03/17/2006: "I thought I could get higher than that!"

Driving home the sun setting was this huge orange fireball. I thought it would make a beautiful photograph if I could drive up to Eaglecrest (our ski resort) which looks out over everything...the channel, the glacier, several smaller islands, downtown Juneau etc. I had visions of how beautiful it looks from up there, and how dramatic it would be with that big orange sunset. So, I started driving up there, it's on North Douglas Island, only it seemed a lot farther away than I thought, as I drove the sun dipped lower and lower. I drove higher and higher but I just couldn't get to that amazing vista I could see in my head. Then, when I got to the top, it occured to me that the vision in my head was how everything looked from the top of the mountain while skiing, not from the parking lot!

I still got a couple of nice shots even though you couldn't see where the sun was actually setting from the parking lot.

sunset-from-eaglecrest-ski-resort (34k image)

So, not one to give up, I high tailed it back down the mountain and then went out towards the North Douglas boat ramp. I got there just seconds after the sun had dipped below the horizon and very orange.

sunset-from-north-douglas-boat-launch (129k image)

Then, driving home I decided to take one finally shot, of what downtown Juneau looks like from across the channel where I live.

juneau-from-douglas-island (117k image)

It's a wee blurry because it was so cold my hands were shaking while I was taking the photograph. Anyway, it's supposed to get cloudy tomorrow so I wanted to make use of the clear skies while they lasted.

Replies: 13 Comments

on Friday, March 17th, K said

It is so beautiful it almost hurts.....Could you send me one of those photos ina bigger size? I want a desktop wallpaper like this. And i am going to lick the screen then. :D :D

on Friday, March 17th, Kasia said

Gee, again K it's me - Kasia.

on Saturday, March 18th, ann said

Beautiful pictures!

on Saturday, March 18th, Elise said

Hi guys,
thanks! And Kasia, let me know which image you'd like and which email address to send it to and I'll send you a high resolution version.
:)

on Saturday, March 18th, berry bowman connell said

OK, this time I know I'm gonna get in trouble. Not for a long rambling message that doesn't even fit the question, not for a long rambling message that may have fit the question, but yer gonna do what you feel is right by you (actually, that IS what I meant, it's either do what you feel is right or go the way of the "failed artist"...
No, I'm gonna get in trouble cause, and it's your fault....
I copied the pictures you just posted.
Dang! They were so beautiful! How is it that there is a place with atmosphere that looks edible?!
Heck yeah I copied it! And I'll tell everyone in the world how they, too, can copy these pictures for their desktop wallpaper..(unless this makes you mad and you delete this comment)
Look up yonder at the buttons on the top,...F1, F2, so on....down the way there's one that says "print screen".
Yup. That's how I did it.

Now, to be sure, and as much as I would love to paint this to sell, I won't. Hey, I got scruples,....I don't copy to sell, I copy to enjoy. And the chance of me actually getting up to Alaska are, at this point of time, so remote.....
Plus, and I don't mean to be blowing smoke up yer skirt....I dunno, there are lechers out here. I just ain't one of 'em.....Anyway, I thought that they were good enough to make into prints themselves...which would make my selling a painting done from them downright illegal.
And now, just to keep this short, in case you want to delete it (the "secret", y'know) or yer just pist cause I did it at all, I be gone now.
Just so you know how much integrity I can muster, though. If ya want, tell me and I will delete them from my files.

But, they sure are pretty!
The first one really grabs me!

on Sunday, March 19th, Kasia said

Hm.. I'd like the two firts pictures from this post, if it is possible. Send it: kglanc@odyssei.com">kglanc@odyssei.com
Thank you, thank you, thank you!

on Sunday, March 19th, Judy Vars said

Oh yea thats Alaska alright. When I moved to Alaska my first idea was to move to Juneau. When I started to think that I would be on an island I got worried. So I drove to Anchorage instead. Anchorage looked like where I came from Salt Lake City (yea I know). So I started to look in the paper for something to buy. The ads said things like island for sale accessable by float plane and snow machine in the winter. I thought where is the God am I.
I settled into a quaint cabin on Big Lake in South Central. Thats my story! :)

on Sunday, March 19th, Elise said

Hey Berry, I don't mind you using a copy of the photo for your own personal use on your computer. The ones I've posted are pretty low resolution, they wouldn't print out very well I'm afraid.

And Kasia, I'll send you those two tomorrow morning if I have time. (I saved them on an extrenal hard drive and I'll have to hook it up and I'm on my way to bed at the moment)...

And Judy, I know where Big Lake is, I've been there, I remember when you had the horrible fire some years back. Where you living there at the time?

Anyway, it's amazing to me how different Alaska is depending on where you live. It's a pretty big place!

on Monday, March 20th, Judy Vars said

Yes Elise, I was living there at the time it was a scary experience. I was sailing on Big Lake at the time the winds were so harry that the big sail boat was about to turtle we were all squeezing out butts. We noticed two smoke puffs on the other side that quickly spread across the whole side. My son was home on the other side while I was out sailing. We hurried to get docked and everything started to go wrong the lines got caught in the motor it was total pandemonium, and that was just the beginning. That will be good stuff for my blog I started one this morning
http://cabinfeverinalaska.blogspot.com/. Did you get my nudes??
:O

on Monday, March 20th, Elise said

Hi Judy, I'd like to read that story about the fire. As for the nudes, I'll check my inbox. It keeps going over quota and I get a ton of junk mail. Sometimes I delete things by mistake.

on Saturday, March 25th, berry bowman connell said

Thanx!
Course, I noticed ya said I could use 'em on the 'puter....not paint em.

on Saturday, March 25th, Elise said

Well, ya know, I use my photographs in my paintings, that's the main reason why I take them...
:P

on Saturday, March 25th, Elise said

Oh, and to share with everyone, show ya'll how beautiful it is where I live.