Dillingham in winter

My job takes me all over Alaska. Sometimes I go places in the middle of winter when it's clear and cold. Last week of February took me to Dillingham which is about an hour west of Anchorage in a small plane to spend a couple days at the airport with some consultants. I didn't take these photos because I was driving a Tahoe on the ice. I don't think Jesse will mind me borrowing them to share.

Arriving in Dillingham at the small terminal. Small airport equals small planes and small terminals. It actually has a coffee shop now. Welcome to Dillingham.

Driving around the airport means dodging drifts, berms and concentrate on what you're doing. Roads are pretty bad. Maximum speed 15 mph.

The airport perimeter road. You could go faster on ice skates. Jesse was busy with the camera; I was keeping the Tahoe under control. Studded tires, 4 wheel drive in low.



Part of driving on ice roads is dodging the plows taking care of large drifts.

Of course the local waters are full of ice. Doesn't matter if it is fresh or salt. So if the ocean is covered with ice boats can't be there.

So boats of all size and description spend the winters high and dry in a boat yard, waiting for the spring thaw.

Rows of boats sit in a boat yard. Come spring they'll be launched looking for fish.

The mountains on the other side of the bay. Wood Tikchik Mountains.

Miles and miles of miles and miles. Frozen tundra in the winter, bogs, swamps and shallow lakes in the summer.

If you want to explore this country make sure you have a GPS and emergency supplies. There aren't any villages or 7-11 for miles around once you leave Dillingham.

Villa DelPalmar Flamingo PV Mexico

January 2011 my girlfriend Leah and I took a week and went in search of warmer weather. We landed in a nice little resort called Villa DelPalmar Flamingo on the north end of Purteo Valarta, Mexico. We spent the week lying by the pool, walking the beach, shopping, riding horseback and taking little tours.

I highly recommend the location. It's far enough from PV that you need a bus or cab to get there, but close enough to enjoy it. There's a little village north of the resort with a great flea market.



Leah and I on the beach.

Walking the beach every morning seems to be a normal past time. It's peaceful and soothing, letting the stress peel away with every wave that washes over your feet.

Horseback riding is another great past time. We rode the beach and into the town, clopping, clopping on the cobblestones as we wandered down the streets with a guide.
Bucerias is directly north of PV on Banderas Bay. It's a tiny little village to wander on horseback and on foot, exploring and shopping. Many of the restaurants are decorated with murals inside and out.


We had a lovely lunch on the beach, watching the surf and dodging the beach vendors.

The view from our room. Villa Del Palmar Flamingo is a fairly new resort, all inclusive with 3 great restaurants and wonderful tiered pools.



The children's wading pool had wonderful sea turtles painted on the concrete.

Each pool contained a waterfall that tiered into the next pool.

And fountains to splash in.


Wed. night was a pirate show on the beach with a great buffet, bar and live entertainment.
Each table had its own ship centerpiece.

Leah enjoying a hammock on the beach.

The nicest guy in the resort.

Sunset over the pools. What a lovely way to spend the week.

Vegas

I was in Vegas last spring and got to spend the day in what I think is the most beautiful building I've ever seen. The Wynn Casino is spectacular, both inside and out. From the gardens to the foyer to the shops it is incredible. I spent the better part of a day with a camera wandering the premises.
The view of the casino as you approach from the Strip. The sidewalks wind away from the street so it's a pleasant walk.


The beautiful horse guards the entry way.


The gardens are wonderful, with wide clean sidewalks to walk as you enjoy the flowers.

Just inside the doors a wide walkway guides you to the reservation desk. Light and flowers shadows the way for each visitor.

The gardens leading to the entrance include huge glass flowers, lights hidden in the shrubs and polished sidewalks.

Just inside the casino is the most incredible restaurant and bar decorated with an impressive assembly of umbrellas. I spent a long time enjoying the complexity of the decor. With the tall windows and natural lighting it was a beautiful place. Expensive, but beautiful.



The curving stairwell gave me a wonderful way to view the decor.

Spending the day on Turnagain Arm

I have a friend from Pittsburgh spending the week with me. This is her first time in Alaska and I spent the day with her on the Arm. Our plan was to wander the Seward Hwy, stopping and starting as we came across photographic possibilities. We didn't get very far.


Our first stop was Potter Marsh just outside of the city. The Tundra swans are migrating to warmer climates (sounds familiar!) They stop at the marsh and stock up for a few days of grub. There were about a dozen swans.



We came across a family closer to the road; a mated pair and 2 signets. Shelagh got a quick lesson on 'doing a Panama" and using the car as a buffer from highway traffic while we shot a few frames.


We stopped at Beluga Point and ignored the "No Trespassing, R/R property" signs and climbed out on the point, crossing the r/r tracks and climbing over the big rocks.

Beluga Point has some great little places that capture lots of driftwood. Some of the logs would be great to have in a fireplace for the entire night.

At the same time, some of the vistas don't seem quite Earth like.

There are lots of places along Turnagain Arm that have pullouts to tell you about the history of the area. There are also great trails to walk and bike. It's easy to spend the day and not go anywhere.



The highway was relocated several years ago so the old pavement gives you a great place to hike away from traffic. One of the things you'll find as you hike the old roadbed is the 105 howitzer gun used to shoot down avalanches. Still in use today these date from WW2 and can hurl a shell 5 miles into the mountain to knock down the snow before it buries the road. That's Shelagh enjoying the afternoon sun.


There are lots of waterfalls bordering the old roadbed. Tucked into the hills they ice up in the winter and create dramatic ice cliffs and dangerous conditions to walk and hike.

Across from the Portage Glacier turnout is the Alaska Conservation Center. It is a 'rescue and education' center for lots of the larger mammals in the state. You drive thru it or hike the road. The wildlife are in large fenced enclosures roaming the area. Most of these animals were injured at one time or are being used to help breed an endangered species.

A family of caribou.

Musk ox. The original herds north of Fairbanks were just about hunted to extinction in the 1800s. The breed was re-introduced to Alaska with stock from Russia years ago. Turns out the DNA was identical so the stock from Russia was from the same original herds. That was a good thing. There is now a large herd roaming the tundra. Just like bison. We have a large bison herd in the interior.


Grizzly bear.



The road to Portage has some great lakes and streams. There are a lot of beaver dams and the salmon runs are really thick in the area. Portage Glacier no longer calves into Portage Lake; it left the lake a couple summers ago and the only way to see the glacier now is to take a boat.

In Charlotte..again

My 2nd trip to Charlotte gave a day to go walkabout with my camera. Amazing the artwork you find. This was outside the Marriott Hotel.



When I was here in April this fountain was dry. Amazing what warm temps will do. There were 2 small cildren playing in it.


This little alley held a couple great restaurants.

New home in Charlotte, NC

Ken's house in Anchorage is sold and the new home in Charlotte is paid for. Furniture will be arriving next week Now the real work begins.



The very hot weather has impacted the lawn badly. The landscaping will take a long time to bring it back to where it was in the Spring.


There are lots of interesting features in the backyard. The previous owners had stacked lots of rocks and bricks to use for building planters and walls. At the moment I don't know how I will use them.
The back porch of the house. Lots of lattice work to add vines and flowers. It's very quiet in the yard. All you hear are birds and crickets.


The pool table will fit just fine. Need to get a rug to put under the feet so it won't damage the floor.