I am having some technical problems with the Horizons Unlimited story section so this is an attempted update just to see how it will post.

I paid my way through college as a photographer and my first job out of college was as a newpaper photographer in northwest Ohio.  Photography has been a hobby since high school so I thought I would write a bit more about the photography equipment I am taking on the trip.

Now, I am the analogue dinosaur I am sure you have read about.  I still enjoy shooting film and love film cameras.  I am a member of the Leica cult (and if you don't think it is a cult, Leica wants $5500 for a film body which uses 1950's technology).  A Leica M film rangefinder camera is still my favorite piece of equipment to use and I shoot with a camera made in 1975.  However, I admit that technology has made some advances since 1975.

I will be taking a Fuji X-T5 with a mid-range zoom.  The Fuji uses an APSC size sensor which is much larger than the sensor on a cell phone but smaller than the full size sensor which is used on many professional cameras today.  However, the technology has come so far that it produces wonderful images.  The sensor is 40 mega pixel but since the sensor is smaller than full size, the cameras and lenses are as well.  

I gave serious thought to traveling with two camera bodies since one could break but there is a limit on what you can pack on a motorcycle.  I will have my trusty Iphone 11 as a backup camera.  I used it recently on a 30 day trip to Vietnam and shot almost all my photos on it.  Since it was monsoon season, I did not even shoot a full roll of film on my Leica.  The light just sucked.

Also, I don't plan on posting costs of the trip in great detail but here in Alaska in August, 2023, a gallon of unleaded regular is $4.29 per gallon.  The cost of fuel increases away from Anchorage.  The cost for myself and my motorcycle to go from Haines, Alaska, to Bellingham, Washington on the Alaska Marine Highway is $1650.  Hotel rooms in Tok and Haines are close to $200/night.