In the valley of glaciers

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Geo: 61.1308, -146.348

By the time we finished chatting with another touring couple from Anchorage over breakfast, it was 10 am before we left Sheep Mountain Lodge. Heavy clouds filled the skies as we made our way along high, flat plateaus of endless green, the highway mostly conforming to river routes. We scoured the wetlands for moose or bear without success.
We endured several more long stretches of gravel road and two stops for pilot cars along the route. In Glennallen, at the intersection of Hwy 1 and Richardson Hwy 4, we stopped to top of our tank for the last 115 miles to Valdez. Glennallen is a central fuel stop for those going north to Tok, south to Valdez, southwest to Anchorage, or northwest to Delta Junction. We only hit several patches of very light rain in spite of the black billowing clouds that covered the sky, so short in duration that we never really got wet.
The scenery was unexciting until we started up the grade around Mt. Billy Mitchell, past the huge Worthington Glacier, the Twentyseven Mile Glacier. After cresting the cloud-shrouded Thompson Pass along, we had a fast, winding descent into the valley along the Lowe River. Riding through the Keystone canyon, we passed the immense Bridal Veil Falls, and the more cloud covered mountains. Continuing along the main road into town we arrived at our motel, one block from the marina.
Our little cabin had all the creature comforts, so we hit the local market and settled in for our two day stay. First stop of the evening: the laundry. Tomorrow we head down to the marina for a glacier and marine wildlife tour.

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Photos

Approaching Worthington Glacier

Twentyseven Mile Glacier
Twentyseven Mile Glacier

Approaching Valdez
Outside Valdez

Bridal Veil Falls
Bridal Veil Falls