In Haines

LFinally got out of Homer and made it to Tok just before midnight Monday. Total trip miles leaving Homer were 3700 ( starting at Bend ). 

Had to make a note for future travels: 

When leaving a large city ( Anchorage in this case ), try to not do it at rush hour. 

Nearing sunset I found myself 21 miles east of Gakona looking at the Wrangle mountains. 

They are, left to right: Sandiford 16,237 ft; Wrangle 14,163 ft; and Blackburn 16,390 ft. I didn't know that Cody had a mountain named after him. I shouldn't be surprised. 

The next day was Tok to Haines. The road was brutal from Beaver Creek to Burwash but got better by Kulane Lake. 

Trip log 4530 miles. Refuel at Haines Junction and head south. 

First on the "stop and see" list was the rock glacier. 

I'd never heard of rock glaciers but apparently the ice melts back at a stage when there are lots of small rocks in the moraine. Most of the glacier is gone leaving a valley of rocks. 

Many thanks to the guys (and apparently a few gals) that built the path in 1978. 

This is the view from the rocks. 

A little further down the road were the guardians. 

Two of the barest mountains I've seen. I believe they go above the lichen line.  Then I realized that the elevation where I'm standing is only 900 meters. 

The next valley, just a few miles down the road, has dozens of hanging glaciers. 

The road continues down through AK Customs and joins the river running down that valley. 

Quite a flow. 

A few more miles and I am in Haines. 

Carnival in town. 

I check out what must be one of the shortest rivers in Alaska. The Chilkoot. 

It runs from the top of the bay about two miles to the lake. 

But it has plenty of bears. This sow was feeding her two cubs (they are just right of the rear view mirror) and people were crowding her for photos. 

By the time I got back to town a new cruise ship was in. 

All in all, Haines is a pretty cool place and the road down from the AK Highway is fantastic!

Looks like rain tomorrow. Must be in the pan handle. 

Stay cool.