The Denali Highway is definitely not a highway, it was in poor condition and it took me almost the full day to drive the seventy remaining miles of dirt.
 
 
1. Glacial plains make the rivers meander.
 

 
 
2. During my lunch stop, I first saw the mother ptarmigan…
 

 
 
3. … then some of its progeny. Two months after birth, they have grown and are about half their adult size.
 

 
 
4. Wide glacial valleys offer great views.
 

 
 
5. Getaway on a side track.
 

 
 
6. There to, there is nice flowers.
 

 
 
7. Near the East Junction, the view opens on the Alaska Range.
 

 
 
8. A weather opening allows me to see off one of the highest mountains in that range, Mount Hayes, which rises to over 13,800 feet above sea level.
 

 
 
9. Light patch…
 

 
 
10. Clouds arrive…
 

 
 
11. Boondocking on a hill in the tundra.
 

 
 
12. Given the bad weather announced, I continued the road to Valdez. The road ends here!
 

 
 
13. The mouth of Valdez Glacier Stream is a real birdhouse for bald eagles! I observed more than thirty of those, awesome! Here is one that comes…
 

 
 
14. … and lands not too far on a hunting spot. I crawled 300 yards in the mud to get closer… 😀
 

 
 
15. Returning, I see fresh grizzly tracks.
 

 
 
I talked to a local who stopped to see VivaLaVida and he tells me that this place is frequented by many grizzlies, especially late in the day for a good reason. This place is close to a salmon hatchery. And as you probably know, after a 4-year cycle, to reproduce, salmons return to their birthplace. Here, they try to go upstream in a nearby river but are blocked by a waterfall and remains between the bay and the waterfall. While this is only the beginning of the breeding season, there were already thousands of salmons crowded into this little river and bears have understood that it’s easy to catch food up here to make their required reserves for hibernation.
So I decided to wait a moment and I was lucky… 😉
 
 
16. A male probably 4-5 years old arrived on the scene and catched a first salmon without waiting!
 

 
 
17. He repeated the operation 6-7 times, not leaving much to the seagulls quickly ready to steal the remains. It was funny to see the bear trying to scare thoses when they came to close. 😀
 

 
 
18. I’m only about 12 yards away and enjoy the spectacle!
 

 
 
19.

The grizzly is not the only one to take advantage of the opportunity; This sea lion is also hunting. He catched about 12 salmons in about half an hour!
 

 
 
20. Eyes still dazzled by this show, I went to sleep at the bottom of the glacier.
 

 
 
21. The rain fell again, moisture was probably at 100%, giving an atmosphere of rainforest…
 

 
 
22. To complete this update, a small iceberg rather aesthetic in layers of mist…
 

 
 
Way back from Valdez and McCarthy Road to come in a few days.
 
Thank you again to follow us with as much fidelity! 😉