Phenomenon quiz...

I never understood the truism that requires an exception to prove a rule.

Somewhere near Alaska's Inside Passage.


If it’s a rule, how can there be an exception?




Flying over Tacoma Narrows.

And how can that exception prove it? .

Creek Street, Ketchikan, AK.

Makes no sense to me at all—not logical or illogical.

Rock climbing wall, crossing Queen Charlotte Sound.

So, perhaps I should call upon the word “phenomenon” to describe what’s in these pictures.

Seattle, Washington, near Pioneer Square.

“Phenomenon” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an unusual…thing.”

Ketchikan, AK.

That one fits.

Downtown Skagway, AK.

In each of these pictures, the same phenomenon is recorded for posterity, otherwise I’d use the plural of the word, which is “phenomena.”





Tracy Arm Fjord, Alaska.

It is a thing of such rare and unusual occurrence that it has the power to make believers out of nay-sayers, cause strong men to cry, businesses to close, and folks to quit their day jobs.

Mendendall Glacier, near Juneau, AK

Can you discover what it is?


Rhapsody of the Seas at Skagway.

Here’s a hint: Albert Hammond said this phenomenon is the norm in Southern California.

Humpback whales near Juneau.

Need another hint?

Sea lions near Juneau.

Google, my friends. Google.

Vancouver, British Columbia.