The Magic & the Mystery – road trip at 40 below
Yesterday was road trip day. Only a little road trip to Skagway to pick up a bunch of gear for the trip, but it was one of those severe, dramatic days that I love. It was -38°C (-36°F) when I left Mary Lake, and -16°C (+4°°F) when I reached Skagway. With a screaming north wind, though, the wind chill through the White Pass and in Skagway was a good 20 degrees F lower than that.
I hope that these images will show you why I enjoy trips like this, even though many people think I have “a screw loose”. Yes, if the car breaks down you’re going to have a very, very bad day – but like most activities up here, you prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and have fun.
There was so much ice in the air that sundogs were present for most of the trip. At Tutshi Lake I got really lucky and the sundogs turned into a complete, sky-filling icebow.
The ground blizzard through the White Pass was quite impressive.
At Skagway, I always make a detour to the mouth of the Skagway River to see if there are any harbor seals. Yesterday there were 5 of them, and the ice floes gave the scene a great Arctic look.
Looking down the Railroad Dock at the sea smoke on Lynn Canal. This phenomenon is caused when very cold air blows across warmer water.
While I was shooting the seasmoke, the state ferry Le Conte arrived, with a thick coating of ice. The marine forecast was reporting winds to 55 mph with freezing spray – that must have been a rough trip up from Juneau!
The White Pass & Yukon Route rail yard was a very quiet place – nothing was moving and the roundhouse doors were as drifted in with snow as these locomotives.
I caught this scene in my rear-view mirror as I headed home through the White Pass. Stepping out of the car for a minute to get a few shots was “exhilarating”!
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