Aerial Photography

Christina imagines this to be a Hawaiian island rather than a small Alaskan island in the middle of winter.

This group of photos were taken from a Boeing 737-400 as we returned home from Ketchikan on February 22nd. We took advantage of the clear skies. I believe Petersburg gets its municipal water from a lake near this mountain on Mitkof Island. Looks like some pretty good skiing to me.

Although it appeared calm, there was a lot of wind blowing out of the Stikine River valley. When we passed behind the wind shadow of Kadin Island the change in wind speed became very evident.

Winter Storm

I had the day off for President's Day and decided to take the opportunity to go skiing (surprise, surprise). A winter storm was on the way but we were right on the edge of it and didn't receive the rain/snow. But we did get the wind. The blowing snow is visible in this photo and the one below.

Both of these shots were taken from the shelter's drift. Even though this tree was close by, it would occasionally be completely obscured by the blowing snow.

I noticed this storm cloud as I was skiing up after my second run. It seemed to hang in the sky near here for quite some time. I suppose it could have been a lenticular cloud formed by the wind blowing over Woronkofski Island.

Ski tracks.

Landings

Went to Petroglyph Beach to enjoy the sunshine on Sunday afternoon. A couple mergansers lower their landing gear.

Two pairs for Barrow's Goldeneyes make preperations for a watery landing.

It was also a good day for humans to fly. On short final.

Alaska Airlines. For some reason they had to do a missed approach (my guess is that a small plane that had recently landed was still on the runway).

Sunshine in the Evening

I was at Petroglyph Beach for quite some time watching this eagle sit on a tree. I was hoping it would eventually take off and finally it did.

It circled around above the water for a little while not far from me and gave me a chance to get a few nice shots.

My lovely wife requested that we take a walk at sunset, so we risked our lives walking on the ice skating rink that is Spur Road. Wrangell Peak is in the background.

The top of Wrangell Peak glows from the setting sun.

Ski Day

Took the day off work to roam about the coutryside. I started early, about 6am, and it took me about 7 1/2 hours to get to the top. Of course I was taking my time and taking a few pictures on the way up but the snow was DEEP!

Trees

At the top of the ridge the snow got a little harder but I was still sinking down quite a bit. I thought this snag was neat, the colors could still be seen and the snow patterns paralleled the twisted wood grain.

I posted this tree week ago. It looks slightly different now but it is still pointing north as it has been for a long time.

The trip up and down through the woods was lovely. I really needed a tripod but at this resolution you can't really tell. I skied through this section and well beyond the 1 mile mark on my return.

After the Storm

Here is an eagle with a big colorful storm cloud in the background. Very simple, but it caught my eye.

Earlier today we had a snowstorm come through and dump about a foot of snow on us. It was enough that by 1:45pm we were sent home from work. After shoveling for a while, Christina commented that the sky was beginning to clear in the West. A few minutes later the sun came out. I hurried to get out and capture some snow/storm/sun pictures but by the time I shoveled out the vehicle and drove down to the beach, the sun was setting behind Zarembo Island so I happily settled for these shots.

View from Petroglyph Beach to the northwest.

Another from a nearby spot looking toward the southwest. The low level clounds were zipping over the top of Woronkofski and there were a few lenticulars farther down Zimovia Strait visible in the uppper left corner of the frame.

The orange-red was giving way to a deep blue.

Afternoon Ski Trip I

I didn't start my ski trip as early as I usually do. I decided to make up for the late start by taking a longer route, rather than the normal Rainbow to Institute Trail. I skied to the top of the ridge just after the junction and followed the ridgeline up. There were a few spots that were a little tight but a lot of it was like this and the following photo with plenty of space.

I had to make my way through the maze of snow pillows adorning the trees.

This was about the last of the blue sky. It bright as I was going through the trees but once I broke out into the open the clouds began to obscure it.

The tree seemed to be saying, "Go North young man!" And so I did.

Afternoon Ski Trip II

This reminded me a little bit of the black and white from January 5, under the heading of Skiing Part I. Certainly not as spectacular but it is still pretty in it's own regard.

The top of this cornice had patterns like these for about 70 feet. Etolin and Woronkofski Islands make up the background.

This little tree snag caught my eye. Shoemaker Harbor is visible on the near shoreline.

Chichigof Pass as the sun prepares to set. The sun was actually above the frame and wouldn't set for a little while. Unfortunately I had to leave but there would have been some spectacular light if I had stayed a little longer. As I was hiking down the trail I noticed through the trees that the hillsides were bathed a soft red hue.

The Beach

Here we are at 8-Mile Beach. It was a beautiful late afternoon, and cold!

Tigger

Christina caught a meow!