Polar Road

It had always been a dream to see and photograph polar bears in the wild. The trip was a whirlwind, even getting there. There were two planes set to leave Fairbanks and land in Kaktovik, Alaska, that day. One was a direct flight and the other a layover in Prudhoe Bay. I was on the plane with the layover. The plane left Fairbanks with uncertainty of reaching my destination due to heavy winds in a direction that flooded the runway. Landing in Prudhoe, I rushed off to see if the next flight would even attempt to fly out. They were weary, but willing to try. We loaded into the plane and took off. I remember seeing water, water, water, water, water, and then ground, and that jolt of the wheels making contact. A police officer met the plane on the Barter Island runway to close it. We had just made it in time. It was an incredible trip, and I loved the impact the waves and aftermath of that storm had on the landscape. This sow and her two older cubs walked by after a wave had coated the dirt of the narrow island. It always reminds me of the Beatles' Abbey Road album cover image.