ice road
Originally posted December 24, 2007
The trail today through the woods to this look off was coated in fresh white fluffy snow, marked only by the passage of fox and rabbit. This point overlooks the Yukon River crossing to West Dawson and the Top of the World Highway to Alaska. In the summer there is a car ferry; now there is an ice road.
I was wishing for some cars to cross to indicate the scale and along came five. That’s practically rush hour in this neck of the woods. You can see the five vehicles as the spots in an irregular line almost at the far side of the river. There is another vehicle parked on the near bank but it is white and hard to see.
The ice road is two lanes wide and the ice is thickened by pumping out river water. This year there is open water both up and down river (just out of view in this shot). Open water in the depth of winter is most unusual, but then, everything is unusual now.
Farland commented: What a cold dark scene and more so with cars and homes. I lived on a frozen in winter lake and spent much time out on the ice. We bought an old piano during the summer from a place on a distant shore without a road so we waited til mid winter and pulled the piano across the ice. That lake too is thinner and doesn’t freeze up until late December now. Thank you for the scene and story.
Susan #1 commented: I loved reading this… When I first saw your picture, a pang of jealousy ripped through me. First of all, we have had SOME snow here in CT, but nothing spectacular or particularly beautiful this year. Your picture almost looks fake… it’s so picture perfect… almost black and white… and a little bit sepia at the same time (except for that yellow house bottom left!). As far as the jealousy… I wish I had a super tall place where I could go to take a photo like yours. The next time we get a beautiful snowfall, I aspire to drive north and take a photo like yours… I know a place where I can go, but I will have to hike in the snow, uphill for at least a mile. Anyhow, I digress. I love everything about your photo and your blog. It makes me smile.
Reply: Photos on cloudy days come out blue like this, but it is true, the scenery is very muted this time of year. Maybe I’ll try to take some shots of the christmas lights in town for a splash of color. What you don’t see in this photo is the temperature, often minus 20 Fahrenheit or even colder. Unusually warm here is still cold enough to make the picturesque CT winter look very appealing.
