09-23-13 Crystal Blue

As I've already said, our recent trip to Alaska on the Un-Cruise ship Safari Endeavor was an incredible experience. There were many highlights but what I will remember the longest, I think, is our tour of the Endicott Arm near the Dawes Glacier. The eerie silence, the steady drizzle, and the awesome geology of this place contributed to the experience. It didn't hurt that our son, Jon, who is Chief Mate of the Safari Endeavor, was our excursion pilot.

And, of course, there was the blue ice, with its fascinating textures and its inner, blue glow. I know it's a leap to say it, but as I was photographing the chunks of ice, I couldn't help thinking of Walter's blue, crystal meth in the hit series "Breaking Bad." And I was also thinking of the '60s hit "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James and the Shondells, which has nothing to do with glaciers. If you are in to chain of consciousness, here's mine on this post:

Un-Cruise > Dawes Glacier > ice bergs > blue > "Breaking Bad" > crystal meth > "Crystal Blue Persuasion" > the 1960s

Look over yonder what do you see The sun is a-risin' most definitely A new day is comin' people are changin' Ain't it beautiful crystal blue persuasion Better get ready gonna see the light Love, love is the answer and that's all right So don't you give up now so easy to find Just look to your soul and open your mind Crystal blue persuasion, mm-hmm It's a new vibration Crystal blue persuasion, crystal blue persuasion Maybe tomorrow when He looks down Every green field and every town All of his children every nation There'll be peace and good brotherhood Crystal blue persuasion

Buy it on iTunes

09-17-13 A Different Scale

I have read that the great cathedrals and basilicas of Europe were designed, in part, to make humans feel small in the presence of the awesome power of God. And I'll have to admit that even to a 21st century traveler, these structures still have that impact on me.

But the amazing wilderness of southeast Alaska makes the biggest structure than humans have built seem puny. And, frankly, there is little that a photo or a mere description can do to communicate this. Suffice it to say that for most of the seven days we cruised the waters of Alaska, I felt small - both in terms of my size and in terms of the brief time my life represents compared to the geologic time it took to craft and scour the mountains and fjords of Alaska. But the effect of this on me and other viewers is not to be overwhelmed but instead to be inspired.

09-16-13 Nice Ice

My wife explicitly warned me not to publish too many photos of glacier ice so I guess I'm defying her with this one, since I published another ice photo a few posts ago. But I can't help myself. How can you not be fascinated with the colors and textures of this ice. And how can you not think about the Titantic, when you hear the thumping of small chunks of ice against the hull of the Safari Endeavor? But our captain is much smarter about ice than Captain Edward Smith. :-)

Canon 5DIII 1/800s f/6.3 ISO400 200mm

09-15-13 Captain Jenna

There are many good things that I could say about Un Cruise Adventures, the company whose boat we cruised on in Alaska recently. But one of the great features was their "open bridge" policy. Passengers were encouraged to come on to the bridge to see boat operations from the pilot's point of view. On watch in this photo is the Captain, Jenna, who is expertly guiding us near Ford's Terror. With a name like "Ford's Terror," you'd expect the place to be intriguing. And it was. . . .

Canon 5DIII 1/100s f/4.5 ISO400 29mm

06-25-13 My Little Friend

To call this 3" long lizard a "friend"'is a bit of a stretch since I only saw him once and during our short photo session he acted like he wasn't there - I think he thought he blended in so well with his surroundings that I couldn't see him.

This little guy was one of the many residents at the Estate Linholm, the beautiful B&B Deb and I are staying at while visiting St. John.

We leave for home this afternoon and as much as I like the Islands, I can't wait to be back in South Dakota.

06-24-13 Local Color

Deb and I are on the island of St. John for a couple of days and it turns out that our visit coincides with the annual street fair. The downtown area was open to pedestrian traffic only and was crowded with street vendors of all kinds.

I was trying to capture the spirit of the street fair when I saw this colorful gentleman, who was selling hand carved rattles and decorations. I was working on getting a good candid shot but when he saw me, he called me over a B&D agreeably posed for me. But in the end, it was when he wasn't looking directly at me that I got the photo I liked best.

His name, by the way is Delroy Anthony, and he is a life long resident of St. John.

Here's are a few examples of the many things he makes:

Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here

06-23-13 Room With A View

To be specific this is a photo taken from the balcony of room 106 at the Miller Manor in Charlotte Amalie on the island of St. Thomas. The view is looking east over the East Gregorie Channel and includes the June full moon, which was spectacular.

I was working on an HDR sequence and I really didn't get what I wanted but I guess I'll take this one. There were clouds moving across the moon and because these exposures ranged up to 30 seconds, it was hard to get the moon in its full glory.

This is one of those shots, by the way, that I figured was a once-in-a-lifetime shot. It's not at all likely that I'll be in room 106 at the Miller Manor when a full moon rises over Charlotte Amalie ever again. Though I'd be happy to go back to the Miller Manor.

Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here

06-22-13 The First Mate at the Helm

Many would be surprised to hear that she handles subservience quite well - at least when I am Captain. Here she expertly steers us out of the Bitter End in the Virgin Islands.

Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here

06-21-13 The Friends We Make Along the Way

For many travel is about meeting people and making friends. Surprising as it sounds I am not all that gregarious so travel for me is more about seeing and introspection. But sometimes we can't help finding new friends, such as Luna.

Luna lives at the Miller Manor, where we stayed in Charlotte Amalie on the US Virgin Island of St. Thomas. Just a puppy, Luna is brash, friendly and eager to play. In fact if you can read the look here, she's saying, "Throw the ball! Come on! Throw the ball!"

Check out more of my Virgin Islands photos here here

06-20-13 Through A Rain Covered Hatch

As forecast, the clear skies of yesterday gave way to significant rain and wind today. We spent the whole day inside the boat, though that gave us time to read, watch movies, and take a break from the hard work of vacationing in the BVI.

I decided to try to caption the rainy weather and I got several, though I like this one taken looking up through one of the ceiling mounted hatches. I would guess that only a sailor would know what we're looking at so I will help those who find this a bit too abstract: it's the mast, the two sets of spreaders, and the BVI ensign (the red blur).

As I write this, it's still raining. But as Annie said, "Tomorrow's only a day away."

(By the way, if you look closely enough, you will see the mast and spreaders perfectly focused, though a little twisted, in several of the drops.)

06-19-13 Water Line

On Day 4 of our BVI sailing adventure we made it to what is called the "Bitter End," which is the eastern most civilized reach of the Virgin Islands. We got here around 1:30 PM after some serious sailing against winds that were gusting to 25 mph and swells up to 5 feet. Great sailing conditions, if you ask me. Our 37' Beneteau under reefed main and jib handled beautifully. But the First Mate said "Enough's enough!" So we dropped the sails and motored for 8 miles or so.

The reward was the peaceful cove where this photo was taken. The water is a beautiful blue and the sky was mostly clear. My way of enjoying the Caribbean paradise surrounding our boat?: I tethered our float to the back of "Dakota Lullybye"* and worked on my tan.

This photo was taken with my GoPro camera, safely housed in it waterproof housing. The yellow line leading to the boat is a kind of an umbilical cord for me: it keeps me connected to my beverage supply. (Dehydration can sneak up on you in the Islands.)

*Yes, that's the name give by the anonymous owners we are chartering this boat from.

06-18-13 Sunrise Over Sandy Cay

We are at the Bitter End of the BVIs and I have wifi access! A true rarity. So here's a GoPro still shot of a little island called Sandy Cay, just off of Jost van Dyke. Deb and I had the island to ourselves shortly after sunrise yesterday morning. There's nothing quite like this where I come from. . .