Alaska Sunday XXVIII

Four-wheel Drive Day

Hope, Alaska
July 17

While we were using Anchorage as a base camp, we decided one day to drive around to Hope, AK for a day of birding and photography. Hope is situated on the southern side of Turnagain Arm off of the Cook Inlet. It is about a 2-3 hour drive to Hope from Anchorage. It is a beautiful drive through the Chugach National Forest on the West side of the Chugach Mountains. Lots of wildlife, from Squirrels to Moose to Thin-horn Sheep.

We had read of a great 4-wheel drive road South out of Hope up Palmer Creek Road and Resurrection Creek Road. We spent a couple of hours on the Palmer Creek road and then returned to Hope for lunch at a little Mom and Pop Diner. Great food.

We then returned to the Resurrection Creek Road and started up the valley. Up near the treeline we hoped to find some Golden-crowned Sparrows. We found beautiful meadows lush with wildflowers, grasses, and amazing vegetation. Eventually we encountered a sign "4-Wheel Drive Only." Of course, we proceeded on around the sign. The next sign said something like "Turn Around Here, Road Impassable". Of course we drove around it and proceeded. Much of the road was overgrown with small brush, and we did get some scratches in the Clear coat and Paint (about 8 hours work with the buffer, scratch remover, and polish when we got back to Texas). We saw some beautiful scenery and best of all, we found the summer breeding ground of the Golden-crowned Sparrow. In all of our years, we had only seen one other Golden-crowned Sparrow migrating through West Texas.

Following are a few photos along the way.

Be sure to click on the photos for a full page view.

Lower altitude Meadow

Higher altitude

Cold (really cold) Mountain Stream

It felt colder than the Arctic Ocean that we waded in

Mountain Valley

Still lots of snow up here

Getting near Resurrection Pass

Most of the photos have been adjusted with Photomatrix Pro 3.1 beta 9. The dynamic range of the photos at the high altitudes is beyond the ability of the camera to capture and show detail in the blacks and shadows without completely washing out the sky and bright areas. This is especially true when shooting into the sun.

Important to us!
Please leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite.

Photos by Troy and Martha. I don't remember who made which Photo.
We were both shooting the D70 and D200 interchangeably.

Troy and Martha

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Horizontal light

Late afternoon sky

One of my favorite times of the day for photography.

I really like the golden glow and the effect of horizontal light on this landscape. This photograph was taken just before we reached the town of Scottsbluff and the National Monument nearby. It had been overcast with heavy cloud cover and intermittent rain most of the afternoon. The sun bathed the landscape with golden glow as it appeared under the cloud cover and rested on the horizon. I was really lucky to get this brief glimpse of the Sun for almost perfect horizontal light.

Click on the links for more information and
be sure to click on the photo for a full page view.

Near Scotts Bluff National Monument,
Nebraska

Technical details:

I used ISO 640 which was chosen to get a larger depth of field (f/14), while still using a moderately fast shutter speed of 1/750 sec. Post processing, I then used Neat Image to remove the small amount of grain and noise induced by the higher ISO.

Notice that the eroded bluff is highlighted by the setting sun from the right, and the left side is in shadow. What is interesting is that there are no long shadows in all of the foreground. That is because the foreground is shadowed by the slope of the land blocking direct sunlight. The diffuse lighting is produced by the bright clouds just above. Serendipity and lighting is everything.

To see a photo of Saddle Rock in the Monument, go here.
It rained during the night and was still cloudy the next morning when I photographed Saddle Rock.

Don't forget to leave a comment.
Have you been there? What time of year? Did you get some good photographs?
Have you been to places with similar topography and geology?
Again........ leave a comment for other inquiring minds.


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

Troy and Martha

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Alaska Sunday XXVII

It's Photo Day Today

Today's photos are from the trip to Alaska. They are from Yellowstone (my favorite National Park). These were taken on the way back from Alaska. We stopped to spend one day, but instead it took us 5 days to see a small part of the Park. We will go back in a couple of years and spend a week and see some of the remaining parts of the Park that we missed.

I will do a more complete post on Yellowstone in the future (complete with Elk, Bison, Antelope, waterfalls, etc.). This post was inspired by an HD cable TV program by National Geographic last night. I woke up at 3:30 AM and could not sleep.

It's a photographers paradise and the colors are phenomenal.

Be sure to click on the photos for a full screen view.

Beryl Springs

A Natural Hot Tub w/ Steps?

Too Hot!!!

Old Faithful Showtime

Everyone's Favorite

A hardy shrub Aster growing on salt terraces

One of my favorites that Martha photographed.
I love the composition.
PS: I also photographed this, but it was not as good.

Terraces near Mammoth

These have been building for about 8000 years

A small creek with lush growth

Yes ! These are actual and accurate colors !

Clear, Clear Hot pool.

Pool edge showing bacteria

Yellowstone River before the Northern Plain

The end of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

A beautiful small Geyser.

Yellowstone has 60% of the World's Geysers.


Leave a comment and,
tell us your favorite photo.
Have you visited Yellowstone?

PS: While you are waiting to visit Alaska, go to Yellowstone.
It's almost as good.


Photos by Troy and Martha


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Fall Approaches

SkyWatch Friday
Day and Night

Fall approaches

Red and Orange rises,
From the depths of Verdant masses,
Drawn by a Blue sky

. poem by Troy

Virginia Creeper
scene found by Martha
Saturday Oct. 4, 2008


Ft. Worth Nature Center and Refuge
A 5000 acre oasis of Prairie, Mixed Hardwoods, and Bottomland
Where the West Begins

Be sure to click on the photo for a better view

Bonus update:
I was out tonight looking at some of the craters along the terminator of the Moon
and grabbed this hand-held shot (poor quality) through the eyepiece.
Photo about 10PM Central time zone.

The large crater along the central portion of the terminator is Copernicus.

66.6% Illuminated
Note: The terminator is where the shadow begins
Updated photo

At the suggestion of Michael Palmer,
I went back and applied single frame, .jpg, HDR compensation
using Bibble Pro and Photomatrix HDR
Thanks Michael!

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

Troy and Martha
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Alaska Sunday XXV

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Homer Alaska

A short break from the trip log. I have not had time to post lately due to prior commitments, and have not had time to compile milages and locations.

Here are a few photos from the stay at Homer, AK. They have a great RV Park on the spit which juts out into the bay. Before we drove down here to stay a few days, I had checked the tide tables to make sure we would have some exposed tidal flats for exploration. It worked out great. The only problem was the wind while we were there. It was fierce. The trailer jumped up and down all night. As typical, on the day that we left, the wind calmed and the sun came out. Oh well, we had a great time anyway.

Be sure to click on the photos for a better look, especially the Starfish

Entering Homer

Great,great,great food here.

The Spit

That's a town at the end and several RV Parks (expensive)


We are in the second row
The first row was $20.00 more per night. I used the extra $60 I saved,
to help with the purchase of a nice Inuit Basket


Tidal Flat exposed
The bottom was firm gravel and rocks,
so we could walk all the way to the drop-off.


Martha found a nice Starfish
Zillions of Mussels, Crabs, Starfish, etc.
Our backs were really tired from the bending over.

Notice Martha's red hands from fishing around in that really frigid water.

Comments appreciated.
Have you been here before? Are you planning to go?

Troy and Martha
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Alaska Sunday XXIV

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Last Sunday on the trip log we had arrived back in Anchorage.
Instead of the Trip Log today, I have a photo which I just ran across while still sorting the 18,000 photos that we saved on DVD's. I am archiving and sorting them on 2 separate external Hard Drives.

I did not realize that I had this photo until this morning. In last Sundays post I concluded with a sunset shot to the East showing the red glow on the mountains. I turned around and shot a photo of the RV Park towards the West. This photo is the result of "just a snapshot". It was after 1 AM, had been a long day on the road, and I was too tired to pay attention to what I was seeing.

Sundog in Anchorage
As photographed
(Click to view larger)

Have you ever photographed a sundog or halo?
Leave a comment.

Troy and Martha

Boca Chica Beach

Sky Watch Friday

A day at the beach
Blue sky, sand, and a Spring surf
Onshore wind rising

Lined up for the Parade
(Click on the photo for a better look)

Even 4 Cattle Egrets joined the Gulls and Terns for a day cooling their toes in the wet sand of this fine beach.
Photographed about a half mile from where the Rio Grande river empties into the Gulf of Mexico at the Southern tip of Texas.

Photo by Martha as we drove by
Poor verse by Troy.

What's your favorite beach?
Comments Appreciated


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

"Many visitors know about the desolate stretches of beach available along the Padre Island National Seashore near Corpus Christi. And, thousands of tourists flock to the sandy shores of South Padre Island each year. However, few people realize there is a beach which combines the qualities of these two popular Texas beaches.

Boca Chica Beach is located just east of Brownsville, Boca Chica is a sandy peninsula separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande River and detached from South Padre Island by the Brazos Santiago Pass. Aside from a few stilt homes near the pass, which can be viewed from South Padre Island, and a jetty protruding into the Gulf of Mexico, Boca Chica Beach has no development whatsoever. The State of Texas does own land on Boca Chica which, technically speaking, is a state park. However, there are no park facilities on this land.

Although Boca Chica has little in the way of modern amenities, it does offer a variety of outdoor recreational activities, including fishing, swimming, surfing, snorkeling, kiteboarding and birdwatching. It is also the ideal place to get away from everything.

Getting to Boca Chica is a snap. From Brownsville, take Highway 4 east until it runs out. Once you hit the beach, you can either go right to the mouth of the Rio Grande or hang a left and cruise up to the north end, which is directly across from South Padre Island. "

From "About.com"

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Alaska Sunday XXIII

Trip Log - Part VI

July 3 - July 6

The sixth installment of the actual trip log and mileage 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 short 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.

Click on the links for more photographs and detailed descriptions of this part of the trip.

Last week was a temp post. Today we will continue with mileage from Fairbanks to Denali and on to Anchorage.

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

And so, on with the trip.


7/3 Fairbanks, Alaska to Denali, AK 156 mi


7/4 Denali and Healy area 65 miles

Red Squirrel - Western type

Snowshoe Hare
Summer coat (He still has white feet)

Winter food for the Animals
Lots of mosses and lichens in the shelter of the trees

7/5 Denali Highway and back to camp 220 miles

We did not drive all of the Denali Highway. Too many stops.
It was mostly cloudy all day. We did get one break in the clouds to photograph the following panorama even though most of the landscape was in shadows.

Alaska Range Panorama
From the Denali highway looking NW

7/5 Denali RV Park to Anchorage 210 miles

Sunset after camp was set up
about 1 AM

Next week we will be around the Anchorage area.

Mileage for this section of the log ...........651 mi
Mileage before 7/3 ................................8944 mi

Total miles for the trip to date ...............9595 mi

We are closing in on 10,000 miles

Comments are appreciated.
Let me know if you are keeping up with the trip,
or are just a onetime visitor.

Troy and Martha

Above Valdez

Sky Watch Friday

Valdez is the southern terminus of the oil pipeline crossing Alaska from the North Slope Oilfields.

There is a small hard-to-find slate/gravel road on the Northwest side of town. It goes for miles and miles, climbing higher and higher towards the glaciers. You have to ford a river on the way since the bridges are long gone.

Looking back and down towards Valdez

Click on the photo for a better feel

It was a great day to climb through the clouds. I wish I could describe the fresh air and all of the smells associated with this drive to the sky.

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

Troy and Martha

Alaska Sunday XXII

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For the new visitor, check out the early posts on the Small Boat Cruise out of Seward.

Part I

Part II

For those that have been following the Alaska adventure and for your temporary Alaska fix, here is one unpublished photo.

Denali

Troy and Martha

Purple Eryngo

Sky Watch Friday

Sharp Eryngo, don't touch.
Standing on the dry prairie,
Under Heavens vault.

Eryngo (Eryngium leavenworthii)
Click on the photo

Eryngium is a genus of about 230 species of annuals and perennials with hairless and usually spiny leaves, and dome-shaped umbels of flowers resembling those of thistles. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, with the centre of diversity in South America. Some species are native to rocky and coastal areas, but the majority are grassland plants. Common names include Sea-holly and Eryngo, the former typically being applied to coastal species, and the latter to grassland species.

The flowers are clustered in tight umbels, with a whorl of spiny basal bracts.

Eryngium maritimum is a perennial plant native to Europe and often found on sea shores. It produces a basal rosette, from which grow flowering spikes with stiffly spiny foliage and stems. These can reach around 50 cm in height. It is often grown in gardens for its metallic bluish flowers and upper foliage. The basal foliage is a very conspicuous pale grey or silvery green, from which the stiff, lightly-branching flowering stems rise up.

Related species are grown as ornamental plants in gardens, and these may also be called "sea holly", though the majority are not associated with littoral (sea-shore) habitats. Among the best known of these is Eryngium bourgatii, a perennial with stunning green, prickly foliage marbled with silver. The flowers, which appear in summer, are cobalt blue, and appear very attractive to bees. The plant is 30 to 60 cm in height. Other commonly grown ornamental species include Eryngium alpinum, E. variifolium, E. tripartitum, E. bromeliifolium, and the biennial E. giganteum.

Many species of Eryngium have a history of use. The roots have been used as vegetables or for sweetmeats. Young shoots and leaves are sometimes used as an asparagus substitute. The roots, such as of Eryngium yuccifolium and Eryngium maritimum, are potent inflammation modulators and may have other properties.

Photo by Troy
Idea by Martha
Poor attempt at verse by Troy

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

Scroll down for the Tiger Beetle today.

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Punctured Tiger Beetle

A Summer/Fall Tiger Beetle

Punctured Tiger Beetle
Cicindela (Cicindelidia) punctulata


Additional photo

We were enjoying a walk at the Ft. Worth Nature Refuge when Martha spotted this Tiger Beetle on a walkway. This was our first find of this species at the Nature Center. We have seen the Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle there occasionally. I know two things about this new (for us) Tiger Beetle. One, they have good vision. Two, they are wary, as the information below states. I never could get closer than about five feet and I could never get to the front or side of this bug. I shot a lot of poor quality photos, all from the rear. Every time I tried to get closer, he would fly about two to three feet. The flight distance was always about the same. I took my eye off of him for one instant, and you know the rest. I estimated his size at about 5/8 inch.


Some information about this Genus and species.......

Common Tiger Beetles, Genus Cicindela

This genus includes almost 900 of the 2600 known species of tiger beetles worldwide. Adults range tremendously in size (5-25 mm) and color and live in habitats from forest and alpine to desert grassland and ocean beaches. They occur on every continent except Antarctica and all but the most isolated oceanic islands. A great variety of soil-surface types are used as foraging habitat by adults and larvae. Adults of most species in this genus forage for food and mate in open areas with little vegetation, but some live on the floor of tropical rain forest. Others are so specialized that they occur only on cliff edges, large boulder tops, or on fallen logs in moist forest. They quickly respond to predators and danger by flying short distances, although a few are flightless.

American Tiger Beetles, Subgenus (Cicindelidia)

Confined to the Western Hemisphere, this subgenus contains perhaps 80 or more species, most of which occur in Mexico and Central America. Twenty-one of these species occur in the United States and Canada, and an additional species is hypothetical for its occurrence here. The characters of the subgenus include eyes less protruding and legs shorter than most other groups within the genus Cicindela. Many of the species expose contrasting red-brown to bright orange abdomens when their elytra are spread in flight. Most species of Cicindelidia are active as adults only during the summer.

Punctured Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (Cicindelidia) punctulata

Description: Length 11-13 mm; a highly variable species, it can be black, brown, olive, or metallic green to blue-green above with maculations absent, reduced to small spots and short lines, or rarely complete. The tips of the closed elytra come to a broad point. The body is narrow, espe¬cially the thorax. Below it is metallic green, blue, and copper. Two rows of shallow but distinct pits run parallel along either side of the inner elytral edges.

Distribution and habitats: One of the most widely ranging species in North America, the Punctured Tiger Beetle in the east is found mainly in upland habitats with dry, hard-packed soils and sparse grasses present. These habitats include dusty roads, old trails, pastures, roadside ditches, strip mines, eroded gullies, city lawns, gardens, crop fields, sidewalks, parking lots, rock hillsides, sand pits, and dunes. In the west it occurs most regularly in the vicinity of water, such as the edge of rivers, lakes, marshes, irrigation ditches, temporary ponds, and alkali mud flats from lowland prairies to mountain tops.

Behavior: A solitary species in dry upland habitats of the east, it tends to be more gregarious around limited wet areas in the west. It is wary but is a weak flier with short escape flights. It is commonly attracted to lights at night. Because it so regularly occurs in agricultural areas, there is some evidence that some populations may have developed resistance to pesticides.

Seasonality: A summer active species, adults can be found from April to November, but are most active from July to august. In the southwest, summer rains limit activity to July-September. It over winters as larvae and has a one to two year life cycle.

Information taken from:

A Field Guide to the Tiger Beetles of the United States and Canada
By Pearson, Knisley, and Kazilek
For information and pricing on this book at Amazon.com, Click here.


For a great article on Missouri Tigers in the Missouri Conservationist Online, Click here.
It’s a great article about Tiger Beetles in general.


Two of my favorite blog sites for Tiger Beetles are:

Beetles in the Bush and
Gossamer Tapestry

Click on the links

If you read this far down the post, and found it interesting and informative,
Please leave a comment. Did you follow the links? Did you enjoy them?

Troy and Martha

High Island

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One of our favorite places in Texas.

We go here several times each spring for:
Wildflowers,
Beachcombing,
Bird migration.

This is one of the premier spots in the Nation for migrating Warblers, It is not uncommon to see 20 to 25 species of warblers in a day during April. We also like to run the 50 mile beach with our Toyota 4Runner. 4WD in most places. We like to park there facing the Ocean and watch the shore birds go by and occassionaly see a migrant bird come in across the Gulf from Central America.

High Island
Be sure to click on the photos for a better look

Below are a couple of other "H" photos taken at High Island

Honeybee on a berry blossom

Nature's Gift after High Tide

Leave a comment and let us know which is your favorite photograph.

Troy and Martha

ABC Anthology is here.
ABC Wednesday is here.

Alaska Sunday XXI

Trip Log - Part V

June 26 - July 3

The fifth 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 one to 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. Most of the photographs in this log section were previously posted when describing specific locations.

Click on the links for more photographs and detailed descriptions of this part of the trip.


Last week we arrived in Fairbanks. Today we will continue with mileage to Coldfoot, Deadhorse, and back to Fairbanks.

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

And so, on with the trip.


6/26 Fairbanks, Alaska to Coldfoot, AK 261 mi

Martha under the Pipeline

A lot of gravel road to go


Standing on the Arctic Circle looking NW
Just after the Summer Soltice

See AK Sunday V, click here.


Slate Creek Inn at Deadhorse
$149.oo per night for a box room


See AK Sunday VI, click here.


Martha caught me resting



Koyukuk River at Midnight
Photography after a little rest


See AK Sunday VII, click here.

6/27 Coldfoot, AK to Deadhorse, Ak 247 mi

Cirque in Atigun Pass
Brooks Range


Looking Back at the Brooks Range
Alaska Pipeline

See AK Sunday VIII, click here.

6/28 and 6/29 Around Deadhorse and Prudhoe Bay, AK 120 mi

Chasing butterflies (one in the net)
Near the Arctic Ocean

6/30 Deadhorse back to Coldfoot 240 mi

Racing ahead of a flash flood
Koyukuk River
In 1994 floods on the river swept away three villages,
forcing the wholesale relocation of the population.

See AK Sunday XI, click here, for more of this exciting part of the trip.

7/1 Coldfoot back to Fairbanks 245 mi

7/2 Fairbanks area 22 mi

Next week we will travel to Denali National Park with lots of Photos in that area.

Mileage for this section of the log ...........1135 mi
Mileage before 6/26 ................................7809 mi

Total miles for the trip to date ...............8944 mi

Comments are appreciated.
Let me know if you are keeping up with the trip,
or are just a onetime visitor.

Troy and Martha

Denali N.P. - Big Sky

Sky Watch Friday

Have you ever been in a place where the sky just looked 'bigger' than normal. This was one such place. A glaciated valley in Denali National Park in Alaska, USA. This looks better enlarged, but still doesn't feel like being there.

Big Sky - Denali N.P.

Sky larger than life
Leaves a lasting impression
Smell the fresh clean air

For the Geologist - Notice the directional side valleys and rounded shape of the main valley. It's a couple of miles over to the far side.

For the Naturalist - Notice the Golden Grizzly on the far slopes (a mile or more away). We saw the bear in the spotting scope, but now I can't find him in the photo. You will just have to use your imagination.

I have only been a few places where I remember the sky looking larger than life. Montana and West Texas to name a couple.

It's curious, but out on the Ocean, the sky doesn't seem large. I guess it's because the Ocean seems so large.

Where have you experienced the sky seeming larger than life?

Leave a comment, inquiring minds want to know.

Photo by either Troy or Martha

Troy and Martha

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

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