Yet another catchup; but I'm slowly getting there. I have to say that it's really satisfying to relive this part of the trip.
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I'm in ALASKA!! I really, really am here! My heart is singing, and I still can hardly believe it!
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| Mt. St. Elias, from Glennallen |
There are mountains, really big ones!
Got up in the morning and IT WASN'T RAINING! In fact, the sun was even out a little bit! After a bit of errand-running (mailing postcards, food shopping, and a stop at the Visitor Center), I went out to the airport.
You may wonder, "Why is she going to the airport?"
The reason is that in this land of trees — even short trees — you cannot see very far except when there is a break in the trees. Breaks will happen where there has been a forest fire, where there is a body of water (pond, lake or river), a road, or an airport!
If you want to see any distance, you need to get out of the forest. Perhaps there is a greater message there...
And boy, was it worth it (see the top picture)!
Seeing the Wrangell-St Elias Range, just to the southeast of Glennallen, is whetting my appetite for getting back here. After Gates of the Arctic, it's the second-largest National Park in the United States, with a chain of impressive mountains, including Mt. Wrangell at 14,163 ft. and Mt. St. Elias at 18,008 feet (the second-tallest mountain in the US and Canada).
It's also remote, with little vehicular access. Like much of the Alaska bush, the best way to see it is by air, but it sure looks good from afar!
There was also a couple from the SF Bay Area (East Bay), in a Subaru pulling one of those tiny teardrop trailers. It was interesting talking with them. They'd reviewed a lot of different camping options, and the tiny trailer did seem to be working for them. They liked the bed, bathroom and kitchen facilities (I think those were outside off the back), and the fact that it was so light and could be pulled with their car. Their trip was for three months, and they had about another six weeks or so to travel. The guy was definitely into getting as much as he could out of it. His partner, ehh, not so much. There was a definite tension between them about this (they were deciding what route to take, and using the library internet to plan things).
I'm so glad I don't have to compromise or make adjustments!
Which brings us to my own somewhat lackadaisical planning. I didn't realize how far around this loop was, or that I was almost to Anchorage. It was now Aug. 1, and I had to be back in Fairbanks the following night. Plenty of time to do the driving, just not a lot of time for sightseeing.
However, it's all good, as there is some value in getting an overview of the territory, since then you know places that you really do want to go back to! I just don't have as many pictures from these two days as I'd like, since I wasn't stopping much!
Leaving Glennallen, the Glenn Highway takes you west and south all the way to Wasilla (of Sarah Palin fame), before joining the Parks Highway, which goes north to Fairbanks. I had thought that the Parks Highway was named because Denali National Park & Preserve (NP&P) was along it, but, no, it was named for George Parks, a governor of Alaska Territory! That highway is fairly new, only completed in 1971, and in very good shape. I suppose that they put more work into it, since it is also known as the Anchorage-Fairbanks Highway, connecting two of the largest cities in Alaska.
The area between Palmer and Wasilla is the most developed I've seen since Calgary. It's something of a shock to have multi-lane thoroughfares and multiple choices of everything from fast-food outlets to grocery stores to car repair places to malls.
There are some impressive mountains nearby, too; it will be interesting to come back to.
After hurrying though the developed cities, I headed north. It is an amazingly scenic drive. I didn't take many pictures, but here are just a few.
This picture was taken from "Glacier View Drive" a housing development about an hour or so from Wasilla. I found it something of an oddity. The development was perched on a ridge, just off the highway. Lots had been sold, and people were building small (think "tiny home") houses on these small lots with "No trespassing" signs on each one. It didn't seem as if there were any rules about development. Some lots had shacks (politely might be called "cabins"), some were "nice," a few had a mobile homes in varying degrees of repair, and at least one just had a steel shipping container on it. Seems like anything goes!
A few lots apparently were still available; these had gravel pads atop them in preparation for building the house of your dreams. The photo above was taken from one of those still-available lots.
The view was breathtaking, but I did pessimistically wonder that with global warming, how long the street name was going to be appropriate!
The views were just incredible, and I felt so lucky that it wasn't raining or even really cloudy (I've evidently adjusted my opinion of what "cloudy" means). Glaciers peeked through at the heads of valleys. The area reminded me a lot of the east side of the Sierra, which I've always loved. I'll be glad to come back through here.
To the east of the Parks Highway were these colorful mountains (above), called collectively "Sheep Mountain" because the gypsum (CaSO4•2H20) there attracts Dall sheep, which lick it for the calcium content. Scientists still aren't exactly sure why the sheep like it so much, but think it may have something to do with development, as they tend to do more licking in the spring (when they have lambs) than in other seasons.
I didn't see any sheep on the hillsides.
Lion Head is the name of this impressive landmark, a volcanic neck (similar to the one at Rio de Janeiro). It's so distinctive that it's been used as a navigational landmark for aeons. I lucked out in the way the light was behind it!
This is another place I'll be coming back to: the Matanuska Glacier. While other tracks of this glacier peter out, this one part of the glacier extends to a far lower altitude than any other nearby. On the way back, I'll at least get a closer look from one of the off-highway viewpoints, as it's just very cool to see this so low. I believe it's actually on private land, and you can take tours, but not go and kick it on your own!
And finally, we leave you with one more photo. It pretty much embodies "Alaska" to me, especially since I know there are more glaciers hiding in the valleys.
It was a remarkable day. I was very, very glad that I had come this way, as I can look forward to coming back through here. I just hope the weather will be as good! But even if it's not, at least I had this experience!
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| Fueling up a NPS plane at the Gulkana airport at Glennallen |
The reason is that in this land of trees — even short trees — you cannot see very far except when there is a break in the trees. Breaks will happen where there has been a forest fire, where there is a body of water (pond, lake or river), a road, or an airport!
If you want to see any distance, you need to get out of the forest. Perhaps there is a greater message there...
And boy, was it worth it (see the top picture)!
Seeing the Wrangell-St Elias Range, just to the southeast of Glennallen, is whetting my appetite for getting back here. After Gates of the Arctic, it's the second-largest National Park in the United States, with a chain of impressive mountains, including Mt. Wrangell at 14,163 ft. and Mt. St. Elias at 18,008 feet (the second-tallest mountain in the US and Canada).
It's also remote, with little vehicular access. Like much of the Alaska bush, the best way to see it is by air, but it sure looks good from afar!
The long way 'round
At a final stop at the library to finish up blogging, and I met another young man there who I'd seen on the previous night. He was from Minnesota, a university student on an internship with the US Forest Service. His project was studying fish populations, and he said it was the best experience ever. He'd been flown into a study area to count fish, and he said it was amazing to be in the backcountry.There was also a couple from the SF Bay Area (East Bay), in a Subaru pulling one of those tiny teardrop trailers. It was interesting talking with them. They'd reviewed a lot of different camping options, and the tiny trailer did seem to be working for them. They liked the bed, bathroom and kitchen facilities (I think those were outside off the back), and the fact that it was so light and could be pulled with their car. Their trip was for three months, and they had about another six weeks or so to travel. The guy was definitely into getting as much as he could out of it. His partner, ehh, not so much. There was a definite tension between them about this (they were deciding what route to take, and using the library internet to plan things).
I'm so glad I don't have to compromise or make adjustments!
Which brings us to my own somewhat lackadaisical planning. I didn't realize how far around this loop was, or that I was almost to Anchorage. It was now Aug. 1, and I had to be back in Fairbanks the following night. Plenty of time to do the driving, just not a lot of time for sightseeing.
However, it's all good, as there is some value in getting an overview of the territory, since then you know places that you really do want to go back to! I just don't have as many pictures from these two days as I'd like, since I wasn't stopping much!
Leaving Glennallen, the Glenn Highway takes you west and south all the way to Wasilla (of Sarah Palin fame), before joining the Parks Highway, which goes north to Fairbanks. I had thought that the Parks Highway was named because Denali National Park & Preserve (NP&P) was along it, but, no, it was named for George Parks, a governor of Alaska Territory! That highway is fairly new, only completed in 1971, and in very good shape. I suppose that they put more work into it, since it is also known as the Anchorage-Fairbanks Highway, connecting two of the largest cities in Alaska.
The area between Palmer and Wasilla is the most developed I've seen since Calgary. It's something of a shock to have multi-lane thoroughfares and multiple choices of everything from fast-food outlets to grocery stores to car repair places to malls.
There are some impressive mountains nearby, too; it will be interesting to come back to.
After hurrying though the developed cities, I headed north. It is an amazingly scenic drive. I didn't take many pictures, but here are just a few.
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| From Glacier View Drive: Tazlina Glacier |
A few lots apparently were still available; these had gravel pads atop them in preparation for building the house of your dreams. The photo above was taken from one of those still-available lots.
The view was breathtaking, but I did pessimistically wonder that with global warming, how long the street name was going to be appropriate!
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| Talkeetna Mountains (I think)! |
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| Sheep Mountain |
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| Lion Head (yes, taken from the car) |
I didn't see any sheep on the hillsides.
Lion Head is the name of this impressive landmark, a volcanic neck (similar to the one at Rio de Janeiro). It's so distinctive that it's been used as a navigational landmark for aeons. I lucked out in the way the light was behind it!
 |
| Matanuska Glacier. Yes, the white in the center of the photo is a glacier! |
And finally, we leave you with one more photo. It pretty much embodies "Alaska" to me, especially since I know there are more glaciers hiding in the valleys.
It was a remarkable day. I was very, very glad that I had come this way, as I can look forward to coming back through here. I just hope the weather will be as good! But even if it's not, at least I had this experience!
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| Peaks above the Matanuska River |
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