Photo: Shaun Lunt
Looking over the nose with the Kenai peninsula on the right and the Chugach mountains on the left. The water is the Turnagain Arm of the Cook Inlet. The inlet was first explored by Europeans in 1778 when James Cook sailed into it while searching for the Northwest Passage. It was named after Cook in 1794 by George Vancouver, who had served under Cook in 1778. Turnagain Arm was named by William Bligh of HMS Bounty fame. Bligh served as Cook's Sailing Master on his 3rd and final voyage, with the aim to discover the Northwest Passage. Upon reaching the head of Cook Inlet, Bligh was of the opinion that both Knik Arm and Turnagain Arm were the mouths of rivers and not the opening to the Northwest Passage. Under Cook's orders Bligh organized a party to travel up Knik Arm, which quickly returned to report Knik Arm indeed lead only to a river. Afterwards a second party was dispatched up Turnagain Arm and it too returned to report only a river lay ahead. As a result of this frustration the second body of water was given the disingenuous name "Turn Again". Early maps label Turnagain Arm as the "Turnagain River".
Photo: Shaun Lunt
I stopped off at a gravel bar around 10pm for some hot noodles, some crackers, and a stretch of the legs. I had flown to Whittier, which was little more than a shipping yard on the other side of Portage Pass as one is heading southeast from Anchorage. There was a moose on a gravel bar nearby, but a couple of approaches to the nearest landing spot proved too tight for me to get in for a landing. Fortunately, this bar did not disappoint as the sunset progressed.
Photo: Shaun Lunt
Photo: Shaun Lunt
Flying home around 11pm I was mesmerized by the awesome sunset. God has a paintbrush!
Photo: Shaun Lunt
Photo: Shaun Lunt
Photo: Shaun Lunt
Anchorage while on approach to Merrill Field Airport. Until tomorrow--
Comments
Mike Herron
May 31, 2007 at 10:54 AM
sean ... these photos are amazing! have you ever thought of submitting them to a photo magazine? or a gallery? hard to believe they are all point and shoots! just goes to show, if you can get to the picture all the gear in the world doesn’t matter ...
got to this site thru a friend, jim ferguson ... his wife mary is a cousin of your wife (i think) ...
also, there is an author, lives in wales, named jasper fforde ... read ‘the eyre affair’ and his others ... great laughs and imagination ... but he is also a pilot and has posted photos on his website: www.jasperfforde.com
they are mostly of wales and england, but i think he and his wife mari would love to see your work ...
keep at it ... it’s great stuff!
mike
Bonnie
July 25, 2007 at 11:07 AM
Great photos – thanks for sharing with folks you will probably never know.
Jennifer Douglass
July 25, 2007 at 06:01 PM
Hi Shaun,
Thanks for stopping in to visit us. We checked out your pictures last night – they are amazing. I showed them to a co-worker today, and he said that they are worthy of National Geographic. I agree!
We’ll look forward to following your future wanderings...
Jennifer
Byrna Botimer
July 28, 2007 at 12:51 AM
Shaun: WOW – such beauty. Thanks for sharing your Mom with me recently. I can fully understand how much she enjoyed her trips into the Alaska Bush with you. You have many pictures that are truly worthy of printing and publishing. Hope that you can return and enjoy Alaska some more. I love it here and feel blessed to see the beauty as I do from the roads and the few flights that I have been able to take. God bless. Hurry back to Alaska.
Nena Campbell
July 30, 2007 at 02:26 PM
Hi Shaun
My name is Nena and I live in New Zealand. I was sent your pictures of Alaska by my sister who lives in Florida. I was born in Anchorage, lived in Kenai and down the line before emigrating to Australia in 1964 with my family (I was 8 at the time). I have lived in NZ since 1972 having raised a family of my own etc. I just loved your pictures – it really took me back and reminded me of how beautiful it really is. What do you do for a living – fly or do you have another type of job. I have forwarded this link to my Dad who lives in Tasmania, Australia with his wife Dianne and I am sure he will love to see these. Take care in those skies – look forward to more photos in the future. Kind regards. Nena