Photography

In celebration of running: something that totally changed my life

Today I read a story about someone I once knew who met a tragic fate. It was a piercing experience, as a whirlwind of memories came back to a time in my life when I made some absolutely critical life decisions how I wanted to pursue my precious time on this planet, how I wanted to be as a person, and what I wanted to achieve. Nothing turned my life around in the right direction more positively and more purposefully than running. Everything seemed to change after I picked up this activity that I continue to this day, despite gaggles of injuries over the years (who cares). It is wonderful to look back at critical moments and realize, excellent choice. Well done.

My smart choice was getting my first pair of terrible running shoes and hitting the pavement (I ran on pavement for years) when I was 15 years old, a sophomore in high school. All of this led to so many positive things, including being able to run across the Grand Canyon in September 2005 with an old UNC-CH grad school roommate, Jeff. Jeff did a rim-to-rim-to-rim (R2R2R) dash, south to north to south. I met him on the north rim and did an R2R. We lucked out and got a cabin just days before we were scheduled to run. We had perfect weather. Jeff and his family were gracious hosts to me in Flagstaff. And so funny to think, this kind of transformative event, with a phenomenal colleague, was the result of me deciding to do some smart things at the right time. Here’s to wisdom and rewards it may bring. Thank yourself for being smart. You may be smarter than you think.

Camera note: all of these are simple point and shoot photos taken with my consumer grade Canon digital. I punched up the contrast, a look I like. This post is more about the experience and emotions and less about the pixels and striving for art. (Click on each photo to see larger pictures in separate picture pages.)

Tok, gateway to the ‘Great Land’
My favorite sign in the whole world, I think, greets visitors driving into Alaska from Canada in the tiny junction town of Tok. Spent many memorable nights here over the years (taken in 2004).
Many have seen their visions of a better life dashed in the cold and mosquito swarms of the north. Ask Jack London, who wrote about that in Call of the Wild back in the Gold Rush boom of the late 19th century and early 20th century (photo taken in 2008).

By far, my favorite sign in the world, I think, is this one that greets visitors as the drive in on the Al-Can Highway from the Yukon and arrive in the first junction and town in Alaska, called Tok. Go straight, you arrive at Fairbanks. Head left, you come to Glenallen, and then on to Valdez or Anchorage. Do not be fooled. Tok is also a graveyard of dreams, where many who dreamed of a better life, or escaping their problems or the law, or perhaps a Permanent Fund Dividend check without working for it, busted. Alaska is filled with dreamers and also broken dreams. It is what makes it Alaska, and I still love it so. (Click on each photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

The best neighbor one could ask for, seen through my new camera and old lens
I tested my new Fujifilm X-Pro 1 today, using a manual focus 24mm Leica lens. Maybe a little soft on the face, as he was not fully cooperating.

Today I gave my new Fujifilm X-Pro 1 camera a workout. More later on the results. I bought this camera to be able to utilize my Leica M-series lenses that have gone into hibernation since I mostly stopped using my beloved Leica M-6. I’m not convinced yet how the two compare. Still need to examine the results. Here’s a test shot of my best bud, my neighbor, and my occasional confidante, Balloo. He’s the best golden I know. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Seattle at twilight, still nice after so many years

 

Seattle’s skyline as seen from Gasworks Park in summer 2012.

I cannot count how many nights I have watched a lovely evening in Seattle. It has grown up considerably since I first moved here in the late 1980s (and left several times), but that is a story for another time. Enjoy (shot in 2012). (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Piskefløde med jordbær (strawberries and cream to us non-Danish)
It cannot get more Danish than this (2000).

There is nothing more Danish than strawberries and cream in late May. Ah the wonderful memories of my too short of a stay in Denmark in the spring and summer of 2000. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Crow Creek Gold Mine, Girdwood, Ak.
The old placer mine is located just outside of beautiful Girdwood, Ak. (2005).

About 30 miles from Anchorage you’ll find Girdwood, which is one of the prettiest places in the entire world. From there, follow the signs to the old placer mining gold operation known as Crow Creek. Today it is a popular tourist attraction. I visited the mine in May 2005, so time to trot out one of the old pictures. I loved this place. But, I loved tons of places in Alaska. (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Public, you are not invited to the port
This is a shot of the cargo container yard at the Port of Seattle, from behind the protective razor wire that surrounds miles of land off-limits to anyone but companies who use the port, employees, unions like Teamsters who run the unloading of goods, security teams, and those working on the ships and planes that come and go (2014).

 

Port authorities, as quasi-public entities, with minimal and almost no public oversight, amaze me with the scope of their power and the size of their land holdings. The Port of the Seattle is the largest property owner in the city. It runs an international airport and one of the country’s largest cargo container ports. Yet almost none of the city’s 600,000 or so residents have the slightest idea what happens behind the razor wire fences. Mainly all of those low-cost Asian-made goods come in, and some of our heavy materials, industrial goods, and agricultural goodies go out. I cannot fault any authority for maintaining security, but is this management structure more about protecting the interests of the large corporations that utilize these public resources for their business models or about keeping our commercial sector safe from “bad guys.” And have no doubt, bad guys do use this port to smuggle everything, from illegal drugs to people. They are like a big no-go zone that everyone agrees is good for all of us. That remains the weird part. Who decided all of this, and who benefits from all of this? (The port would say, I do, with cheap goods and a strong economy, I know.)

Danish colonial legacy in Greenland

 

A statue of Danish Lutheran missionary Hans Egede overlooks Nuuk’s harbor (1998).

A statue of Hans Egede stands over the harbor in Nuuk, capital of Greenland. Greenland was long a colony of the Kingdom of Denmark, and among the most prominent and I would say beneficent colonial settlers was  Egede, a Lutheran missionary who in the early 1700s established the then colonial town of Godthåb, which was later renamed Nuuk. This photo dates from 1998, and I wonder how much has changed on this hillside since. I imagine a fair bit. I ended up visiting Nuuk several times over three years. It was among the most interesting northern cities that I have explored.

The importance of celebrating milestones
Whenever you accomplish a goal, after investing a lot of work, remember to thank yourself for all that you did. Setting and achieving hard goals is the most satisfying of things to pursue in life.

Normally, I do not like to promote vanity, nor my own mug on my web sites. However, I was thinking about a great time nearly two years ago to the day when I finished my last graduate course at the University of Washington School of Public Health. The value of the MPH can be discussed at another time. And we can have a spirited discussion. I just happened to like how the light broke ever so perfectly. Yes, you are so vain, and this picture really is all about you! (Click on the photo to see a larger picture on a separate picture page.)

Prince Rupert Highway downpour drive
Taken in August 2010.
Taken in August 2010.
Taken in August 2010.

I drove the Prince Rupert Highway (Highway 16 in British Columbia) twice. I first drove it in 2004, when I headed up to Alaska in August that year. I returned the same way in August 2010. I used the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Prince Rupert to Haines, Ak., both times. I loved this road. It’s about 500 miles from Prince Rupert to Prince George, where one makes a sharp right on the Al-Can to head back south to the lower 48. These shots were taken in a very intense storm. I took the pictures from inside my car, while driving. The beautiful road cuts through the coastal range along the Skeena River. It’s one of my favorite drives in all of North America. But I was in a hurry then, heading back to Seattle, to find an apartment, start a grad program, and to leave Alaska forever in the rearview mirror. (Click on each photo for a larger picture on a separate picture page.)