Liard River Hot Springs

This is the third time I drive the Alaska Highway. A must stop on this long haul is Liard River Hot Springs. When I go to heaven, I give up the seven virgins or singing “Hosianna” all day, if I can have a place like this on my cloud.

In the summer the spring is surrounded by lush ferns and horsetails. A lingering morning fog may add to the magic of this place. The water is odorless and clear. The bottom of the pool is covered with gentle pebbles.

I recommend starting with the lower pool. The water is warm on top and cooler at the bottom. A cold spring is feeding into the hot water. This makes for a unique bathing experience. Once you are warmed up, you are ready for the hot upper pool. Let’s see how close you want to come to the hot source.

Next time I visit this place will be in winter. Google for some amazing pictures!

Maybe that’s what I want on my cloud. A cabin with Yukon winter weather and a hot spring right outside my deck. Until then, I will have to revisit Liard River Hot Springs and other wonders of Nature.

It’s Time

Kathleen Lake, Yukon Territory

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“The time is always right
to do the right thing.”

Martin Luther King Jr.

There are not enough Martin Luther King Days to remember all the profound words of this great man.

After the storm

“Thank goodness for the first snow, it was a reminder–no matter how old you became and how much you’d seen, things could still be new if you were willing to believe they still mattered.”

Candace Bushnell

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Beautiful skies are back in all it’s splendor after the second snow this season.

Summit Lake, British Columbia

 

World Photography Day

“The Earth is Art.

The Photographer is the Witness.”

Yann Arthus-Bertrand

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It was 177 years ago that Louis Daguerre, originally a painter, found a way to fix images obtained with a camera obscura: Photography was born.

Did this change the world? You bet.

Do images today change the world? I am not sure.

I don’t want go into it today…

Let’s celebrate a great invention and hope that it will serve humanity well.

Tutshi Lake, Yukon

Don’t mess with me!

North American Porcupine (Erthizon dorsatum), Yukon

Met this friendly little neighbor on my ride home. Although slow moving, porcupines protect themselves with a coat of quills. The sharp needles have hooks, which make for painful removal. North American porcupines floated from Africa to Brazil and slowly made their way up North. Porcupines have a long gestation period of over 200 days.

Close to the heart

May Weather in the Boundaries Range, British Columbia

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“As long as I live, I’ll hear waterfalls and birds and winds sing.
I’ll interpret the rocks, learn the language of flood, storm, and the avalanche.
I’ll acquaint myself with the glaciers and wild gardens,
and get as near the heart of the world as I can.”

John Muir

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Those are the words of a great man.

Looking across the valleys and mountains of the Boundaries Range I imagine this is what John Muir had in mind, when he traveled to Alaska 130 years ago: Snow and ice covered landscapes. Even today, patches of that pristine wilderness still exist. Often times hiding in the clouds.

On Reality – № 5

“Nothing ever becomes real
until it is experienced.”

John Keats

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I believe that is true for good and bad experiences.

We can read about anything that ever happened to a human being or a whole society. We can watch almost anything on TV, or play it on your computer. Nothing will replace the real experience, I believe.

Who was John Keats? A British poet, who only experienced life for 25 years.

On Reality – № 3

“Reality is merely an illusion,
albeit a very persistent one.”

Albert Einstein

St. Elias Mountains, Kluane National Park, Canada

Words and Images

“ When words become unclear,
I shall focus with photographs.

When images become inadequate,
I shall be content with silence. ”

Ansel Adams

The answer

“Love is the answer.

What was the question?”

John Lennon

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since it is Valentines Day, otherwise “The Calm after the Storm” would have been a good way to describe today’s ski excursion into the Coastal mountains. Now, we are waiting anxiously for the clouds to disappear and giving way to the Northern Lights.

Can’t wait to see the aurora with this backdrop on a crisp night.

Happy Valentine’s Day.