Oh, yeah, Craig was not thrilled by the idea of that little adventure. We parked the RV at a nice little state park, and off we went. The road is gravel or chip seal, and it takes about 2 1/2 hours each way. Again, Craig was not thrilled.
We almost decided to turn around, since the first ten miles was at 20 mph. But then it improved and we could get up to about 35. The potholes were something else. We hit one (unmarked) and I swear we left the ground in the truck. Then we see a cone marking another one. Made us wonder how bad they have to be before they are marked. This one looked like a speed bump with an 8 inch deep depression on either side. That says flat tire or broken suspension. We kept our eyes peeled.
Just as we got comfortable, we came upon the Kuskulana Bridge. The bridge is 525 feet long and 238 feet above the river. And did I mention it's made of wood, and it's one-way? I could look down, as long as we went slowly.
Finally, we make it to the end of the road. Literally, 2 1/2 hours on the road. Dusty, dirty again, and happy to get out of the truck. And we come across this guy. What was he thinking???
When you reach the end of the road, you cross a foot bridge and you can walk about 1/2 mile to McCarthy from there. Kennecott is almost 5 miles away so you catch the shuttle bus. Money well spent, especially after seeing this guy.
They were having the McCarthy Whitewater Festival and kayakers were putting in up river and trying to hit a target as they navigated under the foot bridge. We paused to watch and saw something black in the water. I thought it was someone out of their kayak, but Craig yelled "It's a bear!" Sure enough, a black bear had gotten too far out in the river and was swimming for his life. He passed under the bridge and managed to get to shore just in front of me. What are the odds? As the pictures show, he seemed none the worse for wear. We even saw him from the shuttle on the way to Kennecott.
The Kennecott Mine was huge. Over a 25 year period, the mine processed $200 million worth of copper ore. The visitor center had an excellent film about the processing plant and the steps involved. The amount of copper retrieved from the ore was exceptional, even by todays standards. I'm just sorry I missed the mine tour.
Instead, we hiked out to yet another glacier, and toured many of the restored buildings on the site. There is a lodge on the site, and several outfitters that take the hale and hearty out to climb on the ice. It was a hot day, so we did give it a fleeting thought. Nahhh.
On the way back we stopped for a beer and ran into Neil Darish from the Discovery Channels Edge of Alaska at The Golden Saloon. We also met a daring couple, about our age, from Kentucky. They had come up via the Cassiar Highway, but had continued to the Top of the World Highway, Chicken and Eagle. They even spent a couple of nights in the work camp accommodations in Prudhoe Bay. Their pictures spoke volumes, very basic.
After a long day, and refreshed from our snacks and beverages, we hiked back to the bridge and started home. It seemed easier going back, maybe just the beverages?
We had slowed for a turn and a coyote darted across the road. Cool, since we hadn't seen one so far. A turn or two later, we see a young lynx run in front of us. Even better, he decided to hide out on the side of the road and give us the once over. Or maybe he was posing for some pictures. Either way, it was a great way to end the day.
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