A short Alaska pic thread - Subaru Enthusiasts Car Club of the Sierras

ScottyS · 2006-09-06, 02:08 PM

OK, maybe not so short, but I did keep the pics small. I tried to pick out a variety of photos that show a lot of scenery and cool activities.

Soooo.....here it is: I spent most of the summer as part of a gold exploration project in Nyac, Alaska, where I was supposed to be the GIS Dude/Data Manager/Fix-It Monkey. By the end of things I ended up as the camp/logistics manager instead, but all that meant was less time in the field and more headaches.

To get to Nyac, we took smaller

and smaller planes to get there.

It was pretty snowy at the beginning, but that melted within two-three weeks.

Everything had to be flown in, from generator/helo fuel to ice cream to drilling equipment to wood screws.

We lived in a small ~26-man camp adjacent to a long-established placer-mining operation, about 7 miles from the start of our project area up in the hills.

We were collecting geology data through a soil/rock sample program,

and a drilling program.

Everything in the field was supported by helicopter, with soil crews commuting to work every day,

and the drill operation getting moved between holes. No denying that there were some "exciting" moments.

We saw bears almost every day,

had moose around the camp,

and even did some fishing.

Later in the season we supplemented our diet with lots of blueberries...

...while the mosquitoes were trying to eat us every second of every day.

But, as fun as all this sounds, it was pretty darn tiring and involved a lot of rainy weather.

So, once the project was done and the last cargo plane left,

myself and two other guys from "Outside" decided to take a little road trip before flying home. We rented a gangsta-mobile in Anchorage, bought some cheap camping gear, and headed out.

First, we went to Seward...

...where we saw Bald Eagles,

Sea Lions gorging on salmon,

Mountain Goats,

and ice fields spawning glaciers.

While there, we got one nice weather day, so we took a 9-hour "glacier cruise"...

...with Humpback whales,

more Sea Lions,

Puffins,

and of course, glaciers.

Outstanding scenery.

After blowing that chunk of change, we turned back north and drove up around through Palmer, up the Matenuska Valley, past Glenallen, and down a 60mi dead-end dirt road to McCarthy/Kennicott, where we poked around this old ghost town/copper mine.

Next stop was Valdez, and we set up camp at midnight during a record-setting 2in.+ rain shower. The next day we hung out...

...and did some fishing...

before getting on the road back to Anchorage. Along the way, the weather broke, and we got to see waterfalls,

mountains,

and more glaciers, before we had to get back on the plane and fly to places where summer still reigned.

Nick Koan · 2006-09-06, 02:10 PM

Totally bundled up, but still wearing shorts. Gotta love it.

Kevin M · 2006-09-06, 02:18 PM

I like the part where you fly ice cream into alaska.

Did you get some Choco Tacos at least?

sp00ln · 2006-09-06, 03:35 PM

Amazing... I really want to go there. America is the best/most beautiful country that I've ever been in.

tysonK · 2006-09-06, 04:10 PM

awesome thread, the pictures are top-notch!!

M3n2c3 · 2006-09-06, 04:56 PM

Amazing scenery pics. Sounds like a blast

sti deede · 2006-09-06, 07:58 PM

Mmmmmm Adding Alaska to my places to visit. It's soooooo beautiful. The scenery dwarfs people.

MattR · 2006-09-06, 08:22 PM

Thanks for putting that together Scotty, I realy enjoyed looking at those shots. you look like you had an awesome adventure

MPREZIV · 2006-09-07, 06:46 AM

That's amazing dude! Some of those pics are simply breathtaking! Jealous... [points to self]

JonnydaJibba · 2006-09-07, 07:14 AM

You guys would make real hard gansters. Sweet pics Scotty.

cody · 2006-09-07, 11:27 AM

Wow!

cody · 2006-09-07, 11:28 AM

You totally look like you're about to get munched by a glacier in this pic.

murphy · 2006-09-07, 03:10 PM

Those pics are great.

dknv · 2006-09-08, 09:45 AM

Excellent, thanks for sharing your adventures. Did I miss mention of nearly 23hr long days, sun not setting until 2am?

What kind of bears?

I lived near Fairbanks for 2 years, while I was in grade school. I remember fishing for pike, the mosquitos!, moose wandering by the playground, lots of frozen days when you dared not touch metal with your bare hands. I highly recommend a visit to Alaska.

ScottyS · 2006-09-09, 11:33 PM

Glad y'all like the pics --- best ratio of good/bad photos I've had in a while.

Debbie --- mostly curious/annoying/more dangerous Black bears around camp, but we did see a few big Browns in the field and at the airstrip. Living there over the winter would be pretty brutal, but I'd try it once I think. Long days were there, even though we were not very far north...

2006-09-06, 02:08 PM	#1
ScottyS EJ205 Real Name: It is real! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: RNO Posts: 2,367 Car: 1998 Impreza Wagon, 1991 Legacy Turbo Sedan, 2003 Nissan Xterra Class: tvFree Yes, I'll fix it for you. Again.	A short Alaska pic thread OK, maybe not so short, but I did keep the pics small. I tried to pick out a variety of photos that show a lot of scenery and cool activities. Soooo.....here it is: I spent most of the summer as part of a gold exploration project in Nyac, Alaska, where I was supposed to be the GIS Dude/Data Manager/Fix-It Monkey. By the end of things I ended up as the camp/logistics manager instead, but all that meant was less time in the field and more headaches. To get to Nyac, we took smaller and smaller planes to get there. It was pretty snowy at the beginning, but that melted within two-three weeks. Everything had to be flown in, from generator/helo fuel to ice cream to drilling equipment to wood screws. We lived in a small ~26-man camp adjacent to a long-established placer-mining operation, about 7 miles from the start of our project area up in the hills. We were collecting geology data through a soil/rock sample program, and a drilling program. Everything in the field was supported by helicopter, with soil crews commuting to work every day, and the drill operation getting moved between holes. No denying that there were some "exciting" moments. We saw bears almost every day, had moose around the camp, and even did some fishing. Later in the season we supplemented our diet with lots of blueberries... ...while the mosquitoes were trying to eat us every second of every day. But, as fun as all this sounds, it was pretty darn tiring and involved a lot of rainy weather. So, once the project was done and the last cargo plane left, myself and two other guys from "Outside" decided to take a little road trip before flying home. We rented a gangsta-mobile in Anchorage, bought some cheap camping gear, and headed out. First, we went to Seward... ...where we saw Bald Eagles, Sea Lions gorging on salmon, Mountain Goats, and ice fields spawning glaciers. While there, we got one nice weather day, so we took a 9-hour "glacier cruise"... ...with Humpback whales, more Sea Lions, Puffins, and of course, glaciers. Outstanding scenery. After blowing that chunk of change, we turned back north and drove up around through Palmer, up the Matenuska Valley, past Glenallen, and down a 60mi dead-end dirt road to McCarthy/Kennicott, where we poked around this old ghost town/copper mine. Next stop was Valdez, and we set up camp at midnight during a record-setting 2in.+ rain shower. The next day we hung out... ...and did some fishing... before getting on the road back to Anchorage. Along the way, the weather broke, and we got to see waterfalls, mountains, and more glaciers, before we had to get back on the plane and fly to places where summer still reigned. __________________ "Trend Number One is that people aren't getting any smarter." Dogbert

2006-09-06, 02:10 PM	#2
Nick Koan JDM Cowboy Real Name: Nick Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: Somewhere Posts: 8,642 Car: 2015 Mazda 3	Totally bundled up, but still wearing shorts. Gotta love it. __________________ While a standard engine is powered by a belt connected to the crankshaft, a turbo engine runs on its own exhaust steam, making it more energy efficient. -- CNN

2006-09-06, 02:18 PM	#3
Kevin M EJ22T Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Reno Posts: 9,445 Car: '93/'01 GF6, mostly red Class: 19 FP	I like the part where you fly ice cream into alaska. Did you get some Choco Tacos at least? __________________ FWD is the new AWD

2006-09-06, 03:35 PM	#4
sp00ln EJ205 Join Date: May 2003 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 1,196	Amazing... I really want to go there. America is the best/most beautiful country that I've ever been in. __________________ Turbo is a decent with modification.

2006-09-06, 04:10 PM	#5
tysonK warehouse SECCS Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: SoCal... Posts: 6,253 Car: 04 Evo 99 Cadillac Class: street de le mod	awesome thread, the pictures are top-notch!! __________________ Anjali? Anjali?

2006-09-06, 04:56 PM	#6
M3n2c3 EJ205 Real Name: Jeremiah Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Dayton, NV Posts: 1,888 Car: 2005 Impreza 2.5RS, 2000 Forester L Class: RNP sometimes (see motto) "Kids are ruining autocross."	Amazing scenery pics. Sounds like a blast __________________ Small red text that looks curious at first glance but is ultimately inconsequential

2006-09-06, 07:58 PM	#7
sti deede EJ205 Real Name: Deede Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 1,789 Car: '96 4runner Class: none.	Mmmmmm Adding Alaska to my places to visit. It's soooooo beautiful. The scenery dwarfs people.

2006-09-06, 08:22 PM	#8
MattR El Matador Real Name: Matt Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Reno, NV Posts: 10,660 Car: 2012 Toyota Tacoma Class: ?	Thanks for putting that together Scotty, I realy enjoyed looking at those shots. you look like you had an awesome adventure __________________ "Dallas..We have a problem.” Last edited by MattR; 2006-09-06 at 08:26 PM.

2006-09-07, 06:46 AM	#9
MPREZIV Token Real Name: Le Stig Afrique? Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: sitting next to a big yellow box Posts: 3,589 Car: 2001 Impreza 2.5 RS Class: 05 TDSP No, I won't work on your car. F your car*	That's amazing dude! Some of those pics are simply breathtaking! Jealous... [points to self] __________________ "...these condoms have a topical anesthetic to reduce sensitivity, so you can last longer. What a paradox. You can't feel a thing, but you can f*ck for HOURS..."

2006-09-07, 07:14 AM	#10
JonnydaJibba EJ207 Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Reno/Sparks, Nevada Posts: 3,482 Car: 2000 2.5RS Class: RestNPeace Master Slurper.	You guys would make real hard gansters. Sweet pics Scotty. __________________ "Why do chicks tell you to call and then not answer....so gay." "Cuz girls are fags I dunno"

2006-09-07, 11:27 AM	#11
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	Wow! __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2006-09-07, 11:28 AM	#12
cody Candy Mountain Real Name: Cody Join Date: May 2005 Location: Californication Posts: 7,751 Car: 03 Pussy Wagon, now with more pink! Class: TESP OMG Internet!	You totally look like you're about to get munched by a glacier in this pic. __________________ Slow and low, that is the tempo.

2006-09-07, 03:10 PM	#13
murphy EJ22 Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: RENO Posts: 484 Car: 03 evo, 06 R6	Those pics are great.

2006-09-08, 09:45 AM	#14
dknv EJ207 Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: 39n53, 119w90 Posts: 2,698 Car: RX-8 Class: CS maybe	Excellent, thanks for sharing your adventures. Did I miss mention of nearly 23hr long days, sun not setting until 2am? What kind of bears? I lived near Fairbanks for 2 years, while I was in grade school. I remember fishing for pike, the mosquitos!, moose wandering by the playground, lots of frozen days when you dared not touch metal with your bare hands. I highly recommend a visit to Alaska.

2006-09-09, 11:33 PM	#15
ScottyS EJ205 Real Name: It is real! Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: RNO Posts: 2,367 Car: 1998 Impreza Wagon, 1991 Legacy Turbo Sedan, 2003 Nissan Xterra Class: tvFree Yes, I'll fix it for you. Again.	Glad y'all like the pics --- best ratio of good/bad photos I've had in a while. Debbie --- mostly curious/annoying/more dangerous Black bears around camp, but we did see a few big Browns in the field and at the airstrip. Living there over the winter would be pretty brutal, but I'd try it once I think. Long days were there, even though we were not very far north... Attached Images __________________ "Trend Number One is that people aren't getting any smarter." Dogbert

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