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Day 10 - 9:00 AM
We move on
The day dawns bright and clear with no sign of the impending storm. We decide to press on and take our chances. Hell, we've just been as far north as the road will go, we're ready for anything. Well, almost ready - first stop: Starbucks.
Lesley
Day 10 - 10:30 AM
Hit by the storm
The roads are clear all the way to Denali National Park. The landscape has morphed from extreme Arctic to rugged Northern wilderness. There are log homes perched high on craggy outcroppings and jacked-up pickup trucks carrying hard-core snow machines. The road is dry, but the wind has picked up considerably.
It starts to snow, but it's a thin, stinging snow that's almost like swirling sand. The sky then grows dull, heavy with snow. We were hoping for a clear view of Mount McKinley, a colossal behemoth whose peak reaches 20,320 ft, but within half an hour visibility is limited to a few hundred feet before us.
Over the next couple of hours, we're enveloped in a full-on blizzard. Stopping to refuel, we chat with a state trooper who tells us that plows haven't been out and the roads ahead are very bad. So, instinctively... we stock up on junk food. Skittles do wonders for morale, and a large tin of Pringles fits perfectly in the Cayenne's cupholder.
All around us, a lovely but deadly postcard, the trees are heavily laden with snow, the sky is dark. Occasionally, we catch ghostly glimpses of Mt. McKinley's immense bulk through the swirling snow.
Our progress is slow, and we're limited to a tunnel-like view of the road ahead. We pass several vehicles nose down in the ditch.
Lesley
Day 10 - 5:00 PM
Leg 2 almost done
We're only 94 km away from the end of our journey. It's warmed up considerably and the going has become thick and sloppy. The Cayenne has lovely contoured leather seats, but my lower back is longing for reprieve.
We seem to have driven through the storm and come out through the other side. Like flicking a switch, the snow has stopped, and the roads are wet and bare.
We've become inured to nature's grandeur, the beautiful peaks surrounding us hardly rate a second glance.
It's with mixed emotions that we enter Anchorage. Glad that we successfully completed over 3,150 unbelievable kilometres of driving, and sad that my part of the adventure is coming to an end.
Lesley