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An Alaska Adventure

 

Disappointments
and Rewards


1:30 am on June 26, 2004, 30 miles north of Fairbanks, Alaska

bluebells

We made it through the fire and back onto the pavement, marking the midway point. We talked about the not so great sun-shot and the scary fire. Even our driver relaxed and agreed that, now that we were safe, the trip had been quite an experience. Not what we'd planned, but definitely exciting. But it was 1 AM and as our adrenalin high gave out, we quieted down. The dogs slept. My daughter dozed.

My eyes heavy, I was almost asleep too. Then a new show started and I was wide awake! The sun came out from behind the mountains and painted the sky with brilliant shades of red and pink and purple. Our driver stopped, repeatedly, and patiently waited for me to walk along the road to get just the right shot.

This unexpected gift, a sunrise made glorious by the smoke from the same fires that had shrouded the horizon and prevented our midnight sun shots, reminded us that, to paraphrase an old saying, "When one photo op disappears, an even better one will appear!"

bluebells

Bluebells

These tiny blue flowerets are just one of the many arctic flowers we saw on Eagle Summit. Arcitc flora is often identical to flowers that grow in lower climes, except that they are always much smaller.

bluebells

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