Fire & Power Stations, Anaktuvuk, Alaska

@~Kylie~: Thanks Kylie! :) Yes i hope to have a story for tomorrow's pic -- i had a company function on last night so had just enough time to select and upload a pic! Thanks for the kind comments and positive support! :)

@Observing: Thanks Mike! I am not sure about a hospital -- i didn't see one, but they must have some sort of infirmary... if someone was that ill, they could always be flown out on a plane to Fairbanks or Anchorage... As for the fire station -- it seemed to be full service -- in the summer, the plains melt and long green and brown grasses grow, which i am sure makes for good fire hazards. The firemen also probably double as first aid in the lack of a proper hospital. :)

@Erik: Thanks Erik! Cheers mate! :)

@Stephen Phillips: Thanks Stephen! Yes -- survival (modern survival) is now a big business -- most adults and adolescents work 'for the city'. After college in the lower 48 states, most natives return to their home towns (like this one) and work for the Fire Department / Police Department / Energy Department / Government... you name it! There are so few people in each of these small arctic towns -- but they all need most facets of city council and business just as we do! Of course these natives are quite limited, resource wise. :) Still, i think they manage beautifully!

@Mirko Herzner: Thanks Mirko -- you know, i have never even tried this image in b/w -- you have intrigued me -- i think i will play around with it tonight! Thanks for the idea! :)

@saeed: Thanks Saeed! Yes - it was a truly intriguing and life changing experience! If you are keen to experience the barren coldness, then i highly recommend trying it out! :) You will never forget it the experience -- i certainly never will! :)

@linerberry: Thanks Linerberry! Yes the lights of the town were quite fascinating! They were on 24-7 as it was never light enough to see details with the bare eye -- everything was a light shade of icy gray-blue!

@Monique: Thanks Monique! Yes -- i remember wondering about the size of the fire station too! But i would imagine it is mostly for summer purposes -- there are lots of dry grasses on these plains in summer and fall -- i am sure there is a decent fire hazard each year! :)

@Jason Kravitz: Thanks Jason and no worries mate! More cold and barren Arctic pics to come! :)

@Michael Skorulski: Thanks Michael -- yes if severe cold isn't your piece of cake, the summer is much warmer -- i am contemplating revisiting this summer to see the difference! There should be a good number of caribou and birds and tall grasses -- and the temperature is mid 60's to mid 70's. not too bad! should be great! :)

@Carlos Palma: Thank you Carlos! Welcome along! It is great to have the company! :)

@Sidonie: Thanks Sidonie! Yes -- I hope to get back to the northern beaches of Sydney soon -- maybe summer 2008 / 2009? :)

@Paco Díaz: Thanks Paco! Cheers mate! :)

@Namaki: Thank you Namaki for taking the voyage with me! :) More pics to come! I hope you also get to see a northern winter... it is well worth bearing the freezing cold! Everything is so pristine and pure! :)

@Stefan: Thanks Stefan! Cheers mate!

@Gnarf: Thanks Gnarf! I really enjoyed my time there and feel i managed to get a good number of shots to remind me of what i experienced! Stay tuned as there is more to come! Thanks for dropping by! :)

@hugo poon: Thanks Hugo! Got a few more shots to come! Tomorrow i venture into the middle of town! :)

@Cia: Thanks Cia! This was as colorful as it gets! The southern sky simply glows w/ yellows, oranges, reds, purples and blues... however no matter how it glows, there really isn't enough light to make it daytime as we know it... so everything is dim -- like just before the dawn! It is wonderful and dreamlike!

@willow: Thanks Willow! Yes - it was definitely a sacrifice to be there -- i have never been so cold in my life! But i am so glad i did... now i know how that feels... and that makes me enjoy warmer weather even more immensely! No worries on answering your question -- glad to do it! :) Hope you are feeling better! :)

@Monique: Thanks Monique -- the monochromatic color schemes of the snow, really made any sort of colorful hue pop out! :) Of course the lights (which were all orange) really stood out in the landscape... so rich and bright!

@Ana Lúcia: Thanks Ana! Yes the tranquility was simply amazing... Almost no sound whatsoever!

@Fliss: Thanks Fliss -- i am not one who likes extreme cold -- however i would do it again! It was just so magical!

@zOOm: Thanks Florence! Yes -- 1.5 hours from 'normal' civilization -- and even then, very distant from anywhere else! Alaska is quite sparse -- especially in the winter! :)

@Graham Russon: Thanks Graham! Yes -- it was frigid! My body still remembers the sensation -- everything was on a mental time-limit... it was always cold, but after certain amounts of time the cold would begin to become unbearable and i would need to run indoors! I will never forget that -- so different from living in a temperate climate!

@gbe: Thanks Grant -- that is exactly how it felt! It was a very intriguing feeling to be there! :)

@Alun Lambert: Thanks Alun! Yes -- i really should have spent a week in this location -- that is what i would have done in hindsight... 24 hours was certainly not enough! :)

@Scotfot: Cheers mate! Thank you! :)

@Evelyne Dubos: Thanks very much Evelyne! I am glad you are enjoying the pictures! :) More to come!

@Dhini: Thanks Dhini! Yes - it certainly was cold... but it was a magical cold... everything seemed to sparkle!

@Michael Rawluk: Cheers Michael -- the lights were on all day (all 6 hours of daylight) as it wasn't quite bright enough to see details around the sides of buildings -- should you be a repair man / looking for something -- of course the bright white / grey of the snow also added a bit of complexity on the eyes too!

@David (12 years old): hello and thank you David! Cheers for the visit! :)

@bluechameleon: Thanks kindly BC! :) I would be very happy if these pics inspired others to visit Alaska's arctic regions -- it is really an amazing place! Tranquility of this magnitude is something so rare on this planet -- of course here it is coupled with severe cold... not the most favorable combination... however i got a kick out of it. :) It gave me lots of time to spend with myself and think through things without any interruptions! And the best part of the whole thing was simply the amazing lighting scenarios -- just brilliant and beautiful artworks that spanned the sky! :) I have never seen such beautiful twilights (that held their tones for nearly hours) anywhere else -- ok, well in Iceland i did! :) Alaska and Iceland pretty much share similar latitudes! If you decide to go -- let me know! :)

@baobab: Hello baobab -- and thank you for the comment! I like your interpretation and i agree too! There was this sense of amazing energy -- not coming from the frozen ground but from the sky -- and it easily overpowered everything else -- except the cold! :)

@António Pires: Thanks Antonio! More of my twilight adventures in Arctic Alaska to come! :)

@marianne: thanks Marianne! i hope the dream comes true for you! Alaska is simply a marvelous place -- so isolated and free -- its like turning time back 100 or so years... less cars and houses and planes -- more space, less noise, more nature, less man... :)

@DarkElf: Thanks mate! It was definitely a very unique lighting situation... part of the sky seemed quite radiant, yet there was so little light on the ground level... made for 'situational' photo taking opportunities! :)

@akarui: Thanks Olivier! Yes there were about 6 hours of dim 'morning' light... it felt like 7 in the morning all 'day' long... but it was dreamy! I was hoping for the 24 hours of night experience... sadly i would have had to make it all the way north to get more of that kind of feeling!

@Lorraine: Thanks Lorraine and yes you would certainly know living in Canada! It was the supreme quite and coldness that was so exotic for me! I don't think i could have done a complete winter -- although i would certainly have tried! :) Thanks again!

@Artin Zaman: Cheers Artin! Thanks! :)

@Twelvebit: Thanks John -- yeah up there, everything is rural -- even downtown! :)

@shoti: Cheers Edwin! Thanks mate, great to hear from you and thanks for the feedback! :) Unfortunately there isn't any more sky to be had (i haven't cropped any)... But i do like a lot of sky too -- maybe i have another shot that is similar and has more sky in it!