Every
day seems to bring a delightful surprise up here. Today was no exception.
The Route
Our 245 mile travel day included a side trip to Exit Glacier
before heading north on Seward Highway (AK-9). Seward Highway became AK-1 just
north of Moose Pass. We followed it through Anchorage and Eagle River to Palmer
where it became Glenn Highway. Glenn Highway (AK-1) took us northeast to Glacier
View.
About the Day
The morning started out overcast and a bit gloomy. The sun peeked
through by mid-morning. It became very pleasant … sunny with a brisk breeze and
temperatures in the high-70s.
Along the Way
Exit Glacier …
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| Harding Icefield feeds Exit Glacier |
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| Exit Glacier |
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| Date markers show how much the glacier has receded |
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| Exit Glacier runoff feeds Resurrection River |
Seward to Palmer …
This part of the trip was beautiful and docile, perhaps because
we’ve driven it before in the opposite direction. We prefer the southbound trip
from Anchorage because we got a better view of Cook Inlet. The climbs
and descents were gentle. The highway was in good condition. Tourist traffic
has increased significantly in the past week.
Glenn Highway …
The first 60 miles or so after leaving Palmer were pretty level
and straight. Conditions changed rapidly as we entered the area between the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains.
The drive became unlike anything we’ve seen on the trip. It required serious
mountain driving. Curves were sharp, accents and descents were steep. The
scenery was awesome.
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| From Glenn Highway |
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| A pristine mountain lake |
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| It’s obvious the earth’s tectonic plates collided with great force. |
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| Glenn Highway follows Matanuska River |
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| Matanuska Glacier |
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| About the views |
Connections
We met some fun folks today.
The first were two women hiking at Exit Glacier. They’re from
Michigan, but that turned out to be really OK. We saw them again, by chance, at
the campground. We had a great laugh as they told the story of almost running
out of gas in the Whittier tunnel. Husband Jeff is a resourceful guy. He emptied
his 5 gallon emergency gas container and then had to siphon gas out of his portable
generator. They made it to a gas station on fumes.
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| Grateful for a good outcome. |
Next were a couple and their daughter from the Virginia Beach
area. We invited them to join us at our table in the crowded campground café.
They stopped by after dinner to see what an Airstream trailer looks like.
The Campground
We’re camped at Grand View RV
Park, high in the mountains. We have views of Sheep Mountain (where Dall
sheep roam) and overlook the Matanuska Glacier area. This place is exceptional.
The location, staff and facilities are first class. Phone and internet services
in this remote setting are limited, but who cares?
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| Site #17 |
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| The campground café |
We walked the glacier trail behind the campground after dinner. It was just 10 minutes to a view of the glacier.
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| View behind our campground |
Tomorrow
We’ll finish the journey to Valdez.
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