Tuesday, January 4, 2011

High Noon in Barrow

Just for comparison with my previous post, this photo was taken at peak daylight near Point Barrow, the farthest point north in Alaska at 71.324°N latitude. Contrary to popular belief (and the movie Thirty Days of Night), it isn't dark 24 hours per day, you just dont get to see the sun for a couple of months. The fronds on the "palm trees" are made of whale baleen and are located about 5 miles east of the town of Barrow towards the point at a location referred to as duck camp. There are a number of shacks, huts and cabins out here and is used I imagine for duck hunting. I think the palm trees are put here just for the tourists to take pictures of. This is as far as the road is plowed at this time.

I'm up here for several days to try and finish up some projects and like most of my tasks, they are a whole lot easier to do when no one is around.

8 comments:

  1. The"palm trees" truly make it all better. I bet you suddenly wanted a frozen margarita :)

    Stay warm my friend.

    -Peace

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  2. Hi Richard!

    Those palm trees just add all the ambiance in the world. Yep, cabana, 'rita's, great day! :)

    Do you use UV lights or anything? I have friends in the UK that are affected by the low amount of daylight and use UV lights to improve mental health. ;)

    Enjoy the quality time! -Lori

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  3. I'm glad you explained the palm trees! Wow, that's not much sun and it puts a crimp on photography although I like your photo. That's a rare shot! Stay warm!

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  4. Beautiful photo. I love the color. The palm trees...too funny. :)

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  5. Since your post on the Solstice I have found myself being more sensitive to the rate of the changes in the light during my commute. This morning I found myself riding into the rising sun. How rapid is the lengthening of the days in Barrow?
    ~Keith

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  6. Thank you all for stopping by.

    Dom:
    At this time of the year, snow machines dominate. I have yet to see a Ural during the winter.

    Allen Madding:
    I first saw them about 6 years ago and anytime anyone new comes to Barrow, I make a point of running out there.

    Barrow is "damp" so no frozen margaritas though it does sound good!

    Lori:
    The cabana will need pretty good insulation. I don't seem to be affected at all by the low amount of light. But then again my mental health may be far from "normal".


    Mike:
    Outdoor photo opportunities do seem to be limited but then again the amount of time you and your equipment want to be outside is also very limited.


    Kari:
    That is a fairly good representation of the color of the snow at this time of day. I kind of like the way it looks like sand. At this time of year I see more bicycles out riding than motorbikes.

    Keith:
    The sun won't even show up above the horizon for a couple more weeks. At this time of year, daylight increases by only about a minute per day. By March it gets up to about 7 minutes per day then the rate starts to drop again.

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  7. Oddly enough they are now floating inflatable icebergs around key west as waterbourne climbing platforms for bored tourists. Humans always seem to prefer that which they cannot have.

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