This is another of the photos I took in 2005 on our Alaskan adventure tour. We took the airline from LAX via Portland, OR to Anchorage. We boarded a dome car on the Alaskan Railroad and rode to Denali and then to Fairbanks the next day. This is along the Nenana River just out of Denali on the way to Fairbanks. Click on the image to enlarge.
One of the highlights of our trip to Alaska in 2005 was to see a dog sled team doing their thing. A ranger would pull out a sled on a fairly smooth track (no snow in July in Denali) and the dogs – about 20-30 of them – would commence barking noisily – TAKE ME TAKE ME! The rangers assembled a team of five dogs and one of them got on the sled and drove the eager team around about a quarter mile course at full speed. These dogs were wonderful to watch as the enthusiastically did what they apparently love to do. Click on the image to enlarge.
Last week we drove from Wickenburg, AZ. to Lake Pleasant near Peoria, AZ. Driving along AZ SR 74, you can see a lot of beautiful scenery. I took this photo of the road and the cloud topped mountains beyond the saguaro-dotted landscape. Click on the image to enlarge.
In addition to it’s old western town charm, Wickenburg has another feature which we enjoy – it’s a railroad town. The trains no longer stop in Wickenburg – they stopped operations back in 1969 but the track that runs through town is still active with trains coming through several times a day.
The old Santa Fe railroad station has been restored and currently houses the town’s visitor center and Chamber of Commerce. Behind the station is this nice old coal-burner on a siding with a tender and a caboose.
Image courtesy Damsel – Click to enlarge.
Our California residence is a quarter mile from the tracks and we rather like to hear the trains as they pass through the nearby railroad crossings. I come by my affection for trains it honestly. Both my Dad and maternal Grandfather worked for the Pacific Electric railroad in Southern California – Dad worked in the powerhouse and Granddad was a motorman for the famous Red Car.
Our new home will be about a half-mile from the track that runs through town. There is a switch northwest of town about three miles where the trains can be routed west toward California or north toward Kingman and Las Vegas.
While we were visiting Wickenburg, we stopped in the small town’s only gun store, The Gun Trader. List of services:
I introduced myself to “Roger,” the proprietor, and took a look around the shop. There were a lot of long guns, both rifles and shotguns. The ammo shelves were very well stocked.
There are a couple of photos of the interior of the shop here.
The Gun Trader isn’t the only store in town that carries ammo. We found some for sale in the local hardware store although the selection was sparse – sort of like it is everywhere.
We are glad that there is a local outlet for firearms. We will be making the occasional trip down to Cabela’s in Glendale, about 45 miles, but we’re happy they aren’t the closest dealer to our new place.
Damsel snapped a photo of the Colorado River just as we crossed into Arizona on I-10 at the beginning of our recent vacation. I cropped it into a panoramic view of the river, both states and a suspension pipeline crossing the river just south of the interstate bridge. Click the image for the full panorama.
Every once in a while, I get a shot of the Damsel doing what she loves to do: taking pictures. We were at keys View in Joshua Tree National Park on a nice, clear day. Click on the image to enlarge.
