Alaska 游记 (3) - More McCarthy, Nabesna Road

We stayed at WSEN B&B when we were in McCarthy area. There are 55 year-around residents in the area. Our hosts, Rick & Bonnie, are two of them. Their cabins are located on a side road, 1.8 miles away from McCarthy Road. Talk about getting away from the crowds, I don't know how can anyone gets any further. :) They have been living there for 30 years, somehow manage to leave the area only a few times a year to get stuff. I wish I can live a simple life like that and be totally happy about it. What a blessing it is!

There are talks about paving McCarthy Road soon so Wrangell-St. Elias National Park & Preserve can be more accessible. I am not sure if that is a good idea or not. Yes, it will bring in more tourists, but will McCarthy/Kennicott still be the same if bus loads of people are pouring in every day? Local residents are sharply divided on the issue. Without knowing when we would come back, if ever, we sadly drove away from McCarthy.

Spent almost a full day on Nabesna Road. It is a slightly better road than McCarthy Road. Our average speed was ~30 mph. There were great views along the way, with nice fall color. After Mile 29, there are three creek crossings. The water was at most 4 inches deep when we drove through. Almost feel we wasted our money renting a 4WD SUV until later we drove on Dalton Highway.

(To be continued)

1. Rick & Bonnie's cabin. It turns out WSEN stands for Wrangell-St. Elias News, a bi-month news magazine they have been publishing for 14 years from their log cabin.
 

2. Abandoned car on the side of McCarthy Road.


3. Nabesna Road.


4. Along Nabesna Road.