August 25, 2008

back from Alaska

Came back from Alaska.

I am missing Alaska's oxygen. Very much. Here is the map of my travels. No cruse. My american friends ask me "Did you take a cruse?". No. I didn't. Air-plane, float-plane, motor-boat, 4wheel drive SUV (2 thousand miles i put on its wheels!) - this was my transportation. First three islands - Kodiak, Spruce and St.Nilus island. Than main land. I have marked my run on the map with the pink marker. Anchorage, Denali, Fairbanks, Yukon, Tok (where Alaska 1 and Alaska 2 meet :), Kenai penunsula (went to Russian Old Believers there!). You can't really see the road to Yukon and Dalton highway on the map, didn't fit. But you cam imagine that the pink line goes up from Fairbanks...

Here it is, my great adventure in Alaska mapped!



Вот так.

August 24, 2008

in search of oxygen

After Alaska it is just not enough oxygen for me in the air. In search of oxygen i went to Pilot mountain today for a hike. This mountain was a landmark for indians. It is beautiful. Looks like like a green hat. Only eagles live on the top. No people allow to climb, but they can walk around in a ribbon trail. I also hikes 2 miles Ledge Spring trail, they say it is strenuous. Not with my camera :) I stop every inch to make my shots.

In several places i noticed a red ribbon, no go. Yellow jackets are nesting. We'd better not disturb them. They bite. It is their time to do their thing. I didn't know what these red ribbons are for till i came to the start of the trail - no wonder, i went the other way around, against the clock.

Have met two Romanians - Camelia and Alexandy. She works in our grocery store, and her husband is in electronics. Mesa is their last name. It means 'a table' in Spanish. Everything is so mixed up. I pictured them, and then gave my camera to Camelia, asking her to make a photo of me. She pressed the button, it was a loooooot of blue skies in the picture, but from the third try i got a chance to be in the picture to and didn't blink :))





me :)


the knob of the Pilot mountain, only eagles live on the top


trees grow holding to the rocks


lizard with a blue tail - probably prehistorical


Camelia and Alexandry from Romania


this is North Carolina and hwy 52 that i took to come to Pilot mountain


hwy 52 goes to Winston-Salem