Kerry Adventure Road and Military Moose

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It was drizzly this morning, but the rain stopped long enough for us to close up the camper. We drove west on the Glenn Highway with low clouds and frequent showers, making the scenic overlooks a waste of time. The rain finally quit and the skies cleared somewhat just before we reached Matanuska Glacier SP.

Matanuska Glacier is a valley glacier, which means it exists on a valley floor, as opposed to the smaller alpine glaciers that hang off mountain slopes. Most of the glaciers in Alaska are alpine glaciers. Matanuska Glacier is 24 miles long and 4 miles wide at its terminus, averaging about 2 miles in width. It is an active glacier and advances one foot per day. We took some pictures from the state park viewing area and Kerry noticed a road down on the valley floor. So we decided to go down a road that had a sign reading “Glacier Park.” For the first 50 feet the road was gravel, but soon turned to heavily pot-holed dirt road winding down to the valley floor. We crossed a narrow wooden bridge over the Matanuska River, went around a bend and found ourselves at a closed gate next to a gift shop. Inside the gift shop we were told the price to go to the glacier was $20 per person. Per person! We said no thanks and drove back up the steep, bumpy Kerry adventure road to the highway.

We stopped at an overlook just before Palmer and Gena spotted a McDonalds bag. Then we saw a man eating French fries from McD’s, and right then we knew it had to be McDonalds for lunch.

From Palmer we drove to Eagle River, where we found the Walmart and stocked up on groceries. Then we drove to Ft. Richardson where, with Bob sponsoring us, we got temporary id’s. We then drove to the Black Spruce Army Travel Camp on base where we set up the campers and had supper. After supper we checked out the px and the commissary. Across the road from the military mall, as they call it, we saw a female moose and her calf dining and scratching their heads on some small pine trees. We finally got to see moose up close and for more than a few seconds, but had to go to a military base to see them.

We had a quick tour around Anchorage before heading back to the campground for the night, where we seem to be on the landing pattern for Elmendorf AFB.

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Photos

Gena
with a king salmon

Matanuska Glacier
from overlook

Matanuska Glacier
terminus 4 miles wide

Kerry Adventure Road
he did it again

Near Palmer
from overlook

Moose and calf
from near Military Mall at Ft. Richardson/Ft. Elmendorf

Comments

[peggy]

wow wow wow !!!
How huge this is! I just cannot imagine a glacier in person. Was that salmon to eat? Kerry, don't you have a map? love ya

[big sis]

She caught that fish?????