Mccarthy Lodge Glennallen

... for the tour of the old mill building. We learned a great deal about the operation of the mines, the mill, and the people who worked here. The mines were located 5 miles up the mountains. A tram system carried the rock to the mill. Here the limestone was separated, yielding copper ore at least 70% pure. Then it was transported by rail to Cordova and by ship to a smelter in Tacoma. The Kennecott Copper Company started here and still ...

... a lot more clothing than I needed. Don’t worry; I didn’t shed them until I returned to the RV. Most of the fireweed is blooming all to the top, and if theory holds true, that indicates that winter is only about six weeks away. I was able to pick the 8 cups of blossoms I needed to make “Fireweed Jelly” and spent the next several hours cleaning the flowers and removing stems. After that, I boiled the fireweed blossoms in water and lemon ...

... Center to the face of the glacier is about two miles round trip......not something we could do. The parking area was filled with cars and the trail that was visible was dotted with folks all bundled up for the walk. It was a cool day around here yesterday and part of today. The sun just came out but there's a very cool breeze and I'm feeling very sorry for all of you in that awful Az heat! At 54 degrees this morning ...

... along the road ready to go. By the way, I believe that road surface conditions in Alaska are worse than in Canada. <br><br>It turned warm today, for the first time since I was in South Dakota over a week ago. Warm enought for just a T-shirt (rather than multiple layers). But not warm enough to have to run the A/C in the van. <br><br>Gas prices are "down" to ...

... The following morning we ventured all the way up to the old mining town of Kennecott from where I trekked for 4 hours (round trip) along the eastern side of Root Glacier which at it's top, forms the third tallest ice-waterfall in the world. It's an amazing sight... I wish the photos I took did it justice but the glacier is enormous... far too big for one photo or even 5. So it was a relatively fleeting visit but a really enjoyable taster of a unique national park.

... a ride. We had booked a glacier hike for the morning so met our shuttle at 8:30am on the far side of the river and arrived in Kennicot 20 minutes later. We were fitted for crampons, threw them in our packs and headed through the old mining town toward the trail to the Root Glacier. The skies parted and we got spectacular views of Mt. Blackburn, the 5th highest mountain in the US. Fresh snow covered ...

... ferry. So we staged with two other motorcyclists we had previously met a week earlier at Dawson Creek BC mile 0 ALCAN. We got the green light headed through. No problem but I could see why bikes going down in the tunnel is common. The ride requires concentration in order to stay between the railroad tracks. If a rider veers off-center and drops the front tire into one of the slots with a track its over, they are ...

... was easily within walking distance. That was a plan that I could surely execute. The rest of my itinerary was still in the realm of the unknown due to the fact that the shuttle between McCarthy and the abandoned mining town of Kennecott (note the different spelling) and the glacier had been shut down for the season. Considering how I might have to walk a distance of about 20 km through Alaskan wilderness, albeit on a narrow dirt road, it took a ...

... under the table" Morning became afternoon and I don't think I left the college till about 16:00. The weather, much to my disappointment, had not gotten better and it was even raining which was another reason I was not eager to leave the college. Finally around 16:00 I hit the road and my route to McCarthy and Wrangell - Saint Elias National Park took me north for a distance of 140 km once again along the beautiful Ric******* Highway. As I was ...

... ABOVE the Arctic Circle. The area below is surprisingly lush and beautiful, miles and miles of unobstructed Nature. You can drive past glaciers as though they were just another roadside attraction, and see the occasional moose or bear making poo-poo along the roadway. Does a bear **** in the woods? In fact the area around Anchorage is really more ...