General's gone AWOL again

[Gene]

Great pictures Rodney! We've seen bald eagles in Alaska, some up real close, but nothing like this. A guide told us to look for a golf ball in a tree to identify them. There are thousands in an area near Haines, Alaska, near the northern end of the Inside Passage, but we've never been there at the right time of the year. When you finally get to Alaska, check out the time of year to go to Haines, a nice place to visit anytime.

Gene

[safari57]

Rodney,

There is also a town called Squamish an hour north of Vancouver, BC where they get well over a thousand Eagles returning annually for the salmon run. Some wonderful scenery right along the Pacific coast, great places to camp, and just an hour away from Whistler, BC where the 2010 Olympics are being held. Well worth a trip up this way .

Glad to know that your truck is working exactly the way you needed it to.
Merry Christmas,
Barry

[azflycaster]

Rodney - Those pictures take my breath away! Thank you for sharing.

[thecatsandi]

Do you give private lessons? Your shots are breath taking!

[Sugarfoot]

Rodney, as always, your photos are fabulous and full of freedom. I can almost feel the wind lofting the bird's wings. Awesome!

[Boondocker]

Thanks again everyone for your complements! I enjoy that you guys like seeing them. And yes, I am more than happy to share what I have learned with others- you just have to track me down.

[Boondocker]

Going west on I-10 heading south to Padre Island, what is the best way to get through Houston? Any heads up information I should have about driving in Houston?

[Stream 1529]

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Going west on I-10 heading south to Padre Island, what is the best way to get through Houston? Any heads up information I should have about driving in Houston?

Just to stay on 10, the Loops will just add more time/frustration. Pay attention to the interchanges as you go through downtown, you may need the left lanes for some of them. There has been construction on 10 just west of Loop 610. If you can hit Houston between 10:00 and 2:00 traffic should be as managable as it gets.

About 90 miles west of Houston is a small village, Flatonia, that has some really good barbque at a place called Joels. It's on the northern access road.

If you are going to take I37 to Three Rivers on your way to South Padre, just stay on I10 into San Antonio. Good roads and an easy interchange entering I37. Hwy 281 from Three Rivers is a good highway, just watch for troopers. If you plan to head south from Kingsville on Hwy 77, be sure to fill up in Kingsville. You will be driving through the King Ranch for over 75 miles, and there are no fuel stops until you get to Raymondville.

If you need help, I'm in north San Antonio. Give me a ring at 210-287-4627, and I'll lend a hand.

______________Tom

[Boondocker]

Thanks Tom! I ended up going south as soon as I entered the state and followed the coast all the way down. Crossed on two ferrys, saw dolphins on the first . The weather here is a day to day thing, first two days yucky, last two fantastic- I have a wicked sun burn - tonight a big cold front. So it goes. Its supposed to slowly warm back up after that. I may stay as late as the weekend, then its back to work for another semester. For anyone thinking about camping on the beach at Padre- I say DO IT! It has been wonderful.

[CanoeStream]

Rodney, did you pull on a frontage road or at the high water mark along the beach? See any tar balls in the seaweed?

I grew up going to Mustang Island & Port Aransas -- watched the great grandparents of your dolphins jumping too. Cold front? Cold front?? That's a 'norther' in Texas lingo. 'Blue norther' if it's particularly nasty...

[Boondocker]

Bob, I don't recall off hand what the road numbers were but it was a nice drive. It should be in the mid-upper 30s tonight which is looking good compared to the 19 degrees forecast for Lawton. 50's tomorrow but sunny. HUGE waves crashing in on the beach this afternoon lead to a retreat off the beach to the campground. It probably would have been fine staying on the beach, but I didn't want to worry about the water getting to close. Starting the year with a sun burn is kinda neat .

[CanoeStream]

Well it's good not to push it on the beach. You can get away with dreamy solitudes in fair weather. Changing weather & phase of the moon can make yesterday's high tide mark seem way too low. And the sand above the high tide mark will bog you down.

I understand you've been out of aircard or wireless reach. Somehow those areas seem to be the only places I camp. Hope you got fewer pics of oil rigs and more pics of herons.

[jdalrymple]

Looks as though you have had a great trip. Great photos. Happy New Year.

[Boondocker]

I am back in Lawton as of yesterday- it turns out the road from Lawton goes straight down to the beach at Padre. Anyway, its going to be a full week getting caught up and ready for the new semester (3 of the 4 classes are new preps ). Here are a couple of shots of my recent neighbors on the beach .

[Gene]

Rodney,

Great pictures again. That second one is so strange it looks like a plastic bird. What is it?

When we saw puffins in Alaska in '02, I thought they might be plastic too. The colors can't be real—they are so distinct on their faces they look computer generated. The little guys couldn't possibly fly with those stubby bodies, so I knew they were something the dept. of defense was testing. I can't prove it, the camera wouldn't work at that moment. More to see on your eventual trip to Alaska: take the tourist ship from Seward to Kenai Fjords NP to see glaciers, sea lions, puffins, whales, etc. Ask around town for the best boat; there are differences and make reservations as early as possible. You can take the state ferry to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. There are supposed to be many, many birds along this island chain. I'm told that you will get sick on the ferry because the sea is so rough, but you could sign up for a fishing boat when you get to Dutch and might get on TV. I'm not sure you there are scheduled airline trips there anymore—the weather is so bad planes get stuck there for days. I'm sure there are flightseeing tours for birders and others. On our next trip to Alaska, the Aleutians are on my wish list (not so sure about my wife), but my list is so long, I'm not sure I'll ever get to all the places I want to go. I didn't know you were a birder when I was posting on your Alaska thread. The ravens on the North Slope are gigantic. Large animals (for ex., mosquitoes) and very cold climates go together it appears. You'll find lots of wildlife to photograph.

Three new preps! You'll only be a half step ahead of the students. Been there long ago when I was teaching. If you really like adventure, assign books you haven't read and see if you can find time to read them.

Gene

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by CrawfordGene

Rodney,

Great pictures again. That second one is so strange it looks like a plastic bird. What is it?

Gene

That would be a crested caracara a member of the falcon family.

[safari57]

Rodney,

You take incredible photographs. You capture the moment and it feels like I'm right there looking myself. Thank you for sharing. And I now know about a bird I didn't have a clue existed.

Barry

[Boondocker]

Originally Posted by safari57

Rodney,

You take incredible photographs. You capture the moment and it feels like I'm right there looking myself. Thank you for sharing. And I now know about a bird I didn't have a clue existed.

Barry

I had no idea either. Funny enough, a friend of mine (and airstreamer from Carbondale) had told me about them not half an hour before. So it was timely information. And thanks for the complement, I really enjoy that others appreciate the images .

[Boondocker]

For those of you in the snow and dreaming......

[davidz71]

You are making me homesick! I spent a good number of days on that beach until I was 17 years old.