Independence Mine and Hatcher’s Pass, Alaska

I’ve been bad about posting awhile, as I’d basically been living on the road for the last year or two.  But I’m back at the computer and ready to share what’s been my most prolific period yet.  The road took me from Los Angeles to northern Alaska in the dead of winter, and then right back up the following autumn with plenty of adventures in between.  There’s so much to show I’m not sure where to begin, so I’ll just start with my favorites and see where we end up.

I was wandering around SE Alaska, restocking on supplies in Anchorage, when the cashier told me about a Independence Mine, an hour north in the mountains above Hatcher’s Pass.  What a tip! I found one of the coolest and most well-preserved historic sites I’ve stumbled upon. Even with snow shoes, it was one of those miserable hikes where every few steps I’d posthole up to my waist, but after battling the snow drifts and spending 2 hours to hike only a mile, the town did not disappoint!  I ended up making three trips here over the next week, and each night the changing weather and auroras made for a wonderful array of lighting to play with.

There’s a whole other set of images from this location, that I took when I went back to Alaska the following autumn, so stay tuned and I’ll get those up here soon.

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Colorado Ghost Towns and Abandoned Mines

I spent a few weeks driving around the Rockies in Colorado and finding all sorts of great places long abandoned and slowly returning to the earth. 

St. Elmo, a wonderful preserved little ghost town in the heart of the Sawatch Range, and the jumping off point to a number of old mining sites way up in the mountains.  

Along Colorado’s Scenic Alpine loop lies the ghost town of Animas Fork, an amazingly well preserved ghost town that has stood dormant since this mill closed more than 100 years ago.  

The bones of an old church jut out of a forest along Hwy 25 in eastern Colorado, the only remains of an old mining town which once thrived there.

Cali Coastline

Wandering along the Cali coastline, from San Diego to San Francisco, with a few slipped in from a venture in Oregon.  

Scripps Pier in La Jolla

Solitary stairway, Socal

Perfect morning to catch some waves, Ecola State Park, Oregon

Cormorants roosting for the evening, La Jolla

In for the night, La Jolla Cove

Couldn’t decide which version of this image I liked better, the orange glow of sodium streetlamps or the more neutral feel of my speed light.  La Jolla Cove

Patterns in the sand, San Diego

Ocean fog rolling in, Southern Oregon

Misty morning at Ecola State Park, Oregon

Dolphins playing in the wake on the way to Santa Cruz

Sea Lions soaking in the sun

Scripps Pier, La Jolla

A few from the La Jolla potholes

A good night’s rest

Mossy Lava Fields of the Eldhraun

From the moss covered lava fields in the Eldhraun area in Iceland, also some from the western peninsula near Breidabólsstadur.  A land carpeted in clouds and green pillows, air hisses as it escapes the moss underfoot.  This was one of the most fun and fantastic landscapes I’ve ever encountered.

Iceland’s Most Epic Falls

A view of a few of Iceland’s most epic, Seljalandsfoss, Skogafoss, Godafoss and Gullfoss

Auroras Over Iceland

Hope this post isn’t too green for you, I got incredibly lucky had many night of amazing light shows.  Never realized how fast they move, and it was the thrill of a lifetime to finally get to see this wonder snake its way across the sky.  I shot a bunch of time-lapse stuff too, and will have some great videos to accompany this soon.