ROAD TRIP THE ALASKAN HIGHWAY/ GLENN HIGHWAY Day 4,5 & 6

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July 7, 2005, Thursday. This is a driving day, and our first connect spot was Haines Junction, then on to Kluane. Again we got stuck on a dirt road at Destruction Bay. The water is a magnificent blue/green color, it has something to do with the crushed shells and the way the colors are absorbed by the sun, but it is beautiful. We took a couple of pictures as we waited for the “pilot car” to lead us through the construction area. Destruction Bay is one of several towns that grew out of the building of the Alaska Highway. It earned it name when a storm destroyed buildings and materials here.
The Kluane Museum of Natural History was an interesting stop. It offered wildlife exhibits with dioramas depicting natural habitat. The Musk-ox is an animal we don’t see too often. Wow that’s one big guy! The parking area was a museum itself. It had the account of a terrible fire that devastated acres and acres of land.
More driving and we were ready to stop at Beaver Creek, not a thriving metropolis, but a hook up for the RV, and a pleasant view.

July 8, 2005, Friday. On the road again, we are headed to Tok. We re-entered Alaska and left the Yukon. We took a detour to Wrangell Mt. Elias National Park. It is the largest unit in the national park system, encompassing 13.2 MILLION acres! Formed by the Wrangell, St. Elias, and Chugach mountain ranges, the park contains 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the U.S., including St. Elias (18,008 feet), the second tallest peak in the US. This park also contains the largest concentration of glaciers on the continent. Talk about feeling small.
The video of Wrangell/St. Elias NP, at the Slana, ranger station, was outstanding. I purchased a DVD of the presentation. We planned to take a short hike but the drive on a bad dirt road for miles to the trailhead, discouraged this adventure. This RV has been in some awkward tough roads, but there is not sense pushing our luck. We just took some pictures and had lunch. The scale of this park seems overwhelming.
We opted for a night at Tolsona Campground; it is a wilderness area. So we enjoyed dinner overlooking the river, however, the (state bird of Alaska) mosquitoes were out and hunting. People just don’t go out without mosquito protection.

July 9, 2005, Saturday. On our way to Anchorage we stopped to hike out to the Matanuska Glacier. It has receded, like all the glaciers we have seen so far, but still people don’t believe in global warming? We hiked along the trail but the glacier was far away.
We found the RV Park in Anchorage, got settled in and Bob was in touch with Marcella. Marcella was Bob’s first girlfriend in 8th grade. She and her husband Ron live in Anchorage. We had dinner at their lovely home on Campbell Lake. Ron’s fresh caught salmon was a treat on the grill. We enjoyed their kind hospitality and had a good evening catching up with old friends.

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