Day: March 25, 2026

September 30, 2025

The final leg of today’s journey will take me through Anchorage to continue northeast to Wasilla. There won’t be anything for you to see in between, but before I left the area south of Anchorage I spotted what I believe is Mount Spurr, a volcano located about 80 miles due west of Anchorage.

I was at a parking area between the highway and the water, and with the clear sky I could see the tops of two mountains in the distance. I believe the one on the left is Mount Spurr.

I was speaking with some of the other travelers who had stopped at the same pullout. One of them was using binoculars to look up a tall mountain across the road. She pointed out some white spots, and since I had my digital camera out I zoomed in and sure enough, she had spotted a bunch of mountain goats.

It was now getting to be mid-afternoon and I thought I’d better get through Anchorage before evening rush hour. Once you get through town it is an easy drive to Wasilla.

I checked in at my Airbnb, which was a short ways off the highway, overlooking a lake. This was the view from her back porch.

And from down near her dock, here are two photos looking at some other snow topped mountains in the distance.

I was amused by two signs in her kitchen:

When I first arrived at her home I was greeted by her three dogs, who were behind a barrier in the living room.

The one under the foosball table didn’t seem to be bothered but I learned later that she has trouble walking and tends to stay on her comfortable beanbag.

September 30, 2025

As I continue my drive north from Homer to Wasilla this middle section will take me from Tern Lake, where Hwy 1, coming up from Homer meets Hwy 9, coming up from Seward, to just south of Anchorage. The first two times I drove this section of road there were low clouds and visibility was limited. As you will see, it was a beautiful day so I stopped and took photos of mountains I couldn’t always see clearly, or at all, the first time I passed by.

I am now getting close to the turnoff for Whittier.

I have now reached the waters of the Turnagain Arm and for most of the remaining drive to Anchorage, the highway will run right alongside the water. The first photo below is looking back at the way I had come thus far.

This second segment of my drive took about an hour and 45 minutes, and left me to a point just south of where I had seen the “Denali Complex” of mountains in the distance earlier in my trip. I am not very far from Anchorage at that point.