July 30 - Day 25 - Return to Tok

Hi Everyone,

Today we traveled to the southern end of Tok Cutoff, then returned to Tok. There was some sun, but it was so hazy I never got any good shots of the Wrangell-St. Elias Mountains, which was disappointing, since they were the reason we decided to take this highway.

As I said yesterday, the road is pretty rough, so the going is slow. We stopped quite a few times at pull offs to check out the scenery. There were good views of the silty Copper River, a classic "braided" glacial stream, and lots of beaver ponds alongside the road. We found an old log cabin with a front yard completely filled with wild delphiniums - beautiful site.

Many of the wildflowers I discovered when we arrived in Alaska are now gone by - the growing season is so short and the days are so long the whole growth cycle is much more compressed here than it is at home. Fireweed is still blooming, and it was full of bees.

We made it back to Tok by early afternoon, and after we got gas, we stopped at a gift shop in search of souvenirs. Donny bought a t-shirt, but I left empty-handed ... nearly everything in the place was made in Thailand or China. I was hoping for some authentic Made-In-Alaska artwork. No luck.

After the store visit, we then headed up the Taylor Highway to Chicken. I am posting that part of the day separately.

Cheryl & Donny