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Friday, May 18, 2018

2015 Summer Journey Alaskan Crossing, part 21


2015 Summer Journey
Alaskan Crossing, part 21

McCarthy/ Kennecott Mills


July 26, 2015

We spent a great day on the Matanuska Glacier; it was late afternoon before we hit the road again (04:00 pm). This would be our last view of the glacier from the highway; some good memories were made today



It would be 210 miles to McCarthy, so just pass the turn on to Ak4 Richardson Hwy we found a pullout and that were we stayed.



July 27, 2015 …Day 31 in Alaska

Julie and slept in a bit and didn’t get down the road till almost 11:00 am. By now a lot of the hwy was beginning to look the same.



Passing by a Alaskan Yak ranch, we saw no signage for tours and there wasn't much of a area to pull over.



Rougher looking road were ahead, weather beaten and rough patched.



Pulling into a wayside for a better look at the Copper River below, also a couple of motorcycle riders were enjoying the view.




Liberty Falls State Park was just a hop down the road so not pulling in was in order. It’s a small quaint park with beautiful trees all around and a waterfall to boot!





I did note that there are two sites large enough for a truck camper. A few more miles and here we are at Chitina, the beginning of the McCarthy/ Kennecott road.




The vastness of the Copper River could be view as we cross the bridge with some gulls (I think) giving us a ten tail salute.




video

Cross the bridge you can see several fish wheels in action, we wander towards one of the fish wheels that was at a easy access road by the river, not long after the motorcycle guys caught up with us.



Back on our journey towards McCarthy I had read about a particular area along the road that was subject to landsides, yes we found it, sometimes the road would be blocked for days or for weeks at a time.



One of the things we noticed was how the Wrangell-St.Elisa NP weaved through the road sort of like the road was a piece of thread on a needle and the park boundary line was a piece of folded cloth. This would play itself out many times along this road.



Up ahead was a motor-home making its way across the Kuskulana Bridge, built in 1910, an all wooden deck spans that 525 feet across the Copper River and at a dizzy height of 238 feet above the Copper River.






There is an abundance of water fowl along this entire road.



At the Gilahina River, a train trestle towering high above the ground. This was part of the rail system that the owners of the Kennecott Mills had built for bring in goods and transporting refined copper out.



A few more mile and we’re here.



At the visitor center Julie and I signed up for the Mill tour starting tomorrow. We would wander around a bit to some of the area.



Walking to the Kennecott River I spotted the pizza bus. I had seen this bus from a You Tube video that declared they had the best pizza in Alaska. We will order one on our way back and see!


There is camping right next to the Kennecott River, also a fantastic view of the Kennecott Glacier.



Crossing over to the other side of the river an icon vehicle greeted us with a interesting history.





Jim Edwards idea of snow tires



Mean while back at the pizza bus call “Tailor-Made Pizza,”
we order the Black Burn pizza.



Our order was brought out to us and we took it back to our camper. The pizza without a doubt the best we had in Alaska.



Tomorrow we tour McCarthy and Kennecott Mills





Thanks to everyone for reading my TCTRs, all comments are welcome.

  PART 22 of our Summer Journey, Alaska Crossing.

 Thanks, Alex Blasingame, aka c.traveler2.

Friday, May 11, 2018

2015 Summer Journey Alaskan Crossing, part 20


2015 Summer Journey
Alaskan Crossing, part 20
Matanuska Glacier Walk


July 26, 2015
 We planned on staying the night at Matanuska Glacier and walking it in the morning and the night got very cold, this would be another one of those times I ran the generator all night to insure the batteries stayed in top condition while running the heater all night.
 The view from our camper door made it all worth the cold night, not that we were cold in the camper.



Despite it being cold, there was a abundant of plants.



 Some facts about Matanuska Glacier: It’s approximately 24 miles long, 4 mile wide at the terminus. This glacier is known as a valley glacier, it sit in a valley and advances approximately one foot a day. Because Matanuska glacier is in what’s called a cold pocket there has been no change in the glacier’s mass for almost 20 years. Moraine debris, Moulins and crevasses can be seen all over this glacier. It’s the largest glacier that is accessible by a vehicle in the United States. Just a note, don’t make the mistake of entering the State park that’s nearby you can’t access Matanuska Glacier from there, can only see it from a platform.
Matanuska Lodge

A video of our walk out on Matanuska Glacier


Julie and I dawn our jackets and started our glacier trek.





During our walk out there were good examples of “End or Recessional” terminus.





The staff had laid out the walking path with orange cones and grates over many of the small crevasses for us tourist









Our rig was looking pretty small.



Julie and I made our way to a group of fellow glacier travelers, surrounding a picnic table; here we’ll put on our Yaktrax ice cleats.





Julie approaching a crevasse in the glacier.



Julie decided she was supergirl.




We’re standing next to a pointed ice spur that was forced upward by colliding fronts of the glacier.



Earlier a climbing class had passed us up, we caught up with them.



Even on a unguided tour as we are taking one still has to be careful, deep crevasses are everywhere.





We moved on deeper into the glacier.





As the further you when the more blue ice was showing up. This blue color is caused by the ice being so dense that only the blue light is reflected while the rest is absorbed, seeing blue is a good thing.



A group of climber was moving on to deep territory of the glacier.



We moved on ourselves to a photographic location in front of the near by “ice castle, “look at all that blue!





It was time to head back to our rig, pasting by some pools of water, we filled a couple water bottles out of one of them, the water was the best I’d ever tasted!





Way off in the distance our rig awaited for us.



Stopping by one of the many crevasses, this one had a large rock stuck in it as water cascaded down behind it, I couldn’t see the bottom only a darkness below.



Nearing the lonely picnic table once surround by happy voices. It wouldn’t be lonely for long despite a light rain was beginning to fall people are still coming out.





Back at our rig we could see it had the company of fellow TCs.



We took a depart photo, glade that we stopped here, how many times does a person get a chance to drive right up to a glacier and walk on one of the wonders of the world!



From here Julie and I are going to McCathy and the Kennicott Copper Mill




Thanks to everyone for reading my TCTRs, all comments are welcome.
 Working on part 21 of our Summer Journey, Alaska Crossing.

 I will post it as soon as it’s done.
Thanks, Alex Blasingame, aka c.traveler2.