Kenai Fjords, Alaska.

Kenai Fjords, Alaska.

Kick, push.

The pure mass of Denali.

Denali is so massive that it generates its own weather; much like a huge boulder submerged in a river creates whitewater rapids. All mountains deflect air masses and influence local conditions, but Denali rises so abruptly and so high that this effect is more dramatic here than perhaps anywhere else on Earth. This shot here was at 600mm from a long distance away. I absolutely love the peak of Denali poking through the low-lying clouds. The kiss of sunlight doesn't hurt the composition as well. Every time I see this enormous rock, I can't imagine humans climbing to the summit. What a thought.

Iceland in black and white.

Beautiful Bryce Canyon.

The Igloo Hotel

Located at mile marker 188.7 on the east side of the George Parks Hwy, this abandoned hotel is south of Denali National Park & Preserve and it is truly one of the most odd places in Alaska that you will come across. The nearest town to Igloo City is Cantwell, located about 20 miles away with a population just under 250 year-round residents. The cities of Anchorage and Fairbanks are both over two and a half hours away from this isolated structure in the middle of nowhere. Igloo City was constructed in the late 1970s by Leon Smith. He envisioned it as a hotel, though it was never completed due to code violations. The building suffers from undersized windows which do not meet code. In addition to some other code violation issues, the inadequate window size is the main reason the structure was never operational. Because this building was too big to demolish, it has remained standing for over four decades. The structure is so large in fact that airplanes can see it from over 30,000 feet high in the air. The round structure meant to mimic that of an igloo has four stories and is said to be constructed of 888 sheets of plywood with a urethane outside insulation Those who come from far and wide are urged to use caution. Because of the remote location, predators such as bears and wolves are in the nearby area and have been said to use this giant igloo structure as shelter during times of distress.