Day 19

After a great breakfast at the Copper Moose we head out the Edgerton Highway to Chitina, Alaska and the beginning of the McCarthy Road. We have been told that this is a very rough, one lane road that dead ends in McCarthy. We stopped at the only place in Chitina that had an air compressor to fill up a tire that has been a little low since the start of our trip. As we were leaving, the man who ran the tire repair place said that he would see us later. This should have been a clue as to the shape of the road. “The Road” as they call it is 60 miles of gravel, mud, exposed crossties and potholes that was made out of an old railroad bed that served the copper mine. We crossed an old wooden rail trestle (one lane) that spanned 700 feet of river, 300 feet below us. This was just the start as later we had to cross a stream flowing across a washout in the road, not sure of how deep it was but it was deep enough for concern and to put a look of worry on Roddy’s face. About 25 miles from McCarthy a warning light comes on showing low tire pressure, sure enough, our first Alaska flat tire, dead in the middle of nowhere. The only things we had seen in hours was a few snowshoe hares, a moose and a calf, and two other trucks heading the other way. After some laughs, Debbie and Janice do bear watch while Roddy and I change the tire, while swatting mosquitoes. After laying on the gravel/dirt Roddy gets fussed at because he wiped his hands on his pockets, I asked him if he got an owners manual with Janice, it might help us to better understand her sometimes. Because she is having an influence on Debbie, I may have to write one for the both of us. We finish the drive into McCarthy and find a place that can repair the flat, no one was there, so Roddy and I pump up the tire, find the hole, mark it and leave a note, and then we all head to the copper mine in Kennicott. Kennicott was like stepping back in time. It is an old copper mine and town built in 1910 and abandoned in 1938 after producing over $200 million in 95% pure copper ore. It was the richest, purest copper find in the world. The mine site and buildings were recently purchased by the National Parks and is currently undergoing renovation. The ranger led tour was very informative about the mines history and the future plans for the National Park. After the tour we headed back to get our tire, now repaired and start the 60 mile drive down the McCartney Road. After a jarring 3 ½ hour drive we finally reach the pavement of the Edgerton Highway and make our way back to the Copper Moose. We talked with C.D. and Kathleen McCurry like they were old friends, they were great hosts, and set a time for breakfast. After promising C.D. that we would return again and accept his offer to give us a tour of the Copper Valley we turn in, tired, but glad we took today’s true Alaskan adventure. More to follow as we head to Haines Junction in the morning.

Total Miles To Date: 7312

Copper Moose B&B - A++++

Kennicott Trip - A