Monday, July 30, 2012

Results!

 Hello Friends and Family,

Five brave souls stepped forward to undertake the challenge.  It was a close tie between two people who have lived with until at the last moment the stealthy Mike Uhl slipped into victory with a guess that correctly timed 7/13 photos.

All pictures in the first set, were taken facing southeast with a bearing of approximately 135 degrees true north.  (Compasses in Alaska must be declinated 18-24 degrees because a large ore deposit in eastern Canada draws compasses in that direction creating a magnetic north that does not line up with the north pole.  However that ore deposit is longitudinally in line with Pensacola, Florida, meaning that FL and PA folks will barely ever notice the difference).

Picture A was taken at 10 a.m. and correctly guessed by 2/5 participants.












Picture B was taken at 5 p.m. and correctly guessed by 2/5 participants.










Picture C was taken at 8 p.m. and correctly guessed by 2/5 participants.











Picture D was taken at 11 p.m. and correctly guessed by 5/5 participants.










Picture E was taken at 8 a.m. and correctly guessed by 0/5 participants.











Picture F was taken at 2 a.m. and correctly guessed by 4/5 participants.












 Second Set
- These pictures are taken in different spots in northwest Alaska at the times of 1a, 2a, 8a, 4p, 8p, 9p, and 11p.  Good luck!


 Picture G was taken at 9 pm on the western of Alaska just south of Kotzebue facing northwest. Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.
 Picture H is of Serpentine Hot Springs and was taken at 11 p.m. facing northwest.  This is the lead picture for the National Register nomination.  Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.
 Picture I was taken at 4 p.m. from the western boundary of the proposed traditional cultural property looking at the sky above the tors facing southeast. Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.
 Picture J was taken at 2 a.m. from a tor ridge beside the site.  The visible structures are the bathhouse and bunkhouse.  This photo was taken facing east. Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.
 Picture K is another shot of the Serpentine Hot Springs facing north.  This picture was taken at 1 a.m. Correctly guessed by 2/5 participants.
 Picture L was taken at 8 a.m. facing east.  This is the rocky plain alongside the bunkhouse.  Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.
Picture M was taken at 8 p.m. facing north, overlooking the Kotzebue Sound toward the Brooks Range. Correctly guessed by 1/5 participants.










Tie Breaker


Picture N is a view of the tors at Iyat featuring a sliver of the moon.  This photograph was taken at 1:16 p.m. facing southwest.  The guesses were 2p, 335p, 532p, 853p and 1130p.








The moral of the story:  you can't look at a picture or the amount of daylight and tell the time in Alaska during the summer (or the winter).   Many thanks to the brave few who took the challenge and congrats Mike. 

I will have a post on my Memorial Day travels by this weekend and I am working on photos and descriptions for my trip to the Bering Land Bridge (from which these pictures came) a 9 day mountaineering trip and a recent hike in Denali National Park. 

Friday, July 6, 2012

Dear Friends,

It has been awhile since my last post, but an epic three months.  Since my last post, the snow cleared, daylight soared past 19 hours, I hosted a friend for Memorial Day, took a work trip to the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve and a nine day mountaineering vacation in the Talkeetna Mountains.  Lengthy posts on all three (and additional summer adventures) are forthcoming.  Lets get started with some fun.  Alaska, as you may have heard, is the land of the midnight sun.  Your task is to correctly match each photograph with the time of day it was taken.  There are two sets of pictures and times, followed by a tie-breaker.  Send an e-mail to jim.flook@gmail.com with your guesses by the end of Friday July 13.  I will announce the winner on Saturday July 14th.  I will send an 8.5 x 11 photo of any picture to the winner as a prize.

First Set
- These pictures are all taken in the same general direction during the hours of 2a, 8a, 10a, 5p, 8p, and 11p.  Good luck!


Picture A













Picture B












Picture C












Picture D












Picture E











Picture F












 
Second Set
- These pictures are taken in different spots in northwest Alaska at the times of 1a, 2a, 8a, 4p, 8p, 9p, and 11p.  Good luck!


 Picture G
 Picture H
 Picture I
 Picture J
 Picture K
 Picture L
Picture M














Tie Breaker
- In case of a tie, the winner will be determined by guess closest to the correct time for Picture N.  Be sure to note the hour, minutes and am or pm.  Good Luck!

Picture N.













To enter the guessing game, send me an e-mail: jim.flook@gmail.com. Enjoy!