Northern Lights

After hearing the news of the recent Solar flare, I've been watching the Aurora forecast.  It seemed that tonight would be a good night to be able to see the lights.  After much patience and fighting off sleep, we were greatly rewarded!  We went about eleven miles "out the road" and got quite a show.  It was pretty quiet, at first, then it happened.  The streaks in the sky started to change colors and really dance across the sky.  Unfortunately, I am not camera savvy enough, nor do I have the fancy equipment to capture the lights the way they really look.  However, I am pretty happy with the way these came out.  The way they photographed is very different from how they look in person.  In person, they appeared white and vertically striated.  It was surprising to see how the pictures came out.  In videos that I have seen, the lights appear to dance across the sky but I always assumed that that was time lapse video.  Not always the case.  They DO dance!  The way they move is impossible to describe, so I'm not even going to try.  I've never seen anything like it.  Ever.  This is truly one of God's gifts to us and I wish that you all could experience it in person!  Enjoy!

Red!

More red!

 

Cordova. So Pretty!

I know it's about a month too soon, but the right deal came our way so I got an early Mother's Day gift.  A zoom lens!  Finally!  We have had beautiful weather this week, so I got out and took some pictures. The first several pictures were taken earlier this week.  Today, I rode the ski lift up Mt. Eyak, a.k.a. ski hill, with a friend and her kids.  The view was amazing!

Sea otters are my new favorite animal.  This one looks like a momma otter carrying her baby on her belly.  I can't tell for sure, though.

 

Main Street

Copper River Highway

This is where Eyak Lake becomes Eyak River.

Cordova's harbor on Orca Inlet.  There are lots of empty slips because not all of the fisherpeople have returned.  During fishing season, this harbor is stuffed to its gills!

 

I was pretty bummed to see that the tide was out and the mud flats were exposed.  It's so much prettier when the tide is in. 

 

Orca Inlet

Left to right:  Josh, Mylee, Adrienne, Kaitlyn

This is off the other side of the mountain from the harbor.  In the foreground on the left is the lake and Copper River Highway splits the image down the middle.  The airport's runway is toward the top just off the highway to the right.  The airport is 12 miles out the road.  Beyond that (it's kinda hard to see) a mountain range stretches all the way across the top.

 

Mt. Eyak's peak.