Scott’s Bluff

An Odd Shot
That Turned Out
Almost Perfect

First the Technical Stuff
Nikon D200, f/16, 1/1000 sec, 56mm focal length, ISO 640

It was mid-morning with some residual moisture in the air from an early morning fog. This photo (jpeg) does not do justice to the beauty of this quiet morning on the Plains. There was a high thin cloud layer making the lighting very diffuse. This only seem to enhance the soft palette of colors. I can still hear the birds in the cedars, grasses, and scrub. I can still smell the dry parched grasses touched by the hint of moisture. If you love history, can you still hear the creak and groan of the wagon trains? Do you think the Bluffs miss the company of the settlers at night as they made their campfires, cooked their meals, and reminisced about the adventures of the day? If you have never been to this part of the US, drop everything and go now.

A Hint to Make Your Nature Photography More Enjoyable….
Try to remember what it smelled like and what you could hear.
Update: Also, was the sweat dripping from your nose, and how did you feel.
Make notes if necessary to accompany a potential great photograph.

The Amazing Part

The only Post Processing done was to adjust the Levels. For those that don’t use Photoshop, this is a very minor adjustment to set the white point in the photo to white (in this case the small white chalk deposits in the cliffs), being careful not to lose detail in the lightest areas. Then set the black point to black (in this case the darkest shadows under the Cedars). The net result of this is to increase the range of shades of gray or in this case colors to a broader spectrum that the eye would expect to see. This may not be visible on a monitor, but is really important when printed to a good calibrated Printer. No other adjustments were made. Amazing. Sometimes the Camera just gets it right.

Saddle Rock
Scott’s Bluff National Monument

(Click on the photo for a full view)

Scotts Bluff National Monument in western Nebraska includes an important 19th century landmark on the Oregon Trail and Mormon Trail. The National Monument contains multiple bluffs (steep hills) located on the south side of the North Platte River, but it is named after one prominent bluff called Scotts Bluff which rises over 830 feet (330 m) above the plains at its highest point. The monument is composed of five rock formations named Crown Rock, Dome Rock, Eagle Rock, Saddle Rock, and Sentinel Rock.

Scotts Bluff County and the city of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, were named after the landmark.

The collection of bluffs was first charted by non-native people in 1812 by the Astorian Expedition of fur traders traveling along the river. The expedition party noted the bluffs as the first large rock formations along the river where the Great Plains started giving way to the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. Their findings were not widely communicated, however, because of the War of 1812. In 1823 the route to the Rocky Mountains was rediscovered, and the bluffs became a regular landmark for fur traders in the region. The most prominent bluff was named after a fur trader named Hiram Scott who died near the bluff in 1828.

Fur traders, missionaries, and military expeditions began regular trips past Scotts Bluff during the 1830s. Beginning in 1841, multitudes of settlers passed by Scotts Bluff on their way west on the Emigrant Trail to Oregon, and later California and Utah. Wagon trains used the bluff as a major landmark for navigation. The trail itself passed through Mitchell Pass, a gap in the bluffs flanked by two large cliffs. Although the route through Mitchell Pass was tortuous and hazardous, many emigrants preferred this route to following the North Platte river bottom on the north side of the bluff. Passage through Mitchell Pass became a significant milestone for many wagon trains on their way westward. In one of its first engineering deployments, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a smoother road through Mitchell Pass in the early 1850s. Use of the Emigrant Trail tapered off in 1869 when the trail was made obsolete by the completion of the transcontinental railroad.

The town of Gering, Nebraska, was founded near the base of the bluff in 1887, and the city of Scottsbluff was founded across the North Platte River from the bluff in 1900. Separated only by the river, the two cities have since grown together and now form the 8th-largest urban area in Nebraska.

I hope you have enjoyed this odd shot of a moment in history.
Leave a comment if you enjoyed it (and why), or if you have been there.

These odd posts all started over at Katney's.

Troy and Martha,
Texas Travelers
in Nebraska

Alaska Sunday IX

Deadhorse

(Scroll down 1 post for Camera Critters Sunday)

I have been under the weather today, so the post will be brief. Here are just a few photos for your viewing pleasure. Your regular tour guides, Troy and Martha, will be back next week for a better episode.

For a previous post on Deadhorse and some interesting fact about the “town” see the previous story VII here.

Doug Taron should appreciate this, I finally got a butterfly in the net for a close look and ID. It was windy and they were hard to catch.

Troy Nets a Butterfly

Driving into Deadhorse, I couldn’t find the local car wash. One interesting fact about the 4Runner: The Navigation system quit working at about 70 degrees North. It lost sight of the satellites. My Magnetic compass worked OK after I reset it by 25 degrees. If you hike across the tundra or in the Arctic NWR, don't forget to reset your compass. I also had a hard time telling direction by the Sun, since it doesn't set.

The 4Runner needs a Bath

I cleaned off the dirt covering "Texas" on my plates.
Workers kept asking "You drive up here from Texas?"
The reply, "Yep, shore did pardner!"
They kept telling me good things to see,
such as the bear below.

I just realized, or I can’t find any photos of the inside of our accommodations. I am looking for a missing DVD! I may have to go back and re-photograph all of this. Martha says that would be OK, she misses Alaska.

Home for 4 Nights (days) – Whatever
The Sun, She don’t set.

One of the birds we wanted to see on their breeding grounds was the Snow Bunting.

He sang day and night
Yes, I went out and checked about 2:30 in the AM

I got Martha’s photograph in the Arctic Ocean. It was a balmy 60 degrees that day and the water temperature was up to 34 degrees (Fahrenheit that is).

Martha is coming out
Her feet and hand color match the shirt.

We saw a Brown bear cool off in the water, and then go dig a hole in the sand to find a cool place to sleep for a while. That's probably the Phillip Smith Mountains of the Brooks Range in the background.

A cool bed

Yes, that's as close as I got.
They can run faster than me on open ground.

Check the side bar for previous, and better, episodes and photographs. This adventure will continue next week, "through landslides and flash floods, back to Coldfoot".

Alaska Sunday is a collection of photographic remembrances of our driving trip from Texas to Alaska.
18,000 miles, 16 weeks, 16 western states including Alaska and four Canadian Provinces.
No chronological order, just anything of interest that got in front of our cameras.

Photos by Troy and Martha

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The Eyes Have It

Camera Critter Tip of the Day

When photographing willing subjects and you have the time, always focus on the eye. This is especially true when doing Macro (micro) photography.

The heart and soul lives in the eyes. Click on the link in the discussion to learn more about compound eyes.

Click on the photos to have a better look at the eye.

Stream Cruiser (Didymops transversa)
Dragonfly

Kiowa Dancer (Argia immunda)
Damselfly
female

The Damselfly (Suborder Zygoptera) is an insect in the Order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be differentiated by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along the body when at rest. Furthermore, the hindwing of the damselfly is essentially similar to the forewing, while the hindwing of the dragonfly broadens near the base, caudal to the connecting point at the body. Damselflies are also usually smaller, weaker fliers than dragonflies, and their eyes are separated.

Damselflies undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with an aquatic nymphal stage. The female lays eggs in water, sometimes in underwater vegetation, or high in trees in bromeliads and other water-filled cavities. Nymphs are carnivorous, feeding on daphnia, mosquito larvae, and various other small aquatic organisms. The gills of damselfly nymphs are large and external, resembling three fins at the end of the abdomen. After moulting several times, the winged adult emerges and eats flies, mosquitoes, and other small insects. Some of the larger tropical species are known to feed on spiders, hovering near the web and simply plucking the spider from its perch.

A Dragonfly is a type of insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body.

Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges (no-see-ums), and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are therefore valued as predators, since they help control populations of harmful insects. Dragonflies are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlands because their larvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not bite or sting humans.

Male Dragonflies are capable of hovering followed by rapid acceleration. Some nymphs even hunt on land, an aptitude which could easily have been more common in ancient times when terrestrial predators were clumsier. Giant dragonflies can glide for 20 meters at 10 degrees and a speed of 74 cm per second which is similar to some birds. They capture their prey by clasping them in legs studded with spikes. Prey cannot escape by diving away because dragonflies always attack from below.

Camera Critters is here. Come along; you’ll see some unusual stuff.
Join in; we would like to see your critters. Click here to join.

Scroll down 1 post to see the "Columbia River in the Rain" and
scroll down 2 posts to see some "Photographs of Texas".

Troy and Martha

Columbia River

Sky Watch Friday

Rain over the Columbia River

Columbia River
Vista House on the view point to the right

Click on the photograph for better viewing and
click on the links to learn more about this region and some of its history

This is one of my favorite spots in the Pacific Northwest. I can just imagine Lewis and Clark viewing the mighty Columbia River.

The expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark is one of my favorite historical subjects.

The Columbia River (known as Wimahl or Big River to the Chinook-speaking natives who live on its lowermost reaches) is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It is named after the Columbia Rediviva, the first ship from the western world known to have traveled up the river. It stretches from the Canadian province of British Columbia through the U.S. state of Washington, forming much of the border between Washington and Oregon before emptying into the Pacific Ocean. The river is 1,243 miles (2,000 km) long, and its drainage basin is 258,000 square miles (670,000 km²).

Measured by the volume of its flow, the Columbia is the largest river flowing into the Pacific from North America and is the fourth-largest river in the United States. The river's heavy flow, and its large elevation drop over a relatively short distance, gives it tremendous potential for the generation of electricity. It is the largest hydroelectric power producing river in North America with fourteen hydroelectric dams in the United States and Canada.

The Columbia and its tributaries are home to numerous anadromous fish, which migrate between small fresh water tributaries of the river and the Pacific Ocean. These fish—especially the various species of salmon—have been a vital part of the river's ecology and the local economy for thousands of years.

Volcanic activity in the region has been traced to 40 million years ago, in the Eocene era, forming much of the landscape traversed by the Columbia. In the Pleistocene era (the last ice age, two million to 700,000 years ago), the river broke through the Cascade Range, forming the Columbia River Gorge.

The river and its drainage basin experienced some of the world’s greatest known floods toward the end of the last ice age. The periodic rupturing of ice dams at Glacial Lake Missoula resulted in discharge rates ten times the combined flow of all the rivers of the world. This happened as many as forty times over a thousand-year period.

Water levels during the Missoula Floods have been estimated at 1,250 feet (380 m) at the Wallula Gap, 830 feet (250 m) at Bonneville Dam, and 400 feet (120 m) over modern Portland, Oregon. The floods' periodic inundation of the lower Columbia River Plateau deposited rich lake sediments, establishing the fertility that supports extensive agriculture in the modern era. They also formed many unusual geological features, such as the channeled scablands of eastern Washington.

A mountain on the north side of the Columbia River Gorge, likely a result of the Cascadia earthquake in 1700, in an event known as the Bonneville Slide. The resulting land bridge blocked the river until rising waters tunneled through and finally washed away the sediment. In 1980, the eruption of Mount St. Helens deposited large amounts of sediment in the lower Columbia, temporarily reducing the depth of the shipping channel by 25 feet (7.6 m)

I hope you have enjoyed this piece of history and geology of the area.

To participate in Sky Watch Friday visit Wiggers World.

Troy and Martha

Texas Of Course

ABC Wednesday

Some photographs of Texas.
These are mostly from West Texas and the Coast

(Click on the Photos for full enjoyment)

Big Bend Country

Caddo Lake - East Texas
Scanned from one of my old slides

Palo Duro Canyon
“The Grand Canyon of Texas”

Rare Morning Fog in the Big Bend

Texan Crescent
First named in Texas

Texas Beach at Dusk

Texas 'Thunderstorm' Rising

Texas 'Tree' after Sunset
After Sunset (notice Venus)

Timed Exposure
30 min. after Sunset
The Window
Basin of Big Bend National Park

Texas Truck
The old 'TRUCK' that we used to 'Travel' in

West Texas
Clear Clean Air

Photography by Martha and Troy

To play, visit ABC Wednesday, mrsnesbitt's place. Click here.
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Circus of the Spineless # 33

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Circus of the Spineless #33 is up, click here.

It's hosted by Seeds Aside.

Come and join in all of the fun.
You will have a great time.

Troy

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Hell’s Gate

Bridges Between

Air Bridge & Foot Bridge
(Remember to click on the photos to get close)

On June 26, 1808 the explorer Simon Fraser passed along these cliff on a series of bridges and ladders built by the Thompson Indians.

Hell’s Gate is the narrowest point on the Fraser River.

The route of the present Tans-Canada Highway through the Fraser Canyon follows what was originally a fur brigade trail. It became a wagon road in 1863 and after 1925 it was passable by automobile.

Fraser River Narrows

This canyon has been traveled by foot, boat, mule, horse, wagon, steam tractor, auto, railroad and even camel.

Bridge across the River

Hells Gate Airtram takes visitors 500 ft. down and across the Fraser River.

Airtrams

Bridges Between is a Monthly Endeavor by RuneE. Click here to participate.

Troy and Martha

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Alaska Sunday VIII

Photos from Coldfoot to Deadhorse

Today’s Trip consists primarily of Photos along the Dalton Highway from Coldfoot to Deadhorse.

(Be sure to click on the photos for the full dramatic look)

At mile 179 from Deadhorse is the last Spruce tree on the Alaskan Pipeline Road.
Last Spruce Heading North

One of the most striking features as you cross Atigun Pass is the large cirque to the east. It is difficult to photograph due to the extremely dark rock, bright snow and shooting into the sun. We have left the trees far behind and at this altitude and latitude, the vegetation is scarce. We parked here for a while and enjoyed the view. Traffic is almost non-existent, and the only sound is the sound of the wind through the pass. It is a lonely feeling.

Cirque at Atigun Pass

After we crossed over Atigun Pass and dropped down onto the North shelf of the Brooks range, we stopped and talked to some oil field workers who were having a lunch break. They told us to watch for Dall sheep high on the mountains a couple of miles further on. He said they had only recently moved to the North side of the mountains as the days got warmer. They typically spend the winter on the South side. I used my a 300 mm lens to photograph them. With our good Swarovski Scope we got a pretty good look at them.

Dall Sheep

We noticed that the mountain erosion here did not look like the erosion in most of the mountains the lower 48 states. There is more rubble at the lower end of the canyons and they are not washed clean, leaving larger rocks and boulders, like you would see in the Rockies for instance. At this level as we dropped down off of the shelf, we began to see some shrubby plants, as well as the lichens, mosses, and tough grasses. It makes for some interesting colors on the mountains. In the lower 48 states we are used to seeing the dark greens of the cedars at the tops of the tree lines.

Mountains Slowly Wearing Down
Rain was immanent

Most days had some clouds at different times of the day (and night which was day!). the clouds never seemed to vary in altitude, except when we encountered some heavy rain on the day that we left the North Slope Tundra and headed back. Usually they were uniformly low as in the following photo. They were very striking, usually just brushing the mountain tops.

Low Clouds in the Mountains

Dropping further down towards the plains and eventually the tundra, we came in sight of the White Mountains. This is a beautiful range of mountains and requires a lot of stopping for photography. We have long since left the Boreal Forests of Northern Canada and Alaska. This is the last range of “mountains” with the exception of some lone bluffs. Here, these mountains and valleys are covered in browns, tans, yellows and soft greens.

White Mountains

Martha made one last photograph of the terrain before dropping down into the valley between the hills. It features marshland and Pump station #2. This is called Last Chance station and has a pullout for viewing the Coastal Plain. Migratory birds from around the world come here to nest. Porcupine and Central Arctic Caribou herds migrate through here, to and from the calving grounds.

Pump Station #2

Bird watchers come here to view King eiders, Spectacled eiders, Canada geese, Tundra swans, Jaegers, Snowy owls and other tundra species. Just a little ways down the road we saw our first Long-tailed Jaeger. Whoo-hoo.

Long-tailed Jaeger

To the east of the road is the Franklin Bluffs, a low range of bluffs from a worn-down range of hills. It was a welcome sight since it is only 50 miles from Deadhorse.

Franklin Bluffs

Check the May side bar for previous episodes of the Dalton Highway (Haul Road) Adventure.

Next week is Deadhorse, Prudhoe Bay, Arctic Ocean, and environs. The following week is the start of the trip back down the road through landslides and flash floods. Great fun.

We hope you have enjoyed this week’s episode of mostly Photography.

Photography by Troy and Martha

Alaska Sunday is a collection of photographic remembrances of our driving trip from Texas to Alaska.
18,000 miles, 16 weeks, 16 western states including Alaska and four Canadian Provinces.
No chronological order, just anything of interest that got in front of our cameras.

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Columbian Ground Squirrel

Camera Critters

Who Me?
You Talking to Me!

Columbian Ground Squirrel
(Spermophilus columbianus)
Click on the Photo for an Up Close and Personal Meeting

Look at My Fine Profile,
See My Steely Gaze.
Notice My ‘Ready to Pounce’ Stance,
And My Long Razor-Sharp Claws.
Don’t Mess With Me.

Photographed at Two Medicine Lakes in Glacier National Park.

The Columbian Ground Squirrel is common in the interior of the Northwest, in mountain meadows, prairies, and farmland. Sometimes it becomes a pest in agricultural fields. Normally very social, except when giving the Clint Eastwood 'tough guy' pose and 'Robert De Niro' quote. Males defend their individual territory within a colony setting. It has different alarm calls when it spots aerial predators, than for those on the ground. They may store food in the burrow during the summer for use when emerging in the spring from hibernation. They are large, dark gray above, quite reddish below and on the face, forelegs, and near the tail. Martha and I thought they were quite beautiful.

Camera Critters is here. Come along; you’ll see some unusual stuff.
Join in; We would like to see your critters. Click here to join.

Troy and Martha

Scroll down for Skywatch Friday
in the Mojave and Death Valley

Scroll down 2 for Outstanding Yosemite Sunset
by Martha

Scroll down 3 for Photography
at Midnight in Coldfoot
in the land of the Midnight Sun

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Few Clouds Allowed Here

Sky Watch Friday IX

This photograph is looking across the Mojave Desert towards Death Valley in the distance. The haze that you see is a heat haze and not moisture in the air. It was a balmy 105^oF while I was photographing this. The distances are deceptive here. The farther mountains in the photo are probably well over 100 miles away. I wish we could have spent more time here. It has some interesting geology, history and climate.

Mojave Desert & Death Valley
It has a stark beauty of it’s own
(Click on the photo to see the colors)

I love the way the colors change and fade with distance. Up close you can see the browns, then blue/brown, then just blues with distance, receding to even lighter shades of blues, and finally a very pale blue. The blues tend to make it look cool. Don’t believe it. Even a short hike can be deadly if proper precautions are not made, such as having plenty of fluids and something to replenish lost electrolytes. Yes, we drank a lot of water and Gatorade.

Can you smell the baking dirt and bone-dry grasses, feel the shimmering heat waves, and almost hear the crackling in the air? If you have been there, you probably can. If you haven’t been there then you really do need to go and see what this is all about.

The Mojave, locally referred to as the High Desert, occupies a significant portion of southern California and smaller parts of central California, southwestern Utah, southern Nevada, and northwestern Arizona, in the United States. Named after the Mohave tribe of Native Americans, it occupies well over 22,000 square miles (57,000 km²) in a typical Basin and Range topography.

The Mojave Desert's boundaries are generally defined by the presence of Joshua Trees — they are considered an indicator species for the desert. The topographical boundaries include the Tehachapi together with the San Gabriel and San Bernardino mountain ranges. The mountain boundaries are quite distinct since they are outlined by the two largest faults in California: the San Andreas and the Garlock. The Great Basin shrub steppe lies to the north; the warmer Sonoran Desert (the Low Desert) lies to the south and east.

This desert is believed to support between 1,750 and 2,000 species of plants.

Death Valley is the lowest, driest and hottest valley in the United States. It is the location of the lowest elevation in North America at 85.5 m (281 ft) below sea level. It holds the record highest temperature in Western hemisphere and world's second highest. The hottest temperature ever recorded in the United States was 134 °F (56.7 °C) at Furnace Creek (then known as Greenland Ranch), during a sandstorm (according to National Weather Service records), on July 10, 1913. Located southeast of the Sierra Nevada range in the Great Basin and the Mojave Desert, it constitutes much of Death Valley National Park. It runs north-south between the Amargosa Range to the east and the Panamint Range to the west; the Sylvania Mountains and the Owlshead Mountains form its northern and southern boundaries, respectively. It has an area of about 3,000 square miles (~7,800 km²). Millions of years ago, there was an inland sea located over where Death Valley is today, but as the area turned to desert, the water evaporated, leaving behind the salt. Many of Death Valley's narrow, serpentine roads were built in the 1930s and cannot be driven on at high speed. Badwater, located within Death Valley, is the specific location of the lowest point in North America. (Surprisingly, the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, is just 76 miles (123 km) west of Death Valley). At 282 feet (86 m) below sea level, Death Valley shares most of the characteristics found in other places around the world that lie below sea level. Ref: WikiPedia.

Map and Co-ordinates of the Mojave Desert
and Death Valley National Park

Scroll down to the next post to see a different type of sky (with clouds)

To participate in Sky Watch Friday visit Wiggers World.

Troy and Martha

Sunsets - Yellowstone and Golden, B.C.

ABC Wednesday

Eye Candy
For Your Viewing Pleasure

(Click on the photographs for the full Sunset effect)

Looking for our Campground
Golden, British Columbia

Martha shot this through the front windshield as we were going down the road at 70 mph. The Vibration Reduction Lens was on active. She only had about 10 seconds before the flare from the sun was gone. She grabbed the camera and ripped off about 10 shots. This is the only one that had the effect she was looking for. The cool blue and strong orange and yellow contrast was outstanding. Wish you could have been there and, "I wish this was my photograph", said Troy

Yellowstone Sunset
Totally Un-Retouched.
Exactly as Shot

Another "Martha Photo" through the front windshield as we were going down the road. The beautiful colors were gone in just a few seconds. If we had found a place to pull over and got out of the car, it would have been too late.

The moral to this story is, "Keep your front windshield clean".


To play, visit ABC Wednesday, mrsnesbitt's place. Click here.

Photography by Martha
Driving by Troy

Alaska Sunday VII

Today we will try to get from Coldfoot to Deadhorse.

Be sure to click on the photos to see the enlarged view.
Maximize your browser to full page.
Check the sidebar for previous episodes.
Enjoy and leave a comment.

Midnight in the Rain at Coldfoot
A little rain can’t stop the Photography

Coldfoot is basically a truck stop on the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks to Prudhoe Bay. It has a restaurant, and a small number of overnight accommodations (converted pipeline construction camp quarters). Bus tours along the highway typically take two days, and passengers spend the night here. The BLM, USFWS, and NPS jointly staff a small visitor center during the summer. The Coldfoot truck stop was founded by Iditarod champion Dick Mackey who started his operation by selling hamburgers out of a converted school bus. Truckers helped build the existing truck stop and cafe.

The Koyukuk River at Midnight
Photography at Midnight is Great

I stayed up most of the night having fun with photography. I had to sleep a little for the drive tomorrow into Prudhoe Bay (Deadhorse).

The town was originally a mining camp named "Slate Creek", and around 1900 got its present name when prospectors going up the nearby Koyukuk River would get "cold feet" and turn around. In 1902 Coldfoot had two roadhouses, two stores, seven saloons, and a gambling house. A post office operated from 1902 to 1912, then reopened in 1984.

Coldfoot Airport, on the west side of the Dalton Highway, consists of a 4,000-foot (1220-metre) gravel strip.

The Road and Pipeline out of Coldfoot
The road is pretty good here
For perspective, the Pipeline is 48 inches in diameter.

The Koyukuk River is a principal tributary of the Yukon River, approximately 500 mi (805 km) long, in northern Alaska in the United States.

It drains an area north of the Yukon on the southern side of the Brooks Range. The river is named for the Koyukon people.

It rises in several forks above the Arctic Circle in the Endicott Mountains, near 67°58′N, 151°15′W.

The North Fork rises in Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. The combined river flows generally southwest, past Bettles, in a broadening valley of spruce forests amid small lakes and marshes. It joins the Yukon from the north at Koyukuk.

Its tributaries include the Glacier, Alatna and John rivers. The area around its confluence with the Yukon is a large floodplain protected as part of Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge.

The valley of the river is a habitat for bear and moose and is a destination for game hunting.

A little History of the Region of Coldfoot and Deadhorse

Lt. Henry Allen and Private Fred Fickett of the United States Army ascended and explored the river in 1885. The discovery of gold deposits on the Middle Fork in 1893 led to a gold rush in 1898 with the establishment of trading posts and mining camps, including Bettles, on the upper river. In 1929, Robert Marshall explored the North Fork and gave the name Gates of the Arctic to the high Brooks Range along the river.

In 1980 the United States Congress designated 100 mi (164 km) of the North Fork in the Brooks Range as the Koyukuk Wild and Scenic River.

In 1994 floods on the river swept away three villages, forcing the wholesale relocation of the population.

Blue Sky Ahead
Photo Opportunities Abound Everywhere

Next Week will be about the Brooks Range and the Tundra.

Here is a short preview of the Tundra and Deadhorse

Deadhorse is a settlement located on the North Slope of the U.S. state of Alaska near the Arctic Ocean. The town consists mainly of facilities for the workers and companies that operate at the nearby Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Deadhorse is accessible via the Dalton Highway from Fairbanks, or the Deadhorse Airport. Limited accommodations are also available for tourists.

Companies with facilities in Deadhorse service Prudhoe Bay and other nearby oil fields, as well as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) which brings oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez in south-central Alaska. Facilities in Deadhorse are built entirely on man-made gravel pads and usually consist of pre-fabricated modules brought up on barge or via air cargo.

Tourists traveling to Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay typically take tour buses from Fairbanks via the Dalton Highway, a two-day journey with an overnight stop in Coldfoot. During the summer months, visitors can access the Arctic Ocean during its summer thaw, as well as experience the midnight sun due to Deadhorse's location above the Arctic Circle. In winter, the opposite phenomenon of polar night occurs.

Facts about Deadhorse Weather

• Longest day: 63 days, 23 hours, 40 minutes (12:09 a.m. on May 20 to 11:18 p.m. on July 22)
• Shortest day: 45 min (11:42 a.m. to 12:27 p.m. on November 24)
• Longest night: 54 days, 22 hours, 51 min (12:27 p.m. on November 24 to 11:18 a.m. on January 18)
• Shortest night: 26 min (11:43 p.m. on May 19 to 12:09 a.m. on May 20)
• Highest recorded temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) on 21 June 1991
• Lowest recorded temperature: −62 °F (−52 °C) on 27 January 1989
• Highest wind speed recorded: 95 knots (109 mi/h, 176 km/h) on 25 February 1989
• Official lowest wind chill: −102 °F (−74 °C) on 28 January 1989 (air temperature of −54 °F (−48 °C) and wind speed of 31 knots (36 mi/h, 57 km/h))

Wildflowers on the Tundra
Along the Sagavanirktok River

In the photograph below looking across the Tundra to the west of the Highway is a pingo? It is 3 miles away and shot with a 200 mm lens. Pingos form from the bed of a spring-fed lake that has been covered by vegetation. Freezing of the water can raise the surface several hundred feet above the flat terrain. They start small and grow from year to year.

Pingo
The Tundra is flat, flat, flat.

This is a waterfowl paradise. There are thousands of small lakes and an abundant food supply. Following is a map centered on Prudhoe bay showing some of the small lakes. Also there are perhaps millions of small water filled potholes.

Map centered on Deadhorse

Next week: Brooks range, wildflowers, Prudhoe Bay and environs.
Yes, we will get to Deadhorse next week. I promise.

Lots on wildflowers, flash floods and landslides on the trip back to Fairbanks in two weeks.

Troy and Martha