So I was a wee bit optimistic

We had two inches of snow on the ground by the first week in October. It melted but we had another five inches this past week. Some of it is sticking around. My boss says she has lived in Alaska for 28 years and has never seen it on the ground so early. GREAT!

I snuck in one more trip to an end-of-the-road place, McCarthy, before turning my attention to snow and winter preparation. On a clear, crisp October Saturday morning Grace and I headed northwest to Glennallen then south toward Valdez. We took the turnoff toward Chitina and into the Wrangel-St. Elias National Park. The sky fell and it began to rain. I was disappointed because I just knew that there were mountains on one (or both?) sides of the road that I couldn’t see.

33 miles to Chitinia. Most people think that is the end of the road. But there is a dirt path (some might call a road) that leads 60 more miles to McCarthy. Driving no more than 25 miles an hour in the rain and dark, we stopped 30 miles into this leg of the journey. Didn’t get out the tent because it was raining; laid out our pallets in the bed of the truck (yep, still have the camper top.) Ate a pb sandwich and read for a few minutes before tossing and turning the night away. I don’t like mummy sleeping bags. It was cold enough that when I thought it stopped raining, it had really just turned to snow. Grace is a bed hog.

By 7 a.m. we were headed to McCarthy. The NC dusting turned to several inches by the time we got to the true end of the road—a parking lot. Hiked across the bridge and into “town”—close to a mile…Grace finally felt like she was getting the adventure I promised.

McCarthy looked like what those old Westerns try to copy for old mining towns. Store fronts weathered and worn and everything closed up like a ghost town. We peeked in windows, hiked around and headed back. By the time we got back to our campsite, the sky opened and the sun shone on snow-capped mountains. It was a glorious ride home.

Of course there are a few pictures, along with a couple from University Lake. UL is one of Grace’s favorite places to walk. I swear, I’m not taking her back until the lake freezes. There are at least six beavers and last time I think she chased every last one of them!

If you’ve got a little extra time, I’ve uploaded some more Greek Isles' pictures. I started with 175 and got them down to 90+. Mary H sent me 480 more; mine were good but hers are great. So, the fact that there are only 149 (total) is somewhat miraculous!