![[View of the Tanana valley]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8274-sm.jpg "View of the Tanana valley") huge |
![[View of the hills]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8275-sm.jpg "View of the hills") huge |
![[More hills]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8276-sm.jpg "More hills") huge |
Click on the thumbnail images to get larger ones (around 100-300K). Click on the "huge" link to get the full size pictures (around 3M). Around 30 pictures included.
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There were some nice sceneic views of the area, just after we parked.
![[A guy on a dirt bike]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8278-sm.jpg "A guy on a dirt bike") huge |
![[Antennas]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8283-sm.jpg "Antennas") huge |
![[Evidence of heavy machinery and a fire]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8284-sm.jpg "Evidence of heavy machinery and a fire") huge |
An older guy on a dirt bike rode by. The antenna farm is visible in the second shot. The tread trail from the bull dozer is visiable in the third shot. There had been a camp-fire in that area, as there were burnt sticks and other things, as well as empty bullet casings (which is not uncommon at all).
![[Panorama of Tanana Valley (left)]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8280-sm.jpg "Panorama of Tanana Valley (left)") huge |
![[Panorama of Tanana Valley (center)]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8281-sm.jpg "Panorama of Tanana Valley (center)") huge |
![[Panorama of Tanana Valley (right)]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8282-sm.jpg "Panorama of Tanana Valley (right)") huge |
The three shots make up a panoramic view of the area.
![[Blue flowers]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8285-r-sm.jpg "Blue flowers") huge |
![[Purple flower]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8285-sm.jpg "Purple flower") huge |
Some pretty blue/purple flowers by the edge of the road.
![[More short tundra forest]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8286-sm.jpg "More short tundra forest") huge |
![[The antennas, now one hill away]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8288-sm.jpg "The antennas, now one hill away") huge |
![[Hills and valleys]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8289-sm.jpg "Hills and valleys") huge |
Some views after we had been hiking for a half hour or so. More short trees (black spruce?), the antennas where our car is parked (not a bit further away),and another view of the valley.
![[Equinox marathon trail marker]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8290-sm.jpg "Equinox marathon trail marker") huge |
![[Shot up equinox marathon trail marker]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8295-r-sm.jpg "Shot up equinox marathon trail marker") huge |
![[Equinox marathon trail marker]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8291-sm.jpg "Equinox marathon trail marker") huge |
There is an equinox marathon held here every year. The first picture has a small trail marker for the race. The third picture shows an arrow painted on a stone where the path forks, another clue for the racers. The second picture has a sign for the marathon. It's also shot up, as signs in Alaska tend to be. The tread marks on the trail are visible in the first two pictures. I don't know how far that bull dozer went, but it must have taken him quite a while.
![[Chewed up leaves]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8292-sm.jpg "Chewed up leaves") huge |
![[White flowers]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8296-sm.jpg "White flowers") huge |
Some bug had chewed the leaves on a plant. The thing is, the way it zigged and zagged, it looked like some bio-electronic printed circuit. The second shot is of white flowers on the edge of the trail.
![[The trail goes on]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8299-r-sm.jpg "The trail goes on") huge |
![[The trail goes on]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8293-sm.jpg "The trail goes on") huge |
![[The trail goes on]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8294-r-sm.jpg "The trail goes on") huge |
The trail goes on, and on, and on, and the bull dozer trail goes on as well. I think we could have stayed on it for hours more if we were so inclined (we were not).
![[CLose up of texture in the mud]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8297-sm.jpg "CLose up of texture in the mud") huge |
![[CLose up of texture in the mud]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8298-sm.jpg "CLose up of texture in the mud") huge |
Two kind of close-up shots of the textures in the mud. I thought it looked cool.
![[Baby pine tree]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8302-r-sm.jpg "Baby pine tree") huge |
![[Baby pine tree!]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8303-sm.jpg "Baby pine tree!") huge |
Two shots of some baby pine-tree like trees along the side of the road. Maybe they're black spruce, since that's the safe answer to "What kind of tree is that?" in that area, but I really don't know.
![[More funky plants]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8304-sm.jpg "More funky plants") huge |
![[Funky purple plant]](images/Photos/Alaska/03-EsterDome/DSC_8306-r-sm.jpg "Funky purple plant") huge |
And finally, a few more shots of some funky, cool looking plants. Stephanie wanted me to take some pictures of some of them.
