Day 17, Wrangell St. Elias National Park

Day 17 proved to be a magnificent day!  We left our bed and breakfast at Copper Center and drove the 60 miles to Chitina, Alaska where we saw a cow moose with two yearlings right off of the road.  It was too early to check into our B & B so we continued the 60 plus miles of dirt and gravel road to McCarthy through the Wrangell St. Elias National Park.

The road is gravel and rough in places

but offers beautiful scenery.

 

and a scary trip over a one lane bridge.

  We took a shuttle from the town of McCarthy to the1900’s copper mining town of Kennecott.  The National Park service is in the process of restoring many of the structures which played a part in the creation of a copper mining empire which still remains today.

  One of the most amazing things you see there are huge piles of rocks that resemble mining slag piles but are really piles of rock and dirt deposited by the Kennecott Glacier.

Wrangell St. Elias National Park is the largest in terms of area in the United Sates National Park system.  It is known for its many glaciers, mountains, and animals.  Although it is the home of thousands of bears, we saw no animals in the park except for birds and ducks! 

We are staying at the Chitina Bed & Breakfast. There is no internet here.   It is an authentic 1900’s bunkhouse for the railroad that the owner Karla and her husband spent four years restoring.

  It is in an excellent location in the town of Chitina across from Beaver Creek Lake.  In addition to a super friendly dog

, and chickens

, there are moose for entertainment

.  The wind blew hard so there were no bugs or mosquitoes bothering you.  Babs and I sat on a bench on the deck facing the lake and enjoyed the mountains and cocktails.

Babs Says: I’ve heard of pink elephants (What you see when you have had a lot to drink).  We had just started a drink on the deck and Frank went inside.  I’m all alone and I hear a noise.  I look up and there is a big, brown moose

.  I freeze, but try to get the camera.  Tried to call Frank, but didn’t want to yell.  We made eye connections, her calf came and they walked on by.

  It was real, not a pink elephant.

My other adventure.  In Wrangell St. Elias - van takes you to Kennecott and McCarthy.  I decided to walk to the bridge and meet Frank in the parking lot.  Got to bridge, but it was not the bridge we had gone over before.  All I could think of was banjo music and bear growls.  Bikers came by and I asked them if I was going in right direction.  Yes - just over the hill and there is the big bridge.  Frank waiting for me.

  Good walk with just a little panic attack.