Journey to AK - Part 3 Words: Mark Dangler
Five minutes after crossing the boarder from Canada back into America we saw three majestic, high soaring, pure, genuine, born in the U.S.of.A. bald eagles. Now you may ask; coincidence? Hell no! We were back in America and I certainly saw it as a glaring symbol that even up here near the arctic circle Uncle Sam was smiling wide at the success of our great road journey.
Most of what I had previously known of Alaska came from postcards and unbounded hours spent watching the travel channel and the funny thing is from what I can tell this isnt too far from the truth. When I travel I try to play the "I'm a local" card; but now I take back every laugh I ever chuckled at a visor wearing tourists snapping off pictures left and right because, well, that is exactly what Alaska has turned me into. My newly acquired "pink camera" has been on a photographical killing spree.
Anyway, we neared Valdez on a blue afternoon (something we have come now to know as a rarity) but not before we made the, what appears to be standard, backdoor transaction at a local bar for a six pack to go. So now, 3035 miles later, we were here in Valdez, AK. It's everything I expected and more. Keep scrolling through these pages to see anything and everything from snowboarding to the newest dance moves at the Pipeline bar.
- Welcome to Alaska. Where you can get beer to go out of the backdoor of a bar.
- And Anchorage is only in the middle of the state.
- The boarder into Alaska. Way more low key than the boarder back into Alberta.
- Nothing like a moose rack to welcome you back to the land of the free, home of the brave.
- Not even 5 mins after we cross the boarder back into America we see a bald eagle pearched high on a tree. Coincidence? I think not.
- Wyatt gettin' a quick postcard-esque photo.
- Tok, Alaska. More or less the first sign of civilization we have seen since Whitehorse, Yukon.
- Half dog half wolf
- Heading south from Tok to Valdez.
- At this point when all of our eyes were glued to the windows I looked over to Elliott and said, "It must really suck to have to pay attention to the road right now."
- Approaching Thompson Pass.
- Tailgate Alaska basecamp.
- Heliboarding in Alaska Is so cool
- This terrain is right off the road.
- And most of what you see here is sled accessible.
- Puttin' the bird in it's cage for the evenin'.
- Heli briefing.
- Wyatt passing the beacon test even after polishing off his backdoor special from the bar down the road.
- Elliott taking his turn at the beacon test.
- Worthington Glacier in the background. Check that one out of your 1000 Places in America to See Before You Die book.
- Valdez Harbor.
Get caught up on the Journey: Journey to AK - Part 1 Journey to AK - Part 2