McCarthy, Alaska
McCarthy is an unusual place, with perhaps a hundred folks living here year-round. Winters can be brutal. In the summer the little village hums with mountain climbers and history aficionados. A hundred years ago it served the miners at the massive Kennecott mine just up the road (or in those days, train tracks) who needed to "cut loose" now and again.
Spanning the Gilahina River, this long-abandoned trestle was part of the Copper River Railroad, a 196-mile engineering marvel completed in 1911 that linked the Kennecott Mine with the saltwater port of Cordova.
Photographed from the McCarthy side, this footbridge links McCarthy with the outside world.
Residents get their cars to McCarthy via an expensive toll bridge or bring them over when the Kennicott River freezes. Visitors can stay in the Ma Johnson hotel, elegant with antique decor, or in the simpler Lancaster Backpackers' Hotel.
The McCarthy Lodge, now opening for dining, boasts a hundred-year-old history.
Classic Alaska decor blends with pink flamingos in this sturdy log home in McCarthy.
Several McCarthy residents live across this footbridge over McCarthy Creek from "downtown" McCarthy.
Close by the McCarthy Road a couple of miles from McCarthy, the beautiful Currant Ridge Cabins offer spotless accommodations complete with private bedroom, full bath and kitchen.
Leaving McCarthy, the car developed a slow tire leak (no surprise on these rough roads). Local tire fixer John (right) obliged us by fixing it. While the tire was being repaired, local dryads (below) beckoned with their fronds glistening in the morning sun.
