On Monday, August 26th, we headed south to Valdez. On this portion of the road we saw more wildlife than the rest of the trip combined. Before I got this picture, there was another cow moose that popped up right in front of us. Unfortunately, at that time, I had the Milepost book in my lap and the camera was on the floor with the lens cap on. By the time I got the camera ready, that lady moose had disappeared in the bushes.
Boy, the road to Valdez was bumpy and contained lots of frost heaves. In addition, there were portions that were gravel or chip seal. At this portion we had a good view of Mt. Drum in the distance.
Further on down the road I was able to get some good pictures of Mt. Sanford, partially covered by clouds. Sandy took pictures from the cab and then handed the camera to me to take pictures from the side of the camper! Don would open up the window and I would begin shooting photos. It worked out well, especially when the good views didn't coincide with pullouts on the side of the road. You could say, where there's a will, there's a way.
It was caribou hunting season and we were passed by many trucks like this, carrying 4 wheel all terrain vehicles and little carts. All along the highway, guys were parked so they could take their ATV's further off the road and stake out their territory. One group of hunters that were at the Sourdough campground wanted to arrive 4 days before the season even opened. Caribou hunting is strictly regulated and hunters must call in their kill within 24 hours. The season may close within a few days, or even the next day, depending on how many bulls were taken!
We had one picture perfect after another, snow capped mountain ranges and glaciers that almost reach the highway road.
We now were on the downhill portion of Thompson pass, elevation of 2678 feet. Almost to Valdez!
At the bottom of the hill is the Lowe River. Sandy was in the front, taking pictures through the windshield and I just had to add this in because her daughter's last name is Lowe. This is for you, Stacy and Dan!
We arrived, safe and sound, at Eagle's Rest, where they have a fish cleaning station right behind the RV office. That is a first for us! Lots of fish were in the process of being cleaned and filleted.
This is the Alaskan version of a camper. Unique, to say the least.
Don sat down to check out the campground map. There are 800 spots here for campers, plus tent sites and little cabins to rent. At $40 (or more) per day, that is a lot of $$$ going into the kitty each day.
Sandy heads back to our camper after we took a short walk to the harbor.
No comments:
Post a Comment