Couple of pics from Prudhoe Bay

[scudrunner]

Just got off the plane from Prudhoe Bay. It was a very cold, windy and wet two weeks with a couple days of snow!

Here are a couple of pics to enjoy:

http://www.alaskanfishguides.com/Images/eider1.jpg
This is a King Eider. He is a duck and is very shy. He nests in the tundra puddles.

http://www.alaskanfishguides.com/Images/MuskOx1.jpg
These are Musk Ox... so ugly that they are very cool. This is a small herd of about 8 animals and 3 calves that hung out right beside the road.

I have yet to see the huge ecological disaster of Prudhoe Bay... while there is development, the animals, including the Porcupine caribou herd are unphased! The oil companies have gone to the expense and effort of making caribou crossings across the pipelines, but I have yet to see a caribou on the crossing... they prefer to walk right under the pipeline and don't give it a second thought.

As I have opportunity to send more images, I'll get them posted... enjoy

[Chinook SSSF]

Thanks for sharing those Ed, and the details that go with them. Think I will look that area up on the maps.

[scudrunner]

70degrees24'48.69"N 150degrees0'51.64"W

If you enter these into Google Earth this is the pad that I work at. My facility is not in the picture (built 2 years ago... after the shot was taken). This is a 1.5 hour drive from Deadhorse 70degree11'40.88"N 148degrees27'55.55"W. The eider shot was close to camp and the musk ox was close to Deadhorse.

When you are browsing on Google Earth, take a close look at the terrain! I am still looking for that bunch of trees that you always see in the propaganda about the Porcupine caribou herd, like wise the rolling hills.

By the way, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a short distance to the east and the National Petroleum Reserve is to the west a short distance.

Cheers

[Chinook SSSF]

Deadhorse eh? Your in sheefish country now Ed!

[Arctic]

Hahaha! No doubt... What rolling hills! And the last I saw a legit, group of trees, or mini forest was about 100 miles from Deadhorse!

Do you guys big-wheel bush plane it, or do you get the fancy, newer helicopters? Our work group had to ride the bush whackers, but some of the exploratory well workers ended up hitchin rides in helos. Hope works stays steady for you, and great photos Mr. French!

[scudrunner]

Hahaha! No doubt... What rolling hills! And the last I saw a legit, group of trees, or mini forest was about 100 miles from Deadhorse!

Do you guys big-wheel bush plane it, or do you get the fancy, newer helicopters? Our work group had to ride the bush whackers, but some of the exploratory well workers ended up hitchin rides in helos. Hope works stays steady for you, and great photos Mr. French!

We use big-wheels, but it is on a Big Blue Bird Bus! There are plenty of roads throughout the field. Indeed, if you have see the recent Ice Road Truckers, the first episode for the new season delivered a module to ENI, which is about 5 miles from our project. (They never drove on an ice road to make that delivery by the way!!!). When the water is hard, we use an ice road to get to our island, helicopter in the in between time and will be using a crew boat when I get back to work.

Our project is a bit more than 2 years old and the island is man made, in about 4 feet of water, but 8 miles offshore.

Cheers

[Chinook SSSF]

Does the area have the same radical tide change cook inlet has?

[scudrunner]

Does the area have the same radical tide change cook inlet has?

Virtually no tidal influence at all... some, but very little