2024 Alaska Road Trip (Day 37)
This journal posting chronicles Day 37 of a road trip to Alaska and back with Diane, Kenny and Deneen.
Day 37 - Monday July 29th
Today we continued on down the highway from Little Nelchina State Recreation Site to Bear Paw RV Park in Valdez, AK. We drove a total of 172 miles/277 km.
Sunrise at Little Nelchina State Recreation Site was 5:08 AM and sunset in Valdez was 10:29 PM.
As we started out the clouds looked a bit heavy.
We continued east on the Glenn Highway.
Glenn Highway (Hwy 1), near Glennallen, AK
Once we reached Glennallen, AK we turned south on the Richardson Highway and headed towards Valdez, AK.
Since Valdez is the southern terminus of the Alyeska Pipeline (also known as the Trans-Alaska Pipeline), we started seeing some views of it again.
Alyeska Pipeline - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), Copper Center, AK
As we headed south, the mountains got taller, or the clouds got lower, or both…
Tsina River - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
A cool view of the Worthington Glacier sticking out of the clouds.
Worthington Glacier - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
The Richardson Highway goes over the Thompson Pass through the Chugach Mountains. Thompson Pass receives 600 to 900 inches of snow every year, it is one of the snowiest places around. The snow poles are very interesting how they come in over the top of the road so the snowplow does not plow them away.
Note that we finally made it to the rain clouds.
Thompson Pass - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
Heading down a very long hill into the Lowe River valley that leads us to Valdez.
Lowe River - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), Wortmanns, AK
Once at the bottom of the hill, the road heads through a very narrow canyon called the Keystone Canyon.
Keystone Canyon - Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
Everyone was pulled over at a pullout in the middle of the canyon so we pulled over and found this beauty of a waterfall.
Bridal Veil Falls - Keystone Canyon, Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
And a very short distance later, another one.
Horsetail Falls - Keystone Canyon, Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), AK
Our view as we enter Valdez on a cloudy and rainy day.
Richardson Highway (Hwy 4), Valdez, AK
We ended up spending the afternoon in the trailer working on computers due to the rain.
Dinner was some delicious ravioli with frozen corn that was not very delicious.
Dinner - Bear Paw RV Park, Valdez, AK