This image was the very 1st image I posted upon joining UglyHedgeHog back in May of this year, but is one of my very favorite B&W prints I printed.
Casca and Whitehorse paddlewheelers, (since destroyed by fire)..taken at Whitehorse Junction, Yukon Territory, 1971, Camera: Nikon S2 on tripod at sunset, 50mm, 1.4 lens, Tri-X film, processed by me.

Myself and a friend who I worked with at the Broward County courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, took an 8 week leave of absence to drive in a Volkswagon bug,...to Alaska.
This was also my very travel first experience to explore to the beauty of the United States, its national park system and venture into Canada.

The Alacan (Alaska) highway, mile zero, began in Dawson Creek, BC.
Back then only the first 50 miles were paved with asphalt and another 2 mile stretch way up in Whitehorse Junction, Yukon Territory,....the entirety of the rest was real rough gravely dirt road that was extremely abusive to all vehicles. Many vehicles adorned various protective devices to protect windshields, headlights and undercarriages from rocks, ruts and flying stones launched by the tires of passing semi truck trailers which were traveling much faster than passenger auto speeds to make good time with cargo to Alaska.
This was really my first awakening to extensive road travel and a life experience that proved extremely eventful.
Our stop here in Whitehorse Junction was one of those special moments,. I distinctly remember exploring the interiors of both of these old historic relics,..the odors from the aged woods and engines that permeated the interior of these two vessels from years gone by.

It was like going back in time, letting your mind imagine what events and happenings transpired right here, within these atmospheric spaces
throughout the ships compartments.

This image was taken at sunset as we departed our newly found discovery,...off to spend yet another night sleeping in our cramped volkswagon beetle.
We had eventful experience after experience and met wonderful people on that trip that I will never forget. I could go on and on but will spare you an already too long a tale.
Martys

...perhaps the stupidest thing I ever did to take pictures. When I heard the Hale Bopp Comet was going to be overhead in Denver, having been sorely disappointed when Haley's came through in the early 1980s and I wasn't ever able to see partly, I thought, because a.) I lived in St Pete, FL at sea level, and b.) I didn't have a telescope, I thought I'd just take advantage of being in Denver and ramp it up another notch and go up in the mountains to get a little closer to it and maybe see it better - maybe even get a few pictures.

So, on the night of March 26, 1997, I believe it was, I loaded up my camera gear, not knowing what to expect or what would be required in the way of equipment to get some good shots, if at all. I took off about an hour before dark with plans to go up to around 12,000, "the better to shoot you with, Hale Bopp," because the moon was supposed to be at or nearly full and would interfere unless I could get behind a mountain that would block off the extraneous light from that and Denver's lights. At 12,000 feet in mid to late March the snow is still pretty heavy and it is still pretty cold.

I found my spot and got my gear out and got all set up. I figured I'd need lots of lens based on my experience with Haley so I got out my biggest lens and strapped on a 2x extender. I was using a Nikon FA and 500mm mirror lens with the 2x, pushing it up to 1000mm. Figured that would be enough.

I hadn't figured on how much difference this experience was going to be nor how fast I was going to freeze my butt off and I'm not big on planning or preparing but more of a dodger of missiles from Murphy - you know the guy with all the laws. I find that I'm better at staying loose and adjusting. I looked through the lens and found that I had way too much lens so I started backing off. I wound up using the FA and a Vivitar 28-85 Series 1 lens. The Series 1 lens was designed to compete with the top lens of Nikon and Canon which would now be the "L" lens for Canon.

I had not used the heater on the way up so I wouldn't get the gear so warm that it would fog up and collect moisture but I don't guess I was all that successful because I'd get in one and a half shots and my gear would freeze up with the shutter open on the second shot. I'd have to take it off the tripod and get into the car with it, turn on the motor and heater and in about a minute I'd hear the shutter close so I'd go back out and do it again.

Well I continued to shoot for almost an hour like that which caused the earth to rotate moving the comet to my left so I kept moving my gear out in front of where I'd parked my car. When I had moved about 100 feet, give or take, away from the car I had also moved in behind a berm created from cutting through the rocks to make the road. I had gotten in about ten shots when I began to hear twigs snapping just up the berm behind me and then I got that legendary atrocious cat smell we've all heard about. I started toward the car slowly and began to whistle, figuring if you could 'whistle past a graveyard" when you were young to keep from being scared, perhaps I could whistle past this illusionary cat I perceived to be about to enjoy me for lunch. The closer I got to the car, the faster I was moving. I jumped into the car, drove forward to the gear, and without getting out, reached out and tossed everything in the back seat. Long story long, I went back each night for about two weeks and shot over fifty rolls of film, naturally from different places from that first night.

I don't know what I was thinking but I got some shots I think are astounding given my equipment. For those who might not be familiar with that time, there was a worldwide circle of amateur and professional astronomers who sent in photographs to a website dedicated to the comet and even the Hubble was used to photo it. Having looked at all the images on that site, I will humbly submit to you that my shots fit right in with what was there.

Related this before on UHH but here goes...Once at Pt Lobos, near Carmel. CA. I was looking over the cliff at the sea otters. There were a few other photographers there too. As I stepped a bit closer, concentrating on my composition, I began to slip down the cliff. To my great relief, a hand grabbed me by the belt and held me fast. I regained my footing and with my heart in my throat looked at the one who had aided me. A kind older man's face smiled and for a moment, I admired his Hasselblad. I caught my breath, thanked him and shook his hand and introduced myself. As he told me his name I learned my saviour was Brett Weston.

Related this before on UHH but here goes...Once at Pt Lobos, near Carmel. CA. I was looking over the cliff at the sea otters. There were a few other photographers there too. As I stepped a bit closer, concentrating on my composition, I began to slip down the cliff. To my great relief, a hand grabbed me by the belt and held me fast. I regained my footing and with my heart in my throat looked at the one who had aided me. A kind older man's face smiled and for a moment, I admired his Hasselblad. I caught my breath, thanked him and shook his hand and introduced myself. As he told me his name I learned my saviour was Brett Weston.

You requested if anyone out there had past history photos
from over 80 or 90 years ago with the history that goes with them. I have been photogrphing for over 60 years and
in the last twenty years I have been putting together a family photo DVD with 619 photos taken from the late
1880's to the 1960's, with captions on them and sumitted
them to our local historic society to be on file I hope foreever. I'm enclosing one of my Late Grandmother who
passed away in the 1960's, and was married at the age of
14 years. This photo shows her in the very early 1900's holding one of her grandaughters, with another grandaughter sitting beside here, while she is making a very large copper kettle of homemade Apple Butter. You
asked for some one to send you this type of photo information, so I thought you might like to see this one
photo. I have over six hundred more of these photos if you
would like to see more of them and what life was like back
then in the mountains of NorthWestern Pa.
Thank You.
Mountainman