Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Heading North Again

It feels like I haven't been on a plane for a long time but it's only been a little over a month. This is the view of the sunset as the flight is approaching Barrow. This was taken using an iPhone app called Hydra. In HDR mode, it'll take up to 20 images and put them together instead of the normal 2 or 3 photos. Using the built in camera app in HDR mode, the sun was completely blown out and everything else was black. I think that this new app did a reasonable job given the huge dynamic range. BTW, this was about 6:40pm. Quite a change from the last time I was here when there was no sunrise or sunset.

I have been waiting for the contract paperwork to get completed before returning to Barrow but things need to get done before the winter field season and things start to get busy. Winter is still here for a while in spite of the longer days. There was only about a 50% chance that we would be able to land due to high winds this afternoon. Something on the order of 45 knots and whiteout conditions.

I noticed a new addition to the university time/temperature sign. Ice sculptures are a big deal around Fairbanks. There are a number of nice sculptures around town and, as you might guess, they don't fare very well in warm temperatures. The Nanook. aka polar bear, is the mascot for the University of Alaska Fairbanks so there has been an ice sculpture of a polar bear at this location just about every year.


One last item that may be of interest to those with GoPro camera. Last month near the end of the Polar Bear Challenge, I modified a GoPro waterproof case to run a mini-USB cable into the camera to provide power. I recently found another solution that retains the integrity of the waterproof case and provides power to the camera using the 30-pin connector on the back. This connector is normally used to interface to optional backs such as the LCD or Sena Bluetooth. I found this replacement door and cable setup on Amazon and it would allow long time lapse sequences without being concerned about the weather.

8 comments:

  1. No, no, no. No more snow and ice please. I thank the powers that be for bare grounds and somewhat decent riding temperatures in my neck of the woods ... ;-)

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    1. Here in Barrow, they still have months of snow and ice. It makes just about anywhere else seems sunny and warm. On the way from the airport last night I saw someone on a dirt bike blasting through the snow drifts.

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  2. I think it was just getting too warm for you in Fairbanks and you begged to be sent north again. :-)

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    1. That must've been what happened... It's almost up to freezing again in Fairbanks today.

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  3. I bought the powerpack XP3 thing and it is as you mentioned. It astonishes me how well it works. Please keep the snow as a memento.

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    1. I had a hard time believing that could jump start anything given it's size. Thank you for the memento. Are you sure you wouldn't like some? It would be a big seller in KW.

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  4. I like that mod but wonder if it would interfere with gopros that have a screen on the back? You should get a pic of your rig with the ice bear.... :)

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    1. The case back is only for the GoPro 3 and 3+ without any additional back installed such as the LCD or Bluetooth. It uses the same connector as the different backs plug into. I was just looking for a more waterproof version. The USB cable through a drilled hole is fine for the winter but for the summer, I'd prefer more waterproof.

      To get to the sign, I need to drive down the bike path and sidewalk and generally prefer the weekend mornings for that...

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