AK2006 -- Along the Glenn Highway

Day 7 was one final roadtrip down the Glenn Highway, an area i had yet to explore on the trip. It was originally built during WWII to connect Anchorage to the Alaska Highway and (at least in the part i was able to explore) generally flollows the Chugach Mountains east along the area's natural glacier rivers. While most of what i saw on the trip differed from one day to the next just because the state is so vast and different -- most of what i saw this day mimiced the sights from Day 1, making for an ironic circle with the best scenic parts of the trip. . .

Down the Old Glenn Highway, the East and West Twin Peaks. . .

. . .cloud covered Chugach Mountains down the Knik River. . .

. . . Pioneer Peak beyond the foot hills. . .

. . .a cloud covered Matanuska Peak from the Old Glenn Highway. . .

. . .the clouds break for a clear picture of Pinnacle Mountain across the Matanuska River. . .

. . .another panoramic shot of the Chugach Mountains from the Glenn Highway. . .

. . .Kings Mountain across the Matanuska River. This was where i ran out of time and turned around to head back to Anchorage. . .

. . .one of the locals has a sense of humor. . .

. . .and a lot of time on their hands. . . the rocks on the side of the road have been set to name people and to mark other messages. . .

. . .a sun lit western view of Kings Mountain. . .

. . .another spiffy panoramic shot of the Chugach Mountains. . .

. . .the Chugach Mountain peaks through the birch trees on the side of the Glen Highway. From highway to river bottom was about 100 feet at the edge. . .

. . .from a distance, Mount Wickersham over the Matanuska River. . .

. . .the beginnings of the Matanuska Glacier. . .

. . .the rolling hills of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley. . .

. . .i found these all over southern Alaska, and i *think* they're Indian Paintbrush -- but ive yet to be able to confirm that. .

. . .the rockface above the Glenn Highway. . .

. . .an eastern view of the Chugach Mountain peaks. . .

. . .another one of my favorite shots of the trip, rellections of the Pinnacle Mountain across the Matanuska RIver. . .

. . .the parting shot of the Lazy Mountain Peak.