Our train trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks took place on a clear day, allowing us to enjoy the beauty of the passing countryside. Even the reflection was stunning. They had an open window between two of the cars that I leaned out of to catch this photo.
There is great beauty in Alaska. I worked there from 1983 to 1986 as the Executive Director of the Alaska Lung Association. One of my jobs had been to lead 100-mile backpack trips as fundraisers to support the organization’s activities. (Not many executive director do that.) In addition to raising money, the treks provided me with an opportunity to explore some of the state’s more remote corners and vast wilderness areas.
In March of 2016, Peggy and I returned to ride the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage with our son Tony and his family to attend the world championship ice carving contest in Fairbanks. Tony was flying helicopters for the Coast Guard out of Kodiak at the time. The train trip reminded me of just how beautiful and wild Alaska is. We were fortunate to travel on a clear day that provided great views, including Mt. Denali. In Fairbanks, it was exciting to watch some of the world’s greatest ice carvers at work and see their completed sculptures. Today’s photo essay will reflect the train trip. On Friday, I will show you the ice carving contest.
Of course not all of our time was spent looking out the window enjoying the scenery. Our grandson Cooper made sure of that as he climbed onto Peggy’s back.And decided to take a snooze on my head. That can give you a neck cramp! (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.) Folks live along the railroad and use it for transportation. They can flag the train down whenever they need to go to town. It’s Alaska!This stream made me long for my kayak. Note how crystal clear the water is.The snow enhanced the look of trees along the railroad. Or maybe it was the other way around.Another example.I rendered these skinny birch trees in black and white.Time for another family photo. This is Tony and his boys.I mentioned that Tony flies helicopters for the Coast Guard. I had to include this photo of him giving his wife, Cammie, a ride in an ice copter. They had a hard time getting off the ground. (Grin)One thing Alaska has is impressive mountains. Lots of them. And there were dozens of great views on our trip.Another example.And another!The grand-daddy of them all is Mt. Denali, the highest mountain in North America. (Photo by Peggy Mekemson.)We also saw some impressive canyons along the way. This one had a family of moose making its way through the snow. During heavy snow years, the moose use the railway as a path. Encounters with trains don’t go well, at least for the moose. One of the years I was in Alaska was a particularly bad snow year and a number of moose had been killed. I awoke one morning and discovered that the top headline in the Anchorage Daily News proclaimed “Railroad 50, Moose 1.” Apparently, the train had hit a moose and been derailed.We thought this canyon was gorgeous with its ice-covered, meandering river making its way around the trees in the top center of the photo.We flew back to Anchorage after our trip and I snapped this photo of the Alaska Range. I thought it would be an appropriate picture to end today’s blog.
NEXT POST: On Friday I will show you photos of the world championship ice carving contest in Fairbanks. The sculptures were amazing. You won’t want to miss them.
Wandering through Time and Place 