THE ALASKAN ADVENTURE Day 53 July 8, 2009 Valdez To McCarthy,AK

Prior to leaving Valdez we stopped for groceries and coffee at the espresso bar. It was very hazy as the fires are still burning and the smoke is still hanging around.

We stopped on the way out and got pictures of Bridleveil Falls from a different angle. It really is a nice waterfall.





















Soon after the falls we stopped a tunnel that was hand carved into the mountain. It was done for the railroad line but there were 9 companies vying for the rights to run from Valdez to Copper Canyon. There was a gun battle between the railroad companies and the tunnel was never finished. I can't imagine how long it would take to hand carve a tunnel of that magnitude.

We then stopped at Blueberry Hill Recreation Area for a look see. I took a picture of Blueberry Lake and Kathy took pictures of flowers. Lots and lots of pictures. If the bugs, more like a little horsefly, were not as bad as they were, we might still be there.

We continued along the Richardson Highway and stopped for lunch prior to turning onto the Edgerton Highway which took you to Chitina.

The Edgerton Highway was not to bad and we made good time. We did stop an a little gift shop that specialized in moccasins and bead work but we didn’t buy anything.

We continued on for a couple of miles and saw something you don’t see very often especially in Alaska. A Yak Farm. We couldn’t get any details but some brave sole brought in a few Yak last year to see how they would do. I guess time will tell.

We came to Chitina which is at Mile 34 on the Edgerton Hwy. It has a population of 123 and was once an integral stopover on the Copper River Northwestern Railway. It was a thriving town from 1914 until 1938 when the Kennecott Mines shut town. Overnight it virtually became a ghost town. Today half the residents are Native Alaskans who live a subsistence lifestyle year round.

The Edgerton Highway and pavement ended when we left Chitina. The road for the next 60 miles was gravel, very narrow in spots and very rough in places. The drive took us 3 ½ hours to complete the 60 miles and the dust was terrible. To add insult to injury the smoke from the forest fires completely blocked out the mountains that ran both sides of the road. It was not the most pleasant of drives.

One aspect of the road that I have never see before is that the road is built right on top of the old railway bed. They just took out the rails and laid down gravel and it places you can see the railway ties showing through the gravel. There has even been an old railway spike come through in places.

At mile 17 we came to the first of two bridges that are one lane and until it was recently upgraded it was classified as an adventure. There were slats missing and it rocked a little bit and you could see down to the river below you. If it hadn’t have been recently reworked I am not sure I would have crossed it.

After the 50 mile the mountains were a little closer and we could take some pictures. However they were still a little hazy.

We stopped at the McCarthy / Kennicott visitors information and had an interesting chat with the individual manning the booth. He gave us all the scoop on the tours but we think we are going to head out on our own.

We continued down the road until the end which is where the bridge to McCarthy and Kennicott is located. We got a campsite right at the river and set up for the night.

After we set up we walked across the bridge into McCarthy which was not quite a mile. Kennicott is a further 5 miles up the road.

We had supper at the Golden Saloon in McCarthy, I had a buffalo burger. Quite good.

We took some pictures of McCarthy and headed home for the night.