~~As hard as it was, I would do it again...~~

People think I am nuts.  And that is okay because everyone is entitled to their opinion, and I am entitled to be nuts.  I secretly believe that those people secretly want to be just a little more like me. That is my belief. So there.

An opportunity to go to Nome, Alaska presented itself.  Since I rarely say, "no" to adventures, I enthusiastically said, "yes!"

The goal was to follow three gold explorers to their secret spot and capture their adventure in photographs. I was thrilled to get this opportunity!  Who gets to do this as a photographer?

Getting to Nome from Phoenix takes a lot of time and work!  I had to get up and o'dark hundred and travel to Seattle...layover.  From there, on to Anchorage...layover.  Then had to climb up into the back of a 30-seat plane to fly to Nome.

By the way, they were dumping people off the plane because the plane got too heavy.  This foretold the way the entire adventure was about to roll out.

More to come.....

Port of Nome from the top of Anvil Mountain. It was raining...of course.

~~Let Life Surprise You~~

Drove that little "roller skate" car to Eagle River this morning.... Even before I got on to Glen Highway, I saw so many vehicles upside down in the 5 foot deep snow.  It was horrifying to see the highway littered with upended cars.  I think of the terror that the drivers and passengers endured.

Drove 20 miles north of Anchorage to Eagle River Nature Center.  I made it there, but the snow was too deep for me to walk the three-mile loop.  At least the drive was nice.

I wanted to find Skyline Drive, as it is supposed to be a cool Aurora watching spot.  My roller skate got stuck in the deep snow...I had to back down the phucking mountain.

Holy Stuff...the sun then came out.  I thought I'd never see it again until I returned to the Valley of the Sun!!!  I wanted to see what Anchorage from the Cook Inlet looked like.... So, I went.

This spot is so appealing because each time you go, the light and time and elements are different.  New shot every time!

And then, as everyone knows, I am a foodie.  It was after 1p and I was hungry.  The hotel has breakfast, but it is a breakfast of "egg like food."  So...um...no.  I grabbed an apple and left.

Glacier Brewhouse looked interesting and got great ratings from Trip Advisor.  I walked the 1/2 mile there, and the frigid walk was worth it!!  The wine kept me warm on the walk back.