The Milepost 2008

Ron Niebrugge Alaska, Chugach, Photos, Shameless Self Promotion, Travel 7 Comments

The Milepost

Well I haven’t subjected you to my shameless self promotion in awhile, but this one is too excited to pass up.  For the second year in a row I have a photo on the cover of The Milepost! 

As I wrote last year, this is a special cover for me, as I remember growing up, every traveler through Glennallen carried a copy of this extremely valuable travel guide.  To this day, I still make sure I have the current Milepost with me as I travel around Alaska and Canada as it has detailed mile by mile descriptions of anything you may encounter – not only the mountains and rivers, but the restaurants and campgrounds as well.  If you are driving to Alaska, you must have the latest copy of The Milepost!

The photo was taken in late September at Tern Lake, part of the Chugach National Forest, about 35 miles out the Seward Highway from Seward.  Wait a second, a quick peak at The Milepost tells me this lake is 37.2 miles from Seward. 🙂

Home Sweet Home!

Ron Niebrugge Alaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel 13 Comments

Seward, Alaska Aerial

Aerial of Seward, Alaska.

Well aside from the one to two feet of snow South-central Alaska received last Saturday, it is great to be home!  I love that drive down the Seward Highway, through the mountains and along the coast – I think I counted five moose on the way home.  I also love the fresh air, it hits you as soon as you step out of the airport terminal.

This photo was captured during summer a couple of years ago.  Here are more Alaska photos.

Thorn-Apple Wildflower

Ron Niebrugge Anza-Borrego, California, Photos, Travel 9 Comments

Thorn-Apple Wildflower 

This plant seems to have many names and uses.  Some call it Thorn-Apple, or Sacred Datura, or even Jimson Weed.  The entire plant is poisonous, but portions of the plant are used in modern pharmaceuticals for things like motion sickness medication and to counteract muscle spasms.  Not surprisingly, Native Americans were also aware of the many medicinal benefits of this plant. 

It is about the only thing blooming in Anza-Borrego right now, this plant will bloom most the summer.  We should be back in Alaska Saturday night, it will be a little while before flowers begin blooming there.Read More

Yikes!

Ron Niebrugge Alaska, Photos, Travel 9 Comments

Snow

This photo was on the card in my back-up camera, a camera I didn’t need on this trip.  I do remember taking this photo before leaving on this trip.  This is a snow storm raging outside our front door; you can see the door frame on the edges.  Normally I keep a path shoveled down to the street out front, but the snow was filling it in so fast that I said forget it and took a picture instead. 

Finding this photo kind of reminded me of my film days when a partial roll would get left in a camera after a trip, only to be developed weeks or months later.  It would often be a nice surprise.   

I must admit, after a couple months in the warm desert, this scene looks completely foreign to me right now.  I have often said that during the summer in Alaska, I have trouble even remembering what winter is like, and in the winter, summer seems equally inconceivable.  I remember enough to know I am very excited to be heading back to Alaska  for summer!  Here are more Alaska photos.