Category: Alaska

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Sitka Polar Dip

Rich McClear

On Saturday about 100 Sitkans took a swim in the Sitka Channel without wet suits, dry suits, or survival suits, although one was person in a Santa suit.  The fire department had pressure hosed the ramp to get rid of barnacles.  Apparently cut feet are the biggest medical danger in this operation, and there were rescue divers off shore.  I was covering the event for Raven Radio and before the event I asked the swimmers one simple question “Why?” Here is what I got: “Why Not?” — “We’ll be leaving this summer so I figured this is our last Alaska … Continue reading Sitka Polar Dip

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Juneau Deco

Rich McClear

Juneau pretends to be an old gold rush town.  Behind the faux gold rush façade (logs covering concrete in some places, like the Red Dog Saloon) beats a heart of Art Deco.  Juneau suffered fires and was largely rebuilt in an Art Deco era. Concrete seemed a safer bet than wood. Modern buildings like the “Spam Can” make reference to art deco.  The Baranof Hotel, Palace Theater Building, Alaska Electric Power and Light Building and the 20th Century Theater all have nice deco touches.  I took some of these pictures from the Mt. Roberts Tramway. These pictures are from 2004, Juneau … Continue reading Juneau Deco

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Sunrise at Noon, Sitka to Ketchikan

Rich McClear

I must have flown between Sitka and Ketchikan at least 100 times in the past 30 years.  Most of the times it has been overcast.  When it isn’t, I usually have an aisle seat, my preference.  Ten days ago, flying through Ketchikan to Seattle, Alaska Airlines upgraded me to first class in a window seat.  It was midday and a weather front was coming in.  The sun was low enough in the December sky and we were high enough to give the effect of sunrise at noon.  We broke through the overcast as we crossed Baranof Island and headed south … Continue reading Sunrise at Noon, Sitka to Ketchikan

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Sitka Sea Walk

Rich McClear

On Thursday we had 1.7 inches of rain, it was dark and wet.  I had the feeling that the season had changed.  We were finally going to get payback for our beautiful summer and fall.  On Friday I woke up to blue skies and sunrise alpenglow on Mt. Edgecumbe.  This morning (Saturday) I woke up to — snow. Friday was a good day for walking.  I took my usual turn through the National Park and then walked Sitka’s new Sea Walk.  The Sea Walk opened on Alaska Day.  I have never driven by without seeing people enjoying the walk and … Continue reading Sitka Sea Walk

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Termination Dust, Sitka Alaska, November 2, 2013

Rich McClear

This has been a wonderful weekend in Sitka.  While we see snow on our mountains all year, those closest to the sea are bare in the summer.  We had a lot of rain at sea level during the week; in the mountains it was snow.  On Saturday it cleared and the near peaks and our volcano got their white snow caps back. “Termination Dust” is what Alaskans call it, the snow that means summer jobs are over. Some of these are shots taken on the water this weekend on a whale watch sponsored by Sitka WhaleFest (the whales I will … Continue reading Termination Dust, Sitka Alaska, November 2, 2013

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Alaska Day in Sitka, Alaska, 2013

Rich McClear

Alaska Day in Sitka Alaska Day commemorates the day in 1867 when the United States took possession of Alaska from the Russians.  It’s Sitka’s day.  Up until that time Sitka ran on the Julian calendar and was west of the International Date Line.  Sitka jumped ahead about two weeks in an instant when the American flag hit the top of the pole on Castle Hill. In most Alaska communities Alaska Day is just a substitute for Columbus Day, which is a federal but not a State holiday.  In 1980 when I worked at KTOO in Juneau, we did a vox … Continue reading Alaska Day in Sitka, Alaska, 2013

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Harbor Mountain Redux, Sept 2013

Rich McClear

The weather obliged with rain during “Running of the Boots” this morning but the clouds broke and the sun broke through a dramatic sky mid-afternoon.  Suzi and I decided to run up to the top of Harbor Mountain for much of the afternoon.  The autumn has progressed, the colors are a little more vivid than they were earlier in the week when I posted.   Continue reading Harbor Mountain Redux, Sept 2013

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Harbor Mountain, Autumn 2013

Rich McClear

Our trees do not turn to the colors of the hardwood forests in the East, but alder leaves do turn yellow and the alpine tundra in the mountains above Sitka turns red, gold and brown while the spruce, hemlock and cedar lower on the slopes retain their different shades of green.  On Tuesday the skies unexpectedly cleared, the weather bureau was caught off guard, and we had sun through Wednesday afternoon.  I got in the jeep and drove 2,000 feet up Harbor Mountain both to watch the new weather front come in from the Gulf of Alaska and walk through … Continue reading Harbor Mountain, Autumn 2013

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College Fjord, Glaciers in Prince William Sound.

Rich McClear

Visitors to Anchorage who come by cruise ship dock in Whittier.  Whittier was a secret port on Prince William Sound built during World War II.  It was almost always covered with clouds so the Japanese planes could not see it most days.  It worked.  It was on no Japanese charts or maps.  One of the town’s unofficial slogans is “It’s Sh!@#ier in Whittier.” Whittier is connected to Anchorage by rail through a long tunnel that goes from Whittier to Portage Lake where Portage near Portage Glacier.  The tunnel is now open to cars and Whittier is where many people from … Continue reading College Fjord, Glaciers in Prince William Sound.

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See Alaska before it melts! Portage Glacier

Rich McClear

In 1991 I took my mother to visit the Portage Glacier an hour drive south of Anchorage.  We went to a program at the visitors’ center, heard the lecture and saw the movie on glaciers.  At the end of the performance the ranger opened the curtain behind her and there was a close up view of Portage Glacier including a lake filled with little ice burgs.   By the time Kevin was married in 2007 and we brought the wedding party to Portage Glacier the glacier was no where to be seen in the vicinity of the visitors’ center.   … Continue reading See Alaska before it melts! Portage Glacier