Three Ranges

Three Ranges - Alaskan, Chugach and the Wrangells surround this area on Alaska Rt 4. Opened up this morning at the espresso shack and rolled down the road heading for Valdez. Along the way we stopped by the North pole and later on Ritas Roadhouse for soup and sandwiches. It wasn't long before we found ourselves again in the wilderness when I nearly ran down a mother moose and her calf just north of the Army base that posted its keep out signs in Russian! Duh yeah do we really want the russians trespassing on army bases? As we drove along finally the weather improves drastically and we were rewarded with some great views of Mt. Sanford at 16000 feet in Wrangell-St Elias National Park. We stopped at Worthington glacier to snap a picture and it was brutally cold the nearer we got to the ice feild and had to retreat back to the car with numb fingers. I was feeling content upon reaching the port of Valdez with the mountains towering 4000 feet into the blue skies and the absence of rain for once was refreshing. Valdez is a really small town that boms in the summer but at this late date it seemed we had it all to ourselves. We went to dinner over at the Totem Inn where once again I was blessed with a delicious meal called the Totem Seafood Platter which was King Crab, Scallops, Halibut, and Shrimp each prepared different respectively Steamed, Fried, Grilled, and Sauteed. My companions who avoid fruits of the sea had not been so pleased with their meals. We walked along the small boat harbor and could hear the Orca's breaching and breathing in the distance while we watched a sea otter cracking shellfish on its belly right in front of the dock. Hoping to catch a glimpse of the Aurora Borealis I stepped out again late in the evening and walked along the harbor shore and was startled by a loud screech like I never heard before. Looking up into the trees were a pair of Owls that had just landed in the tree and were making a great deal of noise which I felt was directed toward my trespasses since there gaze was fixed on me under their perch.