Setting Out for the Lower 48

We took our last ride down the Seward Highway which is classified as an "all-american" road for its distinguished beauty. Our final ride on the highway was unfortunately plagued by clouds

which obstructed our views of the mountain ranges which the highway is famous for. Also, once we got to the Turnagain Arm area, it was low tide, which meant that we would not be seeing any beluga's again either. Though our last taste of this stunning journey was slightly clouded, literally, we have had plenty of picturesque drives down it during our Alaskan stay and memories of it will always remain clear. We decided to brighten up our day by heading to the Midnight Sun Brewing Company. This was, in my opinion, the best brewery in the Anchorage area. I would say Alaska, but the Silver Gulch Brewery deserves further inspection before that title can be bestowed. We ate dinner, enjoyed some food, and sampled a couple of beers before the brewery closed at 8p.m. We had called up Megan and Scott once we had phone service again to see if they wanted to join us for dinner. However, it was the first NFL game of the season for the Vikings and they were both glued to the TV. Midnight Sun does not have a TV, so they were unwilling to join us for dinner but did offer up their house again to us for the night. We happily agreed to stay with them for one more night of fun before making CJ our permanent home. By the time that we showed up, the game was over. We went through the list of things to do, reminiscing all of the fun things that we did during our previous sojourn with them. Ultimately we decided to do something new; play Wii! We spent the rest of our evening drinking margaritas and playing games that involved the balance board, specifically Wii Fit and Sonic vs. Mario Winter Olympics 2009. After the fun was over, we said our goodbyes, since Megan and Scott had work in the morning, and promised to see each other in a few weeks at Hardly Strictly. We woke in the morning, said our goodbyes to Wrangell and Cubby, and hit the road heading north toward the Tok Junction which we were making our goal for the night. Before

leaving civilization, we grabbed Subway for lunch, then began the 5 hour drive to the junction. The ride was relatively uneventful aside from the stunning views. As we headed north, we looked on as autumn unfolded before our eyes. Each passing mile the colors became more vibrant and each tun offered an unseen view, even though we had traveled this route twice already. When we got to Glennallen, the town where Russ, Katie, and I had our "lovely" meal at the Caribou Hotel, we took a different highway, this time heading directly for Tok. The road

borders the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park which is the largest national park in the US. We had a relatively clear day today and

had a beautiful view of the mountain range for most of the drive. Our plan was to stop off at the ranger station and find a good day hike to do before heading on to Tok which was about an hour away. Unfortunately, we arrived right as the ranger station closed, maybe 15 minutes after. We could still see the rangers walking around inside, but

they chose to ignore us, apparently having put in their hours for the day. The result of this being that we could not get our National Parks Passport stamped and we were forced to fend for ourselves to find a trail. We consulted the literature available to us on the outside of the ranger station and decided upon a trail that started at the ranger station. This trailhead eluded us and we were forced to venture deeper into the park in search of our second choice on the trail list. We found this trail right away, but immediately noticed a problem, we had stumbled

upon an ATV trail. At first we did not think this would be a problem. The trail was 11 miles long total, but the trail guide said that the first 3 were relatively dry. At this point the trail crossed a creek and apparently went into a marshy area. This is where we had planned to turn around. But as we started the trail, we realized the term "relatively dry" was just that, relative. If we had a 4 wheeler, we would have only had to deal with moderate splashes, but as it was, we were forced to straddle two pools of water formed by the tire tracks. This, added to the fact that there was absolutely no view, amounted in Katie and I turning around after about half a mile. After this failed trip into America's largest national park, we retreated to a roadside turnout with a great view of the mountains where we spent an hour reading and enjoying our view. Once the sun fell behind the mountains, we carried on into Tok. We returned to Fast Eddy's, sampling their dinner this time by sharing a pizza, then headed back to the same parking lot where we stayed during our first night in Alaska, ending up in the exact location for both our first and last nights in Alaska. The next day we would be again driving north into untrodden territory toward Chicken Alaska, eventually leaving the state and heading back into the Yukon making our way to Dawson City.