Wendell Folks Alaska Trip - Page 38.

July 24, 2007:  Day 5 continues with the guys now enroute on the final leg of the flight to Anchorage following the Glenn Highway, Alaska route 1.

The winds are calm in the valley and that allows them to fly close to the mountain sides.  This is part of the route where the highway is part of the way up the sides of the mountains, well above the river below.  There is plenty of clear air above the roadway and the river to make this part of the route an easy flight.

Again, Terry is providing overlapping photos to provide a panoramic view of the flight down this valley.

Yet another glacier is along the left side of the airplane as they head down the valley.  This one is the Matanuska Glacier.

Wendell took this photo from his side of the airplane showing not only the glacier, but TWO microwave communications stations along the route.

The view ahead from Wendell's seat shows the water from the Glacier joining the main river in the valley.  Ahead, the visibility is getting lower to the bottom of the valley.  The next airport ahead of them is about 50 miles away at Palmer, Alaska at the western end of this canyon.

Terry pushes the zoom lens again to get a look down the valley and decreasing visibility ahead.  Fortunately, the elevation of the terrain is also decreasing as they continue downstream toward the Anchorage area.

As they get further into the canyon, a light rain begins.  That's one way to get the bugs washed off the airplane.