5 August, 2002

The drive north.......

The drive north from the Matanuska River Valley to Fairbanks was spectacular. The clouds parted and we were offered an incredible view of Mt. McKinley. Living in Washington, Iım used to seeing tall mountains, but I was awe struck by the massiveness of this mountain.

About 80 miles south of Fairbanks the skies began to haze over, not from clouds but from smoke. Obviously, there is a large fire, but having been away from the news, I donıt know where. Here in Fairbanks, the sky is thick with smoke, and the sun appears as a piercing red orb in the sky. Hopefully the smoke will clear by tomorrow as this air could make for some serious burning eyes after an entire day outside in it.

Tomorrow I will be assisting Dr. Baker at Fort Wainwright. We will be employing some of the same GPR principles as on the Matanuska glacier. Here, we will be looking for depth to permafrost.

Iım attaching a picture of Mt. Mckinley, however I had to adjust the contrast drastically in order to bring out the mountain.

Life Is Good

Mt. Mckinley looming in the background. I appologized for the poor quality as I had to drastically increase the contrast in order for the mountain to be visible.