound,
on the Dalton Haul Road, while
Displaying a license tag containing a D.

a perfect Day
24 hours of Daylight,
North of the Arctic Circle

Stopped in order for Martha to view wildlife in the
Distance.



Another D photographed in the Alpine regions of the mountains......

Dwarf fireweed
(Be sure to click on the photos for a Dazzling view)


a Different type of landscape,
a few thousand miles to the South
Desolate - Death Valley

Update: I had better add a Dragonfly.

Blue Dasher (Pachydiplas longipennis)

Troy and Martha

ABC Wednesday Round 3 is here.

Odd Shot Monday

It's real......
but it's enhanced by Photoshop.

We were going birding early one morning while down in the Rio Grande Valley, just before Sunrise.
There was a fog forming and it was densest in the trees. The moonlight was shining through the trees and I thought I might be able to do something with the photo. It was shot with a telephoto lens to give some foreshortening to the Moon.

Click on the Photo for full effect.

Moon Glow in the Trees

It's been enhanced, but I thought it was interesting for a change.

Leave a comment, pro or con.

For other interesting photography visit Katney's.

Troy

Alaska Sunday XVII

Trip Log - Part II

May 31 - June 12

The second installment of the trip log of 'The Drive from Texas to Alaska and Back'.

As mentioned previously, this log does not contain too much commentary. It is mainly sequential locations, dates, mileage traveled, photographs showing the trip progress, and how the landscape changed. The Alaska Trip Log is divided into two week intervals (parts) and I am posting it on consecutive Sundays. Past and future posts of Alaska Sunday (apart from the trip log) will have more detailed information, and more photos of each specific area. A small number of the photographs were previously posted when describing specific locations. Most are new photos not previously seen.


We resume our trip after staying 4 nights camped at the mouth of the beautiful Klamath River. We had originally planned to stay here just 1 night, but plans change. Our only goal for this trip was 'to wade in the Arctic Ocean' and tentatively 'to return home by Sept 1st'. As you can see from the Part I trip log last Sunday, this was a magical area with the color of the Pacific and the beautiful drives through the giant Coastal Redwoods and drives along the cliffs on one lane dirt "roads?" overlooking the Pacific with it's wildlife, ocean views, and a profusion of wild flowers.

So, we'll finish May and on to the month of June.........

Be sure to click on the photographs for full screen views.

One last photo before we leave California. After we returned home, I was lamenting the fact that I did not have a photo of a Douglas Iris from the trip. Martha informed me that she had found one on a hillside overlooking the Pacific Ocean and photographed it. Sure enough, buried in the 18,000 photos was this beauty. Thank you Martha.

Douglas Iris
Also known as:
'Thompson's Iris' on the CA-OR Border

Click here for more information on this rare and interesting plant.

5/31 Klamath, CA to Union Creek, OR 219 mi

Crater Lake - Early Summer
Not your typical photo of Crater Lake

The road to the visitor's center had just been opened by snowplows through snow 10 feet deep in places. As you can see from the photo, some of the lake's surface was frozen. The lake has only been frozen over completely twice. Click here to see an article on its history of freezing. Most of the campgrounds and RV parks in the Cascade Range were not open for camping this 'early' in the year due to the deep snow. WOW, all that snow and to think it was 105^oF when we crossed the desert just a week ago.


6/1 Union Creek, OR to Fairview (Portland), OR 272 mi

Newberry National Volcanic Monument, Oregon
Abstract Beauty in a Stark, Harsh Environment

Click here for info on Newberry NM.


6/2 through 6/4 Day Trips out of Fairview, OR 488 mi

Columbia River Gorge
Martha held the umbrella while I made the shot. Team Photo.


Mount Rainier, Washington


Just in time for the Portland Rose Festival
Washington Park, Portland, Oregon

6/5 Fairview (Portland),Oregon to Hammond (Astoria),Oregon 75 mi

Ft. Clatsop National Monument, Oregon
Where Lewis & Clark spent the winter of 1805-1806

Near the mouth of the Columbia River at the Pacific Ocean
Martha is pointing to the Pacific
Click here for information on the site.
I know it's not a beautiful scenic photo, but it had always been a dream of mine since I was a child to see where they found their goal and where they camped during this hard winter.


6/6 Day Trips 60 mi
Columbia River, Pacific Beach, Lewis and Clark sites.

Cape Disappointment, WA
Lighthouse

The lighthouse is visible on a small headland, just inside the mouth of the Columbia River which makes a sharp right hand turn, after entering the mouth of the river. This small spit of land juts out into the Columbia from McKenzie Head. It is part of Ft. Canby State Park. There is a lighthouse (North Head Lighthouse) across McKenzie Head on the Pacific side (no photo).

Looking back across the Columbia River toward Clatsop Spit in Oregon.
Click here for information.

Map of the Entrance to the Columbia River

6/7 Hammond, OR to Port Angeles, WA 550 mi (long day)

Oyster Shells

Now I know where those sacks of oyster shells, at the Farm Store, come from.
This was one of many 25' high mountains of shells near Aberdeen, WA.


6/8 Day Trip to Hoh Rain Forest 160 mi round trip

This is where Martha found her big tree.

Sitka Spruce
Rain Forest Monarch

6/9 Port Angeles, Washington by Ferry to Victoria, Vancouver Island, B.C., Canada
25 car miles, 30 miles by Ferry (MV Coho) to 'Ft. Victoria RV Park'

Looking back to Washington in the Rain
Ferry Crossing - On the Strait of Juan de Fuca

6/9 Day trip to the beautiful Butchart Gardens 25 mi

6/10 Day trip to Witty's Lagoon Regional Park, Vancouver Island 25 mi

We had a great day at Witty's Lagoon and walked down to the beach. We could see across the Strait, with cruise ships navigating the strait, and the majestic Olympic Range rising above the clouds. Lots more about Vancouver Island can be seen at the excellent site of Island Rambles. Click here.

View Across the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Olympic Range

6/11 Toured the beautiful city of Victoria and visited Sidney to pick up Ferry tickets. 50 mi.

6/12 Rest Day. Martha did laundry, cooked a nice lunch at the camper, and took a nap.
I organized photos, burned DVD's, answered e-mails, and also took a nap.
It was a beautiful RV Park and nice to have a rest day. For dinner, there was a five star restaurant just down the road.

That's all for Part II of the log.
5173 miles to date.

Part I of the Trip Log is here.

If you are enjoying the log and/or the photographs, leave a comment.

Also, please let me know your favorite photo.

Next Sunday, back to the Mainland.

Thanks to Martha for keeping such good records.

Photography by Troy and Martha