Colorful Land - Alaska
by Juergen Weiss
Title
Colorful Land - Alaska
Artist
Juergen Weiss
Medium
Photograph
Description
FEATURED IMAGE
Group '' No Place Like Home '' 12/20
The THOMPSON PASS ( 855 m / 2800 ft) is located in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska.
Thompson Pass is a 2,805 foot-high (855 meter-high) gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska. It is the snowiest place in Alaska, recording 551.5 inches (1,401 cm) of snow per year on average.In the winter of 1952/1953, 974.1 inches (2,474 cm) of snow fell the most ever recorded in one season at one location in Alaska. It is also the most snow ever recorded in one season at one location anywhere in the fifty states. The pass also holds the Alaska record for the most snow in a single day: 62 inches (160 cm) fell on December 29, 1955.
The pass was named in 1899 by U.S. Army captain William Abercrombie "in compliment to Hon. Frank Thomson, of Pennsylvania", but he spelled the name "Thompson" on his sketched map, and that spelling stuck. The pass had been used by Alaska Native Ahtna people for generations prior to Abercrombie's arrival, but he marked and defined a trail through the pass for use by Klondike Gold Rush miners. His route, which became the Valdez-Eagle Trail, later was used by the Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System, which strung cables through Thompson Pass. The path through the pass continued to be improved, and automobiles first drove the entire length of the trail in 1913. By that point, it had become the Valdez-Fairbanks Trail, and it was renamed the Richardson Road in 1919.
Because of heavy snowfall in Thompson Pass, the Richardson Highway was used only in summer. Not until 1950, when a freight company foreman demonstrated that the pass could be kept open with snowplows, was the road drivable year-round. The trail through the pass remained gravel until 1955, when the Alaska Road Commission (part of the US Department of the Interior) paved it. In the early 1970s, Thompson Pass was the scene of frantic activity as thousands of workers built a portion of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System from a camp located nearby. Heavy snowfall in the pass slowed work in the winter, but the pipeline was completed by 1977, and oil today flows through the pass on an almost constant basis.
Because Valdez is the southern terminus of the pipeline and Thompson Pass provides the only overland transportation link to Valdez, the state of Alaska maintains a road service station in the pass to keep it plowed and ice-free year-round. This facility includes Thompson Pass Airport,a short landing strip used by state aircraft which also serves as home to the annual Tailgate Alaska event. The work of keeping the highway through the pass clear is extremely challenging due to weather conditions and was highlighted in the Discovery Channel television special Alaska: Most Extreme.
The pass is a popular destination for tourists and adventurers. Heliskiing and snowboarding are popular recreational activities, but the heavy snowfall in the pass causes frequent avalanches. Tailgate Alaska, one of the world's popular ski and snowboarding events has given rise to the popularity of Thompson Pass as a destination for recreational skiers and snowboarders. The Valdez Avalanche Center provides regular snow avalanche danger reports. (Resource Wikipedia).
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November 12th, 2009
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Viewed 4,984 Times - Last Visitor from Wilmington, DE on 03/28/2024 at 7:42 AM
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Comments (163)
John Hughes
Congratulations, your wonderful image has been featured on the Homepage of The Photography Only Group, please feel free to add it as a permanent record to the Discussion Thread for Featured Images.
Gary F Richards
Spectacular Colorful Land - Alaska composition, lighting, shading, beautiful colors and artwork! F/L voted
Gary F Richards
Spectacular capture, lighting, shading, colors and artwork! F/L … voted in the BEST OF THE BEST contest
Will Borden
Hi Juergen~~very nice to receive your recent comments- All the Best to you! This image taken in Alaska is magnificent- you have a beautiful collection of work!! F&L!!
Juergen Weiss replied:
Thank you for dropping by and making your kind comment, Will ! Best wishes ...
Debra Lynch
Hi Juergen, was so pleased to see this lovely work in the contest, it is beautiful, L/F/P Debra
Ginette Fine Art LLC Ginette Callaway
What an adventures live you live and your photos are a record to it. Some of the most amazing images I've seen! This is inviting me to visit Alaska!
Juergen Weiss replied:
Thank you for commenting on my " Colorful Land " - Image, Ginette ! So much appreciated ! Best wishes ♥
Ann Horn
Stunning contrast between the colorful field of flowers and the snowy mountaintops, Juergen.
Laurie Search
Wow! That color!!!! Excellent image, Juergen!!!! :)))
Juergen Weiss replied:
I'm pleased that you like my " Colourful Land " - Image, Laurie ! Thank YOU ! My Best, Juergen
Robert Lacy
No wonder this shot has attracted so many accolades. Spectacular work. You have also just added Alaska to my bucket list of places to see in this lifetime.
Lynn Bauer
Apparently, I'm not the first one to comment on this gorgeous photo!!! This is a tremendously beautiful work of art...well-deserving of all the wonderful accolades here!!! f/v
Juergen Weiss replied:
I truly appreciate your wonderful comment, Lynn ! Thank YOU and All the Best, Juergen
Robert Lacy
No wonder this has received so much attention and glowing praise. I can only add my voice to to all the wonderful comments above. Stunning work. Thanks so much Juergen for your kind comments on my Greenland photos.
Juergen Weiss replied:
THANK YOU for your visit and for your GREAT comment, ROBERT ! Greatly appreciated ...