There is an old saying about weather in coastal Alaska -- if you don't like the weather, just wait 20 minutes... That same philosophy could be applied to a morning drive south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm. With later and slower dawns at this time of the year, fall season visitors have the chance to truly appreciate one of the greatest drives in North America in a very different light.
I have found that the most spectacular vistas are often associated with changing seasonal light and changing weather fronts. Both can cause the view around each bend to change in the 20 minutes time frame referenced above... perhaps even faster...yesterday morning was a great example... halfway to Girdwood, almost none of the Arm was visible. Within the next 20 minutes light began to flood the upper Arm, causing the most amazing interplay of light and cloud.
I hope that one day a photographer with equipment a little more capable than my "digital box brownie" will capture the many moods of Turnagain Arm throughout the year, highlighting the incredible vistas that are normally reserved for year round travelers... such a book might convince more folks to make the trip south along the Seward Highway in all seasons and not try to pack their sightseeing into the 100 days a year when everyone else is on the road!
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