_________________________________________________

YOU TUBE - http://www .youtube.com/user/TravelsWithLobo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Glenn Highway - Anchorage to Glennallen
 
-----------------------------------
Since posting my last blog nine days ago, from Homer (Sept. 16), I have traveled thousands of kilometers on some of North America's most beautiful roads.
 
The weather has more or less co-operated which means that my days have been spent traveling or sightseeing. Usually, I have traveled late into the night to get to my next destination. As I have previously mentioned, I enjoy traveling at dusk and into the night. The perspective is different but it can still be beautiful.
 
Spending most of the day on the road or sightseeing does not leave time for blogging.
 
Today, Sept. 25 is a rainy day and I have a nice, warm library at my disposal so I will try and do some blogging.
 
It also provides me with a break from the most strenuous, stressful driving done over the last two days. (to be blogged later)
 
---------------------------------------
Sept . 18, 2007
 
Distance driven - 300 km
 
My next destination was Wrangell - St. Elias National Park located 500 km to the east of Anchorage.
 
After my return to Anchorage from Homer on Sunday evening, I spent Monday visiting the airport facilities and blogging. Due to rainy weather on Tuesday, I continued blogging at the University of Alaska - Anchorage. I did not leave the "office", for the last time, till about 17:00.
 
My next destination was Wrangell - St. Elias National Park located 500 km to the east.
 
On this evening I would only reach the town of Glennallen, located 300 km north-east of Anchorage.
 
My route would take me along the Glenn Highway. I like that in Alaska, all the highways, and there aren't many, have names as well as numbers.
 
 
As I look at my photos for this blog, I have to make one observation. They do not convey the enthusiasm that I felt during this drive.
 
That is a disappointment because it is difficult to wax eloquent about a section of highway driven if the photos don't appear to back it up.
 
Perhaps the fact that the weather was not co-operating and once again it was late in the day may have contributed to the muted photos .
 
Be that as it may, I did enjoy this drive immensely.
 
It started with a misinterpretation of a sign which as a result took me off the Glenn Highway onto the Old Glenn Highway.
 
That was a fortunate turn of events because I saw parts of the Matanuska River which I would have otherwise missed.
 
It also led to a close encounter with the river bed. Along the Old Glenn Highway at one point, I was able to drive out onto the river bed. As I was out there, a Jeep came roaring towards me and for a moment I did not know whether this would be a "Deliverance" moment, as the area was quite isolated, or just someone out to have fun. Luckily it turned out to be the latter.
 
Once back on the Glenn Highway it soon became evident that this would be the most scenic "braided" river drive I was to make in Alaska. ("braided" was a term which I heard used in Denali National Park)
 
The Matanuska River is in places almost half a kilometer wide and its waters at this time of year snake their way through a multitude of channels creating the braided effect.
 
Unfortunately by the time I reached the Matanuska Glacier, darkness had set in . But I could still see, across the valley, the two gigantic forks of white ice from the glacier piercing the darkness.
 
The valley is so narrow that the road often climbs to great heights to be accommodated. For example, across from the glacier it climbs high enough so that one almost looks down on the glacier.
 
Heavy construction on a 24 hour basis in the spectacular Tahneta Pass just past the glacier provided a bit of night time entertainment.
 
I was also keeping an eye on the time because the road is closed from midnight to 06:00 due to the construction.
.
Traffic through the area was on an alternating one way basis each time led by a lead car.
 
I had to reflect on the type of work that some people do for a living. Driving a lead car back and forth or holding a sign to regulate traffic for an eight hour shift must be mind boggling and repetitive to say the least.
 
That reminds me of Natasha, the flag person I saw on the border between British Columbia and the Northwest Territories. If you haven't seen the photos, have a look at blog no . ----..
 
The Glenn Highway is classed as a "Scenic Bypass" which is Alaska's designation for a scenic route and it is identified by a pictogram of a fireweed - the beautiful weed that blooms in bright red colours in August and that is so prolific in Alaska.
 
I arrived late around 23:00 in Glennallen, finding a town that had already gone to bed.
_________________________________________________

YOU TUBE - http://www.youtube.com/user/TravelsWithLobo

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------