Gone to See North America Road Trip. Day 07: Bellingham, Washington – Alaska Marine Highway on the MV Columbia.
Everyone boarded and we were on our way on the Alaska Marine Highway from Bellingham to Haines. My RV “White Ram” is in the hold, and I have a cabin on one of the upper decks. We had a Coast Guard escort as we left port. The flag was at half mast for the death of Senator Kennedy. I was surprised to see how many folks would be camping out on deck for the trip to Alaska.
Leaving Bellingham to Alaska on the M/V Columbia – Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera. (David J. Mathre)US Coast Guard Escort for the Alaska Marine Highway MV Columbia leaving Bellingham Washington for Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 18-200 VR lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/7, 1/160 sec). (David J. Mathre)US Coast Guard Escort for the Alaska Marine Highway MV Columbia leaving Bellingham Washington for Alaska. Image taken with a Nikon D300 camera and 18-200 VR lens (ISO 200, 200 mm, f/7, 1/160 sec). (David J. Mathre)Passengers on the Alaska Marine Highway MV Columbia camping on the Solarium deck. Composite of two images taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 50 mm f/1.4 lens (ISO 1600, 50 mm, f/4, 1/250 sec). (David J Mathre)“The Other Boleyn Girl” Solarium Deck on the MV Columbia Alaska Marine Highway. Image taken with a Nikon D3 camera and 50 mm f/1.4D lens (ISO 1600, 50 mm, f/4, 1/160 sec). (David J Mathre)
There was a partial Lunar Eclipse while I was working at the Merck/Sirna site in Boulder. The sky was clear and I spent much of the night observing the eclipse from the Sirna parking lot. At one point I must have stood in front of the camera for a selfie.
Accidental Ghostly Self Portrait Taken During a Lunar Eclipse. Boulder Colorado. Image taken with a Nikon D2xs camera and 14 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 400, 14 mm, f/2.8, 30 sec). (David J Mathre)
Gone to See America 2006 Driving Tour. Day 3: Lake Itasca, Minnesota.
Mississippi River Headwaters. The only place you can cross the Mississippi River by foot. Itasca State Park. I did this as a kid many, many years ago and ended up with several leeches on my legs. Images taken with a Nikon D200 camera and 18-75 mm kit lens.
Click on the above image to access the individual images in the slideshow.
While harvesting some carrots from my Grow Tower garden several very large grasshoppers jumped out. This one is almost 2 inches long.
Spur-throated Grasshopper. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Spur-throated Grasshopper. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/640 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Spur-throated Grasshopper. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 250 mm, f/5.6, 1/400 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)Spur-throated Grasshopper. Image taken with a Nikon 1 V3 camera and 70-300 mm VR lens (ISO 400, 300 mm, f/5.6, 1/500 sec). (DAVID J MATHRE)
Daily Electric Energy Used (39.2 kWh) from Sense and Daily Solar Electric Energy Produced (42.9 kWh) from SolSystems and Locus Energy. Still cool outside but more clouds for a net surplus of 3.7 kWh.
Star and jet trails plus clouds. Images taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/4, 120 sec). Raw images processed with Capture One Pro, and the composite generated with Photoshop CC (statistics, maximum). One problem I continue to have is moisture condensing on the lens as temperature cool over the night. Especially with wide angle lenses with lots of glass surface area. You can see how the condensation blurs things in the final image. I’ve read about adding electrical resistance thermal tape to heat the lens, but worry about damage and optical artifacts. I’ve also added a time-lapse video of the night sky show.
Star Trails and Clouds Looking South. Composite of 50 images (01-50) taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/4, 120 sec). (David J Mathre)Star Trails and Clouds Looking South. Composite of 50 images (51-100) taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/4, 120 sec). (David J Mathre)Star Trails and Clouds Looking South. Composite of 50 images (101-150) taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/4, 120 sec). (David J Mathre)Star Trails and Clouds Looking South. Composite of 50 images (151-200) taken with a Nikon D810a camera and 14-24 mm f/2.8 lens (ISO 200, 14 mm, f/4, 120 sec). (David J Mathre)