Blog

The Tiny House and the Swans

The Tiny House and the Swans

A lot has happened since my blog post back in December 2020. I last wrote you while navigating the depths of the pandemic and the horrific landslides in Haines in December, 2020. The good news is that 2022 was a strong year for us. It has been quite a journey from...

Thriving in a Harsh Environment

Thriving in a Harsh Environment

I’ve always wanted to explore the sand dunes located at the intersection of the Chilkat and Takhin Rivers about 8 miles from Haines. The dunes are difficult to get to because of their location on the far shore of the Chilkat River with no road access. We had a stretch...

A Gleam of Hope

A Gleam of Hope

I wanted to reach out to you as 2020 comes to an end. A combination of natural and man-made disasters hit our isolated hamlet of Haines, Alaska. Hard. In addition to the pandemic, low fish runs and recent record-breaking rains have combined to stress our community to...

News from the Haines Disaster Zone

News from the Haines Disaster Zone

Greetings from Haines, Alaska. What a year it has been for Haines, for Rainbow Glacier Adventures, and for the Ordonez family. Right now Haines is experiencing serious flooding, landslides and displacement. The situation is serious but our family feels safe at our...

Sastrugi Ridges on the Taiga

Sastrugi Ridges on the Taiga

I took this image of these sastrugi ridges and stunted spruce trees in the taiga on a recent journey up the Chilkat Summit.  “Sastrugi” and “taiga” are a couple of Russian words that have made it into English lexicon. It is not surprising these two words describe...

Skiing on an Iceberg

Skiing on an Iceberg

Ski down the face of an iceberg? Yes it is possible. I took this image on a camping/ski adventure in Kluane National Park in March 1990. This is the 30th anniversary of this adventure I shared with Thom Ely, of Haines and Mike Speaks, from Denali Park. We headed down...

The impossible face of the moose

The impossible face of the moose

I recently captured this image of a moose on a snowy day. While the face appears comical, it is actually designed to serve the moose well. The large ears are ready to catch any signs of danger. The long snout and prehensile lips help to grab willow leaves and bark,...

Polar bear in Haines?

Polar bear in Haines?

Polar bear in Haines? Of course not!  Last September, I was fortunate enough to be hired as an Alaskan expert to lecture onboard the MS World, the world’s largest residential private yacht. We cruised the fabled Northwest Passage and came upon this family of polar...

Steam Fog

Steam Fog

The weather has been exciting and variable in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve these past few weeks. Before the record-breaking snowstorm, we experienced extremely cold weather. Due to the unique geology in the Eagle Preserve Council Grounds, the river did not...

Snowy Moose

Snowy Moose

With the huge (record-breaking) snow storms we’ve been having in Haines, its been difficult to get out to take some photographs. But after digging my car out, I was able to capture this moose at the edge of the cottonwood forest at the edge of the Chilkat Bald Eagle...

How a lynx fixed my car

How a lynx fixed my car

How A Lynx Fixed My Car By Joe Ordonez I photograph bald eagles in the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, but I like to get out and look for other wildlife in and around Haines. In over three decades of exploring the Alaska wilderness, I’ve seen lynx only a few times. My...

Mellow Wolverine?

Mellow Wolverine?

Mellow Wolverine? To put the words “mellow” and “wolverine” together seems like an oxymoron. Wolverines are most often described as “vicious”, but I like to think of them as a symbol of wilderness. Looking at this photograph I took recently at Steve Kroschel’s...

Why is this eagle smiling?

Why is this eagle smiling?

I was out canoeing in the Bald Eagle Preserve the other day and came upon this bald eagle along the river. It looks like it is smiling. Do bald eagles smile? I think that most biologists would claim that they don’t. Their behaviors are explained in terms of instinct...

Northern Lights over Mosquito Lake

Northern Lights over Mosquito Lake

Fall is here in Haines and the Chilkat Valley. I wanted to get a photo of the Northern Lights reflecting on Mosquito Lake. Many years, this can be tricky as the fall can be fairly cloudy or the Northern Lights just don't show up. Sometimes, the Northern Lights really...