Antarctic Photo Tour

Ron NiebruggeTravel 5 Comments

Lemaire Channel, Antarctic Peninsula photo by Ted Cheeseman.

Lemaire Channel, Antarctic Peninsula photo by Ted Cheeseman.

Antarctic Peninsula – How is this for an epic photography destination!  It may not get any better then this.  I will be joining Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris on a tour to the Antarctic Peninsula (December 30, 2012 to January 17, 2013) as a member of the Expedition Staff!   I will be one of the Photographer Guides and Zodiac Drivers.  I guess 20 years of photographing the Alaska Coastline will come in very handy!  It is really an honor to be selected to join such an elite staff on an amazing trip to the Antarctic!

So why am I sharing this here and now?  Well for one reason I’m super excited and just had to share!  But, as it turns out there is still some space available – this is unusual as this trip can sell out over a year in advance.  So I offered to share some information about this trip here and explain why I think it is such a great trip from the perspective of a photographer.

I think one of the main advantages of this trip over others to the Antarctic is that we will have at last 10 days (weather permitting) of shore landings on the Antarctic Peninsula – most trips may only have about 5.  In addition, we will be spending twice as much time on shore then you will on other Antarctic tours.  So right there we have potentially 4 times as much time on shore then on your typical tour – that is huge!  We will also be spending a lot of our time cruising up close to the sights in Zodiacs – you will have as much time as possible away from the “mother ship” getting up close to the sights making this the ideal trip for photographers!  If you are going to take the time and spend the money to travel to the Antarctic, you want to maximize the opportunity and this expedition does just that.   But, there are many other advantages.

For starters, Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris.  Cheesemans’ has been leading unique travel trips to amazing destinations around the world for over 30 years, and have lead over 20 expeditions to the Antarctic Region since 1994.  I have been asking around and everyone I talked to speaks extremely high of Cheesmans’ Ecology Safaris.

The Expedition Leader Hugh Rose.  As a Professional Guide, Hugh as been leading tours around Alaska and the Antarctic for over 20 years and has been a key member of the Cheesemans’ Antarctic trips since 1998.  I have known Hugh since the mid 90’s and over the years I have run into him and his groups everywhere from Kenai Fjords National Park, to Denali National Park- even the Copper River Delta!  I have the highest level of respect for him as a guide and person.  I couldn’t think of a better person to have leading this trip.

The Ship.  The Ortelius not only has the highest ice-class notation possible, but it recently came out of dry dock after being extensively remodeled and updated.

Small Group Size.  The number of passengers is limited to 100 – the same number that IAATO rules allow on shore in the Antarctic, so everyone can go to shore at once – no waiting for  people to return so your shift can land!

Well I could go on and on, but since I don’t have first hand experience and so much information is available on the Cheeseman Ecology Safari website, if you would like to learn more, visit:  Antarctic Peninsula In depth Expedition.  If you have more questions, the friendly folks at Cheesemans’ are more then happy to answer further questions.  Hope to see you there!

Portage Lake

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Chugach, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

Portage Lake, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

Portage Lake, Chugach National Forest, Alaska.

I was hoping for a dramatic sunset last night – sunset by the way is after 11:30 at night!  Unfortunately clouds moved in right after this and the light never materialized.  Still, a beautiful place!

Alaska Whales, Eagles and Bears – photo tour

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

Mountain Goat in Cataract Cove, Harris Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Mountain Goat in Cataract Cove, Harris Bay, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

This huge waterfall dumps straight into the ocean and is one of many places we visit on my Kenai Fjords photo tour.

All my workshops and tours are sold out this year except for this one which still has room.  I’m surprised, as this is maybe the best of the bunch!  So, if you want to see whales, eagles, bears, puffins and amazing scenery, check it out:  Kenai Fjords National Park photo tour.  

Note, there has been a date change.

Spruce Pollen

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 5 Comments

Spruce pollen, Seward, Alaska.

Spruce pollen, Seward, Alaska.

As I returned from my daily walk from the Post Office, I couldn’t help but notice the cool patterns the spruce pollen was making in a mud puddle in our drive-way thanks to a recent rain.  This is a photo of that puddle.

F/V Northwestern

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Photos, Travel 2 Comments

F/V Northwestern coming into Seward, Alaska.

F/V Northwestern coming into Seward, Alaska.

This is the fishing vessel Northwestern coming into Seward at about 11:15 last night.  This is one of the crab boats made famous on the Discovery Channel’s show Deadliest Catch.  I was hoping it would arrive a bit earlier while we were enjoying some amazing evening light!  But, at least it is still plenty light enough for photography despite the late time of day.

Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge

Ron NiebruggeAlaska, Kenai Fjords, Photos, Travel 8 Comments

Canoes in front of the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge, Pedersen Lagoon, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Canoes in front of the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge, Pedersen Lagoon and Glacier, Kenai Fjords National Park, Alaska.

Some good friends invited us along for an over-night trip to Aialik Bay on their fishing boat, as they were going to deliver some large water tanks out to the Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge.  Now doing an overnight trip with good friends sounded like a great time, but it even got better!  We were actually able to stay in our own cabin at the Kenai Glacier Lodge on the shores of Pedersen Lagoon, and were joined for dinner and breakfast by Kirk Hoessle who not only owns this remote lodge, but is the owner of Alaska Wildland Adventures, a company that has been offering unique Alaska travel packages for many years now.

First a bit of history.  Years ago before I had a blog I would write an occasional piece for my website.  Back then I wrote one about my favorite place where I selected Pedersen Lagoon / glacier area as my favorite place.  Today, it is definitely still one of my favorite places.

So I must admit I was concerned when we were contacted by a developer looking to buy images of the area for a financing proposal to develop a lodge on a piece of private in-holdings within the National Park – the wrong development could really ruin the area.  That deal came and went until finally Alaska Wildland Adventures came along and leased the land.  This was good news as Alaska Wildland is an Alaska based (Girdwood) travel company with other lodges in the state and a reputation of doing things right – if it had to be developed, they were an excellent choice.  They ended up building Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge a few years ago and I was eager to finally see in person how it turned out.

So how did they do?  Frankly, they couldn’t have done a better job!  I have always been pleased that you couldn’t see any sign of the lodge from Aialik Bay, but even from within Pedersen Lagoon the shoreline cabins are barely noticeable.  The cabins have “peak a boo views” through the trees as they sit just back from the shoreline.  This not only hides the buildings, but has maintained the historic paths used by the local bear population, and I think almost enhances the view as you feel like you are part of the forest looking out at the lagoon and glacier.  They made every effort in keeping every tree possible, they even went to great lengths to protect the mossy ground cover by using special mats to move the limited equipment around the site for foundations.  Really they couldn’t have done a better job!

The wonderful development is exceeded by the actual operation.  Wonderful food, very friendly staff and nice, clean cabins and lodge.  They offer a wide variety of activities including canoeing, hiking and kayaking.   Like most nice remote lodges in Alaska that have to get by with a 100 day season, it isn’t cheap, but when you consider the price includes boat rides meals and activities, I think it is a good value.  To stay in such comfort in such an amazing remote location looking at the amazing scenery and wildlife is an opportunity that I definitely highly recommend!