Good Morning, Kodiak

Hey! Amateur photographer here. I know almost nothing about settings, and my best strategy is "don't breathe", so my hands stay steady and shots don't come out blurry. Which is sometimes very hard to do, depending on my level of excitement. (I'm a really bad concert photographer because of this!) But this shot I captured back in 2013, is still one of my favorites ever, and makes me feel like a semi-professional. (I'm not even close, but it makes me feel that way!)

In 2013, my parents were booked for a flight from home, here in upstate New York, to Kodiak, Alaska. The trip was a visit to see my Coast Guard brother and his family, and my addition to the arriving clan was a complete surprise to them. There were a lot of wide eyes and big hugs when I got off the tiny puddle-jumper plane that flew us from Anchorage onto the island of Kodiak. (I waited a few minutes after my parents deplaned before getting off the plane myself, for maximum shock value. It worked!)

Staying at my brother's house on the Coast Guard base, I immediately fell in love with the amazing views of both mountains and ocean. I was quite jealous of the beauty they got to experience every single day. Waking up to a giant mountain outside is something I could definitely get used to! The first morning after arriving was an early one (hello jet lag!) and I was fine with that after I stepped onto my brother's porch and saw the dark purple sky slowly turning red.

The pace of color quickened after the dark red became fiery. I quickly grabbed my camera, and was able to get this shot before the red turned to orange, and the orange to yellow. (And yes, I held my breath to minimize shaking.) It wasn't until after I had pressed the button and taken the photo that I realized an incoming plane was in the shot. It was an early morning Fed Ex cargo plane heading for the landing strip that was nearby. I finally heard it, and watched it land on the strip with a gorgeous sunrise as it's backdrop. I wondered if the pilot was also in awe of that breathtaking sunrise, or if they were used to seeing such awesome color play on their route.

The only thing I wish I could improve on this photo, is the lack of a scratch and sniff feature. Because while this photo has the ability to take me back to the most stunning land I've ever visited, it really does not do justice to the quality of air in Alaska. Even with a landing strip nearby, the air I breathed during my entire trip there was by far the cleanest, and most refreshing air my lungs have ever experienced. The effect of real fresh air in your lungs is immediate, and it's so energizing. Now, with the COVID-19 coronavirus sweeping the world, it's hard not to dream I'm back in this place of gorgeous views and clean, uninfected air. Being cooped up at home for months, and not being able to move about freely without the threat of contracting a very dangerous virus, is not something I would have even thought of back in 2013. Not being able to travel without intense restrictions, or even hug family or friends... I never saw this coming, like most of the world. It makes me appreciate all that we had in the past, and hope that we can get some of it back again. Hugs without fear, gatherings without fear, travel without fear. I would love to be able to go back to Alaska someday soon. I would love to get there without fearing the close quarters of the plane and it’s inhabitants, as I did in 2013. But that may not be realistic anymore. There will always be some fear, however minimal, after this is over. I do know that my love of travel will survive this pandemic. A friend once told me that "movement is life", and that is what we need to get back to. With masks and other PPE? Probably. But that's ok, let's just keep moving. Even if I need to bundle up in a hazmat suit to board a plane, that is what I will do. Because views like this one, are the kind that etch into your heart to help keep it beating.

(Shot above taken on Kodiak Island Coast Guard base, Kodiak, Alaska in late August 2013. Taken with Sony Cyber-Shot point and shoot camera, automatic setting. No filters or adjustments made post-photo.)