Alaska 2008

When we left Healy this morning it was cold and partly cloudy with some low clouds hanging over the mountains. We had some rain in the early part of the trip and then we started to see a little bit of the sun. As we got to the vicinity of Anchorage, the Chugach mountains were obscured by low hanging clouds. As I write this, the clouds have closed in and the forecast is for some showers this evening and tonight.

Today's trip takes us through the Alaska range and down to the vicinity of the Chugach Mountains which rise from the outskirts of downtown Anchorage (click on SAT on the Google Map to see just how close the mountains are). The Parks Highway follows the Nenana River for about 70 miles. Near Healy it passes through some narrow gorges with just enough room to fit the highway between the river and some rock faces. Once the highway passes the entrance to Denali National Park, the valley spreads out and the mountains seem farther apart. Road conditions were excellent all the way to Anchorage. Once inside the city limits, there was a detour that took us onto city streets and through some neighborhoods that would make me uncomfortable after dark. The detour really didn't cause us much delay because the detour was only a few miles from the campground.

Our afternoon was committed to getting the windshield replaced. As I wrote earlier we got a rock hit on I-90 enroute to Billings, MT and could not get it repaired until we got to Anchorage. My hope was that the crack would not widen too much so as to obscure my vision. The crack spread a bit after the first day, but it held up through some very rough roads. We were in and out of the repair facility in about an hour. Now I only have to hope that we survive the return trip on the Alaska Highway without any windshield damage.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we will be walking around downtown Anchorage and visiting the Anchorage Saturday/Sunday Market. This is a combination flea market/farmer market/craft market that has some interesting things to offer. We didn't buy anything the last we were here and I doubt that we will do so this time, but it is fun to walk through the stalls and see what they have to offer.