The Lodge at Matanuska and Back Again

We were finally done with our afternoon lunch, so we walked out onto the front porch of the Long Rifle Lodge, ready to leave. The Open sign, hung in the window of the bar, still looked welcoming - especially when a quick survey of our outdoor surroundings showed limited visibility through snow.
A view of the hillside across the street from the lodge - yes, snow is still falling, though it's not falling sideways. Turn around and go back in? We didn't.
Gas is available here, one kind, one price (didn't check it).
A bear watches over our imminent departure from the roof ridgeline.
A sweet blue-eyed dog says goodbye.
The trip back down the Glenn Highway was nearly the same as the trip up - though it seemed faster - until we got to about Sutton and Granite Creek, where we started to see sunlight shining beneath clouds on the southwestern horizon. Here, the sun lights up part of the Talkeetna Range north of the highway.
The setting sun creates a yellow-orange glow to the south as we approach the confluence of the Matanuska and Knik Rivers.
While crossing the Knik, we had a distant view of Sleeping Lady to the west.

We drove past Eklutna, not stopping, and back to our starting point somewhere in Los Anchorage.