{"id":4990,"date":"2020-08-26T22:59:07","date_gmt":"2020-08-26T14:59:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/?p=4990"},"modified":"2021-02-06T11:32:15","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T03:32:15","slug":"20200826road","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.huangyizhou.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/26\/20200826road\/","title":{"rendered":"Day 4 of 2020 Alaska Trip, Driving to Healy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fourth day of our Alaska trip. We would be driving from Seward to Healy, the gateway town to Denali National Park.<\/p>\n

\"Eklutna<\/a>

<\/br>Eklutna Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

The 373-mile drive from Seward to Healy was predicted to take 6.5 hours by Google Maps. Since we didn\u2019t have anything else planned for the day, and the previous two days have been exhausting, we woke up late and set off at 11am.<\/p>\n

The drive out of Seward was in a drizzle, just like how we arrived three days ago.<\/p>\n

\"Mountains\"<\/a>

<\/br>Mountains<\/br><\/p>\n

We made a brief rest stop at Turnagain Pass, where I snapped this photo of imposing distant mountains behind clouds.<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Seward<\/a>

<\/br>Seward Highway<\/br><\/p>\n

On the southern shore of Turnagain Arm, leading to the town of Portage. When we were driving towards Seward three days ago, the glaciers along Portage Valley was magnificent in the rear-view mirror. Unfortunately, this morning they were mostly veiled by thick clouds.<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n

Then, weather got better as we were rounding Turnagain Arm.<\/p>\n

\"Freight<\/a>

 \"Freight<\/a><\/br>\"Freight<\/a><\/br>Freight Train<\/br>For the first time in our trip, we spotted Alaska railroad in motion.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

We made a brief stop at Potter Marsh, an expansive wetland just south of Anchorage. The sight of wetlands was rare in Alaska, and the transient mists surrounding distant mountains made it elusively stunning. Best of all, Potter Marsh was a popular wildlife viewing spot, and just in front of the roadside turnout were a group of ducks in the water.<\/p>\n

\"Potter<\/a>

 \"Potter<\/a><\/br>\"Potter<\/a><\/br>Potter Marsh<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Ducks\"<\/a>

 \"Ducks\"<\/a><\/br>Ducks<\/br>Kind of interesting watching them feeding like this.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

After having lunch in Anchorage suburb, my friend browsed through some website and recommended that we make a stop at Eklutna Lake, a scenic lake located in Chugach State Park.
\nAfter turning off Glenn Highway, a small 2-lane country road wound itself up the mountain for 10 miles, after which we were by the lake\u2019s side.<\/p>\n

\"Eklutna<\/a>

<\/br>\"Eklutna<\/a><\/br>Eklutna Lake<\/p><\/div>\n

Unfortunately, the lakeside beach seemed rather infested by bugs, so we didn\u2019t spend a lot of time appreciating the scenery. The lake should be an ideal place for hiking or kayaking, we have neither the time nor equipment for those activities.<\/p>\n

\"Small<\/a>

<\/br>Small Plane Flying By<\/br><\/p>\n

A small plane briefly disturbed the tranquility at lakeside. It was far from us though, as these photos were cropped to 1125mm equivalent. Later I learned there was a small airport (“Bold Airport”) at the southern end of Eklutna Lake. The airport had a 300m runway, serving about 200 flights per year.<\/div>\n

<\/p><\/div>\n

This was like the mid-point for our drive to Healy, so after taking some naps, I resumed driving.<\/p>\n

\"Crossing<\/a>

<\/br>Crossing Knik River<\/br>Matanuska mountains in the distance.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

After crossing Knik River, Park Highway made its way through developed towns like Wasilla, with lots of traffic lights and traffic. But after that, civilization faded behind us and we were entering thick forests.<\/p>\n

\"Park<\/a>

 \"Park<\/a><\/br>Park Highway<\/p><\/div>\n

We made a final stop at Alaska Veterans Memorial, by Denali State Park, one of the few roadside service stations along the way. <\/p>\n

\"Alaska<\/a>

<\/br>Alaska Veterans Memorial<\/br>The statue\u2019s kind of cute in expressing Alaska\u2019s frigidness.<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

Given the proximity to Denali Mountains, I thought this would be a great spot to launch my drone for an aerial tour. Unfortunately, the Denali Mountains were mostly behind clouds that afternoon. In addition, I didn’t recall the exact boundary of Denali National Park that day, so I erred on the safe side by staying behind Chulitna River. I could have easily crossed that river and went a couple miles ahead before reaching no-fly zone.<\/span>
\nHere’s video from my drone:
\n