Up Over: 7/31/16 Ice, Ice, Baby

Another road, another wonder.

Richardson highway, both ways was Jules' birthday treat. We made a day out of a 180 mile ride, and what a great day it was. The road to Valdez is indeed one of the wonders of the world.

Winding our way through the mountains, we were immediately sucked into the landscape. Following the famed Alaskan pipeline, we climbed hills and sluiced into valleys, just like the black gold running in the pipe alongside us. Smoking glacial rivers ran with us too.

The first glacier of the day, Worthington, grew in our sights, spreading to the highway. Waterfalls spewed down the mountainside, as glacial melt brought streams to capacity. Constant road building keeps these waters at bay, for the moment. Not being a geologist or climate specialist, it troubles me greatly as to the massive melt from these glaciers. So much has changed already, with rivers making new roads and roads fighting rivers. The impact is obvious.

The Thompson Pass, though not as high as some we have taken, still filled us with excitement. Stopping for a break, we realized the temperature had dropped dramatically, so we layered on more clothes, plus our rain suits as it looked like we were riding into the some weather. Cold and wet do not make for a pleasant experience. Improved roads gave us the right away to fly to the top, but the weather had different ideas. Misting rain turned to dense fog as we literally took off into the clouds.

Rising over the top, we began the descent to Valdez and it was like coming in for a landing. The fog dissipated and mountains slowly began to appear. The Valdez Glacier ran along with us, adding more flavor to this already tasty day. Then, totally unaware, we were drawn into a deep canyon, enclosing us in its splendor. Through miles of carved rock and turbulent rivers, we ran the road past the Alaskan Pipeline Terminal and into Valdez, our halfway point for the day, and the end game for oil that travelled the many miles from Prudhoe Bay.

Surrounded by the Chugach mountains, the Port of Valdez gained importance for its year round ice-free access. We reached the end point of the Richardson Highway at the ferry terminal. Surrounded by the smooth waters of the fjord and the cloud frosted mountains that morphed constantly, we celebrated being alive. Consumed by our surroundings, road warriors that we are, the three of us took leave to sit quietly and let the pure mist off the Prince William Sound enrich us.

Although we had a preview to the return trip, it was just as entertaining. Canyons, waterfalls and glaciers in reverse reinvented our ride. Warm sun rode us into Copper Center where we put the brakes on and unloaded for the night.

Shying from the spotlight, Jules prefers a private birthday. There could have been no better gift than this day of a wild and isolated ride through paradise. And so today we celebrate, just as we have celebrated before. It's not the years, but the days that count, and we are planning to use all of them to the max!