Hurricane High
Another take on this signature Alaskan location back when I still used to fly a drone. For places like this no other tool can compare and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity during my last years up north to capture incomparable scenes like this.
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 we rode the train the nearly 60 miles up from Talkeetna and had the gracious and friendly 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 mighty Alaska Range is shrouded in low clouds in this view looking northwest with the winding Chulitna River visible in the upper left corner.
Hurricane, Alaska
Thursday September 14, 2017
Hurricane High
Another take on this signature Alaskan location back when I still used to fly a drone. For places like this no other tool can compare and I'm grateful to have had the opportunity during my last years up north to capture incomparable scenes like this.
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 we rode the train the nearly 60 miles up from Talkeetna and had the gracious and friendly 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 mighty Alaska Range is shrouded in low clouds in this view looking northwest with the winding Chulitna River visible in the upper left corner.
Hurricane, Alaska
Thursday September 14, 2017