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.
