Richardson Highway

Richardson Highway is Alaska's first highway. It begins in Valdez and extends north, all the way to Fairbanks. We went on the Richardson highway from Glennallen to Valdez (and back).

Worthington Glacier is very easily accessible. We practically drove to the glacier's face. From the parking lot it took us less than 10 minutes to walk to the glacier itself.

At this age of global warming the glaciers are receding. That means that they are constantly cracking and calving. It is VERY dangerous to walk on them.

Despite all the warning signs, some folks still cozy up to the face of the glacier for photos. Please note that this glacier has removed such people from the gene pool before, by dropping large chunks of ice on their heads. It's a great spot to explain global warming AND natural selection to the kids...

Thompson Pass. Elevation 2771 ft. (844 metes).This spot holds most of Alaska's snowfall records, including 62 inches (157 cm) of snaw in a 24 hour period, in December 1955.

At this point in our Journey we reached Valdez, which is the terminus of the Trans Alaska Pipeline. From here the oil is shipped by oil tankers to refineries in the lower 48. The guide book describes Valdez as "...one of the prettiest sopts in South Central Alaska, rivaling scenic standbys like Seward and Homer for sheer scenic overkill."

We wouldn't know. It was very foggy. We couldn't even see the seagulls on the bay...

We set out to Wrangell-St. Elias NP. The first 32 miles towards the NP are paved. This Part ends in tiny Chitina. We never got to the NP itself - A combination of bad weather and rented car limitations.

Chitina is a bustling metropolin of 120 people. Needless to say, we met some of them who wanted to get away from all that commotion to the peaceful country side...