Saturday 13 July
Headed out of Anchorage late morning then took the ‘Old Glenn Highway’ through to Palmer. It’s when you get off the beaten track that you see some of the real gems; Chris loved making us stop to take photos of old cars in paddocks – and there were plenty. We often drove past lots of little cabins and lodges that the miners used in the Gold, Copper and Silver Rush Days, now abandoned. It seemed so sad that these little buildings with so much history were now just deteriorating.
Stocked up with some supplies at Palmer and followed the Matanuska River eastward through Chickaloon and onto Glennallen. Turned south onto the Richardson highway and headed to Kenny Lake where we caught up with Carla, a good friend of Peggy Hicks. Spent some time planning with her before continuing onto Valdez. Went up and over Thompson Pass, just stunning, with great views up into Worthington Glacier. Once over the pass we descended passing the stunning Bridal Veil falls, and Horse Tail falls. Had to endure plenty of roadworks and with subsequent delays, got into Valdez around 9:30pm. Decided not to try and book into a campground, save ourselves $50, and after getting some odds and ends at Safeway, camped overnight in their carpark … only to find the following morning that overnight camping was prohibited in their carpark (small sign on the Safeway door!).
