08/17 Magnificent! That’s how I’d describe the scenery today. For the first time I actually felt like I was in Alaska. South of Fort Greely (a ballistic missile defense site) the terrain suddenly opens up to a wide valley with rolling hills. As you ride along you can see the peaks of the Alaska Range getting closer. At one of the rest stops there was a sign mentioning that the Denali Fault runs just to the south and as recently as 2002 a 7.9 earthquake hit the area causing damage to the highway.
Further down the highway the huge Donnelly Dome came into view. The road runs almost perfectly straight here which I hadn’t seen since before Tok. After that the trees thinned out a little revealing huge meadows and crystal clear ponds and lakes for as far as the eye can see. I doubt the pictures will do this place any justice; especially with no sun. Definitely my favorite area so far (‘cept Yellowstone). After that the road ran alongside the huge Delta River which sits between two huge mountain ranges.
Camped next to Michael Creek tonight. Almost all the creeks have been very fast moving and silty. This one is no different. I keep hearing what I think is someone walking through the woods toward me but its just large rocks rolling along the bottom of the creek. All my cycling clothes are hanging up to dry because I got drenched about 40 miles into the ride. I saw it coming too. It was so nice out this afternoon and then bam… soaked.
Entries (RSS)