posted: April 1st, 2023 |
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This page continues with our Castner Glacier and ice cave adventure in Rows 1 through 11.  In Row 12 are a couple of photos of our Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor).  In Rows 13 and 14 are shots of the Aurora Borealis, taken from home, and finally, Rows 15 and 16 end this page with shots of a Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus), a common but rarely seen bird of the Alaska boreal forest.  Click on any thumbnail to begin.
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March 20th Continues From Page 1 |
  In case you missed it on Page 1, We also visited this place last year, and it looks significantly different than it did last year. If you'd like to review what we saw here last year CLICK HERE Now we are in what remains of the ice cave after the collapse of a large portion of it last spring. |
March20th_211_ CastnerGlacierRC |
Mar20_05_Castner GlacierIceCaveRC |
March20th_214_ CastnerGlacierRC |
  Here are three additional shots taken inside of the ice cave. In the first photo please note the ledge to my left - that was the cave floor last year. The third shot also shows a ledge, the top of which was the cave floor last year. |
March20th_238_ CastnerGlacierRC |
Mar20_14_Castner GlacierIceCaveRC |
March20th_240_ CastnerGlacierRC |
  Here are three more shots taken inside of the ice cave. In the first photo you can see the remains of last year's cave floor on both sides of Kazuya. |
Mar20_47Exp_At CastnerGlacier_KazuyaRC |
March20th_248_ CastnerGlacierRC |
March20th_253_ CastnerGlacierRC |
  Here are three more shots of the ice cave. |
Mar20th_048_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_056_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
March20th_255_ CastnerGlacierRC |
  Three more amazing shots! |
Mar20th_067_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_083_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_073_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
  Note the huge piles of ice behind me in the second and third shots in this row - those piles of ice are from the collapse of the cave last spring. |
Mar20th_084_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_094_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_092_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
  An interesting shot of the cave mouth is shown in first position. What is that second shot? It's merely a "negative", or color inverted representation of the first shot. Did you realize that the opposite of sky blue is a dull orange? |
Mar20th_065_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_065Invert_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
  Now we are finishing up around the cave, the final photos. The third shot shows me eating a rice ball that Kazuya made and we took with us for lunch. Yummy! |
Mar20th_104_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_098_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
Mar20th_107_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
  After we got back to the rig we decided to drive another 11 miles south on the Richardson Highway to get some views of Rainbow Ridge, and that is what we are looking at in the first two shots in this row. The third shot is an interesting mountain on the west side of the highway. |
Mar20_51_Between Castner_RainbowRidgeRC |
Mar20_52_Between Castner_RainbowRidgeRC |
Mar20_54_Between Castner_RainbowRidgeRC |
  In first position here is more of an overview photo of the mountain shown in the previous shot. The second shot shows the Delta River where it flows beside the Richardson Highway near Rainbow Ridge. The third shot was taken from south of Rainbow Ridge. |
Mar20_55_Between Castner_RainbowRidgeRC |
March20th_303_ RichardsonHWYRC |
Mar20th_110_ CastnerGlacierTripRC |
  Here is a final shot of Rainbow Ridge. The second shot here shows that the snow was still blowing across the highway as we headed towards home. |
March20th_311_ RichardsonHWYRC |
March20th_322_ RichardsonHWYRC |
End March 20th, Begin March 23rd - 29th |
  A friend mailed us a cutting of this Jewel Orchid (Ludisia discolor) a couple of years ago, we planted it, and this is what it has become. WOW! |
Mar23rd_2_Jewel OrchidAtHomeRC |
Mar23rd_7_Jewel OrchidAtHomeRC |
  We are getting a large number of good Aurora Borealis displays this winter. As we approach maximum activity of the 11 year solar cycle, we should continue to see great aurora displays for the next couple of years. |
Mar23_04_ AuroraAtHomeRC |
Mar23_05_ AuroraAtHomeRC |
  Here are three more amazing Aurora photos. |
Mar23_02_ AuroraAtHomeRC |
Mar23_09_ AuroraAtHomeRC |
Mar23_11_ AuroraAtHomeRC |
  On March 29th a Boreal Owl (Aegolius funereus), a common but rarely seen bird of the Alaska boreal forest, came to visit us - again. This bird (is it the same one?) has been hanging out in this immediate area for a month or so now. |
March29th_011 _OwlRC |
Mar29_1AdjCrop_ BorealOwlAtHomeRC |
  It has come and showed itself to us by resting under the roof of our porch at least three times now. While it was sitting on the porch rafter we went outside to try and get better shots of it, and then it flew into a tree not far from the porch, and we got better shots of it. |
Mar29_2AdjCrop_ BorealOwlAtHomeRC |
March29th_022 _OwlRC |
End March 23rd - 29th, End March 2023's Photos, Begin Our Publications Links |
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End Our Publications Links, End Page 2 of 2, March 2023 |
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