After flying coast to coast across the USA (Long Island to Catalina Island) I decided to head north and west along the Ring of Fire. Here are just a few of the stunning scenes I saw traversing Alaska along this route (as logged by PPR)
Backing up a little bit to when I flew out of Bella Coola, BC because wow
Again prior to Alaska, still in BC over the Stikine Plateau, because it just seems like a haunting & barren landscape
Now in Alaska, trying to visit Tanacross, an old WWII air field that was used for refueling enroute to the Pacific Theater. Weather like this was hard to avoid, and it would take days or weeks between flights to wait for good VFR weather (all flights are flown with Live Weather). Well, not good. It was never good Decent. Acceptable
Okay sometimes it was good weather, but that would only be in short patches along the route, like seen here near Gulkana. In the distance was overcast I had to fly over before reaching this clear air and figuring out my position.
Of course you can’t come to Alaska without paying a visit to the king of the North American continent - Denali. Enhanced with Orbx Alaska mesh
Looking south towards Anchorage down the slopes and glaciers running from Denali
Aniakchak Crater National Monument - I didn’t come to Alaska to just see mountains. I came for VOLCANOES!!
Mt Chiginagak
the volcano on Augustine Island
Pavlof Volcano (left cone) - currently under a flight hazard warning due to volcanic activity
Most likely find the ice floes extending from land into open water to be unrealistic but I appreciate how more dynamic it makes the landscape look
Mount Veniaminof
Volcano cloud is erupting!
Now we come to the Aleutians: Akun Island to the right with fog over the Akutan Bay and then the mountains on Akutan Island
Mt Shishaldin and the twin Isanotski Peaks on Unimak Island
Looking back west past Mt Kanaga towards peaks I missed thanks to the clouds I had to fly over. Great Sitkin is the largest one in the far distance. The pink is a real thing known as watermelon snow
Mt Vsevidof (far right) is the only peak named - possibly several peaks from the same vent that moved over the millennia
The impressive crater of Mt Okmok, with the Tulik Volcano cone off to the left edge, on the island of Umnak. Okmok. That’s fun to say. Okmok
Okmok
Climbing out from Cold Bay over the clouds past Frosty Peak
28,500’ to stay above weather and spotted the Great Sitkin Volcano through a gap in the clouds
Mt Amukta
Clouds near the water sometimes looked like land
Find the land in the clouds. Wasn’t always easy!
Yunaska Island
Westdahl Peak and the Pogromni Volcano on Unimak Island
These are but a few of many. Thanks for viewing! Full photologs: Drew Sikora’s albums | Flickr