Exposure : Ron's Ramblings

Longing for the Open Road

I’m getting a bit antsy. Our last big trip was 2016 when we drove to Yukon Territory. We were away for 3 months and drove to the Arctic Circle and back. It was a wonderful, productive trip. When we travel, we work everyday and are constantly moving, exploring and of course taking photos.

Termination Dust, Kluane, YT

Northern Lights, YT

Black Bear at BC-YT border

There is something to be said for sitting in one place and watching the seasons change. We have tried to make the best of this by shooting locally. But I still long for the open road.

Barn Swallow, ON

Yellow Warbler Male, ON

Male American Redstart, ON

Blanding’s Turtle, ON

Crystal Palace, Picton, ON

Sandbanks Provincial Park, ON

Every time I finish a long road trip I think ok, this is the last one. I’m done with this. And then, with time I start to think, maybe we could go to Newfoundland or Jasper in the fall. I haven’t dared start to plan a big trip during the pandemic. Hopefully we will be able to get away somewhere this year. It may not be out of the province but a change of scene would sure help perk up our spirits. This has been a long haul…

Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day. -- A.A. Milne

To lose patience is to lose the battle. -- Mahatma Gandhi

When you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. -- George Harrison

Labels: Crystal Palace, Klu, longing, Picton, road trips, Sandbanks Provincial Park ON; Blanding's Turtle; American Redstart; Barn Swallow; Northern Lights; Termination Dust, Yellow Warbler, Yukon

Home

"You and I have memories
Longer than the road that stretches out ahead
…
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home",

"Two of Us", Lennon–McCartney, 1969

Ron's Shadow on the Dempster Highway, NWT

There is nothing like getting home after a few months away. I sleep so deeply, so contently. I’m slowly going through the images. It will take a while. It never seems like I’m getting anything worthwhile during the trip. I’m always driven to find that illusive image, that trip defining moment that is a touchstone. As I pick the best images, my “keepers”, I’m finding a few surprises, images I didn’t think much of at the time. There will be a few photos that emerge as trip defining. I don’t think many will be more rewarding than the Aurora Borealis images from the Yukon

Northern Lights, Yukon

As hard as these trips are, traveling this way has been very productive. We keep trying to come up with a new way to do this. So far this is the best way for us. I’m not sure where our next trip will be. But I’m not in a hurry to be on a 3-month road trip again.

Old Church Saskatchewan

Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, AB

Rainbow in Yukon

Train Tracks, Saskatchewan

Tangle Creek, Jasper, AB

Larson Homestead, Grasslands, SK

Labels: Alberta, Aurora Borealis, Dempster Highway, Grasslands National Park, home, Jasper National Park, northern lights, Northwest Territories, Peter Lougheed Provincial Park, saskatchewan, Tangle Creek, Yukon

Termination Dust

Termination Dust, Kluane Ranges, YT

That’s what the locals call it. The first snow high in the mountains is the end of both the mining and tourist season. It also marks the end of our time in the Yukon. We have really enjoyed our time here!

Kluane Lake, YK

Dall Sheep, Kluane, YT

Abandoned Boat, Kluane Lake, YT

Quill Creek Kluane National Park, YT

Labels: Dall Sheep, Kluane Lake, Kluane National Park and Reserve, kluane range, mountains, Quill Creek, Sheep, snow, Termination Dust, Yukon

Yukon Gold

The Yukon Territory is a special place. It is wild and spacious. The light can be fleeting and the weather can be challenging. Fall comes early. In Dawson, they loose 6 minutes of daylight every day.

Goldensides View, Tombstone Territorial Park, YT

Male Spruce Grouse

Grizzly Bear

We have moved south to Kluane National Park. We will spend our last few days in the Yukon here.

Flying Squirrel Creek, YT

Yukon in Autumn

Labels: autumn, Flying Squirrel Creek, Goldensides, Haines Highway, Kluane National Park and Reserve, Spruce Grouse, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon

Look Up

As we headed to bed, it had clouded over and looked like rain. I had checked the weather and it was supposed to clear in Dawson City, Yukon at midnight. I figured it would clear about an hour later in Tombstone Territorial Park. I set the alarm for 1am. When it went off, it was raining hard. I turned off the alarm and went back to sleep. Around 2 am, I rolled over and looked up at the sky. I could see stars and a streak of light. We got up and it was on, the light show of the north. Aurora Borealis is also called northern lights. The thing is, when you are this far north, it’s not in the northerly direction. It’s above you and in every direction.

Aurora Borealis at Tombstone Park, YT

The photos do not really do it justice. To stand there and watch this unfold is something everyone needs to experience for themselves. The best way I can explain it, God is dipping a ladle into a bucket of light and pouring it over the top of the world. Pinch me, I must be dreaming!

Aurora Borealis at Tombstone Park, YT

Labels: Aurora Borealis, northern lights, Tombstone Territorial Park, Yukon

Stones

“I’ve got Stones in my Passway
And my road seems dark as night.”

Robert Johnson, 1937

Dust on the Dempster Highway

Every now and then, a stone will get caught between the metal plate and the break rotor of the van. It makes a noise of metal on metal. If you didn’t know what it was, it would cause you to worry when so far from home. It can be very loud! If you drive in reverse for a while, it will usually dislodge. This kind of noise can frighten off wildlife long before you get close enough for a photo. We are back on the Dempster Highway in the Yukon. The leaves and tundra are just starting to turn Fall colours. We will wait a few more days and hopefully see it close to its peak.

Young Silver Fox (Red Fox)

North Klondike River, YT

Labels: Dempster Highway, North Klondike River, Northwest Territories, Red Fox (Silver phase), Silver Fox, Yukon

The Road

Dempster Highway, Yukon/NWT Border

I’m always a little nervous as I turn north on the Dempster Highway. This time was no exception. The road was rough. It was closed in several places just the day before. I worry about the van, the tires, and the gas. I mostly worry about the road. It can be a challenge when it is rough. We made our way to Tombstone Territorial Park.

Tombstone Territorial Park Sign, YT

We got a great campsite with a 360-degree view. I didn’t drive much after we got there. I wanted to save gas for the run to the Arctic Circle the next day.

The next day we woke up at 5am to frost on the dining tent. About 6am as we drove north past the Tombstone Viewpoint we caught the full moon setting - a good omen.

Full Moon, Tombstone Park, YT

The road was very rough in some areas but we made it fine. We camped at Rock River near the Yukon/NWT border. It is very beautiful. Lori and I looked for caribou but we must have been a bit early, as we didn’t see much of anything. Driving back to camp, we did spot a Grizzly at the side of the road. I did my best to get a shot but it never stopped. It just kept eating and walking. Still it was a thrill to see.

Grizzly Bear

The next day we decided to head south. It is so wet that we fear one more rainstorm will close the road again. We will resupply and head back up as far as Tombstone tomorrow.

Northwest Territories on the Dempster

Labels: Arctic Circle, Dempster Highway, Full Moon, Grizzly Bear, Northwest Territories, Tombstone Territorial Park, Wright Pass, Yukon

Freedom is Never Free

One of the locals said, “There is often a reason people end up at the end of the road”.

Cabin on Keno Hill, YT

We are in Keno City, Yukon - a “city” of 15 residents in the winter. There are still a few active mines. Enough mines to keep this place functioning and valid.

Cabin on Keno Hill, YT

We travelled up a mountain road to Keno Hill (or Signpost Hill). It is the most spectacular view I have ever witnessed.

Signpost, Keno Hill, YT

Old mining camps and buildings dot the mountainside.

Keno Hill, YT

Further up the road (trail) from the signpost viewpoint is an old cabin. I can’t image how hard it must have been to live here. Hauling food, water and firewood up here above the tree line would have been quite a task.

Cabin on Keno Hill, YT

We are staying at the Silvermoon Bunkhouse. It’s a lovely place right in the heart of town.

Silvermoon Bunkhouse, Keno City, YT

We will spend a couple more days in this area and try to soak up the local culture.

Cabins in Keno City, YT

Labels: Keno City, Keno Hill, Klondike, Signpost Hill, Silver Mining, Yukon

Happy New Year!

2012 was quite a year for us. I don’t think I have had a better year for photography. After weeks of editing and processing, I’ve finally made my way through the summer shoot. 60,000 images boiled down to 2100 worked images. This process is usually demoralizing and sometimes downright depressing but this year seemed different. I really enjoyed the marathon session of editing. Reliving this trip was wonderful. I was surprised with the number of panoramic images I did. If you would like to see more of the most recent images, check out our latest page (click).

Here are some my favourite images of the year: