We are anxious to get out and explore so as soon as John gets home from the job site, we head out to a couple of scenic drives a few miles north of Anchorage. The first one one we come to is the Artic Valley drive.
The road takes us up to the trailhead for the Rendezvous Peak hike. There are a few pull-offs for pictures and we take the opportunity to get a picture with our surrogate Jeep, “Big Blue.”
Due to the affects of the moist air coming off of the ocean, Alaska gets plenty of rain in the summer and snow in the winter. That means there is sufficient water to support trees and thick underbrush.
However, the high-peaks don’t always have plant life growing. This gives us the feeling of being in the mid-west and Pennsylvania all at the same time.
We are really hoping to see some wildlife, specifically a moose. The only thing we actually find is a sign indicating that there is an “agitated mother moose with twins in the area” and to stay away if we spot her. We only spot mountains.
From one of the lookouts we can see the Fort Richardson Military Reservation, downtown Anchorage, and the Cook Inlet from our 3000-foot vantage point.
Mt. McKinley is out there somewhere but the sky isn’t clear enough for us to see it.
Our next stop is the Eklutna Lake in the Chugach State Park.
We get all the way to the top and the lake is completely hidden by tall trees and the only access, the boat launch area, is packed full of people and boats. The beach access road is closed so this is a bust. I do get some pictures of some flowers though. When I see this beauty I’m positive I’ve seen this flower back home in PA. Sure enough it is a wild rose and we have seen them on the Old Logger’s path hiking trail.
It is getting on towards supper time. On our way down the mountain we notice this colorful compound, Rochelle’s Ice Cream Stop, and decide to stop in. We get cheese burgers and fries, and for desert, some ice cream. They have an ice cream named Fireweed and Honey. We have to know what this is all about.
Alaska fireweed is a wildflower (I found this picture on Pinterest) that blooms mid-summer. It likes disturbed earth and is one of the first plants to appear after a forest fire, hence the name. It, supposedly, has a sweet smell and can be any color from pink to purple. The flower is edible and according to the locals is a their favorite ice cream. We are in! Opinion? It is a very subtle taste, sweet, and leans towards vanilla.
We eat our supper at one of the picnic tables, despite the mosquitoes, and enjoy the mountain scenery.
This band is part of the original Alaskan pipeline. It was removed from the Isabel Pass area in 1976 because of a bad weld.
To get to a lot of the spectacular scenery requires a bit of a hike. I want to save our hiking for visiting glaciers. John’s knee can only take so much hiking so I’m going to choose wisely.
