Alaska Sunday XVI

Trip Log - Part I

May 20 - May 31

This is the first month's log of our trip which Bilbo Baggins would have titled,
"There and Back Again - The Beginning".

Quite a few people have asked me in e-mails about our route, known as 'The Drive from Texas to Alaska and Back'. There is not much commentary included in this log, just sequential locations, dates, and mileages when available. The Alaska Trip Log will be divided into four months (parts) and posted on the next four 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.

UPDATE: The log will contain 2 weeks per post. I didn't realize how time consuming it would be to look at trip records, mileages, and sorting photographs for each post. Not to mention deciding which photographs to post.

So here is a condensed version of the trip, with a few photos out of the 18,000 that we kept. A few of the photographs have been published, but are re-posted here to give a flavor and progress of the trip, and to see the landscape change.

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

5/20 Ft. Worth,TX to Santa Rosa, NM 498 mi
5/21 Santa Rosa, NM to Flagstaff, AZ 495 mi

Painted Desert - Arizona
Enriched colors due to
Perfect angle of near horizontal light and a rain shower

5/22 From our Campground in Flagstaff to Grand Canyon and back to Flagstaff, stopping at Marble Canyon and Vermillion Cliffs along the way. 445 miles

Marble Canyon - Colorado River
from the bridge over the river at Lees Ferry
Those small yellow dots on the river are the large tour rafts

Vermillion Cliffs (a Stitched Panorama)
Note Hwy 89A (bottom right) for perspective & scale

Grand Canyon in the Rain
North Rim

5/23 Flagstaff, AZ to Bakersfield, CA 480 mi

Mojave Desert
Looking Toward Death Valley

5/24 Bakersfield, CA to Oakhurst, CA 200 mi

5/25 Yosemite (Adventure in the Sierra Nevada High Country) 124 mi

Half Dome - Yosemite
Glacier Point Road
Perhaps Ansel Adams stood on this very spot
and made a Black & White Photograph

5/26 Oakhurst, CA to Redding, CA 332 mi

5/27 Redding, CA to Trinidad/Arcata to Klamath, CA 190 mi of serious winding road

The Pacific at Trinidad/Arcata
Hazy Day
Time to turn North on Hwy. 101

5/28 thru 5/31 Coastal Redwoods, Fern Canyon, Pacific Overlooks, and Area 460 mi

The Pacific at the Klamath River
A Perfect Day

Fern Canyon
A Magical Place of Five-fingered Ferns
(Enlarge and scroll up and down)

Please comment and tell us which photograph you like best and why.

3224 miles logged during the 12 days of May
Next Sunday's Trip Log will be for the Month of June....
Oregon, Washington, Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska
A lot of ground to cover and sights to see in the next 30 days.

Photographs by Troy and Martha

Yellowstone, Yukon, Yosemite

A Fellow Traveler in a Yellow shirt,
and Late Summer Yellow flowers,
and a Yeti friend.

Two of my favorite National Parks,
my life-long love in yellow,
one of my favorite rivers,
some yellow flowers,
and a tall Yeti.
Enjoy all

Yellowstone Twin Storms
Storm approaching and
Storm below
(Remember to click on the photos for a better look)


The mighty Yukon River
in Yukon Terr., Canada



Yosemite w/Yellow
Typical tourist photo
in front of Half-dome



Yellow flowers in Montana Buffalo Country
Rocky Mountains in the background
The Rockies are composed of several Ranges in this area such as,
The Lewis and Clark Range,
and The Flathead Range


~~~ Yeti ~~~
A friend that Martha made on the trip.
This Yeti (from Asia) was visiting
his Sasquatch relatives


I hope you enjoyed this tour of Y's.
Leave a comment if you have visited these places,
or if you enjoyed the mini-trip.

Troy and Martha

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

The Photographer - The Photograph

A photographer in his old felt hat (Courtesy of Martha)

Platinum print photograph (Courtesy of the Photographer)

Half dome in Yosimite. A favorite subject of Ansel Adams. Photographed from Glacier Point Road the first day it was opened in late May after the snow-plows had cleared 10' of snow.

Troy