WAY UP NORTH - To The Arctic Ocean & Back to Arizona

Seems like I am late to the party. But I read our outstanding rr from beginning to end and I freely admit that it is the best photography I've ever seen on ADVrider. My hat's off to your skills! Knowing how much work it is to create a ride report like yours I thank you very very much for the work you put into it. I wouldn't say that it is a substitute for the real thing - but almost. So many beautiful roads and places - so little time. At least Utah is on my bucket list. Now I wonder if it shouldn't be Alaska.

I'm happy to see you guys are still finding and enjoying this. Thanks for the new replies!

Giant Sequoias





The first four letters of Adventure are A D V E - Dave!

​

I greatly prefer the non HDR one. I read through your thread in one sitting finding the narrative as well as the pix fascinating. I want to comment that I've never seen nearly as good use of gray scale images in a RR. I have to say major kudos for this aspect of the RR because I've not seen it commented by any others.

To take this trip, capture it in such a wonderful set of images and also to have traveled with your wife....well, Dave, I gotta wonder what you're going to do for an encore. Seems to me you nailed it all down with this one.

What were your settings for this picture. Trying improve my abilities with the camera my wife bought me for Christmas. Your pictures are rich. I love your style!

I loved seeing your photos.
I hope to ride to Deadhorse next summer, all the way from Anchorage.

Thanks for the RR.

Jim

The garage snaps use a technique called HDR for High Dynamic Range. Visit a site such as www.photocamel.com for more information or just Google it up.

Some cameras can do HDR in the camera but for most of us, we need software which can do a merge of same scene different EV. It may sound dense here, but look it up and it'll be clear. Anybody can do this with the correct camera or any camera and correct software.

As Slide said, the garage photos are multiple exposures merged together with software (HDR). Check out the Motorcycles in HDR thread for more ideas.

Awesome! My new camera has a hdr mode on it. Automatically takes 3 different light exposures. I didn't know what that was all about till you guy's explained it. #takingcameraclasses

You probably will not get that same effect solely in camera. Worth trying but the 'HDR look' demands manipulations camera's cant' reasonably do automatically.

Do you have a software recommendation? I am planning a trip to Iceland to take pics of icefields and volcanoes. Love the HDR look on some pics.

Photomatix is one standard app. I use Nik HDR, but you need Photoshop for that to work so I can't recommend it unless you are going whole hog into this.

Let me refer you to this article which may help. PM me with any other questions. I don't wish to hijack this great thread with essentially PM's.

http://captainkimo.com/hdr-software-review-comparison/

Thanks, classes start next week. I will have a lot of questions for the teacher.
I downloaded the photomatix it was less than a $100. I have something to play with this winter.

Very sweet HDR. Just enough to enhance, without taking the out naturaliness (word?)

I am curious though to how many memory cards you filled up on your trip?

Hi ziggynater! I ended up buying a bunch of new cards while on the trip. I came home with over 135 GB of data!

BTW, I just got around to stitching this panorama together. I was surprised it worked, since I hadn't shot these with any plans to make a panorama. Not HDR.
This was taken 28 minutes after midnight on July 2nd. Our Anniversary!

Like so many other s have said.... What an amazing RR. The story telling and pics were worth all 20+ pages of reading. Thank you for sharing!

dave, fantastic report and pictures. That's what a Dutchman needs during a cold winter and preparing for a halifax-anchorage-halifax trip this year. Good to read that high daily milages and enyoing a trip are possible at the same time. thnx a lot
aj

Have a great safe time!

I have wanted to ride that trip for several years now. I am certain from reading your ride report that you understand how hard it can be to get away. I thought I could take time away from the family to make the trip in 2013, but things happen and plans get cancelled. Like you, I would only be able to get away for three weeks at best.

If you had it to do over, would you ship your bike and only ride one way? Did you feel to pressed for time?

By the way.... Your RR was an amazing and inspiring piece of art.

Thanks for sharing your epic adventure.

Dan

Dan, Yes we always felt pressed for time, but that was part of the adventure. I wouldn't ship my bike. There are roads all the way there. I chose a pretty time-consuming scenic route to get up there and back. I did this to make each day scenic and fun for us both. If I had gone solo, or if we were to do this again, I wouldn't waste time in the lower 48. I can ride that stuff anytime. I would do some long 1000 mile days to get to the Canadian border, then slow down and enjoy the ride. Going up the coast really slowed us down. I would have liked to spend more time in Alaska, and will next time. 3 weeks is enough time, go for it. The days get really long the farther north you go, making long distance days easier. BTW, Our longest day was 738 miles from Tok to Prudhoe Bay. I am happy how that day turned out and riding all "night" with the great weather we had made for the most memorable day. Our second longest day was 605 miles. It was also the coldest and wettest day. We were plenty miserable at the time, but we both recall this day as fun. The days we rode less than 200 miles and then lazed around on the beach are far less memorable.

Thanks for the reply. I need to make this trip happen....soon.
It's funny. The trip you made happen is almost identical to the trip we planned (once into canada) but never completed.

I haven't read your other RR's but they are on my list !!