Heading South

Road Trip to Valdez

Donnelly Dome

So Scotty and I are always looking to explore and we decided to sneak out for a weekend and explore Valdez, AK. This is an 8 hour road trip and the trip itself was an adventure. The scenary was amazing and exactly what I had originally thought Alaska would be when we found out we were being stationed here. So about an hour and a half south of us there is this small mountain(dome). Donnelly Dome pops out of the landscape and is beautiful. There is a trail that goes up to the top and I think the family might have to try that trail out!

Jezzy and the pipeline

 We took a break from the drive at one of the roadside pipeline sightings. This one was one I hadn't seen before. It had this pipes that you can see behind my truck. The actual pipeline is below the ground. These pipes keep the permafrost from melting from the heat of the pipeline. I have to say I am very impressed with how much thought to the environment went into making the pipeline.

Pipeline to the Wrangell Mountains

 It might be hard to tell but the pic to the left are salmon getting ready to spawn and the right picture is the stream they were in.

Of course no road trip in Alaska is complete unless you have a picture beside the pipeline. The sections of pipeline we had seen up until now have always been tall so we could only stand under it but this one we could actually touch. So I of course caught my goofball hubby loving on it.

 Further down the road you come into mountains that I swear touch the sky. These particular ones have heavy avalanche activity in the winter which creates this design in the side of the mountain. The darker rock is volcanic rock, the red is iron and the grey I can't remember. But these mountains are a sharp contrast to the green mountains that are directly across the river from them.
Right before you reach Valdez you climb to the top of a mountain range. The beauty here is breathtaking. Every time we turned a corner I was making the manchild stop for me to take pictures! This picture on the right was at the very top of the pass. You can actually climb out on the first set of rocks there for an even better view but since I was in sandals I opted to use my zoom lense instead.

 
 If any of you know me well you know I love to take pictures. I am not always successful in my endeavors to capture what I am seeing but sometimes I stumble across and opportunity and it is AWESOME! As we started our descent into Valdez I loved this formation of rock. So of course I photograph it. I double check the picture and realize that the moon is there too.  Man did I start snapping pictures then! And I am really happy with the results of those shots.  They kind of look other wordly. I also love the fact that there are so few colors but so much contrast in the

picture that it makes it look brilliant! I could not have had more fun on this trip down then we did. These aren't even half my pictures they are just the ones that were my favorites. If you ever get the chance to take this drive do it! Take a lot of film, or SD Cards and batteries and take your time and enjoy all of mother nature's glory!