Maclaren Summit, Denali Highway, AK

Maclaren Summit, a photo by missmerv on Flickr.

Last week I took advantage of a rare opportunity to get out of Barrow and head south to the subarctic to do a photography workshop along the Denali Highway with my good friend and teacher, Hal Gage. The landscape around Barrow is so minimalist and the beauty so subtle that it was rather overwhelming to re-experience the beauty that is the Alaska Range. The flat tundra of the north slope can make one feel conspicuous and vulnerable.  Its openness is mystifying.   This landscape, though just as open, enhances feelings of anonymity and insignificance. I spent a lot of time riding along this gravel road lost in thought marveling at how two landscapes could share the same description… tundra… and yet could be so very different. It was wonderful to have the mommy downtime and spend time with a friend in such a beautiful place.