Wendell Folks Alaska Trip - Page 37.

July 24, 2007:  Day 5 continues with the guys now enroute on the final leg of the flight from Chickamauga, Georgia to Anchorage, Alaska.   Terry is again getting telephoto pictures of snow-capped mountains in the distance.

Where the air is cool, there are also glaciers like this one.  This photo shows the south end of Tazlina Lake at the bottom of the photo and Tazlina Glacier beyond the lake.

Terry pulls the zoom lens back to show more of the lake and glacier off to the left side on the aircraft.

The next valley west has another glacier and snow melt waters forming the river downstream from it.  This one is the Nelchina Glacier.

Lest you forget, the navigation today is "I.F.R." or I Follow Roads.   The weather ahead is from a low pressure area moving in from the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean.  The guys talked to some local pilots before leaving Gulkana Airport.  They pointed out that on the way to Anchorage, there are places where the highway is up on the hill sides, but the river may be a few hundred feet below.  In case of low ceilings, they were told to use that extra depth of the valley over the river as needed to remain in visual meteorological conditions (VMC).  The highway is climbing into the mountains and the passes between them as we head toward Anchorage to the southwest.

Terry is really getting prolific with the photos as this last flight to Anchorage progresses.  Wendell is flying his Cessna for what will be the last time on the final leg to Anchorage.

This gravel air strip is right next to the Glenn Highway.  This is an area where visual flight rules apply down in the valleys.  All the photos on this page show the overcast and IFR conditions above the mountains.

The beauty of the landscape is amazing in the rich green foliage and the stark mountain terrain.