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Hugeaux aka Hugo R. Miller is a world traveler and professional artist/photographer living in Florida.

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Hugeaux

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www.hugeaux.com

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PART 2

5:00pm
Anchorage, Alaska
What a very interesting and adventurous day. The weather was very serious here in Anchorage and all the plans which I wanted to go got cancelled, so I had to rely on my traveler's instinct. The ride up through Alaska into the sub-heartland was very invigorating. It is so familiar how things from totally different parts of the world can look the same. I had many chances to speak with people as I was passing throught and one particular visitor comes to mind. She was the US Postmaster of Alaskan descent, in the town of Houston and or Wasilla. I was purchasing some postcards to send to Florida and she began to tell me how the different changes of the season really affects the Alaskan people. She told me that during the summer, the sun is too long that they would have to put aluminum foil on their windows to block out the sun, so they can sleep. She also told me that most of the people are fat here in Alaska, because during the winter the temperature is so severe, that you can't exercise your muscles, so all you do is eat.
Another interesting adventure was photographing the Alaskan cabins which had animal horns and old fashion snowshoes hanging over the entranceway in Wasillla. It was cold and raining but I was determine to not let these images escape from my memory.
Driving back from Willow, Alaska, I could not help but notice how the mountainstops seem to look like natural quilts, with the different patterns, shapes and colors. The highlight of this day was when I stopped the car on Highway Alaska #1 and went down into the river bed of the Reflection Lake, located between Palmer and Anchorage. The scenery was so natural and beautiful and you could not see it unless you got out the car and walked down to the river under the bridge. I must admit, Fear is not a factor with me. The climate was too severe for animals to be out foraging. The water looked grayish and my Florida instinct was telling me to play it sfae, because, it may be foilage growing up on the river bed, but the ground me be quicksand soft. Also if you journey too far onto the dry river bed, you can become trapped as the water may slowly surround you, making it impossible to get out. But I must admit, being near the river bed and looking up at the snow capped mountains is a vision I shall never forget.
It is amazing I spent a total of 7 hours driving in Alaska and only covered a very small part of it. But it was worth every bit of it. I am taking a liking to a new food, I have never had before called cheese biscuits/bread. The grocery store CARR / Safeway sells it and it shall become my breakfast food while I am here. Dinner tonight is from CARR's grocery store and consists of fried chicken wings, potatoe salad, water and yogurt.
I am glad I brought my laptop because transcribing this manuscript shall be less time consuming when I return to Florida.
PS:
I went to a thrift store in Wallis and brought an Alaskan hand made throw blanket as a souvenir. I am very tired and I hope to sleep very well tonight. I shall sleep with the window open to let the cold air in because to this Florida boy it feels like air conditioning, I shall watch a little of Telemundo-Alaska tonight to brush up on my Spanish....May God Bless

DAY #2
September 16, 2012
Anchorage, Alaska
6:30am
I slept very well last night a total of 8 hours. It rained all night. It is cold, but to me it feels brisk, but not too brisk for shorts. Oh, I forgot to tell you, yesterday, while driving through the sub-heartland of Alaska, I rolled down all the windows and had the sounds of Haitian Kompas music serenading the mountains. It is the same feeling I had when driving through the back country of the Selle de Massif in Haiti from Port au Prince to Jacmel.
I shall stop at the corner convience store and get some coffee to go along with my cheese biscuit, then turn the car in the southern direction of Alaska and brave the storm which is brewing there. I am hoping when I reach Seward, Alaska and the Gulf of Alaska, that it has passed. Well. time to get a move on...Hugeaux

DAY #2
Sunday September 16, 2012
Seward, Alaska, Gulf of Alaska
Kenai Penisula
11:15am
The Arctic Rains. Rain! Rain! and Rain! from the Arctic. The travel advisory to Seward warned drivers of rain, winds, down trees and cold. However, I put my Isaac Hayes Shaft Soundtrack into the CD player and headed right into it. The drive along the Seward Highway (Highway Alaska #1) south, is very scenic, especially when you drive along the peninsula coast of the Cook Inlet. The snow top mountains can be seen everywhere and some of the mountains are so vast that they play an optical illusion with you. The snow water falls are everywhere. There was a brief chance that I thought the rain would let up near Homer, Alaska, but when I hit the next curve, the darkness returned bringing more rain. During this severe weather watch, this Arctic pressure has toppled many trees along the highway. As my Shaft Soundtrack kept blasting, I was determined to make it to Seward, Alaska on the Gulf of Alaska in the Arctic rains. It is not giving up. As I look out over the Gulf of Alaska, you can see mountains in the distance, but the visibility is about 30 percent. The water is a greenish gray torqouise color and is splashing against the shore. I photographed the little which the weather allowed. There were times during the journey to Seward in which I felt danger. That is when the Arctic winds were so strong along the Cook Inlet of the peninsula coast, that I felt this small car was going to fall into the ocean. However when these moments came, and there were many, I turned up the volume of the Shaft Soundtrack. At this point, the volume was set on high. They say that tomorrow shall bring the first sign of sunshine, but I was thinking that if I traveled south I could get a glimpse. There are suppose to be ice glaicers in the distace, but they are not visible. My binculars are of no use for this Arctic weather.
Seward, Alaska appears to be a small sleepy ocean town, but the weather does not permit me to walk and photograph. No highrise buildings. This Arctic travel advisory has really kept alot of people away, as even the Seward Visitors Center is closed. Well, I should be headed back and maybe I shall have a chance to photograph some of the southern Alaskan landscape. I shall really have to use my photographer's instinct to see when to jump out and photograph to beat the Arctic rains. Heading back to Anchorage.

12:00pm
Seward, Alaska
On my way out of Seward, Alaska I discovered a pavilion and decided to stop and photograph and write this entry. I have noticed that it is getting colder, because my hand feels frozen. The Arctic winds have picked up, also the Arctic rains. This Arctic weather is very strong and demanding. There is a beauty here even when the sun is not present. I can only imagine on days when the sun lights up the area. I must go because my hands are beginning to feel frozen. It must be from the ice glaicers in the area.