Saturday, July 23, 2011

The last of the McCarthy/Kennecott photos - finally!

Photos from the trip home - McCarthy to Valdez


We saw a lot of these - Nest? Epiphyte? They were exclusively in evergreens and usually fairly high in the tree. They were not clustered in an area.


A rather odd vehicle to see on a 60 mile dirt road. He was obviously broken-down. We saw the blue "car" and two motorcycles earlier that day leaving the McCarthy footbridge. One of the men on a motorcycle parked his bike right in the middle of the narrow road. Don't know if he was "protecting" the car - not hard to miss on a road with a top speed limit of 30 - not to mention he was accompanied by a pick-up truck. The biker made no effort to move the bike and gave us a "dirty look" when we passed - well off the shoulder by necessity. We waved (they did not wave back) and drove on.


They have a simple way to name their lakes - by the mile marker. They have a lot of signs so there are a lot of targets.




        Another challenging airstrip - although in better shape than most
                            


                                  Our first Yak ranch
Yak ranch lawn decoration






                              Catchy advertising for an RV park


Tonsina River Lodge (aka "The Russian Diner") & Liquor Store - Friday night $10 All You Can Eat Ribs (while they last) followed by Poker. 


Sauna now open

Spotlessly clean


Could be a fun place on a Friday night

Excellent Russian food and our first WiFi in three days - Heaven on all counts




                  The pipeline - one stretch above ground




                                  Heading to "The Pass"




We're in "The Pass". If you ever check the weather in Valdez, there is always a forecast for the town and one for "The Pass" - for good reason. 


From Wikipedia - "Thompson Pass is a 2,805 foot-high (855 meter-high) gap in the Chugach Mountains northeast of Valdez, Alaska.[1] It is the snowiest place in Alaska, recording 551.5 inches (1,401 cm) of snow per year on average.[2] In the winter of 1952–1953, 974.5 inches (2,475 cm) of snow fell—the most ever recorded in one season at one location in Alaska.[2] The pass also holds the Alaska record for the most snow in a single day: 62 inches (160 cm) fell on December 29, 1955.[2]"  


                               An interesting (?)  ending for our trip






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