As far as I know the temperature had not yet dropped below freezing before I arrived in Nome on August 26th, but many areas were showing signs of colder weather. Fireweeds were mostly done blossoming but their red vegetation brightened up many vistas as I drove along.
Before I get to the pictures showing the beauty along the roads, in an attempt to tell a more complete story of my trip, I guess that I should mention a not-so-beautiful fact of Nome life in August. In many waterways, it often was not so beautiful in the water, and the surrounding air was filled the smell of rotting fish, presumably mostly salmon, that had spawned and died at the end of their long swim inland, so that their species might be replenished.
Most of the time, however, the air was crisp and clean, and the dead fish were easily ignored and forgotten. The following scenes are along Teller Road on August 27th, when the road periodically went through clouds and rain, followed by a few closer shots of fireweeds:
Scenes along Kougarok Road on August 28th follow. First is the picturesque often birdy old house that was even more picturesque with the red fireweed leaves, followed by scenes along the road, including fireweeds:
Scenes along Council Road on August 29th follow, including Safety Sound, the beautiful greenish yellow marsh vegetation near the Bonanza Bridge, and the spruce trees near Council, and of course a few more fireweed pictures:
A few times, I stopped the truck and got out to wander on the tundra, where the color that was beginning to appear was mostly limited to leaves and not flowers.
On my last day in Nome, September 1st, when I drove much of Kougarok Road again, I was delighted to see that a few fireweeds were still in full bloom. I’m sure that will not be the case when I return in a couple of weeks.
Lynn Barber's Birding Blog 