Back to the Nebesna Road

One of Morgan’s specific requests for this trip was to camp remotely.  We figured that the Nebesna Road would be the perfect fit.  It is the only road into the eastern side of Wrangle-St. Elias National Park and is traveled by very few.  This 42-mile-long gravel road is well known for its many water crossings.

When we were at Nebesna several weeks earlier, we were surprised to find very little water in any of the crossings.  It had been dry and the mountain snowmelt had not yet begun.  Now it had been raining for two days. We stopped by the Slana ranger station to check the road conditions.  The ranger warned us that if the rain continued, several crossings may become impassable.

We set up camp at our favorite spot, disappointed for Morgan that clouds covered the amazing views of the Wrangle Range.  We clambered into the camper for supper and played our new favorite card game, Three/Thirteen until bedtime.  Of course, Morgan won.  What a card shark!

The rain continued all night, and it was still drizzling the next morning.  We drove up the road, amazed at how different it looked from just two weeks ago.  Much of the road was rutted and muddy.  So much rain had fallen that many of the smaller creeks had overflowed their banks and were washing out sections of the road.

The Nabesna Road turned muddy

It was the first time Morgan had ever been in a high-water crossing… although I’m not certain it impressed her greatly.  As for David and me… we love this kind of road!

Morgan's first water crossing

We easily made the first two of the major water crossings but turned back when we reached Lost Creek.  We knew that this crossing has several sand bars in addition to areas of deep gravel.  It can get dicey pretty quickly if your tires hit a sandbar in the deepest, U-shaped section of crossing rather than riding on firm gravel.  We decided not to chance it.  At least we were able to get a little mud on the tires.

A little mud on the tires

The rain continued the remainder of the day.  Late that afternoon, David received a text from Liz and Walter.  They had arrived in Valdez early… would we like to meet them on the third rather than the Fourth of July?  It was a unanimous and immediate decision.  We’re off to Valdez!

(So sorry for the lack of photos... internet connections have been few, far between, and dismally slow.    We'll keep trying!)