Art to the Artic

The art from the artic comes home

2009-08-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to everyone who participated in Art to the Artic, Artists and viewers alike! We hope to organize another very small traveling exhibit and adventure in the future.

Coming full circle

2009-08-16T07:53:00.000-07:00

and it grew, and we learned,
and we watched as they travelled across the land in their adventures
and came safely home again to us all.

Artists

2009-08-16T07:52:00.000-07:00

And so we gathered where it all began, a year ago- when I asked if they could take a little 2 x 3 painting and place it on a tree when they went to Dead horse Alaska..

Site visitors Update

2008-09-06T16:13:00.000-07:00

So far we have had:

333 visitors from
38 countries/ territories
(By country top 7- USA, Canada, Brazil, UK, Mexico, Spain, Sweden)
(By state- top 4- 111 Louisiana-47 California-43 Virginia-20 Alaska)

475 visits
722 Pageviews

239 referrals form blogger
118 referrals form Arttotheartic.com
19 from google and
23 from yahoo mail

Thanks to everyone who stopped by!!!

Getting home before Gustav

2008-09-06T16:11:00.001-07:00

Carrie Lee,

After a brief discussion yesterday morning we decided it best to get home as soon as possible. We've been keeping an eye on Gustav and would like to be home as early as we can.

Fast day yesterday as we made our way from Marysville, WA to Tin Falls, ID.
-Kirk

Bear-ly Home

2008-09-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

When we started out yesterday morning we had two objectives; make it into the US before the day was out, and make it south of Seattle before stopping. We made the first objective. As far as the second is concerned, we made it to Marysville, WA north of Seattle.

Only one photo for today. There was a bear outside of our hotel in Prince George, BC that was part of a 2006 public art show similar to the fish and street cars in New Orleans.

Bijoux Falls

2008-08-26T06:38:00.000-07:00

Bijoux was taken at Bijoux Falls (2102) during a break in the heaviest rain we have driven through during the entire trip.

Chain Saw Sculpture Capital of the World

2008-08-26T06:36:00.001-07:00

The first 2 photos are of chainsaw sculptures in the town of Chetwynd, BC (2101). Chetwynd calls itself the "Forestry Capital of Canada" and the "Chain Saw Sculpture Capital of the World." We didn't stay long because of the threatening rain storm.

Day 21

2008-08-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

We didn't get that much rain, but yesterday was a very rainy day here also. We started the day at the Bucking Horse in a light rain and ended the day in heavy rain at Prince George, BC after taking right off the Alaska Highway (back in civilization). We did make several stops when the rain had let up.

Day 20

2008-08-24T18:45:00.001-07:00

Today, day 20, we came across nothing but road construction and wildlife. We are spending the night at the Bucking Horse River Lodge. Not quite as remote as last night because it does have internet service.-Kirk

Sign Post Forrest

2008-08-24T18:44:00.000-07:00

The second photo of the day was taken at Watson Lake. The Sign Post Forrest has over 60,000 sign placed there by passing visitors. We ended the day at the Coal River Lodge. It is so far from civilization that we were put to sleep by the drone on the electric generator.

Tingit totem pole

2008-08-24T18:43:00.001-07:00

We stopped at the Tingit Cultural Center and came away with the totem photo. Unfortunately, the Center was closed and we did not get in to look around.

Day 19

2008-08-24T18:42:00.000-07:00

It's been a slow couple of days as we retrace our way south on the Alaska Highway. Yesterday was mostly cloudy with periods of heave rain, but we did get in a couple of photos.

Our online visitors update

2008-08-24T16:08:00.000-07:00

Our vistors update:
We are now up to:
292 Unique visitors
394 Visits form 38 countries/territories
624 Pageviews
Blogger sent 217 visits with 86 visits alone on August 11th.
Thanks Blogger!

Lodge Blossoms

2008-08-23T10:53:00.001-07:00

As the end of the day approached, we started looking for a place to sleep in Whitehorse. There were no rooms available in Whitehorse. Barb whipped out the Milepost and started looking for lodging options south along the Alaska Highway. She picked a couple for us to check for rooms. The second one had 2 rooms left and we decided to take one of them. The lodge is located on the shores of Marsh Lake, and was the highlight of the day. We shot 2 photos here (1802). The first is of the lake side of the lodge, and the second is of some of the flowers that abound around it. (Barb has been very impressed by the vitality and size of the flowers here in the North Land.)-Kirk

Carmacks Loon Mosaic

2008-08-23T10:52:00.001-07:00

Day 18

2008-08-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

We started the day in Dawson City under clear and cold skies. The clear skies lasted for about 1 hour. The rain started after about 2 hours of traveling and didn't stop until we were about 1 hour out of Whitehorse. Because of the rain, we thought it would be a slow day for photos.That was until we passed through Carmacks. We found the south welcome rest area where the loon mosaic sign was located (1801 on map). It was the highlight of the day, until we stopped for the night.

Welcome to Alaska-Top of The World Highway

2008-08-21T12:53:00.001-07:00

We finally found a good Welcome to Alaska sign.Only 10 days after we arrived. This one is located on the Top of The World Highway. This morning we travel back to Whitehorse, YT. Should be an easy drive, if not wet.
-Kirk

Chicken, AK

2008-08-21T12:52:00.001-07:00

Our travels took us through Chicken, AK, yes, Chicken (1602 on the map). Its a very, very small town accessible by way of a gravel/dirt road. We made it here because it is on the way to Dawson City. Most of the remaining trip to Dawson City was on gravel road, another 90+ miles of it.

Day 17

2008-08-21T12:50:00.000-07:00

We started yesterday morning in Fairbanks, AK about mid morning for an easy drive to Dawson City, YT

Verna's Glass Flower

2008-08-20T10:21:00.000-07:00

The stained glass piece was made by Verna Fleming. She and her husband, Al, are retired school teachers and the owners of the B&B.
Later,
Barbara

Log Cabin B&B

2008-08-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

Kirk says it's all about art today, not traveling, so I should write you. We spend an easy day in Fairbanks after another seven days of hard driving. On the road headed home tomorrow. The first photo is of the Log cabin B&B where we stayed in Fairbanks...-Barb

Day 15-Stashed Dead Moose!?!

2008-08-19T05:19:00.001-07:00

Day 15 started out under mostly clear skies. Nice day for a walk we thought. So we backtracked to Marion Creek to go hiking up to a waterfall. Bad move. A sign was posted on the trail head that a grizzly bear had stashed a dead moose ( so he was probably nearby keeping an eye on it) near the trail and that walking on the trail was NOT recommended. Needless to say we did NOT go walking and instead finished our drive back to Fairbanks.

BLM, USF&WS and National Park Service

2008-08-19T05:16:00.001-07:00

Flamingos on Parade at the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center in Coldfoot. The Center is operated by the BLM, USF&WS and National Park Service.

Arctic Interagency Visitor Center in Coldfoot

2008-08-19T05:15:00.000-07:00

We had asked their permission to photograph the art with the skull - we've been looking for one who was a soul-mate to Peggy's little bone on her canvas.

Prudhoe Bay National Forest

2008-08-19T05:12:00.000-07:00

After traveling most of the day under overcast skies, we arrived in Coldfoot where we spent the night.

Deadhorse- End of the Dalton Hwy

2008-08-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

We started day 14 in Deadhorse under cloudy, drizzly skies looking for gas. The closest gas station, I use the term loosely, was next door to the hotel, again I use the term loosely, but we could not figure out where the pumps were at, or where the door to the building was at. So we went searching for the other gas station in Deadhorse. We found gas after finding the general store/post office (no gas there) where we found the Welcome To Deadhorse sign (see photo WelcomeToDeadhorse). I guess that when the main road originally went past the general store, the location of the welcome sign was appropriate. But now the road has been rerouted and the general store is on a dead end road nowhere near the entrance to Deadhorse.

Day 14

2008-08-19T04:59:00.000-07:00

Visitors Update

2008-08-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

264 Absolute Unique Visitors
492 Page views
from 38 countries/territories
264 new visitors and 57 returning visitors!!
228 refered form blogger- Thanks blogger!! and
50 from arttotheartic.com

Pelican at the Arctic Ocean

2008-08-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

Seeing my little pelican at the Arctic Ocean gave me great joy-
as I'm not certain that any pelican could fly to the arctic-
nor could I-

Art has experiences beyond its creation-Starting as ideas in sketchbooks that artists carry - art is sold and sold again occupying houses and businesses and galleries well beyond the life of its creator(s)

Viewers make pilgrimages to see favored works of art-
Art travels in exhibitions, most often to galleries and museums which can be intimidating to the average viewer, and or costly for the average person as well as regionally anchored.

These paintings made a trip not made by many people and have been shown online through their travels being made available to a far broader and more random audience than a gallery or museum could reach- all at no charge to the viewer.

These 2 x 3 inch artworks, now carry with them the experience of having moved through
space weather, temperature and time.
This is now part of their fabric, their history.

Stay tuned-
There is more to see
as the art returns to the
Gulf Coast from the Arctic Circle.
-Carrie Lee

Prudhoe Bay compared to New Orleans Weather

2008-08-17T12:00:00.000-07:00

Prudhoe Bay is 41°F and overcast today!
New Orleans is 85.8 °F and Clear!

Bundle up Barb and Kirk!

Arctic Ocean

2008-08-17T11:44:00.001-07:00

After lunch and a short nap, we took a tour that took us through the oil fields and to the Arctic Coast (photos Arctic Ocean and Arctic Ocean With Barb - 1303on map) (WGS84 N70d 18' 49.6" W148d 10' 00.5"). We had a good time in the wildlife viewing department, only the sightings were along the foggy road were we could not stop for photos. The count was a herd of musk ox, a grizzly bear, a fox, many caribou, and many birds.

Prudhoe Bay(Deadhorse)

2008-08-17T11:43:00.000-07:00

The photo Prudhoe Bay(Deadhorse) (1302 on map Day13) is the closest thing we have to a Welcome to Deadhorse sign. We continue to look for a good Deadhorse sign until we leave later this morning.

Day 13

2008-08-17T11:40:00.000-07:00

Day 13 - A cold start, but clear---for the first 30 minutes or so. We hit fog and mist just as we came to the Sag River valley and were socked in for most of the remaining trip.

Arctic Circle

2008-08-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

As luck would have it, a large portion of the road to Coldfoot was either paved are in excellent shape for a gravel road. The entire length of the road seen in Long Way To Go (1202) is all paved.
One last shot of the day was when we crossed the Arctic Circle (ArcticCircle - 1203). The only wildlife we saw along the way for the day were only 2 moose, 1 running across the Elliot Highway and 1 in the parking lot of a highway maintenance facility. We ended the day at a primitive campground at Galbraith Lake on the North Slope of Alaska.

Day 12

2008-08-17T11:34:00.000-07:00

Day 12 had us leaving Fairbanks and driving north towards the Dalton Highway via the Elliot Highway. The pavement stops at the begining of the Dalton Highway with the prospect of 400+ miles to Deadhorse (See photo NorthToDeadhorse - 1201 on map Day 12).

Day 11-off to Deadhorse

2008-08-14T23:14:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow we pick up the rental car and start off to Deadhorse.
So it may be another 4 days before the next email.
-Kirk

Knotty Wood Caribou Sculpture

2008-08-14T23:12:00.000-07:00

Today, day 11, we started out at mid morning in the rain. we stopped several times to attempt to view other glaciers and wildlife. We were semi successful on both counts. We have only 1 photo to share, Knotty Wood Caribou Sculpture ( taken at 1101 on map)

Day 10

2008-08-14T23:06:00.001-07:00

When we arrived at Wrangell St. Elias at mid day the sky was partly cloudy but the mountians were in the clouds and we no good views, or photos. We ended the day in Paxson at, what Barb describes, a "rustic" road house.

Glacier

2008-08-14T23:04:00.000-07:00

As we walked on the ice the sky started to clear and as we left the glacier we took another photo of it from a different prospective than from the day before (1002).

Barb On Ice

2008-08-14T23:03:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, day 10, we backtracked to the Matanuska under cloudy skies. We found the entrance to the park, state we think, where you can drive to the toe of the glacier and then walk out on to it. Barb On Ice is a shot of Barb on the glacier (1001 on map Day10). (Sorry no art in the photo - we risked our lives to walk on the glacier, but decided it best not to risk the art.)

Denali

2008-08-14T23:01:00.001-07:00

At the end of the day today, we find ourselves back in Fairbanks at a nice B&B. We started out on Tuesday, Day 9, from Fairbanks on our way to Denali National Park hoping to get a glimpse of the "High One." Our luck was holding out. As you can see from the Denali photo (903 on map Day9), we had beautiful clear skies.
All guide books say that only 20% of all visitors ever have a clear view of the mountain. We decided to press our luck and go to the east side of the state and see if we could get a glimpse of the glaciers in the Wrangell St. Elias Park. We only made it to about 50 miles east of Palmer before coming across Matanuska Glacier (905). We spent the night at a campground 10 miles to the east of the glacier. Was a cold wet night - it rained, lightly, most of the night. There was a small leak in the tent, but we stayed dry.

Day 9

2008-08-14T22:50:00.000-07:00

Website traffic update

2008-08-14T22:12:00.000-07:00

While we are waiting for more fantastic photos from Barb and Kirk- here is a little web data update to amuse you-
We are now up to
171 Absolutely Unique Visitors
205 visits total including:
141 referred from blogger
38 from arttotheartic.com
2 new viewers using Opera
mostly DSL connections using IE-
18 languages
113 network locations
from 33 countries including but not limited to;
New Delhi,Moscow, Rio de Janeiro,Hanover, Melbourne,Geneva, Milan, Pisa and Rome!
Once again- YAY! Blogger & GOOGLE-

Sunny Day!

2008-08-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

For lunch, we had elk burgers (much juicier than the buffalo burgers the other day) on a deck overlooking the Chena River and enjoying the sunshine, which the waitress told us was the first sunny day they've had in three weeks!

Tomorrow we are planning to go off on a road trip to Denali for the next several days. We'll email when we have access.
-Kirk and Barb

"The Bridge"

2008-08-12T07:16:00.000-07:00

"The Bridge" is a sandstone sculpture in front of the Fairbanks City Hall. It was a gift from their sister city, Fanano, Italy.

The Bear host at breakfast in the Fudge Pot

2008-08-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

Tlinglit newspaper box

2008-08-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

from Kirk-
A very slow day today, by design. We went walking in the downtown area and decided we had to go back for some photos.
The newspaper box- for the Miner news-which was decorated with Tlinglit designs, and the gorgeous flowers were located outside the information center in downtown.

Current Visitor Data

2008-08-11T15:50:00.000-07:00

Unlike a traditional gallery show-
Thanks to Google Analytics
We know a little bit about who is visiting our site.
To summarize:
Of the 222 "visits" so far
73 are visitors
59 are unique visitors
14 are returning visitors from
17 countries/territories speaking
13 languages ( yes I have enabled hindi translation)
Visitors are using:
Internet Explorer
Firefox and
Safari in that order
45 visitors used a Windows Operating System
(of those 45 Windows users- 32 used XP, 10 used Vista and 3 used windows 98)
and 28 visitors used a Mac
(of those 28 mac users 21 had an Intel mac OS and 7 had a PPC)
at speeds of
DSL,
unknown,
Cable
Dial up
and T1
in that order.
Blogger reffered 39 visitors so far. Thanks Blogger!
-and of course Thanks Google Analytics!!!

Total Day 7

2008-08-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry, no Welcome to Alaska sign. We didn't see one, other than the not very photogenic state highway one too close to the customs stop for us to turn around to get to.

We will be taking it easy for the next few days, so we may not have any installments each day.

Until next time,

Kirk and Barb

Alaska State Bird

2008-08-11T11:59:00.000-07:00

- This is a mosquito sculpture at the welcome center at Delta Junction, AK (map 701).

End Of The Road

2008-08-11T11:58:00.000-07:00

- The official end of the Alaska Highway in Delta Junction (map 701)

Far From Home

2008-08-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Or as Barb says, far from anywhere (map 701).

Day 7

2008-08-11T11:51:00.000-07:00

from Kirk-
We got to Fairbanks fairly early, but just unwound because we didn't have to be anywhere today.

Started Day 7 in Whitehorse, YT. It was a cold start, 32 deg. F. Yes, winter time back home. Out with the cold weather gear.
The driving was the toughest yet. We were delayed 3 times for major road construction (I was waiting for the construction), once just north of Destruction Bay, YT, and twice in Alaska. Also north of Destruction Bay there was a lot of road damage due to frost heave. It was like driving on New Orleans streets, dodge the pot and sink holes, straddle the large cracks in the road, and try not to bottom out in the large dips.
We didn't see any wildlife. I think they were trying to avoid the cursing from the drivers as the bounced along the road.

Total Travel Day 6

2008-08-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

Moose

2008-08-09T22:39:00.001-07:00

In the hotel lobby in Whitehorse

Dudley

2008-08-09T22:38:00.000-07:00

To round out the day, after several hours of driving in the rain, we were greeted by and a moose and Dudley Doright when we arrived at our hotel in Whitehorse.

Yukon Forrest

2008-08-09T22:37:00.002-07:00

Well we had to have a typical forest shot, right?? (603 on the map)

Big Boy

2008-08-09T22:37:00.001-07:00

The biggest bison was also the closest to the car

Many Bison

2008-08-09T22:36:00.000-07:00

More wildlife, bison. We thought they were a plains creature. Who knew??
Then a typical forest shot. Just happens to be in the Yukon Territory.

Muncho Lake South

2008-08-09T22:35:00.002-07:00

After hitting the road again we hit the Northern Rockies. Here we finally started to see wildlife, at least the ones that are not road kill. Rock sheep and caribou were fairly common (sorry, no photos of these - there were no turnouts for taking photos, and stopping on the road is very dangerous).
Next was Muncho Lake, we were still in the morning shade when I took the photos here. Barb liked the snow on the mountain tops.
Looking South (601 on the map)

Muncho Lake North

2008-08-09T22:35:00.001-07:00

Looking North from the East shore of the lake (in northern BC) (601 on the map)

Welcome to the Yukon

2008-08-09T22:33:00.001-07:00

Day 6

2008-08-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

from Kirk-We're in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory (after starting out in Fort Nelson, BC). The day started about 1 hour after we hit the road when we stopped for breakfast at a little hole in the wall, or should I say forest, that serves the "greatest cinnamon buns in the greater galactic cluster" (I guess they don't want to claim the top spot - how Canadian). Good buns, and great hospitality. They point you to the buns, the coffee is on the tables, and they go about their business of making more buns while you eat (I will have to dig through my guide for the name of the place).

Total Travel Day 5

2008-08-09T12:26:00.000-07:00

Alaska Highway Marker

2008-08-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

The official start of the Alaska Highway in Dawson Creek, BC

World Famous Alaska Highway

2008-08-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

Now Entering British Columbia

2008-08-09T12:23:00.000-07:00

Big Beaver

2008-08-09T12:20:00.000-07:00

Speaks for itself - Taken in Beverlodge, AB

Big Beaver Detail

2008-08-09T12:19:00.000-07:00

Valleyview History Display

2008-08-09T12:18:00.000-07:00

Barb wanted to take a look at some historical photos of the village of Valleyview. The display takes up about 1/3 of the total wall space of their library. We were told that this was only part of the usual display because of a kiddie show the day before.

Day 5

2008-08-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Well, another long day. We left Edmonton, AB a little late and spent some time checking out some of the sites along the way (before we hit the wilderness). At the end of the day we are in Fort Nelson, BC

Welcome to Alberta - We are in Canada!!!

2008-08-08T07:56:00.000-07:00

Day 4 progress

2008-08-08T07:55:00.000-07:00

Jack, bright and early in the morning with the Bridger Mountains in the background

2008-08-08T07:54:00.000-07:00

Day 4

2008-08-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

The number of photos are sparse today. Farm country in Alberta is the same as in Montana, as is Wyoming, as is Colorado, as is North Texas - flat with no features.

Day 3

2008-08-07T17:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Montana

2008-08-07T17:40:00.000-07:00

Zero Montana

2008-08-07T17:39:00.002-07:00

Next five miles

2008-08-07T17:39:00.001-07:00

Welcome to Wyoming

2008-08-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Stay on sidewalks

2008-08-07T17:36:00.002-07:00

GPS map

2008-08-07T17:36:00.001-07:00

Colorado State line

2008-08-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

Oklahoma State line

2008-08-06T17:03:00.000-07:00

TexasArt

2008-08-06T17:02:00.001-07:00

taken at a rest area just northwest of Wichita Falls, TX

DinoCrossing and Dino

2008-08-06T17:00:00.000-07:00

taken in Boise City, OK

Gone WithTheWind

2008-08-06T16:59:00.001-07:00

taken near Dumas, TX

ChugaChuga

2008-08-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

taken in north central Texas

Day 2

2008-08-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

They traveled so far that the GPS system ran out of memory and started erasing the beginning of the day's travel log.

Day 1 Today's progress from Kirk

2008-08-04T20:51:00.000-07:00

Texas State Line

2008-08-04T13:14:00.000-07:00

The art is on its way.
I was out feeding the ducks and chicks when Barbara called and left a message saying that they had just crossed the Texas State Line.
Here is the Photo that they sent tonight via email

Bon Voyage!

2008-08-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Here are Barbara and Kirk right before leaving for their drive to Alaska holding the Art for the Artic.