Alaskan Photosynth panoramas

[Nanuq]

From this summer... a little peek of Alaska.  Try full screen view.

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=01954565-3771-42e5-acac-36924118453e

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=334b0d5c-c29d-4c2e-82d0-babc9875071a

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=f5e2608a-16e4-48e6-aa86-35f5b6ea2951

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=d52bb1c0-8b9b-41d8-b1c6-713a9c0424a1

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=2f810384-4ff3-4557-9607-7ee4dd184c9b

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=44acd205-6424-401b-9ee7-fd23c81f0ef3

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=51d60752-59d7-489e-8ea7-2ec13a92d742

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=af7eb8f7-e911-4c43-8d79-f5cff291362b

 

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=9c27ff72-1447-4867-abe4-462156a13ec8

[cc33]

Absolutely amazing! I can't believe you ride your bike in the snow like that, you must be in great shape. I would be exhausted

[gran]

It is heaven!

[Nanuq]

Absolutely amazing! I can't believe you ride your bike in the snow like that, you must be in great shape. I would be exhausted

 

Ah, that's the easy riding.  This is the tough stuff.  Remember when I fell through the river last winter?  This is what it looks like.  Who'd think there would be thin ice under that snow cover? 

 

[cc33]

I actually don't remember that for some reason, not as active back then. Holy sh*t, you mean to tell me you fell through the ice on your bike and you are still doing that?? Talk about getting back on your horse, bravo! Did you get hurt? That's so dangerous if nobody is with you because of hypothermia right, what did you do?

[Nanuq]

That was a heck of a thing.  It was -25 or so, nice clear cold day so I went riding.  I followed a ridge then dropped down into a low wide valley.  At the bottom I knew there was a river there somewhere but wasn't sure exactly where.  It had been so cold I was sure the ice was good, so I rode out onto it so I could take the "highway" up the valley and went right through the ice. 

 

My bike hung up on the handlebars and my armpits caught me so I pushed the bike out on top and used it as an anchor to pull out.  I belly crawled to shore then tried to stand up, but I was covered in slush from the snow sticking to my soaked clothes.  I broke the ice off and dumped the water out of my boots, then tried to ride out to where I'd left my Rover, but the bike was iced up and wouldn't pedal.  I had about 6 miles to go and was getting pretty hypothermic, and my head quit working, so I got out onto the ice again (trying to follow the shore) and fell through again.  I fell through three times getting back to the Rover, and was pretty cold when I got there.  I lost some skin to frostbite, but not a huge deal.

 

Here's the worst part:  early in the ride I ducked beneath a tree and my front tire hit a bump, and my lower lip touched my handlebars for just a second, and tore the skin off!  It was pretty cold.

 

 

[gran]

ouch...good thing you had clothes on

[Nanuq]

Yeah I might freeze something else important to the handlebars and then I'd REALLY be mad.

[cc33]

I don't even know what to say, you're lucky to be alive. It's like it's right out of one of bear grylls's episodes, your lip and then falling through the ice not once but three times, I'm not sure many of us would have made it. Really reminds you how powerless we are to nature, although some of us more than others, it's rough out there! Can't you ride on a path that doesn't have freezing cold death water waiting to suck you in?

[Nanuq]

That reminds me of a favorite poem by Robert Service.

 

 

The Quitter

By Robert Service

 

When you’re lost in the Wild, and you’re scared as a child,
And Death looks you bang in the eye,
And you’re sore as a boil, it’s according to Hoyle
To cock your revolver and . . . die.

 

But the Code of a Man says: “Fight all you can,”
And self-dissolution is barred.
In hunger and woe, oh, it’s easy to blow . . .
It’s the hell-served-for-breakfast that’s hard.

 

“You’re sick of the game!” Well, now, that’s a shame.
You’re young and you’re brave and you’re bright.
“You’ve had a raw deal!” I know-but don’t squeal,
Buck up, do your damnedest, and fight.

 

It’s the plugging away that will win you the day,
So don’t be a piker, old pard!
Just draw on your grit; it’s so easy to quit:
It’s the keeping-your-chin-up that’s hard.

 

It’s easy to cry that you’re beaten-and die;
It’s easy to crawfish and crawl;
But to fight and to fight when hope’s out of sight-
Why, that’s the best game of them all!

 

And though you come out of each grueling bout,
All broken and beaten and scarred,
Just have one more try-it’s dead easy to die,
It’s the keeping-on-living that’s hard.

[asciwhite]

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I envy you the ultracool snowbike Nanuq

[Nanuq]

Hey, countryman! If you need one I can have my buddies here build it, sell it to me and I'll send it "preowned" to save you some Kroner!

[asciwhite]

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I will have to think about that later... A bit financial challenged @ the moment

 

But I really appreciate you offering to do it brother!!