Big Arctic Circle Trip

Technical Specifications, boring even to an engineer,
in no particular order:

I worked this thing up on a 1024 x 768 monitor; set for 24 bit “True Color” (I don't think the brand names are significant, do you?).

ALL the Alaskan photos were through my old Nikon F3, using Kodak Gold 200 speed print film. This gave me a long contrast range, and more resolution than I need for anything less than 16 x 20" blowups.

I carried only three lenses, my 24 mm. wide guy, my 35-80 zoom, and my 80-200 zoom.
- All Nikkor, and usually pretty dirty.

I carried all the film home, and had it processed by Kodak.
- Not ‘using Kodak paper and chemistry’ – I sent it to them directly and they sent it back to me.

The digitization was genuine Kodak Photo CD for all except the Austrian scene. This means I edited a whole shoebox full of prints, selected the negatives to scan and marked them, and hand carried them to my local Kodak authorized scanner.
- I now have one CD with about 85 images; they average ~ 4 Mg. in size, and ~ $0.85 each.

Additional work on the other negatives, those not digitized, was done through my new (since the trip) Nikon Coolpix 950. This is a 1200 x 1600 digital camera, and I use it instead of a real scanner.
- BTW, I am very impressed with the dealer: d-store.com on the www. They treated me with personal attention, even before they knew I was the famous Alaskan traveler.
- ‘Nice to have an internet establishment that's both reliable and truthful!

I used Microsoft Photo Editor to read the CD, crop and clean up the dirt marks (from my dusty lenses) and convert to JPG format. The vast majority of what you see is a 768 x 512 image saved at about 90% on the quality scale.
Note though, that I’ve since upgraded to Adobe Studio, and Adobe Photo to get even finer control of these images.

The one Austrian picture was from my 1967/68 trip.
- Back then I was using Agfa slide film, about ASA 50, and is in my collection of old stuff.

I digitized the Kufstein Alps using a "Snappy" adapter to my video camera, which is a Super VHS/C JVC GR-SZ7U.
I used a step-up adapter from the lens thread into the Nikkor slide duplication bellows.
- I will promise you better results “soon” … Judy bought me a Nikon Coolscan IV, which delivers roughly the equivalent of a 15 megapixel digital camera, and helps me get rid of those pesky dust splats and scratches.

The page construction was all Netscape Navigator, currently up to v 4.51. Revisions are being done using Microsoft Word {no, not Publisher which I also have}. I just make believe I’m writing to you with an “.html” document.

Although I mention it in my story, the bike is a 1995 Harley Davidson Sportster, 1200 cc, stock but with a Harley oil cooler. I remounted the back turn signals to be closer to the fender, so when I drop it on its side, they usually don't break.

Yes, hawkeye, I took off the belt guard. My lying story is that there is an engineering principle that says:
“Do not contain the bouncing rocks and debris; it only gives them multiple chances to beat up your belt.”
- Since you have read all the way to the bottom of this page, you get to learn the truth: My habit and borderline psycho compulsion is to rip off everything that doesn’t make the bike go faster, be lighter, and stay simple. It all started with my pal Jerry; and we had enough trouble keeping the main bike bolted together without having to worry about anything that wasn’t absolutely necessary. This goes for even the front fender, which was a great concession to put back on for the trip. Nobody uses them in California. Right, Jerry?

What else would you want to know?

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