Day 68 - Tuesday July 25/17

(Posted on Thursday August 03/17 at Fairbanks Alaska at 5pm as we leave the TrailerCraft service shop with new wheel bearings on the trailer!!)

A travel day today. This morning began with a shower “au natural alfresco” (NOT a rain shower!). For the first time we used the outdoor hose attachment on the trailer in order to shower as there were no facilities for washing in the park. Fortunately we didn’t have any close neighbours so we could enjoy the sense of freedom that came from being naked in the woods. We had turned on the water heater so the warm water was a nice counterpoint to the cool 13C air. Huevos rancheros was a perfect breakfast for this bracing start to the day.

We were on the road about 10:30 heading south down the Glenn Hwy. towards Palmer, AK. (map)

It seems that in Alaska they refer to their highways by names although they do assign them numbers as well. The Glenn Hwy is also known as Hwy #1. Generally the road was in better condition than the Alaska (or ALCAN [Alaska-Canada]) Highway  we travelled in the Yukon although there were extended sections of wavy frost heave. We’ve noticed there seem to be fewer transport trucks on the road, but lots of self-drive RVs.

We passed through several Indian villages on reserve lands. (It seems that in Alaska the term Indian is still in use by both indigenous peoples and settlers.) The houses seem to be in better repair as compared to the sense of despair and disrepair we noted in similar villages in BC and the Yukon. 

We drove for quite a while beside the Copper River famed for its high quality salmon. We stopped for lunch at a rest stop overlooking the river, but cloud and light showers deterred us from fully enjoying the view.  

Shortly after the highway turned to head westward at Glennallen we began to see the huge Matanuska Glacier. Unfortunately clouds made viewing somewhat difficult, and the narrow, windy, hilly road made stopping to enjoy what view there was virtually impossible. We followed the Matanuska River to King Mountain where we took advantage of another state park and stopped for the day around 6:30 pm. We found a site near the river and carried our evening beverages to a bench on the river’s edge. A wonderful way to unwind.

It was a nice surprise when Nancy’s sister, Jan Tilston, called from Costa Rica for their usual Tuesday evening chat. Somehow the internet and phone system managed to find a way to connect the sisters. A very pleasant way to end the dull, rainy day.