Day 9: Fairbanks AK - Anchorage AK

This morning's early snoutcast was a grizzled old boy from Texas, who complained not abut the weather but that he'd only seen one møøse so far on his travels.  He went up to the Arctic Circle and back yesterday, in a Chevrolet Spark which is not, as the name might suggest, an electric VEE-hickle but rather a direct-line descendant of the Daewoo Matiz or, put another way, about half the size of That Shitbox Dodge.  Brave man.

My fellow breakfasters were discussing guns, ammunition and what they had killed with them.  This may explain the shortage of møøse, and certainly brings home the fact that this is a very different place to, say, Godalming.  Where at least my phone will work.  Actually it appeared to have died altogether today but a little encouragement has got it replenishing its supply of voles again.  I'd have done that en route if That Shitbox Dodge had the USB charging-only ports mentioned in TF Manual, but it hasn't.  It has got a 115V AC outlet, so perhaps I should have broken out the mains lead and done it that way.  Anchorage is a city with nearly 300,000 inhabitants and yet the stupid thing still can't find a network to talk to.  Fuckles!

Program Emily, drive out down Airport Way in Fairbanks, take Highway 3 as instructed and "In 351 miles, exit right".  Navigation in these parts is generally not difficult.  Highway 3, aka the Parks Highway, has various types of scenery but apart from the lumps immediately next to Fairbanks and the Nenana River valley it is mostly flat and rather drear.  It is traversed by numerous rivers, which are crossed by bridges, but then you knew that.  And if you want to look at them, go to Flickr and find the "Bridges For CrinklyLion" album.  They're all there.

Nenana River in a non-flat bit.  Just noticed a bridge in there too.  Sorry...

There's one good bit, though, just after passing through Cantwell (which is good for a laugh if you're from YACF and happen to know Rogerzilla's real name), and that is when you come round a corner and find this staring at you:

Mountain, Alaska, Wednesday

A Proper mountain, that.  Denali is the highest thing on the Leftpondian continent this side of the Darien Gap and at 20,310'/6190m, is over a mile taller than anything they got in the Lower 48.  Good, isn't it?  Also nearby is this:

According to The Milepost:

Igloo City. This local landmark first advertised in the 1973 edition of The MILEPOST® as Tesoro Igloo Service, “scheduled for completion in 1973,” promising a hotel, restaurant, gift shop, fuel, tires and towing. The hotel never happened. In the 1976 edition, it advertised as Igloo Service, offering gas and diesel. Under new ownership in 1999, it appeared as Igloo City Resort, offering 24-hour gas and diesel, snacks and gifts. It closed in 2005.

After lots more flat bits, the road goes through Wasilla.  If you look out of the right of the motor-car as you head toward Anchorage, you will see this:

The Former Soviet Union^*, yesterday

This, according to Republican wingnut, and downfall of the late Senator John McCain, Sarah Palin, is Russia.  Even with your trusty Junior Pocket Microscope (Model 3a) you will not see Russia from there, because it is more than 1100 km away.  On a clear day you can see bits of Russia from bits of Alaska, but not any bits accessible by road.  Ha!

Anyway, Anchorage may not be the furthest north of this year's meanderings but it is the furthest from Battle Mountain.  Accounting for the off-piste diversion coming up on Friday and Saturday, only about 5,000 km to go...

* behind tree