Copper Center Lodge

... footbridge. We paused on the bridge for a couple of final pictures of Root Glacier. At the car we stowed all of our soaking wet outer layers and headed back down McCarthy Road for home.

We made it back to the coach by about 6:15, had a hot bowl of chili, a hot shower (not too long because the gray tank is almost full and we do not have sewer hook-ups here), and fell into bed exhausted. What an anniversary !

... polar icefield in North America.

We stopped at the Copper Center National Park visitor center for the required entrance sign picture, passport stamp, introductory video, and information. We each purchased park sweatshirts and a beautiful poster (maybe we can find room for one more framed poster). We continued on to our campground at Kenny Lake, 18 miles further south on the Ric******* Highway, and 7 miles east on the Edgerton Highway.

... we found the post office closed for lunch and had to kill a few minutes so after a brief tour of the town, we stopped for shakes at the local “Freeze Café”. Wendell had a butterscotch malt and I opted for a blueberry shake. All I can say is, “it sure wasn’t Blue Bell.”

The rest of the afternoon was leisurely and even included a short nap. The camp owner had given Wendell a small pellet rifle to “take care” of ...

Yesterday we went into Wrangell National Park. Sixty-three miles of dirt road each way. And it wasn't worth the effort. Took some photos which are included.

At the end of the day we lucked out on a campground. It was the only place that had WiFi. I think it is the most pleasant of the trip.

Since Wrangell is such a bust we are going to TOK and then Destruction Bay in easy stages to Haines to catch the ferry.

... still see, across the valley, the two gigantic forks of white ice from the glacier piercing the darkness. The valley is so narrow that the road often climbs to great heights to be accommodated. For example, across from the glacier it climbs high enough so that one almost looks down on the glacier. Heavy construction on a 24 hour basis in the spectacular Tahneta Pass just past the glacier provided a bit of night time entertainment. I was also keeping an ...

... kilometer long protected boardwalk along the creek allows for up-close and personal observation of black and grizzly bears feasting on the salmon which are plentiful here at the right time of year. Also getting in on the action is an abundance of American eagles. Apparently I had arrived too late in the season to see any part of the spectacle. Your ultimate destination has got to be another 30 km along a mining road (Granduc Mine) to Salmon Glacier. In my ...

... than that around Fairbanks, which is fairly flat and featureless. It’s almost literally the polar opposite of Arizona, with the outback loop back up to Fairbanks passing through Paxson instead of Arizona’s Payson on the way to Flagstaff. I spend the night in Delta junction, which I guess would correspond to Winslow in the Arizona analogy.