Two RV Gypsies: Full-Time RVers
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The Richardson Highway |
and more of
the Alaska Pipeline |
| The Richardson Highway (originally called the Valdez Gold Rush Trail) is Alaska's oldest highway, beginning as a gold rush trail to Eagle in 1898. General Wilds P. Richardson worked to upgrade it to a wagon road in 1910 after the Fairbanks gold strike. It was made suitable for automobiles in the 1920's and was paved in 1957. Below are just a few interesting places & beautiful scenery between Delta Junction and Glennallen. And as usual, there are a lot of photos on this page, so a touch of patience may be needed while photos load. |
While driving, the
two RV Gypsies saw another moose by the side of the road |
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The two RV Gypsies drove south on the Richardson Highway about 23 miles from Delta Junction to the vicinity of Donnelly Dome (originally called Delta Dome). It is a popular climbing adventure - the top is about 2,400 feet above actual ground level, with an elevation of 3,910 feet. The Dome is an unusual feature of terrain called a fleigbert ("mountain overridden by ice").
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| The drive south also presented a picturesque rural setting complimented by spectacular views of the Alaska Range and the Delta River. Clear days allow stunning views of Mt. Hayes, Mt. Moffit and a number of other peaks, lakes, and creeks. | |
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| Notice the big dips in the road - very common. The Richardson Highway is a wide paved highway in fair-to-good condition, with some sections of frost heaves and patched pavement. On the majority of roads in Alaska, the two RV Gypsies were able to see the road for many miles ahead. |
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frost heaves and patched
pavement |
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various mountains in the
Alaska Range - very beautiful scenery |
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 It looks like the road
just explodes into the mountain |
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| Looking out the side window of the RV, the two RV Gypsies could see the same road many miles ahead, because it weaved and curved so often. | |
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Along the way, there were
many spots to see the Alaska pipeline again. |
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see the zig-zag of the
Alaska pipeline for many miles |
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| Because of the varying soil conditions along its route, the pipeline is both above and below the ground. Where the warm oil would cause icy soil to thaw and erode, the pipeline goes above ground, Where the frozen ground is mostly well-drained gravel or rocks and thawing is not a problem the pipeline is underground. | |
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the pipeline goes into
the ground |
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The braided Delta River,
Darling Creek, and Gunny Sack Creek |
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| Black Rapids
U.S. Army Training Site at Fall Creek |
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the Delta River |
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| Black Rapids Glacier - a retreating glacier with little ice visible. This glacier was nicknamed the Galloping Glacier when it advanced more than 3 miles during the winter of 1936-1937. | |
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Pump
Station #10 - the pipeline has an earthquake detection
system. Ground accelerometers at pump stations measure earth movement
and computers identify critical supports, valves and other items to check
after a quake. The pipeline's design was tested in November 2002 by a
7.9 earthquake. |
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As the two RV Gypsies rolled along the highway in their RV, more glimpses of the Alaska Pipeline came into view. The pipeline occasionally went underground, but soon would re-surface again. |
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Rainbow Ridge and Rainbow
Mountain - this 6,000-foot-high ridge extends north-west 8 miles from
McCallum Creek. The highest point on the ridge is 6,700-foot Rainbow Mountain.
The mountain and ridge were named for their varicolored talus slopes.
The reds and greens are volcanic rock; the yellows and pastels are siltstone
and sandstone. |
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snow poles along the highway guide snowplows
in winter |
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Summit Lake |
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Water Edge Cottages at
Summit Lake |
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| Summit Lake was just so beautiful with the fireweed wildflowers, that the two RV Gypsies decided to stop and have lunch. So while Lee was preparing lunch inside the RV, Karen went crazy photographing the lake. | |
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After lunch, Lee took a
few photos of Karen by Summit Lake |
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Below: These photos were taken out of a closed window of the moving RV - as are many, if not most, of the photos on this page. (The RV window was not designed to open). Therefore, much of the beauty of the scenery is not evident in some photos. Alaska has so much breathtaking scenery. |
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| The two RV Gypsies have previously driven on other parts of the Richardson Highway and those photos are included within previous sections of this website. The photos above were strictly photos taken between Delta Junction and Glennallen. | |
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The first snow on
Donnelly Dome means snow in Delta Junction within 2 weeks
please continue on to