March 1, 2018 Auroras
Chatanika, Alaska
A large group of us took an approximately week long trip to see Alaska. Our primary purpose for the trip was to see auroras, but we also had a few other trips on the agenda. This evening was the first (and best) of the auroras we shot for the trip. Our timing happened not to be that great for this trip.
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| Mile 34.5 rest area on the Steese Highway. A full moon brightens the snowy landscape as auroras appear. |
We went home a little "early" in order to be prepared for our day trip. We drove up the Elliott Highway onto the Dalton Highway. The Dalton Highway is primarily a haul truck road that is used to bring supplies to and from the Prudhoe Bay oil fields on the North Slope of Alaska. It's not really recommended for regular automobile use as the truckers have the right of way on the road, and smaller automobiles can interfere with the trucks. It's best to pull over and get out of their way whenever possible.
We drove to a pullout at a relatively high altitude location where clouds/fog are common, and the trees have a lot of rime icing. It created some spectacular scenery around sunset with the contrast between the blue sky, the warm light of the sunset, and snow-covered trees.
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| View from a rest stop on the Elliott Highway. |
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| The snow trees of the Dalton Highway. |
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| The light from the sunset provided a bit of warmth to an otherwise cold scene. |
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| A haul truck goes by the pullout. |
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| Our group with all four vehicles in our caravan pulled over. |
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| Meanwhile, I climbed a small hill on the north side of the highway to see what was up on top. |
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| The rime-covered trees were smaller on top. |
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| A lone, taller tree reaches toward the warmer sunset. |
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| A full moon rises above the snowy trees. |
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| There was a color contrast between the moon and the landscape. |
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| As nighttime approaches, two haul trucks pass on the Dalton. |
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