Two hours northeast of Fairbanks is a feature that is the focal point of a rustic resort, Chena Hot Springs. The resort has been augmented by a geothermal power plant, greenhouses, and tourist attractions including the “Ice Museum”. We spent an afternoon visiting, ending with a soak in an outdoor pool fed by the springs.
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I recall as a young child my dad claiming that he had visited all 48 states. I was quite impressed. I wondered if I would ever be able to ever match that accomplishment.
My dad had the advantage of being the son of a professor whose research and world war II assignments took him nearly everywhere. Later, in the home that my parents made, travel was not mandated by an employer, rather, it was actively pursued to expand the experiences of their children.
And it did. We visited many states on our summer vacation travels and gained an awareness of their local distinctions. But some were beyond our range, including Alaska. I have not been there until just now, this year, 2022. It has been a wonderful addition to my catalogue of states visited.
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A few days from the winter solstice, at the arctic circle, the moon will set in the northwest at noon, the same time that the sun appears for its few minutes above the southern horizon.
18 Dec 2019
Jokkmokk, Sweden
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A few days from the winter solstice, at the arctic circle, the moon sets at noon. The sun, hugging the opposite horizon is also about to set, casting its red light on different generations of pine trees.
Jokkmokk, Sweden
18 Dec 2019
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The ocean of trees part to make way for electric power to cross the northern regions of Sweden. The sun has momentarily peeked above the horizon and will soon drop below it again in the days before the winter solstice at this arctic circle location.
18 Dec 2019
Jokkmokk, Sweden
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At the top of the tallest volcanic mountains on Hawaii are the world’s premier telescopes. They are here because the air is calm and dry, high above the clouds and turbulence of lower elevations. The tradeoff is cold and snow, a small price to pay for the chance to explore the secrets of the universe.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
3 January 2017
iPhone7+ panorama
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The rosy glow of scattered twilight in the East is known as the “Belt of Venus”, which rides above the deep blue of Earth’s shadow on the sky. Here it is witnessed from the vantage of Hawaii’s tallest peak, Mauna Kea, as the world’s premier telescopes prepare for another evening of peering into the universe.
Mauna Kea, Hawaii
3 January 2017
iPhone7+ panorama
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We are guests on the river boat Omar El Kayan, named after an Arab poet, visiting the areas of Egypt where Lake Nasser, created by the Aswan dam has submerged the ancient temples along the former banks of the Nile river. Abu Simbel was the most famous, but there were others, and we visited the sites where they had been carefully relocated.
At the end of a hot day navigating the lake, the boat moored. The wind and water were calm and the sky was dark on this section of the Nile. Out of curiosity I made a series of exposures hoping to capture the feeling of stars above the famous river and the desert around me. But calm water does not mean motionless water, and the camera recorded the small wave motions rocking the boat on which I was a passenger for the night.
Nile River near Kasr Ibrim, Egypt
8 October 2016
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
5 minutes, f/4, ISO 1600
Composite of 23 5-minute exposures (~2 hours)
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Aurora reflected in the waters of Lake Trondetraske, Sweden’s longest and deepest lake.
Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
8 seconds, f/3.5, ISO 1600
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The view from the docks at the town of Abisko on Lake Trondetraske. The “Gates of Lapland” is seen in the distance as a notch in the wall of mountains.
Abisko, Sweden
16 Nov 2015
EOS 60Da with EFS 10-22mm(10mm)
30 seconds, f/4.5, ISO 1600
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