Author Archives: rongatesphotography

The Subway and The Kremlin-RTW Day #2

Posted on September 14, 2019 by rongatesphotography

My second day in Moscow began early due to jet lag.  I was up at 3:30.  It was raining so I decided to spend the beginning of the day visiting the subway.  Contrary to most subway stations I’ve seen, some … Continue reading →

Posted in Round-the-World | 1 Comment

First day of Round-the-World Trip-Moscow

Posted on September 13, 2019 by rongatesphotography

I started my around-the-world, three-month trip on Thursday departing Dallas-Ft. Worth airport at 7:45am with a connection at JFK in New York.  We were late leaving New York and arrived in Moscow at 8am instead of 6:25am which meant the … Continue reading →

Posted in Round-the-World | 1 Comment

Whales and a Wrap Up — Franz Josef Land

Posted on August 17, 2019 by rongatesphotography

Our last day in Franz Josef Land….as we headed back to Alexander Land to clear customs and immigration….three humpback whales cruised along with us. As is typical, we got mainly tails, fins and some blow holes. We also spotted a … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Josef Land (Russian Arctic) | 3 Comments

Polar Bears and Walrus

Posted on August 17, 2019 by rongatesphotography
Posted in Franz Josef Land (Russian Arctic) | Leave a comment

A Visit from a Russian Icebreaker — Franz Josef Land

Posted on August 15, 2019 by rongatesphotography

Toward the end of our cruise, this 75,000 horsepower, Russian nuclear icebreaker on lease to the company that ran our trip met up with us.  The I/B 50 Years of Victory is making three trips this year to the North … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Josef Land (Russian Arctic) | 1 Comment

Russian Arctic #2 – Polar Bears and More!

Posted on August 13, 2019 by rongatesphotography

As I said in the first blog post, I signed on for this trip for several reasons.  First, Franz Josef Land is a group of islands of which I’d never heard.  I was intrigued by the thought of going that … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Josef Land (Russian Arctic) | 2 Comments

The Russian Arctic…Franz Josef Land

Posted on August 8, 2019 by rongatesphotography

Franz Josef Land is located at about 80 degrees north latitude close to straight north of St. Petersburg, Russia.   At the northern most island in the archipelago, Rudolf, we were approximately 600 miles from the North Pole at 81 degrees … Continue reading →

Posted in Franz Josef Land (Russian Arctic) | 3 Comments

Ice Cave and Auroras

Posted on December 19, 2018 by rongatesphotography

This is the entrance to what our guide referred to as “the most beautiful ice cave in Iceland.”  We didn’t see any other so we don’t have a comparison but it was pretty spectacular.  To get to it, we had … Continue reading →

Posted in Iceland | 1 Comment

The Ice Beach and Lagoon

Posted on December 17, 2018 by rongatesphotography

On the east coast of Iceland is Jokulsarlon Glacier lagoon and beach.  We spent three nights near this place and made multiple trips there at sunrise, sunset and one night to try and capture the northern lights. The ocean washes … Continue reading →

Posted in Iceland | 4 Comments

Icelandic Sea Stacks and Landscapes

Posted on December 14, 2018 by rongatesphotography

This is Vesterhorn. An iconic mountain on the northwest side of Iceland with it’s reflection on the wet black sand beach.  This is sunrise about 10am.  Here’s another view of it. We stopped at several locations of sea stacks.  Lava … Continue reading →

Posted in Iceland | 3 Comments