The Sterling Highway to the Glenn Highway on to the Richardson - Too much scenery for 1 day!

Tolsona Wilderness Campground

Tolsona Wilderness Campground - just south of Glennallen

July 8 - July 9, 2016

What a marvelous day for my most favorite Alaska Highways!  Leaving Seward on the Sterling Highway it was crystal clear.  You could see for over 100 miles.  The Coastal Range was amazing, the Alaskan Range and the Wrangell Mtns were just spectacular.  It was like living in an Alaskan postcard all day.  Then we got on the Glen Highway, which I loved the first time through, and was better yet because of the beautiful day.  The Glacier drive.  It was fantastic.  I don’t think I can get bored of seeing these glaciers every day (knowing that the remainder of our drive is lots and lots of forests of millions of trees!)

We drove the majority of the Glenn Highway to the Tolsona Wilderness Campground, which was a private campground but with a government camp “feel.”  All the sites were positioned along a creek with lots of trees in between.  Kevin fished for a bit and Bodie went crazy swimming against the current of the creek.  Mosquitos were a bit nasty, but we had a nice evening with J&B.  

Salmon spawning at rest area pull-off

Well?  Hello Ms. Moose

Beautiful Highway - such a changing landscape

rush hour traffic

Tomorrow we are off to the Richardson Highway towards Delta Junction and then East towards Tok.  Not doing the “Tok Cutoff” again….that was something of a road.  All of our hinges and doors and oven vent and shower door, and and and was knocked loose from that crazy road.     

700 miles of pipeline

Our drive today was different.  We took a new highway - The Richardson Highway, the oldest highway in Alaska, prior to the ALCAN being built.  The Alaska Pipeline travels alongside the highway for many miles and that was pretty cool to see.  Pretty impressive.  Followed along the highway for some time.  Many rest stops where you could pull over and really get an idea of this amazing work.  It is equipped with earthquake sensors,various heating cells for weather changes and uplifted for frost-heave issues.

The funniest part of our day was when we pulled into Delta Junction.  There is a Military base, Ft. Greeley that is located on the outskirts of DJunction.  We pulled into a gas station to fill up and use their dump station.  We noticed a bunch of tents and tables and BBQ set up…went over and asked them what was going on?  Well, it’s Military Appreciation Day???  who’d guess!!!  Well, I had to tell them I was a Army Brat for many years and they invited us in for lunch. Tried to pay them, but no luck.  FREE.  You should have seen how much food they had.  We were in heaven.  It was classic…brought me back to my Army base days.

so cool!!!