Hurricane High
While everybody remembers this infamous shot from a couple years ago: flic.kr/p/2krcj3P I did fly over Hurricane a couple other times. That shot was my first time flying my drone there and is by far my favorite shot but I did do this reprisal the following year, which would turn out to also be my final autumn in Alaska after a decade calling it home. I've since retired from drone photography, though I do treasure the shots I got during my years flying in Alaska. So here is another taken with that faithful Phantom III and a place where truly no other tool will do.
It is a damp cloudy day during the last week of the Alaska Railroad's summer passenger season as the Hurricane Turn from Talkeetna poses in the middle of its namesake structure. On this day rather than flying all the way from my campsite a half mile away like in the earlier photo we rode the train the nearly 60 miles up and had the crew drop us off on the south side of the bridge. We then launched our drones from terra firma while the rest of the passengers staid on board to ride out mid bridge for the spectacular view before they swapped ends to start back south....but not without picking us up first!
Located at MP 284.2, this bridge spans 918 ft and rises 296 ft above the floor below. This famous arch is arguable the signature location the on the entire ARR mainline and was the most expensive and difficult engineering project on the entirety of the railroad. The American Bridge Company started construction in early 1921, erected steel in June and finished in August. To construct the bridge, they strung an aerial tram across the gulch and construction proceeded from both sides. The first passenger train crossed Hurricane Gulch Bridge on August 15, 1921 culminating the $1,200,000 project. For some stunning historic photos of its construction click: vilda.alaska.edu/digital/search/searchterm/Hurricane
The Alaska Range is shrouded in low clouds in this view looking west toward the the confluence of Hurricane Creek with the winding Chulitna River.
Hurricane, Alaska
Thursday September 14, 2017
Hurricane High
While everybody remembers this infamous shot from a couple years ago: flic.kr/p/2krcj3P I did fly over Hurricane a couple other times. That shot was my first time flying my drone there and is by far my favorite shot but I did do this reprisal the following year, which would turn out to also be my final autumn in Alaska after a decade calling it home. I've since retired from drone photography, though I do treasure the shots I got during my years flying in Alaska. So here is another taken with that faithful Phantom III and a place where truly no other tool will do.
It is a damp cloudy day during the last week of the Alaska Railroad's summer passenger season as the Hurricane Turn from Talkeetna poses in the middle of its namesake structure. On this day rather than flying all the way from my campsite a half mile away like in the earlier photo we rode the train the nearly 60 miles up and had the crew drop us off on the south side of the bridge. We then launched our drones from terra firma while the rest of the passengers staid on board to ride out mid bridge for the spectacular view before they swapped ends to start back south....but not without picking us up first!
Located at MP 284.2, this bridge spans 918 ft and rises 296 ft above the floor below. This famous arch is arguable the signature location the on the entire ARR mainline and was the most expensive and difficult engineering project on the entirety of the railroad. The American Bridge Company started construction in early 1921, erected steel in June and finished in August. To construct the bridge, they strung an aerial tram across the gulch and construction proceeded from both sides. The first passenger train crossed Hurricane Gulch Bridge on August 15, 1921 culminating the $1,200,000 project. For some stunning historic photos of its construction click: vilda.alaska.edu/digital/search/searchterm/Hurricane
The Alaska Range is shrouded in low clouds in this view looking west toward the the confluence of Hurricane Creek with the winding Chulitna River.
Hurricane, Alaska
Thursday September 14, 2017