Land of the Midnight Sun

This week's adventure is without the motorcycle, but with amazing scenery! Monday night we landed in Anchorage, Alaska! We're here for the Last Frontier HOG Rally.

We arrived at midnight, but at this time of year this far north there was still plenty of sunlight. After a quick shuttle to the hotel, we crashed hard and woke up early.

Reindeer sausage was a must for breakfast at the White Spot Cafe, a delicious local's place, then we picked up the rental car at 08:00, drove back to the hotel to grab our gear, and headed out of town.

We took Highway 1 northeast through Palmer, then turned eastward to follow the Matanuska River. We stopped several times to enjoy the stunning views, most notably of Matanuska Glacier.

At Glennallen, around 13:00, we topped off the tank and had lunch. 87 octane gas was $4.59 a gallon and two burgers and fries at the only place to eat were $57 😳.

We turned south on Highway 4 and 85 miles later I was getting my picture taken in Thompson Pass. Harley has a challenge called "50 Rides, 1 Nation." Each state has a particular place where you take your photo with the HD magazine or guide. This was my 50th photo!!!! Mission accomplished!!!!

The scenery on Highway 4 is unlike any I've seen before. Although the highest elevation is only 2,678 and the temperature was around 55°F, there was snow on mountains cradling glaciers. Yet everything was so very green. The river was a living turbulence with its silty runoff racing down from the peaks. The waterfalls ranged from trickles to torrents, and those were the ones visible from the road. Just gorgeous!

We settled into our hotel in Valdez on the coast, then walked a very short ways down the marina, mainly filled with fishing and sight-seeing vessels. We had a delicious dinner at a Thai food truck, then walked across the street back to the marina where they were cleaning fish under the watchful gaze of bald eagles, seagulls, and crows. Bald eagles win 🤣.

This morning, we're driving north to Fairbanks. It's only just after 05:00 now, but the sun is already up 😭. I wonder what sights today will bring.... Czytaj więcej