Kennicott and Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Monday finds us underway about 30 miles down to Chitina on the Edgerton Highway.  From this small community we continue on the McCarthy Road, a sixty-mile gravel road that traversed beautiful but desolate country before arriving at the McCarthy Bridge (the end of the road literally).  A short walk across the bridge, we climb aboard a waiting van for the last five miles up to Kennicott Lodge.  The National Park Service now owns about 2800 acres around the area that includes the Kennicott Mine (closed in 1938) and the town.  We check in and are assigned Room 17.  Rooms here are very nice decorated with period furniture and pictures.  Dinner is served family-style at 7 PM for about 60 guests.

Tuesday dawns clear as we sit enjoying a buffet breakfast looking over Kennicott Glacier.  After a walking tour of town we prepare to depart traveling back down for a brief stop at McCarthy (contains one street, 3 business along a hundred-yard stretch of dirt road). 

We have been enjoying the Alaska Tour Save Book during our trip through Alaska.  It costs $100 and is available on-line and at Safeway stores.  It has all types of buy one-get one free coupons for tours, hotels, museums, Alaska Railroad and other fun things.  While at Kennicott Joy and Sharon could not decide about taking the flightseeing tour, figured it was expensive.  As we were leaving we ran into a couple we had met earlier and they were raving about the flight.  That’s when Joy and Sharon discovered a Tour Saver coupon.  Suddenly the girls decided and even though we were leaving – they called and booked a flight at 3:30 today.  Yippee, it was wonderful.  Thanks again Alaska Tour Saver book.  We arrived back at Kenny Lake and our motor homes about 8 PM.

View of Copper River near Chitina, AK

Downtown Chitina

Start of the McCathy Road

View north toward Wrangell Range

Copper River

29 miles into McCathy Road

We enjoy a beautiful day with friends

A quiet and still lake reflects the mountain above

Over a foot-bridge to a waiting van from Kennicott

Kennicott Copper Mine and Lodge from a distance

Welcome to Kennicott Lodge

NPS now owns and is restoring the mine

Joy and her "older sister" Sharon

Restored powerplant

glacial moraine covering the glacier ice

Ready for dinner we sit on the lawn

Valdez to Kenny Lake, AK

We departed Valdez on Sunday morning headed north about 115 miles to the Edgerton Highway and the small town of Kenny Lake.  Before we depart we visit a fish hatchery on the opposite side of the Sound passing the infamous docks where the Exxon Valdez ran aground spilling 53 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound.  The razor-wire fences and ominous warnings by the FBI do not make sightseeing here a welcome act.

Bob boards his ERA flight back to Anchorage Sunday evening

Travel is quite normal as we climb out of Valdez upward some 2,500 feet in elevation and break out into beautiful sunshire (something we have not seen since arriving in Valdez).  We settle at the Kenny Lake Mercantile and RV Park for a quiet evening.

Best visibility of the stay in Valdez

Up the Richardson Highway we go

We breakout in sunshine finally

Fish hatchery near Homer

Silver Salmon stacked up like chord wood

Survival of the fittest as all try to swim up-stream

Last views of Valdez

Worthington Glacier

Scenes from the Richardson Highway

Eastbound on the Edgerton Highway

Mt. Sanford in the Wrangell Mountains

Camped at Kenny Lake Mercantile RV Park

Our sunset view from camp

Technical Difficulties in Canada

It is Sunday afternoon, August 18th, as Joy and I sit in Tim Horton's Coffee Shop in downtown Whitehorse, Yukon.  We have been unable to upload our blog since last Sunday when we were in Valdez, Alaska.

We are now headed down toward Vancouver, British Columbia and ultimately Seattle in the next two weeks.  Please be patient with us "old folks" as we try to content with less than stellar wi-fi here.

We plan to arrive in Seattle around September 1st and hope to upload our blog's at least by then.

We have had a wonderful trip to Alaska where they have enjoyed a great summer season.  We now watch the days get shorter and the trees are beginning to exhibit fall foilage.

Talk to you, or blog to you soon.

Don and Joy

On to Valdez, AK

08/09/13

A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we continued our journey on the Glenn Highway.  The road became bumpy with some major construction as we neared Glennallen, AK where we joined the Richardson Highway southbound to Valdez.  The weather deteriorated quickly as we entered the coastal mountains.  Low clouds, fog, and rain became prevalent (and would stay with us throughout our stay in Valdez).  We settled into the Bear Paw RV Campground and found Mike’s Restaurant in Valdez for a wonderful dinner with Bobby.

Saturday really didn’t dawn, it just poured down.  We wondered in Bobby’s flight on ERA Airlines would arrive this evening.  Bobby packed after lunch and Joy and Don drove him to the airport.  The flight was running about 1 hour late but the locals just shrugged their shoulders without complaint.  Alaskans get used to the weather here as it does not cause the frustration apparent with a visit to any airport in the Lower 48.  He got on returning to Anchorage on a ticket and then caught a Delta flight to Minneapolis and St. Louis early Sunday morning.

We very much enjoyed Bobby’s visit to us having shown him a great deal of different geography here in Alaska.

RV Report:  Glenn Highway is good to the Matanuska Glacier area then deteriorates eastbound until Glenhallen.  The Richardson Highway southbound is rough until about 30 miles north of Valdez.

Diesel Fuel:  $ 4.72/gallon

Sunday morning is again cold and wet here in Valdez as Bob and Sharon do some laundry and Joy grocery shops at Safeway.  We will travel later today north about a hundred miles to Chitina as we prepare to enter Wrangell-St. Elias National Park traveling the McCarthy Road some 60 miles to Kennicott.

View south from Glenn Highway

Wrangell Mountain Range appears on the Glenn Highway

Another National Park for Joy

Southbound on the Richardson Highway

Approaching the coastal mountains, rain and fog

First views of Worthington Glacier

Bobby takes an up-close look

Looking south right up into the Bagley Iee Fields

Bobby and Joy endure rain and cold for a closer look

Just north of Valdez you join the river valley

Small Boat Harbour at Valdez, AK

Bobby fishing the Upper Kenai River and travel toward Valdez, AK

08/07/13

Wednesday morning found Bobby, Don, and Bob Relyea up early and out on the Upper Kenai River with guide Mike Adams drift-boating fishing for trout and salmon.  With cooler, drizzly conditions the trio faired pretty well catching a number of trout and three nice salmon.  We did a bit of laundry and had a nice dinner of barbeque at the only local restaurant.

Bob lands a beautiful trout but it's Catch and Release

Bobby hangs onto his first salmon

Bobby is all smiles landing his first Kenai River salmon

Later in the day he lands another

08/08/13

Thursday dawning foggy, rainy, and cool as we packed up at the Russian Falls Campground in Cooper Landing, AK.  Joy and Bobby took the Jeep ahead planning at stop in the Potter Valley to hike to Byron Glacier (where Sarah, Jason, Joy, and Don had hiked).  No such luck as fog had all but obscured the views.  Don followed solo in the motor home with Bob and Sharon up the Seward Highway toward Anchorage.

Joy and Bobby took the opportunity to stop at Humpy’s Restaurant in Anchorage for lunch to enjoy a previous treat – the Crab Roll.  Early afternoon found all gathering at the Fred Meyer’s in Palmer, AK before driving about 20 miles north of Palmer to see Hatcher Pass, an old mining community in the mountains.  This gravel road still is passable westward to Willow, AK.  After some sightseeing we returned to our coaches traveling westward about another 60 miles to near the Matanuska Glacier stopping at a beautiful roadside campground – Grandview RV Park.

Bobby barbequed dinner for all – burgers and reindeer sausage.

Beluga Point approaching Anchorage the sun appears

Panorama on the Glenn Highway east of Palmer

Hatcher Pass look west toward Willow, AK

The trail snakes through the Pass

Don, Joy, and Bobby at Hatcher Pass

Mining in still active here for Gold

Looking down on the city of Palmer, AK

Fireweed is about done in this beautiful valley

The Sustina River east of Palmer

Matanuska Glacier from Glenn Highway

Bobby tackles some barbecue for the group