ALASKA 2019: THE ROAD (June 10-26, 2019)

Richardson Highway

Horse Tail Falls

After arriving in Anchorage by railroad, we rented a vehicle and drove the hour or so to Big Lake, Alaska where we began the road trip segment of our Alaskan adventure.  I've thought about the best way to tell about this over two week, 2,000 plus mile trek part of our experience and have decided that a machine gun type of explanation might work best.  So here we go.

Our time included overnights at a B & B (Glennallen), a church campground lodge (Big Lake), friends' homes (Chugiak, Soldotna), a church guest room (Homer), and a tent ( Ekultna Lake State Park).

During this time we visited Valdez (Richardson Highway), Eagle River (Eagle River Nature Center), Seward (Exit Glacier), Thunder Bird Falls, Gridwood (Alyeska Resort), Seldovia (Nature Cruise), Portage (Portage Glacier), Wasilla (Iditarod HQ), Palmer (Musk Ox Farm), Talkeetna, Hatcher Pass (Independance Gold Mine), and North Pole.  There were many other stops and places, but these are the main ones.

  Ekluta Lake

We saw eleven eagles at once on the shores of Cook Inlet, a Moose (up close and personal), a grizzly bear (walked through campsite), sea otters, thousands of nesting sea birds, Dall Sheep, Reindeer, Alaskan Pipe Line, glaciers, waterfalls (Bridal Veil and Horse Tail on the Richardson Highway near Valdez were the best), and mountain after mountain.

We ate at places named;Summit Lake Lodge (Moose Pass), Bobby's (Chugiak), Little Richard's Diner (North Pole), Old Roadhouse (Talkeetna), Denali Family Restaurant (Wasilla), Lucky Wishbone (Anchorage), Artic Roadrunner (Anchorage), Moose Is Loose (Soldotna), Louie's (Kenai), Duncan House (Homer), Land's End Resort (Homer) and, above the clouds, at Boar Tide Deli (Girdwood).

As huge as Alaska is, its road system is about the size of the road system in New Hampshire.  Having said that, it really doesn't matter which way you go there is always something spectacular around the next bend.

Seldovia

REFLECTIONS

Big Lake

Our month long Alaskan experience came to an end with an exciting road trip from Homer to Anchorage.  In order to make it back to the airport in Anchorage, we cut things a day short so as to make it through the edge of the 50,000 acre Swan Lake forest fire.  The blaze was threatening to shut down the Sterling Highway (the only artery through the Kenai Pennensula).  We sat in the 400 car line waiting for the guide vehicle to lead us on the ten mile stretch of  ground where the fire bordered the road.  The wait was well over two hours.

Many times the journey of our lives come down to an end that we could not anticipate; an end sparked by things beyond our control.  Most of us have stood beside someone whose life adventure came to unexpected stop and the waiting was long and difficult.

For those of us who are Christ followers, we believe that this waiting is but a pause before the One who said "I am the Way" comes to guide us through the smoke of death to the beauty on the other side.  It is then that we say with the song writer; "I'll fly away".

Sterling Highway (Swan Lake Fire)