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UNTUK VERSI MELAYU, KLIK SINI

In America, their highway road alone has its own admirer. The highway alone, able to attract tourists. Not yet the mountains, the coastal, the woods and the cities. One upon a time, when I was 6, I heard John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” song on the radio. The song lyrics made my mind pictures how the “country road” look like and it has became my wildest dreams, to visit America. Especially the north America where Route 66 lies. But since my North America experience started with Alaska, so, I considered myself extra lucky since I still able to be on one of the world’s most beautiful highway, here.

Let me recap the list of must visit highway in Alaska;

1) Hatcher Pass Scenic Drive

2) Denali Park Road

3) Turnagain Arm Drive

4) Hatcher Pass Scenic Drive

5) Matanuska Glacier Scenic Drive

6) Eklutna Lake Scenic Drive

7) Parks Highway Audio Guide

8) Skilak Lake Road Map

9) Portage Valley & Whittier Tunnel Driver Guide

10) Nash Road

11) Exit Glacier Road

12) Arctic Valley Road Scenic Drive

13) Anchorage to Seward (Seward Highway)

14) Old Glenn Highway Scenic Drive

15) Pasagshak Bay Road

16) Anton Larsen Bay Road

17) Chiniak Highway Guide

18) Monashka Bay Road Guide

19) Nome-Council Highway Scenic Drive

20) Nome – Taylor Highway Scenic Drive

I managed to drive through 8 out of 20 and with God will, I will complete the remaining 12 within a year or two. Before I tell you about our (Mike and I) motorhome trip and camping in Seward, I would like to tell you the beauty of our journey along its highway before we reached (and leaving) Seward. If the road to Seward is already beautiful, can you imagine how nice Seward is?

To go to Seward, you have to take Seward highway. Or, the nice, touristy name for it is Seward Scenic Drive. It stretches about 204 kilometers from Anchorage and end in Harbour Town of Seward on Resurrection Bay. This highway is on the National Geographic list – DRIVES OF A LIFETIME and it also one of 500 World’s Most Spectacular Trips. So I can’t say that I am sad because it’s not Route 66 since I was still on one of “All American Road”. Yes. US Government has named Seward Highway as All American Road.

A drive through Seward highway can be completed in 3 hours. But what’s the rush? But you will earn my respect if you can ignore the beauty along the highway. Or, you have a heart made out of stone. Or blind. Some people took 1 week to complete the drive here since they choose to stop and explore (hike and walk on some beautiful trails) the attractions in between. But Mike and I made it in 2 days (round trip) and stopped around 20 to 30 minutes in between to take pictures. Except in Exit Glacier, we spent almost 3 hours, hiking.

The nicest thing about highway in Alaska is, its without toll. View point or point stop are available in every corner of highway for you to stop by without interfering the traffic. There will be no huge or (even small) billboard erected along the highway like our PLUS highway in Malaysia. In Alaska, billboard along the highway and small road is illegal. Why? Because it block the view of beautiful mother nature. Simple as that. If you follow my blog 2 years ago, I think I did mention that you unable to find gambling spot or magnum/ TOTO shop because it is illegal to gamble in Alaska. If you are an Alaskan ID holder and gamble outside Alaska, you won’t get anything if you won something.

You also will notice rows of motohome on the highway from my pictures. That is a standard view during summer in Alaska. Although, I tried my very best to capture the beauty of Seward Highway so that I can share it fair with you on here. But let me tell you, all these pictures didn’t do the justice. But I can describe well how I feel when I was cruising this road. It feels like a meditation. It totally calms my mind, my heart and soul until I can’t think of or speak of any bad things throughout the drive. I can’t even speak to Mike. The beauty of Seward Highway repels all the negativity in you. I didn’t regret to get disconnected from internet over these view anytime. In fact, internet connection is a rubbish compared to these views. And your selfies too. You will anger the people with your selfies because your face blocking the beauty of a mother nature. Just like that huge billboard. Knowing that, I don’t have a single selfies along this highway. Except a little one or two pose for my apartment next project. I want to print all of my worldwide journey pictures into a poster and turn my little apartment into a little gallery. Hehe.

Shoe commercial pose.

The view of lakes, coastal, ocean, bays, rivers, hills and mountains took places after one another along this drive of 204 kilometer long. You won’t fell asleep.

Mike candid pose straight out of potty room.

On our return, we stopped by at Exit Glacier, Porterage Glacier and Tirnagain Arm Drive. I will post about Exit Glacier and Porterage Glacier in other post. Turnagain Arm Drive stop looks like R&R stop but million times better when it comes to its view. A little climb on the little hill nearby will stun all your senses, again and again. The greens seems like connected from skies above you to the ground beneath your feet and for a moment, you feel compass lost, but a good one. The view reminds me of jurassic eras. There is a trail for hiking here in Turnagain Arm Drive but we didn’t do it since we don’t have enough time.

I apologize for lack of location indication. But do not fret, if you come to Alaska and drive through Seward Highway, you won’t miss all these. They are there waiting for you, vast and grand in size, in every corner and turn, all you have to do is to step on the brake when you see view point.

Oh well, I know you are not interested in my writings and come here just to look at the picture, right? So I think I better stop right here.

Continue next time. Bai.

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