7/12/19 - Day 14 - Erie Travels

The smoke had thckened again overnight, but there was a light drizzle as we headed on north. The drive was a strange and erie one . We could see the road for maybe a mile ahead of us and trees off to either side. However, according to the maps there should be giant mountains too! By the time we got to Delta Junction, the smoke was thick in the air. Some bicyclists were wearing dust masks, we didn't envy them.

We headed south at the junction on the Richardson Highway toward Valdez. Several "viewpoint" turnouts were just widespots along the road for us. After an hour or so, there began to be
hints of hills. Mountains must be lurking out there, but they were still hidden from view.

Another hour of driving and some of the giant snowcovered peaks began to materialize. As we got further into the mountain range, we could finally begin to distinquish large mountains. Those to the north were across a wide valley with a muddy braided river running through it. The mountains to the south rose steep sided along the highway.
The Aleska pipeline in the forground


Tonight's camp doesn't smell smoky, however there is that slight pinkish tinge to the color of the sky. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

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