Tok & Valdez, Alaska

Tok, Alaska...ever heard of it?  I certainly had not before this RV tour, but, who'd ever heard of Chicken?  :-)  While we were only here for one evening, we had an enjoyable evening.  The afternoon began with everyone, just about, washing rigs & toads.  The RV park had two power spray washers and the wagon masters had arranged for us to do so.  It was a team effort in that there were at times 6-7 people washing & rinsing the big rigs.

At the road trip meeting that evening, George & Sharon (Great Falls, MT) treated all who desired, to Huckleberry Margaritas.  We managed to get thru the meeting with no one falling out of their chairs.  Thanks Montana.  And what a nice weather day!

Had to snap a pic of this little jewel...homemade wagon and he was driving it around the park like a golf cart, with their furry friend too.

Then the next morning it was off to Valdez.

Mt Sanford was just an awesome view from miles away.  We drove around this mountain for hours it seemed.  The weather was perfect for viewing such a behemoth.  It just seemed to stay off to our left all the way to Wrangell St Elias National Park, a hundred miles from Tok.

 

 And Mt St Elias sitting right next to Mt Sanford is actually 2000 feet taller than Mt Sanford.  Just an awesome view, and for hours it seemed.

At trip log 140 miles on the way to Valdez was this national park, and what a jewel.  America's largest!  From NPS website:  At 13.2 million acres which is bigger than the country of Switzerland, Wrangell-St. Elias stretches from one of the tallest peaks in North America, Mount St. Elias (18,008) to the ocean. Yet within this wild landscape, people have been living off the land for centuries and still do today. The park is a rugged yet inviting place to experience your own adventure.

Above, from the park, a view of Mt St Elias, with a little interference in the foreground.

Waiting for the 22 minute video to begin, a few of us stopped by to rest our legs and take a facility break, while enjoying another national treasure.

Whenever we visit national parks, we usually buy books & T's to help support the park in hopes that it will help keep them open to the public.

We went on a little 20 minute nature walk with another couple from the caravan.  It was more a talk on the Boreal Forest and how the trees & wildlife survive the cold & long winters.

Then it was back on the road to finish up the last 110 miles to Valdez, and what a stretch of continuing Alaskan beauty.  Mr. Seward, you bought us a jewel way back in 1867!  Nice going!

Here are a few pics of that stretch.

Most of these pics were thru the windshield by the co-pilot (Nancy) so beware of the bugs & coach obstructions.

Did I mention before that Alaska had glaciers?  :-)

This one appeared to stretch nearly to the road, but was actually a bout a mile away.  I caught George snapping a pic.  A lot of our folks pulled over here to do the same.

And Abbey (the choc lab) needed a walk as well.

 

And then it was time to climb back aboard the rigs and drive on in the last 30 miles or so into Valdez, the new Valdez.  But I'll need to explain that in our next blog including our day on the boat in Valdez Sound & Prince Edward Sound.  What a day that was!  Till then, RVing Beach Bums from Palmer, AK.