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After departing the Coral Princess in Whittier, I picked up a station wagon at the new cruise terminal area and proceeded to drive eight days over most of the paved roads in Alaska. Whittier is a most unusual town as the permanent population lives essentially in two buildings, one built by the US government to house troops during World War II, and is accessed overland by a 2.5-mile road/railroad tunnel, the longest in North America. Since the tunnel is a single lane, a strict schedule is necessary to allow train and road traffic to flow in both directions. Further, there is a charge for road traffic moving east to Whittier but not in the opposite direction. A bit of rain was experienced in the early morning but the rest of the eight days was in glorious sunshine for almost the entire journey. The first order of business was to negotiate the long tunnel west to the main Route 1 which is the way north to Anchorage and beyond. It was about a sixty mile journey that was largely along the scenic Turnagain Arm to the state capital. Road conditions tended to be excellent throughout the state and one is surprised because after a winter's freezing and thawing, poor conditions might have been expected. Anchorage, located at the mouth of Knik Arm has rather shallow water offshore so commercial ships use Seward and Whittier as outports. The city, at about 300,000 inhabitants, is the largest in a state that has less than one million total population. It has its attractions but I wanted to see the countryside so I only spent one night in the vicinity at Eagle River. After only a few hours touring the city in the morning, the vehicle was aimed north for Palmer in the Matanuska Valley and then on Route 3 up the Susitna River valley and the Park Highway to Denali National Park (photos). After a 236-mile drive from Anchorage, the park was reached late in the day but the northern location and the long period of daylight did not make one pause or want to retire. The park had already opened its visitor center for the season and was still allowing vehicles to go 33 miles into the interior although in two days the rules would have changed to require visitors to take the bus inland. So by twilight, the park was negotiated ... some animals but not many were sighted ... and by 2300 an overnight stay in the almost deserted campground was the easiest course of action. It was cold indeed and a sleeping bag was not enough but somehow the short night was endured. Then it was an early start north again for the 122 miles to Fairbanks (map). An early breakfast at Nenana was indicative of the Alaskan spirit of its inhabitants. The owner of the Two Choice Restaurant (choose the single offering or nothing at all is the choice!) just happened to be in the establishment so she whomped up a hearty meal but only because she didn't mind being open when she was closed. Anyway, she related how she had arrived years ago in an old vehicle that was promptly broken into and all her possessions stolen leaving her with nothing more than the $20 she had on her person. With that she entered the local pool hall and proceeded to beat everyone there and amass a grubstake that has seen her now own nine of the ten businesses on the town's main street. Some entrepreneurship. Fairbanks is a neat city with a neat state university. Touring their Museum of the North is a treat and they are in the process of enlarging it with a new building. It is worth taking the time to visit Otto, the 8'9" brown bear; Blue Babe, the 36,000 year-old mummified steppe bison; Alaska's largest gold display and so much more. But again, the city life is not what is so attractive in Alaska as the natural landscape. So with little ado, the car was headed for Chena Hot Springs some sixty miles on paved roads east of Fairbanks. The Chena Hot Springs Resort is excellent year-round spa inasmuch as there are indoor pools as well as the extraordinary outdoor rock lake with all the hot water one can hope for. Probably a great place to view the northern lights while bathing but that would take a longer night than in summer where it doesn't really get dark enough for Aurora Borealis. The natural mineral hot springs are complemented with a large variety of activities from horseback riding to canoeing. It also houses the Aurora Ice Hotel, the only one of its type in America. Next morning it was back to Route 2 which covers slightly more than ninety miles between Fairbanks and Delta Junction and if one were to follow it then it would lead to Tok, the Canadian border and southeast to Haines and the Alaskan State Ferry. A good lunch of bison burgers - there are a lot of bison in this part of Alaska - and then its south on one of the prettiest unheralded roads, Route 4, 140 miles to Glennallen. This road is called the Richarson Highway and had snow-covered mountains continually in sight. Overnight was spent at the Fiddler's Green on Bear Creek bed and breakfast at Mile 126 Richardson Highway just a few miles north of Glennallen. It is all by itself on a hill with pretty views of the Wrangell Mountains and a most congenial proprieter. It overlooks the famed Copper River, sometimes hyped as "Nature's Centerfold", and is close to great river fishing for salmon, grayling and trout. The upstairs room at the Fiddler's Green also sports a huge jacuzzi and wrap-around windows so it must be one of the supreme hot tubs in this part of the state. Next morning it was Route 4, the Richardson Highway, south 128 miles to Valdez. Paralleling the Copper River to Tonsina, one passes Copper Center and the Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge which makes for a pleasant stop. Tonsina is the turn off for Route 10, the Edgerton Highway (map), for some 33 miles to Chitina and onto the unpaved McCarthy Road another 60 miles, following the old railroad bed (map) to McCarthy and Kennecott (the spelling Kennicott is applied to the river and glacier) where the copper was mined so heavily in the past. The Copper River is famed for its salmon which are considered to be the best in the world inasmuch as they seem to have the right amount of oil that gives the fish its richness and much of its flavor. Salmon are also high in Omega-3 fatty acids which nutritionists say are healthy for the heart. While farmed salmon now account for more than half the salmon market, the wild salmon have started a comeback as more and more reports of the farmed salmon's possible health and environmental problems surface. The Richardson Highway, Alaska's oldest, is a spectacular road for the next 87 miles as it winds its way through Thompson Pass (over 70 feet of snow per year), the Keystone Canyon, past Worthington Glacier which comes right to the road and then into Valdez and its port area. This route is particularly pretty when there is still heavy snow on the mountains in spring. Valdez is the terminus of the Alaskan 48-inch, hot-oil petroleum pipeline that runs 800 miles from the Arctic Ocean to Prince William Sound. One sees this pipeline all along the Richardson Highway as it rises out of its covered ditch aperiodically to avoid sensitive permafrost regions. The Valdez Totem Inn, located near the small boat harbor, provided a fine rest for the night even though the periods of darkness in the high sun season are rather limited. One finds that there is a prolonged active period with not that much sleep accomplished. But this is a temporary condition for a visitor and is not a real factor. Valdez was completely devastated by the magnificently large 1964 earthquake which was the second largest earthquake ever recorded, and in effect caused the Pacific tectonic plate to move some thirty feet below the North American plate on average. The quake's epicenter in Prince William Sound caused a 200'-high seismic sea wave that traveled up the narrow Valdez Arm and washed away the city. A newer location to the west was chosen to rebuild the city and its present site at this time of the year easily earns its nickname as the Switzerland of Alaska with all the surrounding mountains clothed in white. Incidentally, the Alyeska oil shipping terminal is now off limits to visitors because of its strategic importance. The drive back to Anchorage requires backtracking on Route 4 north to Glennallen and then heading west on Route 1 some 146 miles southwest to Palmer. This is known as the Glenn Highway and similarly has some extremely pretty mountain views especially in the later half as the road parallels the Matanuska River. A good restaurant was encountered in the Eureka summit area and, when the visibility is good, one can see the paralleling Chugach Mountains, the Alaska Range, the Talkeetna Mountains and the Wrangelll-St. Elias Mountains (photos). The night was spent in a rickety motel run by a nearby rickety lodge. It was not yet ready for the season and only one room was available but it did the trick especially when one is tired and needs a good rest. An early drive into Palmer and Anchorage was accomplished easily and then it was on to the Kenai Peninsula which figures to be about 226 miles from Anchorage to Homer. After some of the mountain viewing roads, this was a little tame. A highlight was the sighting of some pearlescent Beluga Whales swimming along the shore of Turnagain Arm. Local residents said that this did not happen very often. Homer (photo), at the end of a long scenic spit (said to be the second longest in the world at about five miles in length), was very attractive and the night was spent in the very nice Land's End Resort with a view to the sea, Kachemak Bay, and the bordering Kenai Mountains in the distance. On the road back from Homer, the Sterling Highway or Route 1, one can see four volcanoes (Mt. Iliamna photo) across the Cook Inlet which are about 30 miles distant. The distance between Homer and Seward is 173 miles but an easy drive. The junction with the Seward Highway, Route 9, leaves only a 37-mile stretch to complete the journey which has now totaled more than 1,800 miles. Just north of Seward there is a road to the west (a very good restaurant catering to local tastes is very near this junction) which in about another five miles leads to Exit Glacier (photos) and a most worthwhile attraction. The glacier is part of the Kenai Fjords National Park and this road is the only overland entrance to the park. A ten minute walk brings one in view of the glacier face which can be approached if meltwater and other conditions are right. The path still had snow on it and the amount of moose scatter was incredible. But not one animal was to be seen. No matter, as the path is much too narrow to allow that sort of opposing traffic. Seward has a number of attractions chief of which is a relatively new and modern Alaska SeaLife Center that has excellent live displays with extra large underwater viewing windows where puffins can be seen "flying" down to 21' below the waterline and any number of fish and water creatures are on display. The stellar sea lions and the harbor seals put on a particularly good show. And there even is an opportunity to put one's hand in the water and touch sea anemones and similar live marine specimens. Seward also is the start of water services and tours to areas in Resurrection Bay and to the Kenai Fjords National Park. Kayaking, fishing and nature boat tours are excellent activities in the area. Seward, of course, is the terminus for cruise ship operations that invariably head for Vancouver and Seattle. An overnight in the historic Van Gilder Hotel and the next day was reserved for dropping off the car and boarding the Veendam for the return cruise to Vancouver. All in all, the driving adventure turned out to be an excellent way to see the great state of Alaska in a most relaxing and enjoyable manner. I would recommend a similar experience for anyone wanting to see more of the natural and cultural setting of the northern frontier. Driving maps might be consulted before venturing forth. Index of travel articles by the author. Copyright 2004, All Rights Reserved. |
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