Day 10: Anchorage AK - Tok AK

Strange things a-happening with That Shitbox Dodge this morning.  It has a power-operated tailgate.  This opened as instructed when it was time to secrete The Luggage, but steadfastly refused to close again when I prodded the button inside the car.  Fortunately, it did did respond to the remote.  Then the wireless lost its place in the Several of hundreds of music files stored on the USB stick and had to be scrolled through one screen at a time to get back to where I was yesterday, i.e. at track 516.  Each poke screen prod displays poke three poke titles prod.  Bah!

Today can be firmly classified as Not Exciting.  Retraced my wheeltracks up Highway 1 (aka the Glenn Highway) almost to Wasilla then followed it east up the valley of the Matanuska River.  This is the part of the world that lends its name to Matanuska Thunder Fuck which, I'm told, is a strain of cannabis sativa from these parts.

Coming out of Anchorage the Glenn Highway almost-Interstate standard, then turns into a wide two lane road for quite a long way before suddenly deciding it wants to be like an English B-road, complete with blind corners, steep hills and roadworks.  This is the main road between the biggest city in the state and the rest of the world.  But it does have some scenery, when the rain abates enough to allow it to be viewed.

The Matanuska Glacier

Not long after that it turns back into a sensible road all the way to Glennallen.  Left at the T-junction onto the Richardson Highway for a few miles then right onto the Tok Cut-off.  This was built some time after the Alaska Highway and slices about 120 miles off the trip between Anchorage or Valdez and the Canadian border, coz you don't have to flog all the way north to Delta Junction before heading east.  The middle bit is also rougher than a BEAR'S arse, as in "bumps that make you bang your head on the roof" rough.  And yesterday afternoon's warmy sunniness is but a fleeting memory as it was about ten degrees and raining all day.  Hence little incentive to stop for photographic purposes.  However, the Cleft Of The Rock B&B is wik and tomorrow I will take some pictures to demonstrate this wikness.  In the meantime, here is a BEAR: