Ididaroad...end of the road
Posted: Mon Jul 27, 2009 4:03 pmWe traveled the Richardson Highway from Glennallen to Valdez on a cloudy, becoming rainy day. Our first stop was in the old gold-mining town of Copper Center. If the miners had known they could eat the rose hips, high in vitamin C, they wouldn’t have died of scurvy.
This is pretty much what’s left of the town….an old gas station,
The Roadhouse,
And a museum.
I like the way they recycle everything in Alaska.
An old log church.
Notice the boots hanging from the rafters.
This is the Princess Lodge where I stayed last year.
And the view we should see from here, but as I said, it was a cloudy, rainy day, and the mountains were hiding.
We could see the Klutina River and the pipeline though.
Heading south towards Valdez, we saw the Worthington Glacier.
And entered the very scenic Keystone Canyon.
Beautiful even in the rain.
We passed two big waterfalls, Bridal veil and this one, Horsetail Falls.
An unfinished railroad tunnel…and why it was unfinished.
The old horse trail…halfway up the canyon walls, imagine.
It was raining in Valdez, but it didn’t stop the fishermen. We could actually see the salmon running up the mouth of the river, but couldn’t manage to catch them in a photo with their backs out of the water.
We took a wet hike on a trail at Dock Point Park where we had views looking over the harbor and across to the pipeline terminal.
The small boat harbor.
Raindrops…
Another sign that summer is coming to an end. The salmon berries are ripe, as are blueberries.
Bears will be fattening up on these as well as the salmon in preparation for winter.
Wood carving in downtown Valdez
About the artist…
We didn’t stay in Valdez due to the weather. On the way back up the canyon we encountered the wheelchair racers again. Look at this fellow’s grin as he wheels through the rain.
I had to admire them pushing on uphill in the cold and rain. I know I couldn’t do it.
Rest area for racers…
This hillside had multiple waterfalls.
Our boondocking site beside the river. We drove north out of the rain before stopping.
Heading north in the morning…a beautiful clear day, and Mt. Drum and the Wrangell Elias Range of mountains was now visible.
One more moose sighting.
We notice the calves are getting quite big….another harbinger of fall.
The Wrangell Elias National Park was my favorite last year, even though we didn’t get to see much of it. It is the largest NP in the United States with some of the highest mountains. Most of it is wilderness, with just two roads leading into the park.
We decided to drive into the park on Nebesna Road. In this National Park you can camp anywhere you want with no fee. Dogs are allowed anywhere in the park on or off leash. Roe liked that. Most NPs don’t allow dogs on their trails anymore.
One of our options for camping had a million-dollar view of the mountains. We didn’t stay here.
We stayed here at Rock Lake with a private bathroom.
with another great view,
And a shining lake.
One more hike down the road. There was also a trail across the way that the dogs and I walked in the morning.
Looking back at our campsite.
Bandit sees something in the grass. What is it?
Awww, one more baby bunny.
One more lonely trumpeter swan on another lake.
We planned to spend a few days here, but forest fire smoke settled in overnight, and we decided to reluctantly leave.
Now you remember what I said about the fireweed, don’t you? According to the Sourdough’s calendar, when the bloom reaches the top of the stalk, summer is over. Notice how the leaves below turn fire red too.
Yes it’s true. Our summer in Alaska is over. We’re now in Tok making preparations to get back on the AlCan Highway and head east to New England for visits with family there.
So this will be the last Ididaroad post from us. Keep up with Beth’s blog though, ‘cause she’s still here! I’ll post the rest of our trip under “Where’s Liz?”
This is pretty much what’s left of the town….an old gas station,
The Roadhouse,
And a museum.
I like the way they recycle everything in Alaska.
An old log church.
Notice the boots hanging from the rafters.
This is the Princess Lodge where I stayed last year.
And the view we should see from here, but as I said, it was a cloudy, rainy day, and the mountains were hiding.
We could see the Klutina River and the pipeline though.
Heading south towards Valdez, we saw the Worthington Glacier.
And entered the very scenic Keystone Canyon.
Beautiful even in the rain.
We passed two big waterfalls, Bridal veil and this one, Horsetail Falls.
An unfinished railroad tunnel…and why it was unfinished.
The old horse trail…halfway up the canyon walls, imagine.
It was raining in Valdez, but it didn’t stop the fishermen. We could actually see the salmon running up the mouth of the river, but couldn’t manage to catch them in a photo with their backs out of the water.
We took a wet hike on a trail at Dock Point Park where we had views looking over the harbor and across to the pipeline terminal.
The small boat harbor.
Raindrops…
Another sign that summer is coming to an end. The salmon berries are ripe, as are blueberries.
Bears will be fattening up on these as well as the salmon in preparation for winter.
Wood carving in downtown Valdez
About the artist…
We didn’t stay in Valdez due to the weather. On the way back up the canyon we encountered the wheelchair racers again. Look at this fellow’s grin as he wheels through the rain.
I had to admire them pushing on uphill in the cold and rain. I know I couldn’t do it.
Rest area for racers…
This hillside had multiple waterfalls.
Our boondocking site beside the river. We drove north out of the rain before stopping.
Heading north in the morning…a beautiful clear day, and Mt. Drum and the Wrangell Elias Range of mountains was now visible.
One more moose sighting.
We notice the calves are getting quite big….another harbinger of fall.
The Wrangell Elias National Park was my favorite last year, even though we didn’t get to see much of it. It is the largest NP in the United States with some of the highest mountains. Most of it is wilderness, with just two roads leading into the park.
We decided to drive into the park on Nebesna Road. In this National Park you can camp anywhere you want with no fee. Dogs are allowed anywhere in the park on or off leash. Roe liked that. Most NPs don’t allow dogs on their trails anymore.
One of our options for camping had a million-dollar view of the mountains. We didn’t stay here.
We stayed here at Rock Lake with a private bathroom.
with another great view,
And a shining lake.
One more hike down the road. There was also a trail across the way that the dogs and I walked in the morning.
Looking back at our campsite.
Bandit sees something in the grass. What is it?
Awww, one more baby bunny.
One more lonely trumpeter swan on another lake.
We planned to spend a few days here, but forest fire smoke settled in overnight, and we decided to reluctantly leave.
Now you remember what I said about the fireweed, don’t you? According to the Sourdough’s calendar, when the bloom reaches the top of the stalk, summer is over. Notice how the leaves below turn fire red too.
Yes it’s true. Our summer in Alaska is over. We’re now in Tok making preparations to get back on the AlCan Highway and head east to New England for visits with family there.
So this will be the last Ididaroad post from us. Keep up with Beth’s blog though, ‘cause she’s still here! I’ll post the rest of our trip under “Where’s Liz?”
