Joe's Roadtrip

Location: 30 miles west of the Alaska/Canada border

Miles Driven: 346

Total Miles: 18,311

Around 2PM or so I was packed, the car was tidied up, and I was stocked up on some pb&js.  Definitely was tough to say goodbye to Vegas, as we had become pretty good friends in just a short period.  We got one last walk in around the neighborhood, and I got to tussle his furry head a bit before heading out the door.

The going was a bit slow getting out of the Palmer city limits, as there were some pull-offs to take in some of the nice views, and there was a Musk Ox farm on the way.  Unfortunately, the cost to see the musk oxen up close was $8, and the animals didn’t appeal enough to me to pay $8.  Also, I had felt some nausea and ready to puke (I suspect something was up with the grapes I had purchased the previous day).  But an hour napping off by a river helped alleviate that a bit.

I had mentioned the views, and you didn’t have to drive far out of Palmer to be astounded.

Spotted an eagle

The goal was to make it to the Canada/Alaska border (or close to it) before I was done driving for the day.  Eventually the route would take me to the Alaskan city of Tok, a place I passed through on the drive to Fairbanks.  From there, I’d take the Alaska Highway, just going the opposite way I originally came.

I passed the famous Matanuska Glacier on the way towards Tok.

More mountainous scenery

After a few hours driving, I came to the city of Glenallen.  From there, I could head north to Tok, or a bit south and explore Wrangell-St. Elias National Park – the largest National Park in the U.S.  But given that it was later in the day, and I wasn’t feeling all that great, I passed.  But I still was able to enjoy some of the park’s mountains from a distance.

I could be wrong, but I think that's a lenticular cloud on the right. Never saw one in person before

The Alaskan sky...around 10PM

A bit after 11PM I was ready to call it a day, and it worked out – I was just 30 miles west of the Canadian border.  Definitely was a bit sad to be leaving this gorgeous state, but what an amazing drive on the way out.

joe