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Greetings,
I made my annual trip to Yellowknife in September, which was very different this year. While there I started feeling an ache that, upon returning home, was diagnosed as a hernia.
I’ve since had surgery and am now recovering and trying not to overdo things, even though I have a long list of items on the projects list.
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Yellowknife report
It’s safe to say that this year’s trip to Yellowknife was….unique.
 You may have heard about the recent wildfires in Canada. They caused the city of Yellowknife to order an evacuation just two or three weeks before my first aurora tour was set to begin. And though the evacuation order was lifted a few days before we were scheduled to arrive, I was still forced to cancel that tour due to our hotel cancelling all reservations for a time period that overlapped ours.
But I was able to run the second tour. By the time we arrived, the town seemed as busy as usual and back to normal. One of the main aurora viewing destinations, Aurora Village, had reopened, and the state of emergency had been lifted.
Photographically, we had a couple of decent days for fall color and for visiting Old Town, one of those days being really nice.
 The auroras weren’t as cooperative as they usually are. We had one really nice night and some auroras had pretty good color to them. But that got cut short by returning clouds. We all managed to get some good images though.
On two other nights we got to see auroras. But again, they were soon overwhelmed by clouds.
The amount of overcast was unusual. Typically, we’re able to see auroras at least four out of the six nights.
One night we simply couldn’t go out because winds from the south had ushered in a thick fog of smoke from fires in Alberta. In fact, that morning we walked to breakfast while it was still pitch dark outside, a half hour after sunrise! The whole day was socked in, and we didn’t even go out that night. This is what it was like mid-morning.
The worse part about that was the weather forecast called for clear skies and the aurora forecast called for a kp 5.
One consolation: while in Yellowknife, I was still able to watch the Seahawks win twice.
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Yellowknife 2024 dates
I’ve not yet posted the dates for Yellowknife in 2024 but they’ll probably fall in the first two weeks of September. Weather-wise, that’s a good time and it’s also the time of the new moon and moonrise being so late as to not matter.
If you’re interested, let me know and I’ll add you to the notification list.
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Bubble Netting!
Photographing Humpback whales bubble-net feeding is the most exciting wildlife photography I’ve ever done. And I’m going back to Sitka next March to do it again.
I’ve already filled one boat and if a few more people sign up I’ve got a second boat just waiting for such a moment.
I’ve got us scheduled for three days on the boat. And these will be full days, so bring a lunch!
Along with the whales we may see bald eagles, fishing boats, other marine mammals and, of course, the spectacular scenery.
For more details, visit the Bubble Netting page on my workshops site.
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Two spaces left in Olympic
I still have two spaces remaining for my May 12-17 Olympic National Park workshop. This workshop is limited to only seven so that means you’ll get all the help you can possibly stand. And the smaller group means you’ll have more time to get to know your fellow participants.
We’ll be visiting iconic locations like Sol Duc Falls and the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh rain forest along with a few not so well-known places. Plus, we’ll get out on the beaches too!
Mid May is a good time to be in the park. Water flow is good in streams and waterfalls, everything is greening up, and it’s nowhere near as crowded as it will be in the summer.
Visit my Olympic National Park workshop page for all the info.
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Palouse
I still have space available in my annual Palouse photo workshop.
This year will be close to the twentieth workshop I've led or co-led in the Palouse. I've sort of lost track. Close to twenty.
Anyway, I've been there a lot and it's still one of my favorite places to go simply because there is so much to discover. Every year it seems I find or hear about someplace that's new to me. Each year I'll randomly turn down some road I've never been on. Or I'll visit old favorites and notice something new, or the crops will have changed or....who knows! The Palouse never disappoints.
Interested in finding stuff with me? Check out my Palouse workshop page.
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Lofoten and Faroe Islands
I received encouraging responses from my Lofoten Islands and Faroe Islands photo tours question last month.
I've secured dates for the Lofoten tour (Jan. 31- Feb. 6, 2025) and have emailed the first six who showed interest. Once I hear back from those folks I'll offer the remaining spaces to those next on the list. If the first date fills, I've also reserved the following week (Feb. 6 - 12).
I've not yet secured a date for the Faroe Islands yet, but I've also received an encouraging response for that tour. That would be a summer trip, most likely in early July of the year. Which year? Good question. It may not be until 2025 as well.
If you're interested in either location and haven't already responded to last month's query, just respond to this email and let me know.
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Happy Halloween!
Yep, it's coming on that time of the year again.
Hope you all are having a good autumn.
 At first, I thought this image looked like a sad, grumpy Disney dwarf. At least it did on the back of the camera.
Then it started reminding me of Darth Vader. Or a skull in a hood.
Anyway, it's kind of creepy.
Happy Halloween!
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