Woulda-Shoulda-Coulda

Alaska Adventure, Days 17 & 18:  Anchorage to Atlanta

We had planned to search for more letterboxes around Anchorage on Wednesday but instead decided to take a drive down the Seward Highway and get away from the city, as attractive as it is.  Letterboxes were still to be had on the scenic drive.

SEWARD HIGHWAY NEAR BIRD CREEK

As we drove south between the towering Chugach Mountains and the shoreline of Turnagain Arm, we both remembered this beautiful stretch of highway from our 2002 trip to Alaska and began regretting our decision to skip the Kenai Peninsula south of Anchorage because of our previous visit there.  We made our way slowly down Turnagain Arm, stopping frequently to find letterboxes, which most planters had kindly hidden at picturesque spots.

MCHUGH CREEK FALLS

BELUGA POINT

BIRD CREEK

When we reached Girdwood, we picked up a copy of a map from the local Forest Service office, and Ken selected a road which he thought would lead to a scenic spot.  How he does this from a two-dimensional line map is a mystery, but, as he has so often, he nailed it with Crow Creek Road.  After six miles and a 1,500-ft. elevation gain, we ended up at the trailhead for Crow Pass Trail  Along the way we enjoyed some spectacular views of Goat Glacier and Crow Glacier.

AN ALPINE SETTING IN ALASKA

CROW CREEK ROAD SCENE

Although Atlanta transplant Eidolon had planted a letterbox on Crow Pass Trail, finding it would have involved a 21-mile hike (and 21 back).  We were definitely not prepared for that, but it must lead through some breathtaking scenery.  For others who may find such a trek daunting, we hid a letterbox at the trailhead area, so at least they'll get to see the views from the bottom.

LETTERBOX HIDDEN HERE

Back to the Seward Highway and it was time for us to head north back to Anchorage to prepare for our early flight home the following day.  Wishing we had time to continue southward back to the Kenai, we vowed to return and do just that on another trip.

Thursday's flight home was uneventful save one experience we had never dreamed possible.  We've been through the Seattle airport a half dozen times this year, and most have involved hustling from one concourse to another, screeching to a halt at the departure gate just as boarding began.  In fact, Seatac ranks high on the list of American airports with the longest hikes between gates, their lengthiest being almost three-quarters of a mile.  Incredibly, our flight from Anchorage arrived at the same gate as our flight to Atlanta departed (same equipment, different flight number and crew).  Now B7 is our code word for a stroke of good luck.

Upon reflection, our Alaska adventure was all we hoped it would be.  Yes, hindsight would dictate some changes were we to do it over—skip Wrangell and the rail trip and spend time in the Kenai Peninsula.  The highlight of the trip by far was the brief time we spent in Barrow.  Particularly after our visit to the tragic city of Iqaluit in Nunavut, it was heart-warming to see the Iñupiat so successful at self-governance in a western context.

We're no longer intimidated by the Alaska Highway and may one day take the drive up through BC and Yukon.  Certainly we want to return to the area south of Anchorage.  And we heard from some Kansas chick that there's no place like Nome.

WEDNESDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER & THURSDAY, 29 SEPTEMBER, 2016