Old Portage, AK

On our drive to Seward along the Seward Highway, just past Girdwood, I spotted something on the side of the road. As a photographer, and a person, I ADORE abandoned, falling down buildings. They have so much HISTORY.

And I apparently spotted the proverbial gem mine. There were two falling down buildings in a frozen marsh along the side of the road. I was initially content to take pictures from the roadside, but WS was more adventurous and ventured out on the ice. THANK GOODNESS she did. The pictures we got were INVALUABLE. There were two buildings, and next to one of the buildings was an old rusted out truck.

I kept having this feeling that there was so much more to this place, so I remembered the mile marker and resolved to look it up when I got home. And what a history and story did I find.

What we discovered were the remains of the town of Portage, which was ruined and abandoned after the great 1964 earthquake. That earthquake among other things dropped the town of Portage down 6-10 feet and killed several trees at their roots from the salt water. These ruins have been standing for 47 years.

To read more, check out these wikipedia articles on the earthquake and the town.

Here's just a sample of the photos I took - here's the complete set:

Alaskan Adventure #3.5

This adventure is a .5 adventure, because I went on my own - from Palmer to Whittier, up and down the Alaska 1 - from Old Glenn Highway to Seward Highway.

And I saw many sights. Like this one in Palmer, which WS spotted during Adventure #3 and I went back the next day because I really liked the pictures so damn much.



And then, as I was heading back to Anchorage, I saw this gem:



And this: at a Power Plant:



And as I drove back from my adventures on the southern portion of Seward Highway, I was treated to this sunset:



As well as this: many signs around here are shot through like this:

Alaskan Adventure #3

Here be pictures from our adventure to Palmer/Hatcher Pass (north of Anchorage on Old Glenn Highway). I'll let them do all the talking.

Two Years Ago/Yesterday

Coincidence? I think not...


Taken two years ago:



Taken yesterday:



Virtually the same place.

More pictures from same drive in another entry.

More Alaskan Adventures

This time, it was a trip down Seward Highway, to about Girdwood or so. The ice breakup, though no sign of spring, is beautiful and watching the ice chunks flow by with majestic mountains in the background is amazing.




But what is even more amazing was the sighting of not one, not two but FOUR Dall sheep on the moutainside next to the road. I've seen moose up here, and I've seen eagles, and even an otter. But not a sheep: