Chased by a moose...

Today was a driving day – Valdez to wherever I decided to stop (Delta Junction). It started with a drive through old town Valdez, which was washed into the ocean during the 1964 earthquake and tsunami. Not much left there, but I guess that is the point. New Valdez is about 4 miles down the road.

After going over Thompson Pass again (that most beautiful road in the world) with white knuckles, because the fog was even thicker than cotton candy – I kept thinking of marshmallow fluff, the sky cleared up and it got sunny and beautiful.  All the mountains were out (my Seattle friends will know what that means!!) and the road ahead was clear. 

About 2 hours into the drive, when I was thinking that I hadn't seen any wildlife, a moose and her baby stepped out of the brush on the side of the road. I grabbed my camera and slowed down a bit and started snapping pictures. All of a sudden, the mama looked in my direction, and started running right for my car.  Uh-oh, guess I got too close.  I kept watching her, not really comprehending that she was really going after my car, but it finally sunk in, I threw the car into reverse, and started backing up as fast as I could go!!  Luckily there was nobody else on the road….  She stopped, went back to her baby, and they pranced off into the woods on the other side of the road!  Talk about a close call.

Click on the photo to make it bigger -- then you can see the moose!!

 A few miles later I was talking to a highway flagger, a young girl who goes to college in Arizona, but lives in Glenallen, and told her about my close call. She described other flaggers having to jump under their trucks, or into other peoples' cars to get away from a charging moose. Said it happens all the time, especially since the moose don't like the color green that the highway people wear.

Today was moose day, I saw 3 other ones, including this one. There were a bunch of people stopped by the side of the road, so I knew something was there. Turns out the other people were from Australia, two cars of them.  It was fun to watch them get acquainted. 

 Today was also Pipeline day.  The road from Glenallen to Delta Junction (and probably all the way to Fairbanks) runs close to the pipeline. There were numerous sightings of it, but this is the best one.

There are also other signs at the rest stops, and it's always interesting to stop and read them.  I really liked this one about women helping to settle Alaska.

 I'm at the end of the Alcan highway tonight – but not the end of the trip – that's just in its infancy.  But I had to take this photo – I made it!! That part of my bucket list is crossed off – driving the Alcan highway.

 In a few minutes I'll drive back into town to the library, where they have free wireless 24/7, and they even have a picnic table where you can set yourself up to surf!  But right now, I've got a squirrel chattering at me – I guess he wants something to eat but I'm not sharing!  

Writing the blog.