Day One In Murmask

http://jannaorganic.co.uk/blog/2025/04/03/8swq2d3 by Fire Girl Jess on May 21, 2012

go A blustery afternoon in Murmansk, Russia.

follow link My first day in Murmansk is coming to an end.  It’s been a good one; got through the first round of medical tests this morning and will finish them tomorrow.  It’s windy and cool with rain blowing in over the Kola Bay.  The air carries mixed scents – the cleanliness of the tundra, the crisp saltiness of the water, and the acrid tang of industry.

https://faroutpodcast.com/f12tdvkjd It’s been fascinating to run around town and spend some time amongst and with the locals.  I’m with five of the Ponoi guides and we make a rather conspicuous group speaking various dialects of English and wearing our outdoor gear.

follow site You can read more about today’s adventures over at Chi Wulff; they’ll be publishing a weekly ‘From Russia with Love’ series while I am here in Russia.

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Above the Arctic Circle

go to site by Fire Girl Jess on May 20, 2012

go View from my room in Murmansk.

https://www.annarosamattei.com/?p=g2uhq2z This will be a short post and more than likely not terribly coherent – so, my apologies in advance.

watch I’ve just arrived in Murmansk, settled into my hotel, and washed off the grime of 30+ hours traveling.  My body has no idea what time zone it’s in so I’m taking advantage of the wakefulness to throw this post up.

https://colvetmiranda.org/u5kasdj7z Flights went well; immigration was smooth.  I have two days of medical testing in the hospital here in Murmansk, starting bright and early tomorrow morning.  Can’t say it’s something I am looking forward to.  Necessary evil.

https://aalamsalon.com/jqugta2 It’s bright and sunny outside despite it being after 9 PM here.  The view from my hotel overlooks the Kola Bay and I can see and hear a variety of shipping action down at the water.  The temperature is comfortable somewhere around fifty and the tundra looks fascinating.  Can’t wait to get out and explore it.

https://www.psychiccowgirl.com/v6g4w0srfn More to come over the next few days.

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Packing for Ponoi

follow url by Fire Girl Jess on May 17, 2012

go here A half year's worth of living.

https://kirkmanandjourdain.com/x94bdx5tknt Well, about thirty-six hours before I hop on a plane for a few day’s worth of travel to Murmansk, Russia and then on to the Ponoi River Company’s Ryabaga Camp.

source link Those who know me well know that I have a somewhat maniacal tendency to seek out adventure.  I know the decision to take a job above the Arctic Circle in Russia was as big a surprise for me as for some of you.  The past two months have been a whirlwind of visa preparations, paperwork, late-notice moves and road trips across the country.  Something of a warp-speed experience.

get link I have a feeling the next five-plus months are going to make the past two seem like a walk on the beach.

https://www.annarosamattei.com/?p=xipnodk I’ve been packing today, chasing down my final immunization (five clinics later, finally found the one I needed!) and programming new tech gear.  Magically everything looks like it will fit and I’ve discovered that as long as I have the camera gear I need, I’m perfectly okay living in three pair of pants and six shirts for half a year.

https://www.masiesdelpenedes.com/azu71ry8n0o A shiny Russian work visa is printed in my passport and staring me in the face.  Story and photo essay ideas are already swimming through my brain much like a migratory salmon.

https://mhco.ca/6vuc8cttolo Thanks so much for the support you’ve all shown as I get ready for this adventure.  It’s been heartwarming to see folks from all over the world – and especially some acquaintances in Austin – come out of the woodwork and wish me well on this venture.  You’re all amazing and very, very much appreciated.

https://semichaschaver.com/2025/04/03/fqcllabz7 Well, yee-haw, let’s do this thing.

here https://townofosceola.com/en7xln85d For those trying to reach me from now until the end of October, email will be the way to go.  I’m leaving my U.S. phone in Seattle and – hopefully – should have reasonable internet access in camp.

https://audiopronews.com/headlines/a53cuha3 Time to access that internet, however, may be another issue entirely.

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More From the Gig Harbor Fly Shop

Tramadol Canada Online by Fire Girl Jess on May 14, 2012

https://www.psychiccowgirl.com/1xtgradj61 The fly tying section of the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

https://colvetmiranda.org/f53tqkqy2 Here are a few more shots from last week’s shoot at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.  I don’t do many interior shoots, but always seem to enjoy  them when I do.

go Gurgle Pots at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

enter site The Patagonia section of the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

Tramadol Cheap Prices Less than five days until I fly out to join the Ponoi River Company.  Trying to get everything situated here… I’m so ready to go!

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Gig Harbor Fly Shop

source by Fire Girl Jess on May 11, 2012

https://aalamsalon.com/5nl21iom Thread spools at the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.

https://etxflooring.com/2025/04/084a3vli Yesterday I wandered over to the Gig Harbor Fly Shop.  Chi Wulff Mark had asked me to take a few pictures of the store and I happily pulled out the wide angle to do so.

follow The shop is awesome – Patagonia nirvana – and situated right down on the harbor in Gig Harbor.  Shooting inside always poses a bit of a challenge, but the colors and shapes inherent in a fly shop more than made up for it.  The majority of the back room is a fly tier’s paradise and the endless walls of dubbing, capes, and spools of thread made for a fun photo session.

And, no, I most definitely did not make it out of the store without buying something.

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Pacific Afternoon

by Fire Girl Jess on May 7, 2012

An old man walks through the mist along the Pacific Ocean on the Olympic Peninsula.

After three days of somewhat manic driving I’ve arrived in Washington…. and have come to the conclusion that sleep is overrated.

I’ve been too busy exploring the area, helping to host a party, and purchasing some final items for the Ponoi packing list to even give exhaustion much of a thought. Espresso beans have become my new best friend.

This morning Chi Wulff Mark and I made the run out onto the Olympic Peninsula and the Pacific Ocean.

A Pacific afternoon. Birds sun on the rocks; look for a seal head in the foreground.

It’s been well over ten years since I’ve seen the Pacific and, I must say, it puts the Gulf of Mexico to shame.  In the warm light of a rare sunny day here in northwestern Washington (it’s in the 60’s and locals have tank tops and shorts on – I’ve seen Texans sporting down jackets in the same weather) the ocean looked unusually inviting.  It was relatively calm and swells were kept to a minimum, though the cool water temperatures created a steamy layer of light fog along the shore.

The Olympic Peninsula is astounding.  Green and mountainous, the area gets more than ten times the annual rain than Austin receives.  The moss and ferns remind me of Glacier National Park, but the slight tang of sea salt in the air is a startling reminder that I’m not in Montana any more.

Quite a change from the desert of central Texas.

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On the Road… Once Again

by Fire Girl Jess on May 3, 2012

The endless nothingness of West Texas. Nine hours of driving to get out of the state.

It’s official.  I’m out of Texas and starting this big adventure.

Fifteen hours on the road today and 1,000 miles.  I’m holed up in a little hotel in Farmington, New Mexico and hoping to make it to Boise tomorrow.  All the gear, clothing, and equipment I need for an indeterminate number of months is packed into the Subaru and I’m blasting across the highway at speeds that make me hope I can talk my way out of a ticket.

Gear on the road.

Three days on the road by myself is giving me a plethora of forced thinking time.  Some times it’s good, some times it’s not so good.  Life’s been so crazy the past month that I really haven’t had much time to sort through things… it’s been more like a triage situation.

Today was filled with lots of internal dialogue.  And creative planning time.

And maybe just a bit of on-the-road photography.  Driving and shooting iPhone pics simultaneously may not be the brightest move, but sometime’s you’ve just got to.

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