Exploring Alaska: Hatcher's Pass & Independence Mine.

The second part of our Alaskan adventure took us into the beautiful Talkeetna mountains, on a scenic drive through Hatcher's Pass.  Even on a rainy day, this place was absolutely stunning.  Starting from Anchorage, the scenic drive took us half of a day, but we did take plenty of stops to take in all of our beautiful surroundings.

My favorite part was getting to stop at Independence Mine.  It was interesting to read about the gold mine's history and the people who worked there.  1941 was it's peak year, with 204 men employed and nearly 35,000 ounces of gold recovered. Unfortunately, World War II caused the mine to be shut down in 1943, due to a wartime ban on gold mining.

Sadly, we didn't find any gold and strike it rich...maybe next time!

Isn't Alaska just the prettiest?!