Blog

Ice Crystals in R-Channels
Ice Crystals in R-Channels

Photos and brief description of ice crystal growth in an R-channel, or Röthlisberger style subglacial channel in winter - Castner Glacier - Alaska Range

Mt. Healy, High Blood Pressure, and Not COVID – July 2020
Mt. Healy, High Blood Pressure, and Not COVID – July 2020

In late July, Cat and I attempted to hike Mt. Healy via Bison Gulch, just south of Healy, Alaska. It gets added to the list of failed attempts on my list for 2020. This just...

Park visitors speak with Denali National Park Rangers and staff outside the Visitor Center which is closed for the 2020 summer season due to COVID-19.
Weekend in Denali – Year of COVID-19

At the beginning of July, we spent a weekend in Denali, camping for 2 nights at the Riley Creek Campground. For a change, we weren't off for big adventures, but I had the goal of...

Water and Ice

Water and ice seem to possess a never-ending range of color and texture. This project involves capturing images of the detail, complexity, and range of color of water and ice.

hiking in nome creek
Alaska Spring 2020 – Hiking in the Year of COVID-19

I don't need to say that the spring of 2020 has been . . . interesting. For everyone. Here in Fairbanks, we finished off one of the coldest winters since I moved here ten years...

Light Pillars
Light Pillars

A light pillar display over Fairbanks on a very cold January evening in Fairbanks, Alaska. This photo was taken from the University of Alaska near the Geophysical Institute. Typically the human eye doesn't discern a...

Visitor in the Snow
Visitor in the Snow

I saw the head following me, it was a Great Horned owl, the tufted ears being the giveaway. The Great Horned is the only tufted ear owl in Alaska.

Castner Ice Cave
Castner Ice Cave

Cat inspects a columnar ice crystal that had fallen from the ceiling Yesterday, in an effort to avoid people amidst a growing outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Fairbanks, Cat and I drove down to Castner...

Hello Otter
Hello Otter

A sea otter watches us in Valdez Harbor. These guys are so curious, playful, and absolutely adorable! The largest member of the weasel family, the sea otter is one of the smallest marine mammals, but...

Canwell Glacier and Rainbow Basin – Hiking Guide
Canwell Glacier and Rainbow Basin – Hiking Guide

The Canwell Glacier is an approximately 10-mile long valley glacier on the south side of the Delta Mountains in the Eastern Alaska Range. It is reasonably easy to access the area, but there are no...

Parhelia, or sun dogs in the sky over a snowy forest in Fairbanks, Alaska
Parhelia

Parhelia - Fairbanks, Alaska Buy This Print There was strong parhelia and sun pillar while driving home from the Yukon Quest start yesterday. This photo was taken at 1:40 pm, very close to solar noon. So that's...

Michelle Phillips dog team starting the 2020 Yukon Quest in Fairbanks, Alaska
Yukon Quest 2020

This morning 15 dog mushers began their 1000-mile journey on the 2020 Yukon Quest. We watched them all off on their way to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory just as they left the start gate. It typically...

Golden light hits the top of the trees near Ruby Creek in the Alaska Range
2019 Photo Highlights

Forty of my favorite photos from 2019. Landscapes and wildlife from glaciers in the Alaska Range and Chugach Mountains, Denali National Park, and more!

Juvenile yellow-crowned night heron at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
Birds (and more) at Pelican Island

The Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge is roughly 5400 acres of protected water and land. Located near Sebastian, Florida, the refuge is a beautiful conservation site in an otherwise sprawling urban area. This oasis of...

First  30 seconds of the Falcon 9 after lift-off
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch

SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Photos from the night launch viewed over the Indian River.

Biking the Park Road
Biking the Park Road

Three day bike tour in Denali National Park before the tourist season opens. Dall sheep, grizzly bears, and ptarmigan were spotted among other animals along with some beautiful vistas.

Hiker descending the Savage Alpine Trail to the Savage River in Denali National Park in winter.
Winter Hiking in Denali National Park

Information on winter hiking in Denali National Park with weather forecasts and links to trail maps and details.

Little islands of moss covered forest floor appear in the snow. Spring in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Photo of the Week – “Spring is Here”

We are entering the grossest season of the year here in Fairbanks. The snow is melting and what is left is no longer pristine and white. It's rather dirty and often filled with garbage, especially...