July 29 – Aug 2 ( 5 nights Byers Lake, AK USA)
We headed out early in the morning for the drive to Mile 147 and the campground at Byers Lake.
Byers Lake is part of Denali State Park. The Denali State Park runs from Mile 132 to Mile 169 on the Parks Highway. It was a beautiful day and we were hoping that we might catch a glimpse of Mt. McKinley, known in these parts as Denali and will be called Denali from here on out in this journal. It is North America's highest mountain at 20,320 feet. We got to Mile 135 at one of the lookout points south of the park and stopped to look. Unfortunately the clouds were covering most of Denali.
There were a few breaks and on occasion you could see the very top of the mountain albeit for a short while.
We continued on to the campground where we would be parked for the next five days. We arrived and drove around the four campground loops to find a suitable spot. Sim directed me into a nice spot with picnic table and fire ring. We settled in and went out to explore the lake area. Sim said she wanted to Kayak or Canoe on the lake so we checked on boat rentals, then hiked part of the way around the lake.
July 30
It started raining late yesterday and has not let up. It is not raining that hard, so Sim and I put on our rain gear and started to hike around the lake. We brought lunch with us thinking that we would be hiking pretty far. But when we got about ¼ the way around the Lake we decided to call it a day because it was getting really soggy. We came back to the coach and had lunch. It has continued to rain off and on all day and night. We were inside the coach all afternoon. Although it was boring, at least it has given us the opportunity to catch up on the Trip Journal. Later that evening I taught Sim to play poker. Man, she is kind of a dare devil. She will bluff you and bet with all the money she has. We finished the poker lesson when Sim had lost all her chips.
July 31
It rained hard all day. Worked on the journal and played more cards. Tried to build a fire, but even with the diesel on the wood, it was all too wet.
Aug 01
We woke up and saw some rain sprinkling down. We had breakfast and went for a short walk. After our lunch, it looked like the rain and the clouds might clear up so we decided to hike the 4.8 mile Byers Lake trail. This time we were determined to complete the trail, and it didn't matter if it rained hard. Turned out it was a beautiful afternoon hike as the clouds went away, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Although it was an easy trail as there was not much climbing, it took us three hours to finish. We saw foot prints of an adult and a child bear at the south rim of the lake. We, however, didn't see them. I think Sim scared the bears away because she made all kinds of noises all the way down the trail. She said she didn't want to surprise any bears or vice versa.
Aug 02
We woke up to more rain in the morning. It is our last day here so we wanted to get a canoe and get out on the lake so a little rain was OK. Sim prepared a picnic basket with sandwiches and fruit for lunch, and about 11:00 we headed for the lake. The rain had stopped but it was still pretty windy. We got our canoe and headed out to a sheltered cove that was protected from the wind. We paddled in and ate our lunch in the canoe while we enjoyed the scenery. After lunch we explored the lake by canoe and tried to get close to a loon we saw; without any luck.
Those suckers can stay under water a long time and come up a hundred yards from where they went under. Sim was getting tired of paddling, and I was beat from fighting the one foot wind chop in the middle of the lake so we called it a day, and came back to the campsite. We tried to build a fire again, and finally got it going pretty good.
All the kindling and wood is really wet from all the rain, but we had some help with the lesson about fire building I learned in Mexico. Tonight we had baked salmon in puff pastry with raspberry and cucumber relish. It was the last piece of the King Salmon I caught at the Fishing Hole in Homer. Sim went to weigh herself after dinner. Then she cooked noodle soup for herself as her weight was not up to par. She said she needed one half of a pound more before bed time. She eats as much as I do, but where her weight goes I wonder myself.
Aug 3 – 4 ( 2 nights, Cantwell, Alaska USA)
Cantwell (Pop. 270) is just up the road from Byers Lake. We are staying here a couple of nights to ready ourselves for the time to be spent inside Denali National Park. We arrived early in the day and settled in to the campground. It is basically a big parking lot on gravel but it does have some nice views. Rigs are right next to each other with a little space for a table outside. No matter, we have electricity and water for $23/night. They have a dump station. We were told that a guest speaker was coming to the community campfire this evening at 8:00 pm and everyone in camp was invited. They were going to have marshmallows and the makings for S'mores as well. We went to the campfire after dinner and the presenter was the granddaughter of one of the thousands of homesteaders that were given up to 140 acres of land in Alaska if they met certain criteria, like building a house and growing crop. She told us stories about her grandparents, who were among the first frontier gold miners, and her own experience growing up in the wild of Alaska. It was interesting to hear about living virtually underground and using tunnels to get out to the gardens and garages to have access to food and transportation. We heard stories about the wildlife and the trials and tribulations of surviving harsh and brutal winters (record low temperature in Cantwell in 1983 was -100 degrees F, with the wind chill factor), and walking 30 miles through the snow for supplies. We toasted marshmallows, ate S'mores and listened to stories till 10:00 pm. As the night went on and the temperature dropped, campers moved closer and closer to the fire. Before anyone noticed, we all had very little space between each other. It was another fulfilling night, and we went home with a better understanding about Alaskan life. It is, indeed, more meaningful to listen to a first hand account of history in the making.
Aug 4
While I did laundry, Sim was preparing 10 meals for our dry camping at Denali National Park. She got a bit frustrated as she did not have as many vegetables as she wanted. There were two food stores in Cantwell and both of them were Mini Marts with no vegetables. We wanted to buy bananas, but after learning that they were $.75 each, we chose to eat our cereal without it. We were told that we needed to drive to either Anchorage or Fairbanks to get to the closest real food store.
We met a woman, originally from Chicago, at the RV Park that was traveling alone. She worked in the office in that morning. We learned that she worked everywhere she traveled to. She has been doing this for years and is very happy with her lifestyle.
After Sim finished all the cooking, we attempted to go for a walk, but the cold wind beat us, and our walk came to an end sooner than we planned. We hopped in the jeep to site-see the Denali highway, where we knew the road is paved for only the first five miles at this end of the highway, but who cares. The highway is 135 miles long and of that a total of 25 miles is paved. This area has 400 known Native Alaskan archaeological sites, dating back at least 10,000 years. Native Alaskans are continually fighting to keep this particular road unpaved to keep down the traffic. On the way we stopped at the Cantwell school/library to print out our bus pass for Denali National Park. We drove miles and miles on the Denali highway and saw only two cars on the road. The mountains were pretty dramatic when low clouds flew on top of them. You can't help but feel you have a whole lot of freedom when you are in such vast open areas of mountains and tundra. By 5:30 pm we saw enough of the beautiful Denali highway scenery and headed home.
Aug 5 – 9 ( 5 nights, Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska USA)
The 6 million plus acre Denali National Park is one of Alaska's prime attractions and is not to be missed. It will take you 16 years plus if you travel 1000 miles a day, to see all of Denali National Park and Preserve. Denali means “the High One” and is the name originally given to the massive mountain by the native Athabaskan people. Most people visit the Denali for two reasons. First to witness the majestic 20,320 feet Denali. Second, to experience the wildlife, especially the big five animals: Bear, Moose, Caribou, Dall Sheep, and Wolf. It is said that it is a privilege if you see Denali in full glory and if you see a pack of wolves. It is rare to see a pack of wolves, and there is only about a twenty percent chance visitors will see the mountain. That means the mountain is visible about five days of each summer month. So, we hope to be in that twenty percent.
We arrived at Denali National Park around noon. The first order of business was a bit of shopping. We pulled into the Riley Creek Mercantile, found a place to park all 60' of our rig and went inside. Bread was a must buy as we needed to pack lunches for at least 3 or 4 days while inside the park. There are no restaurants or food vendors inside. We bought a $5 loaf of bread and then drove over to the Wilderness Access Center to check in and confirm reservations. There we got our bus ticket for the next day stamped with “Tek Pass” so we could use it all week long to travel from our campground to all points west once we were in the park. We had to go back to Riley Creek Campground to drop off the Jeep in long term parking, and then headed out the park road in our coach to Teklanika Campground. You are only allowed to drive in to the campground and drive out of the campground during your stay in the park. No private vehicles are allowed on park roads past about 6 miles in. Teklanika is 29 miles into the park. Our “Tek Pass” will let us ride the shuttle buses that run all day and half the night. We found a nice campsite with plenty of room for our 40' coach. That evening around 7:30 we attended a ranger led program that gave us some insight as to how the Alaska Mountain Range was formed and information about the various rock formations. It was an alright presentation, and now we had additional knowledge to what we already knew.
Aug 6
Our first full day in the park, we are scheduled to take the 6:15 bus to Wonder Lake in the heart of Denali Park at Mile 89 on the park road.
There was a 5:30 bus, but it was full. Early morning is the best time to see the animals. We were at the bus stop in front of the Teklanika campground at 6:15 sharp. It takes the bus an hour and ten minutes to get to our campground from the WAC (Wilderness Access Center).
We boarded and settled in for the 5 hour ride to Wonder Lake. The bus stops at 3 or 4 rest stops along the way and of course stops at all the animal sightings. We saw Grizzly Bear, Dall Sheep, Caribou, and Moose, but no sign of wolf on this bus trip.
Although most of the animals we saw were a bit far for our camera to capture good pictures, it was fun and exciting to see wildlife with our binoculars.
The only bummer was that it rained the entire day. We got to Wonder Lake, and it was no “Wonder”, as it was raining, the wind was blowing, and the clouds covered the entire Alaska Range including Denali. Even though at the end of the day we were wet and cold, it was still a fun day. The scenery was spectacular even in the rain. We didn't see Denali or any wolf on our first day of adventure, but we hoped for better luck on our second day.
Aug 7
We signed up for a “Discovery Hike” today. We had to catch the bus at 9:00 and were taken out to about Mile 60 where we met Ranger Intern: Jenna Grady, who was to be our hiking guide for the day. As we were riding the bus out to meet up with Jenna, the bus driver yelled “Wolf” and we all looked up to saw a large black wolf cross the road just in front of the bus. The bus slowed and we watched the wolf trot off into the forest. Sim missed a good view as she was busy organizing her bag. The bus driver reminded us how lucky we were to see a wolf. Sim didn't feel that lucky however, since she only got to see the wolf's tail as it disappeared into the trees. 30 minutes later we spotted a mother grizzly with a couple of playful cubs, some Dall Sheep waaaaaaay up on the hillside, and a big male moose grazing on lichen.
We finally arrived at the meeting place, met Jenna, and after getting yet another safety lecture about Bear and Moose encounters, we headed up along side one of the many streams that come down the mountains from melting glaciers. At the elevation we were at the Willows and Spruce gave way to Arctic Tundra after we had climbed about 600 feet. We spent the next 2 hours hiking through the tundra, and then stopped for lunch high in the hills overlooking the valley. iThe weather was perfect with no rain and very light winds for the morning.
It stayed dry for the 2 hour hike after lunch as well. We spied a Grizzly across the valley about ½ mile away, but there were no encounters on our hike. That was probably because of all the “Hey Bears” we were shouting out as we hiked through the bush. We got a little wet trekking through the willows following a caribou and moose trail. I fell and got a little muddy when we were hiking back down another river bed. At one point I was wondering how Sim managed to escape the mud while the girls who were in front of and behind her were sinking into the mud up to their ankles. Sim said she was not sure, but it might be her super light weight. It was a great hike and we learned quite a bit about the native plants and animals from Jenna. So for this day we were lucky to have seen a wolf, now we needed to see Denali.
Aug 8
We woke up to a steady rain and pondered what to do. We played poker to kill time until noon. After lunch we donned our rain gear and headed for the bus stop. We knew we would see animals again, but our chances of seeing the mountain today were slim. This was our next to last day in the park and the mountain has been shrouded in clouds every day.
While waiting for a bus, we met Joe and Margaret who were also waiting at the Bus Stop.
We learned that they had been camping 8 days already and had not seen Denali yet. We debated if we should go to all the way to Wonder Lake. We decided to get off at the Toklat River, 32 miles before Wonder Lake. We walked the Toklat river bank until we came to a sign that read “No access beyond this point.” Then we changed direction and walked on the main road towards Polychrome, which is about 6 miles east of Toklat. A light rain started falling as we walked on the brown and red muddy road. In spite of the rain the walk was a great joy as we were surrounded by amazing, beautiful mountains, rivers, tundra, and vegetation. We arrived back in camp not having seen Denali again. We came to realize that we were more than likely going to be in that eighty percent group of people who come to the park and never see the High One.
We got to our camp at 6 pm and were a bit tired and very hungry.
The evening sky was very pretty, and that was an invitation for us to hang outside.
We decided to have a campfire and play some cards even though the temperature was dropping and it was about 40 degrees F.
While we were playing Mille Bornes, Margaret walked past our campsite and stopped to say Hello when she recognized our coach. We invited her to play Mille Bornes with us. Joe was at the river bank enjoying his last sunset at Denali while Margaret enjoyed exchanging Alaska experiences with us. We discovered that Margaret and Joe traveled a similar route to ours. We were about a week behind them. Remember the Cantwell grocery shop? Margaret and Joe paid $10 for a bag of chips and $5 for a head of lettuce. OUCH!! The sun must have set late because Joe stopped by at our coach at almost 11 pm. You would think two hours were plenty time to finish sharing Alaska experience. Nooooooo, we could go on the whole night and not be done sharing our Alaska adventure. It was another fun night with new friends.
Aug 9
Today is our last full day in the park. Sim got up before me and discovered a bright sun with the most clear blue sky compared to the last four days of our stay. She woke me up with a very excited voice like she won the lotto.
I got up and saw scattered clouds with no sign of rain, but a very bright sun. So, I got ready quickly, as the morning is usually your best chance to see the mountain. We boarded a bus bound for Wonder Lake and were rewarded with views of the mountain at the first viewpoint. The clouds were coming in fast but we managed to get some good pictures of the mountain as we got further down the road. Sim couldn't take her eyes from majestic Denali. She said the sky seemed to be lower than usual when the High One was out. And today it was not only just OUT, but also was in full GLORY.
Before we got to the best Denali viewpoint, we saw one bear up close. He was only about 100 feet away from our bus, enjoying his blueberry breakfast. This was the closest we had been to a Grizzly Bear and we were excited. We would only be more excited if we were in that small 20% group of people who get to see all of Denali in full glory.
On the way out to Wonder Lake somewhere between Polychrome and the Toklat River, we spotted what first looked like an injured caribou on the river bed. Then we saw a howling wolf. After all the binoculars on the bus came out, the true picture of what was before us revealed itself. A Grizzly Bear was lying on top of a caribou; feasting. We found out later that a pack of wolves had brought down the caribou and the grizzly happened along and took it from the wolves sometime in the early hours of the morning. The wolves were still hanging around close by waiting for the bear to finish and leave when we drove by at about 9:00 am. Incredibly, the bear was still lying on top of the caribou when our bus drove past the same spot some 7 hours later. We were sure that he was full; it was just that he did not want to relinquish the kill.
We hopped off at Wonder Lake and it was showing its 'wonder' today. Blueberries are everywhere and they were all ripe. I went to the lake while Sim was having a good time picking bear food. She tried to pick as many blueberries as possible before the next bus came. If we missed the next bus, we had to wait 2 more hours for the next bus. She lost her DKNY sunglasses in brush somewhere.
We then took a bus to Kantishna at mile 85,
the end of the road.
Some properties in Kantishna
belong to private parties and there are two exclusive private resorts.
On the bus ride back to the campground we encountered a fox trotting down the road with a duck safely tucked in his/her mouth. No doubt bringing home a meal for the family. We also got a fairly close up view of a lone moose grazing the bottom of a picturesque pond. We had the best luck today because we witnessed Denali in full glory, got to see a pack of wolves in a scene right out of a National Geographic TV show. Plus we saw bear, fox and moose up close and personal. We felt privileged indeed.
Aug 10
It was our good bye day to Denali. Our last morning in the park, so we walked to the Teklanika River one last time. Sim was lingering and not quite ready to leave Denali Park. We saw fresh foot prints of a bear cub about two feet away from our coach. Regrettably, we didn't see or hear anything. The cub must have visited us either late at night or early in the morning. We had heard from the host that there were a mother bear and two cubs wondering around our campsite. She said three days ago while she was giving a presentation at the park amphitheater, a mother bear with her two cubs showed up at the presentation site.
All the campers has been given the mandatory bear warnings before this happened, so no one panicked, but the host had to call it quits because the bears stayed around , so the humans needed to back off in this case. Also one couple told us that they encountered a mother bear and two cubs up close while they and their two daughters were walking on the Teklanika River bank one evening. He said he could hear his heart trying to jump out of his shirt and beat like the drum of a hard rock band. His head told him not to run and stay calm, but his legs were very much running to his RV already. Fortunately, the bears walked away from them. Bears appear to be tame, but they are a top predator, so you should never run away from a bear because running will provoke the bears' instinct of prey and may chase you down. They can reach speeds of 30 mph, so you don't have a chance of out running them.
As we drove out of the park, we stopped 3 or 4 more times to take pictures of the mountain and another moose encounter. We just could not get enough of Denali National Park; we felt privileged to visit and we left with unforgettable memories.
Aug 10 – 24 (15 nights, Fairbanks, AK USA)
We arrived in Fairbanks early in the day as it is only 120 miles north of Denali National Park. Fairbanks is the second largest city in Alaska. Founded in 1901 by a man named Barnette who was unceremoniously dumped with all his goods at present day Fairbanks when the barge he was traveling on went aground in the Chena River.
Aug 10 – 11
We found the Chena Marina RV Park campground with no problems and settled in with our arriving day routine.
Sim goes around the inside of the coach and dusts and vacuums and I put out awnings, wash the bugs off the front of the coach and put up the sunscreens on the windows on the outside of the coach. The campground is nice with grassy sections separating the campsites. Picnic tables, a laundry, dump station and even a car wash are available to the campers. One of the attractions, I thought, was the float plane pond and small airport right next to the park. I though it would be fun to watch the planes take off and land, but that fun lasted only the first day of our stay. After that day the noise of the planes taking off and landing got old.
Aug 12 – 15
We moved over to Rivers Edge RV Park today. We were paying $32/night at Chena and Rivers Edge was as low as $26/night for no hookups. We ended up getting a “Super site” with full hookups for $31/night. The campground is situated right on the Chena River and the airplane noise was traded for the noise of the jet boats and jet skis running up and down the river.
They have a nice little river walk and offer cute river front cabins at the park. There is also a full service restaurant on premises with a nice ambiance and views of the Chena River. After we got settled in our campsite, we headed over to Creamers Field. Creamers Field used to be a very large dairy farm and is now a bird sanctuary. They have hundreds of Canadian Geese, Sand Hill Cranes and other migratory birds that use the land there. There is a Nature Walk that Sim and I took that lasted about an hour. We did not see any moose, but lots and lots and lots of birds.
We woke up the next morning and got ready to head to downtown Fairbanks to look around. I needed to go by the Social Security Office and present my Birth Certificate and DD214 from the military, so I can start collecting Social Security before they run out of money. We got in the car and immediately noticed that our Garmin Streetpilot GPS was conspicuously missing from the dash of the Jeep.
Panicked, I went back to the coach to see if it was inside. It was not. I had forgotten to lock the Jeep and someone stole our GPS during the night. After I got over the anger at myself and the jerk that stole our GPS, I made up a sign and posted it on the bulletin board saying “there was a thief in the Campground” and you better lock your doors. Then I got on line and sent an email to Garmin with the serial number of our GPS and asked that they refuse any and all support for that GPS. They replied and agreed to not service the unit or provide map upgrades. We made it to the SS office, and my documents were duly noted as genuine and we were done with that task.
In the afternoon we went to the University of Alaska at Fairbanks (UAF) Botanical Garden. They are growing various vegetables and indigenous plants, shrubs and trees. They also have a small herd of reindeer on the grounds. They charge a small admission fee and we walked the grounds for a couple of hours. We were amazed at the size of the cabbage. Sim was picking raspberries, crab apples, and anything else that looked edible.
Aug 13
Today we went to UAF and visited the Museum there.
They have lots of art, artifacts and interpretive displays. The most unique exhibit is the Listening Room. Inside a 15ft by 30ft room is a long bench. There a colored lights and a constant sound coming out of about 20 speakers. The sound and the colors are supposed to represent the sounds and feelings of the earth. We were told the sounds change when the weather changes and the room actually shakes when there is an earthquake even if the earthquake is on the other side of the world. Nothing exciting happened when we were in the room so we left after 10 minutes when boredom set in. They had a talk and short film on the Northern Lights so we went to that presentation and learned more about the Aurora Borealis.
Back at the campground I went to check if my sign was still posted on the board. It was gone, and we believe the park worker, or manager took it down. Sim said the park should handle the situation differently by coming to talk to us and showing their concern, but no we didn't hear a word from them. We stayed there until the 15th as we had paid for four days stay. (A few days later however we went back to this campground to do a load of laundry. The management had put up a sign on the door to the laundry state some cars had been robbed and warning people to lock their doors.)
Aug 16
We moved over to the Chena State Park today. $17/night for no hookups. They have a dump station and water fill station. This is a nice park with well separated spaces in a heavily wooded area. They have free WiFi, telephones, restrooms, picnic areas and a boat launch. We like to save a bit of money and dry camp once in a while. We can usually go about 5 days before we need to refill on water and dump the tanks. I suppose we could go even longer with hospital showers and using the public restrooms but we haven't found the need to “rough it” yet.
I have been wanting to play some golf so today looked like a good day. Sim was interested in going on the Riverboat Discovery cruise. So I dropped her off at the boat dock and I headed off to Fairbanks Golf and Country Club. I hit a bucket of balls and played 9 holes of golf with locals Stan and Jack, who play every day. It was a hot 80 F degrees, and I was beat from carrying my clubs for 9 holes. It had been quite a while since I last played golf. So when I finished, I was a bit exhausted. I went back to the boat dock and waited for Sim. The boat pulled up about 15 minutes later. Sim had tried a sample of smoked salmon on the boat and liked it, so we went inside the gift shop and bought some to bring home. Sim told me about the river trip, and I told her about Stan and Jack.
Aug 17
Today we just hung out around the campground. Sim made dinner and we went down to the boat launch area where they have a grassy area and some picnic tables and ate dinner there. Late in the evening while checking our email, we saw a response from Margaret and Joe. Remember them? We met them in Denali and had sent them some photos of Mt. McKinley. They said they were work camping over at Creamers Field. We gave them a call and discussed getting together the day after tomorrow for a day hike.
Aug 18
Today is the day we are going to drive to the Arctic Circle. We have to go up the Dalton Highway. Alaskans refer to the Dalton Highway as the Haul Road as large trucks use the road to haul goods to the North Slope. We have been reading about driving this highway and the stories of large volumes of truck traffic, gravel roads that eat tires, and a total lack of services along the road have Sim and, I will admit it, me a bit apprehensive. We actually had planned to stay overnight somewhere along the highway as it is a 200 mile drive in each direction so we packed clothes and food for an overnight stay. We took off rather late in the day and had paved road for the first 60 or 70 miles. Then came the gravel. It turned out not to be as bad as I thought. I could actually safely do 45 to 50 mph on most of the road. The big trucks spewed gravel at us at each passing and if you got behind one, you were eating dust until you stopped to let him get way up there. Passing is not an option. They haul ass.
At one point we were stopped for a construction zone that had only one lane open. We met some bikers from Alabama that were heading for the Arctic Circle as well. They told us they ride 12 to 14 hours a day and it only took them 8 days to get to Alaska from Alabama. They were doing the drive from Fairbanks to the Circle and back in one day.
The scenery was quite nice with lots of mountains and hills covered in tundra, and the falls colors were just starting to appear. There were also many chances to view the Alaska Pipeline as it snaked its way up and down hills, under ground, and over rivers.
One interesting stop was at Finger Mountain. There was the famous Finger Rock. In the past, the natives came to Finger Mountain to survey the surrounding area in search of game, and the old time bush pilots used Finger Rock as a landmark because the “Finger” pointed towards Fairbanks.
We continued our journey, and after a couple of pit stops at potential overnight accommodations decided that we were not staying overnight and would be driving back to Fairbanks today.
I guess what sealed the decision was Sim's trip to the outhouse that would be our bathroom for the night. She made one stop there and told me we were driving back today.
We arrived at the Arctic Circle and took the obligatory photos,
jumped back in the car and headed back to Fairbanks.
There is not much there except for the sign. A couple of tour vans were there and the driver/guides were busily completing “Official Certificates” for the guests. We tried to con one to no avail. We got back to Fairbanks about 9 pm, no worse for wear. The Jeep however was in serious need of a bath.
Aug 19
We went for what was going to be a short bike ride today. Not too far up the road from the campground is a place called Pioneer Park, so we rode the bikes up to the park.
Admission is free so we rode on in and looked around. They have a playground for kids, shops for the women and nice benches for the husbands. They have a museum; a train that runs around the park and it is also home to the all you can eat Salmon Bake. The Bake is $31 per person for salmon, halibut, cod and prime rib. Plus you get bread, salad, desserts and coffee. Sim and I did not sign up. We found a bike trail next to Pioneer Park and headed off to see where it would take us. We ended up in downtown Fairbanks and continued on until the trail ended at the military base at the north end of town. We rode back to Pioneer Park and then a bit further south. We stopped at a Kayak rental place and inquired about a kayak adventure for the following day. Our short bike ride turned into a fun three hour ride.
Aug 20
Sim had been talking about going Kayaking for a week so we looked at the weather when we got up and decided today was a good day. We drove over the the kayak rental place and listened to our trip options. First was a 2 hour adventure down the Chena river where we would be picked up and brought back to the kayak rental place. The other option was to be taken up the river and do a 5 hour adventure back to the rental place. Seeing as how neither of us had been in a kayak more than a couple of times, we opted for the shorter trip. We jumped in our kayak and headed off. The river runs pretty slow all the way and we had a lot of fun checking out the homes on the riverfront and chasing down ducks in the river. Did not see any otters or beaver and the only traffic on the river were a couple of guys on jet skis. We survived and now have the kayak bug.
At 8 pm Sim wanted to call her family in Thailand, so she took our laptop to the park office area where she could get a good Internet connection. She uses Skype, a VoIP service when calling internationally. Sim told me to look for her if she didn't come back after a half an hour. I went to check on her as instructed and saw she was talking to a young man on a bike. I was introduced to Patrick, a descendant of the Yupik Eskimo. Sim came to conclude that Patrick was a little bit derailed. She told him she was from Thailand when he asked her origin. Later in the conversation he repeatedly referred Sim as a Chinese woman. She corrected him three times, but it didn't help Patrick understand. So, she gave up and played along, and the conversation went on another half hour before we could say we had to go.
Aug 21
We drove over the Creamers Field and picked up Margaret and Joe at 9:00 and headed off to Wickersham Dome for a day hike. It was partly cloudy with a chance of rain so we had our rain gear along with ample water and lunch. The Summit trail head is about 35 miles northwest of Fairbanks and the road is good all the way. We arrived and headed out for our destination of Wickersham Dome which is about 3 miles out.
We were up in the tundra with little trees or other protection. We were hoping it was not and going to rain. We found the dome and stopped to have lunch. We could see for miles in every direction and marveled at how quiet and peaceful it was there on the dome. We saw no animals other than a few small birds. We hiked back to the car and headed back into town. When we got close, Joe suggested we stop at Hot Licks and have some Ice Cream. Apparently Hot Licks ice cream is quite famous in this part of the country. We had blueberry ice cream and it was good. We enjoyed Margaret and Joe's company for the day. After dropping off Margaret and Joe, we stopped at Beaver Sports. Nothing I like better than browsing a sporting goods store. I found the kayaks and had the salesman tell me everything I wanted to know about them. While I was getting indoctrinated on the finer points of kayaks, Sim was browsing the clothing section. When she finally joined me, I had already picked out his and her kayaks. I figure we could get out the door for under $5000 for a couple of kayaks, paddles and necessary accessories including a rack for the kayaks on top of the Jeep. No, I did not pull the trigger. The kayaks, Current Designs, are manufactured in Minnesota and we are going through Minnesota after Kenora. Perhaps?
Aug 22
We found out, from the University of Alaska at Fairbanks, that the prime date for viewing the Aurora Borealis was on Aug 28. We changed our plans for leaving Fairbanks and going to Chena Hot Springs from Aug 23rd to Aug 25th. We didn't want to stay in Chena Hot Springs too long as we were comfortable camping in Fairbanks. I had time to play another game of golf so I emailed Joe to see if he was interested. But he had to work on the 24th because the Sandhill Crane Festival was happening at Creamers Field from Aug 24-26 and Joe was obligated to help with the setup for the event.
Aug 23
We took another bike ride today. This time we rode from the campground to Creamers Field a distance of about 6 miles Joe and Margaret were not around so we rode back home and I took a nice nap.
Aug 24
We slept in this morning and decided to get our laundry done. We gathered it up and headed over to the Rivers Edge RV Park to use their machines. On our bike ride the other day we had stopped at a local laundry and found washers at $3.00 and dryers at $1.00 for 15 minutes. The laundry at the RV Park is $2.00 for a wash and $2.00 for an hour in the dryer. After we finished the laundry, Sim started preparing meals in advance for our dry camping stay at Chena Hot Springs, then got caught up on her emails to her friends, and planned out our route over the Top of the World Highway that we will be taking next week, while I went back to the Fairbanks Golf and Country Club and played another 9 holes of golf and got rained on. I played much better today. Surprisingly, I was not exhausted carrying the same golf clubs. It may have been that refreshing rain shower.
Aug 25 – 27 (3 nights, Chena Hot Springs, AK USA)
Chena Hot Springs became famous for curing ailing prospectors of their aches and pains as far back as 1905. As word of the hot springs spread, Alaska's delegate to Congress, James Wickersham, asked the Department of Agriculture to analyze the waters. The result showed that the water was unique to Chena. The hot springs water consisted of sulfate, chloride and sodium bicarbonate. In fact, it was very similar to the waters of the Felsenquelle, one of the famous springs at Carlsbad in Bohemia. (2007 Summer Visitors Guide)
We drove out to Chena Hot Springs today. It was an uneventful drive of only 65 miles. Road was good and paved all the way. At almost 2 pm, soon after we parked our coach at the Resort, there was a dark green bus parked next to us. The bus driver approached us and complemented our coach.
We learned that his bus was loaded with Singaporean military. We could have carried on the conversation but we had not had lunch yet so we excused ourselves. Sim couldn't help it, she was curious why Singaporean military were in Alaska. After we finished lunch, she went to talk to the Singaporean troops. Five minutes later, I saw Sim leading six or seven Singaporean youngsters toward our coach. Holy crap, what now Sim! They all came inside and Sim did introductions “Everyone, this is Jim, my husband; Jim this is everyone, whom I don't know their names, just yet.”
So, we shook hands and they introduced themselves. We learned that there was a military training exchange program and that they swap troops for 3 weeks. They were done with the training program yesterday and now had three days to sightsee before going back to Singapore.
Later in the day we walked all around the resort. They are very environmentally aware and have a geothermal power plant, grow their own vegetables in their greenhouse, have some solar power capabilities and are working on some wind power generation as well.
Aug 26
Today we took on two of the many hiking trails around Chena Hot Springs.
The first was a “Nature Trail” and it wound around the boundary of the resort. We did not see any animals until the trail went right by the dog kennels where they kept the huskies they use to pull the Japanese tourists around on a 4 wheel buggy. Actually, the service is for every visitor who pays for a ride, but we only saw the Japanese tourists use the service.
They bring the Japanese in by the bus loads and drop them off for the day. A lot of them seem to really love the springs. And of course they love to take pictures. Many came over to take pictures of our coach. Sim could not get the camera fast enough to take the picture of the guys taking the picture of our coach.
We had P B and J for lunch and then went out on a longer 3 mile hike that followed the river. We found the source of the hot springs and followed the pipe back to the resort. Along the way we collected some firewood for the evening.
While I was walking around our site, one local camper came to complement our coach. When she heard we were heading to the Top of the World highway, she related a story about her brother in law who just traveled that road. She said he had all kinds of problems and would never under any circumstances go that way again. More encouraging news about the highway we were planning on taking. I guess we could always turn around if it was too bad.
Later in the afternoon we sat out on the picnic table by our campsite and played Mille Bornes. Sim beat me handily again. She would have beaten me more but I was hungry for dinner. Sim made turkey won ton with bok choy in a broth topped with a jalapeño vinegar sauce and crushed Thai chilies.
Aug 27
Today we bought a day pass to the Hot Springs Rock Pool. We went in the first time around 1 pm. Sim could only stay in for about 30 minutes and she had to get out. She gets too hot and besides she does not like the mineral smell of the water.
We went in again around 7 pm and, well, same story. I thought it was nice. We planned to stay up late tonight to try to see the Aurora. We built a campfire, got out the chairs and settled in for a long night. I think we called it a night around 1 am. No Aurora but the moon was sure pretty when it rose. Next day we found out there was a lunar eclipse at 1:30 am and we missed it.
Aug 28–30 (2 nights,BLM Campgrounds on the Top of the World Highway, AK USA)
Today we are heading to Chicken, but first we are going back to Fairbanks to replenish the larder and fill the tanks with diesel. Margaret had left a voice mail on our phone telling us she had seen the Aurora the other night. Sim was excited just to know that Margaret had the chance to see it.
Sim planned to stay up tonight for as long as it took to see the Aurora. Bummer, this means I really need to go to bed early then wake up at the appropriate time to see the lights. We stopped in Tok on the way to Chicken to buy some firewood and a can of clear paint to finish off our sign that we made to post in the Sign Post Forest in Watson Lake. Got the paint, but no firewood was for sale at the stores we stopped at.
We did not make it to Chicken but stopped at a BLM campground just south of Chicken. We had been on the road for 10 hours, and I was beat. The camp host came over to say “Hi” and collect the $4 camping fee. He also asked us how much free firewood we needed for the night. After he dropped off about 5 hours worth of wood, he proceeded to tell us about the motorhome that tipped over after getting too close to the shoulder of the road up on the Top of the World Highway just last week. Very encouraging, thank you. The host also told us they saw the Aurora two nights ago along with an eclipse of the moon. So, determined, we stayed up till 3am with a blazing campfire in a chilly 30 degree night. No, we did not see any Northern Lights.
Aug 29
Everyone that travels the Taylor Highway and on to the Top of the World Highway must stop to visit Chicken, one of the original Forty-mile-area gold camps. Chicken is located 283 road miles north east of Fairbanks. With a winter population of 15 plus one three legged dog, the town swells to a population of 20 -30 plus the same dog in summer. The town has no city water, sewer, or electric service, and winter temperatures can get to 80 F below 0 in winter. Originally the town was to be named Ptarmigan. Ptarmigan is a plentiful local bird that filled many a pot in the miner’s camps, but no one in the town knew how to spell Ptarmigan so they named the town Chicken.
We toured beautiful downtown Chicken in about 1 minute. Downtown Chicken has three shops, including a cafe, gift shop, and bar. The cafe was voted #1 by visitors for its excellent homemade meals and pies. We, of course, had lunch there to see if it was true.
It was good lunch and excellent pie. We took a self guided tour of the famous Pedro dredge that used to search for gold in the river beds nearby. It is now just a hulk of rusting metal. We drove a bit more up the road and stopped at another BLM campground for the night after we finished touring Chicken. This campground also had free firewood. We stocked up and went to bed early after setting the alarm for 1:30 am. We were going to see that Aurora if we had to stay up all night. We got up at 1:30 am, got warm dress on, and I went out to start the fire. We got a roaring fire going and stayed up until 4 am when the eastern sky was getting light. Oh the Aurora? No, nada, zilch, nothing.
Aug 30
OK, on to the Top of the World Highway. We made it through the “dangerous” places without incident. We started out late in the morning because one of the road workers had mentioned that most of the trucks travel early in the morning. We did not encounter one truck, but few cars. The weather was perfect and we had no problems whatsoever. I can imagine however that this road could be really nasty if it was raining, and you were traveling early in the AM. Some sections are not very wide so meeting an 18 wheeler in the rain could be dicey.
We crossed the border back into Canada just before noon. Sim spotted an interesting looking mountain, so she asked me to stop at the pull over area. It was about noon, I thought she wanted to stop for lunch. Yes, she did, but after we climbed up on the top of the mountain. She said climbing up the mountain would help me relieve the stress from driving in such road conditions.
I didn't know that she is also a stress release therapist. So, we climbed up to the top of the mountain. Believe or not, it did help. Walking on tundra that was soft like a sponge was harder than it looked, but it was more fun than we thought. It took us about 45 minutes to climb up the mountain and 30 minutes to get back down. From the border it was all downhill. The view of the Top of the World highway was unbelievably gorgeous; the endless emptiness, the infinite mountain ranges, the fall color of the tundra and berry bushes, the snaking roads up and down hills, and the clear blue sky. After we finished the route, I told Sim “driving the Top of the World was a piece of cake” when she asked my opinion about it. She said then we could do it again, and we should come back to Alaska next summer. Um.... let's not, Sim!
We have to say, in conclusion, that Alaska has to be up there in the TOP 3 places you have to go before you die. They scenery is amazing, the people are very friendly, and the fishing, if you like it, is fantastic. There really is something for everyone.
Aug 30 – Sept 3 ( 5 days, Dawson City, YT to Dawson Creek, BC)
At 3 pm, we arrived in Dawson City in time to be first in line for the next ferry.
The ferry takes everyone and everything across the Yukon River to Dawson City. It runs 24 hours a day except for some down time for scheduled maintenance. I have no idea why they don't just build a bridge. Anyway, I checked with the guys, and they said I could get on without unhooking the Jeep.
We found a park just south of town and settled in for some needed rest. The park was in pretty sad shape. The electricity was only 100V and every time we turned something on in the coach the voltage would drop to about 90V. The vacuum cleaner would only run at half speed. Cannot recommend Travelers RV Park, especially at $26/night.
Aug 31
We got up early had breakfast and hit the road before 9 am headed for Whitehorse. We stopped at Whitehorse on the way up to Alaska and found a great store there to shop for fresh vegetables. So Sim of course wanted to stock up again at the same store. After shopping we were cruising through town on the way to a campground south of town when a guy and a girl in an old Jeep came up beside us waving frantically. I thought maybe our Jeep had a flat tire or was on fire or something. We turned up the next street as did the guy and girl. He got out of his car and started ranting and raving at us telling me that I had run him off the rode and caused him to scratch his right front wheel. I said that I never saw him and that I signaled and checked my mirrors before changing lanes. Long story short. He continued to follow us and at one point stopped again and was basically trying to shake us down for cash. But when I suggested we call the R.C.M.P. he drove off, and we never saw him again. I think what happened was he did not want to be behind me and sped up to pass me on the right just as I was changing lanes. I did not hit him, and he did not hit me. No harm, no foul.
We stayed at the Pioneer RV Park just south of town. I got about 200 liters of diesel at a $.03/liter discount. Trying not to buy fuel until Prince George where I know it is the cheapest in BC. Great park, free WiFi and full hookups for $23/night.
Sept 1
Today Navigator Sim said we should try to make it the 400 plus miles to Fort Nelson. My best day was 414 miles. However, I did not think I could make it to Fort Nelson on these roads so we decided to boondock some where when I got tired. We had a nice drive during the day. Usually it is clear in the morning, then around 2 or 3 in the afternoon it clouds up and we have been getting some sprinkles. Today was no exception. We saw and interesting rainbow. Unlike a regular rainbow shaped in an arc which has horizontal stripes of colors, this one has vertical colored bars. Sim was pretty excited when seeing it. She said it was a daytime Aurora, and it was the only Aurora we were going to see on this trip.
We stopped at Watson Lake to put up our sign in the Sign Post Forest. It started to rain pretty heavy when we arrived, but undeterred we searched out an empty spot on a post. We found a good spot and with our trusty battery operated drill motor, installed our bit of history for posterity.
I drove for another few hours and we stopped for the night at the Whirlpool Rest Stop.
An unofficial boondocking spot back off the highway. I should have read the description in Church's book before committing our entry onto the road. I discovered once we committed, that there was no where to turn around. We had to unhook the Jeep and then do one of those 8 point turnarounds and hook up the Jeep again. But all was well and we had the entire place to ourselves for the night. The spot was right by a river and there was plenty of firewood on the ground so I built a nice fire.
Sept 2
Once again we awoke early to get a head start on the day. Today we are shooting for somewhere close to Fort St. John. This part of the Alaska Highway is known for having lots of chances to see wildlife and we were not disappointed. First thing in the morning before the fog lifted we came across a herd of Bison that were just hanging out by the road. This one took his time crossing in front of us. Then we encountered Stone Sheep just off the road. I actually stopped in the middle of the road so Sim could get out to take pictures.
The day kept getting better when we came around a corner to find mule deer or reindeer, not sure what they were, but they were all over the road, licking salt we think. If it wasn't some kind of mineral they were after, then it must have been gravel, because that was all we saw.
We thought it could not get any better until we crested a hill and saw 2 or 3 cars stopped to look at a bear cub right on the side of the road.
This guy was either really brave or really stupid. I tend to think the latter, but he did get some good close ups of the bear.
Later in the drive we saw more Bison and some Caribou crossing the riverbank below the road. Unfortunately we also saw at least 4 dead animals, mostly deer alongside the road, victims of people going too fast on this section of the road. We boondocked again at a big wide rest stop parked just behind an old bus conversion with a man and his father who were from Washington. It turns out this Rest Stop was where all the big trucks stop to check their brakes before descending a steep hill just a half mile further down the road. I was so tired that I did not hear them coming and going at all.
Sept 3
We made it to Dawson Creek B.C. Dawson Creek is Mile 0 of the Alaska Highway.
This is the official starting point going north to Alaska. We did not come this way on the way up but thought it would be a fun place to visit on the way down. We will spend a couple of days here cooking and giving the coach and the Jeep a well deserved bath. We were staying at the Northern Lights campground just south of town. The bus conversion with the guys from Washington pulled in as well as a couple of nice Airstream trailers from Florida that we were behind for a lot of the day yesterday. It was old home week.
We headed out early in the morning for the drive to Mile 147 and the campground at Byers Lake.
Byers Lake is part of Denali State Park. The Denali State Park runs from Mile 132 to Mile 169 on the Parks Highway. It was a beautiful day and we were hoping that we might catch a glimpse of Mt. McKinley, known in these parts as Denali and will be called Denali from here on out in this journal. It is North America's highest mountain at 20,320 feet. We got to Mile 135 at one of the lookout points south of the park and stopped to look. Unfortunately the clouds were covering most of Denali.
There were a few breaks and on occasion you could see the very top of the mountain albeit for a short while.
We woke up and saw some rain sprinkling down. We had breakfast and went for a short walk. After our lunch, it looked like the rain and the clouds might clear up so we decided to hike the 4.8 mile Byers Lake trail. This time we were determined to complete the trail, and it didn't matter if it rained hard. Turned out it was a beautiful afternoon hike as the clouds went away, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Although it was an easy trail as there was not much climbing, it took us three hours to finish. We saw foot prints of an adult and a child bear at the south rim of the lake. We, however, didn't see them. I think Sim scared the bears away because she made all kinds of noises all the way down the trail. She said she didn't want to surprise any bears or vice versa.
We woke up to more rain in the morning. It is our last day here so we wanted to get a canoe and get out on the lake so a little rain was OK. Sim prepared a picnic basket with sandwiches and fruit for lunch, and about 11:00 we headed for the lake. The rain had stopped but it was still pretty windy. We got our canoe and headed out to a sheltered cove that was protected from the wind. We paddled in and ate our lunch in the canoe while we enjoyed the scenery. After lunch we explored the lake by canoe and tried to get close to a loon we saw; without any luck.
Those suckers can stay under water a long time and come up a hundred yards from where they went under. Sim was getting tired of paddling, and I was beat from fighting the one foot wind chop in the middle of the lake so we called it a day, and came back to the campsite. We tried to build a fire again, and finally got it going pretty good.
All the kindling and wood is really wet from all the rain, but we had some help with the lesson about fire building I learned in Mexico. Tonight we had baked salmon in puff pastry with raspberry and cucumber relish. It was the last piece of the King Salmon I caught at the Fishing Hole in Homer. Sim went to weigh herself after dinner. Then she cooked noodle soup for herself as her weight was not up to par. She said she needed one half of a pound more before bed time. She eats as much as I do, but where her weight goes I wonder myself.
Cantwell (Pop. 270) is just up the road from Byers Lake. We are staying here a couple of nights to ready ourselves for the time to be spent inside Denali National Park. We arrived early in the day and settled in to the campground. It is basically a big parking lot on gravel but it does have some nice views. Rigs are right next to each other with a little space for a table outside. No matter, we have electricity and water for $23/night. They have a dump station. We were told that a guest speaker was coming to the community campfire this evening at 8:00 pm and everyone in camp was invited. They were going to have marshmallows and the makings for S'mores as well. We went to the campfire after dinner and the presenter was the granddaughter of one of the thousands of homesteaders that were given up to 140 acres of land in Alaska if they met certain criteria, like building a house and growing crop. She told us stories about her grandparents, who were among the first frontier gold miners, and her own experience growing up in the wild of Alaska. It was interesting to hear about living virtually underground and using tunnels to get out to the gardens and garages to have access to food and transportation. We heard stories about the wildlife and the trials and tribulations of surviving harsh and brutal winters (record low temperature in Cantwell in 1983 was -100 degrees F, with the wind chill factor), and walking 30 miles through the snow for supplies. We toasted marshmallows, ate S'mores and listened to stories till 10:00 pm. As the night went on and the temperature dropped, campers moved closer and closer to the fire. Before anyone noticed, we all had very little space between each other. It was another fulfilling night, and we went home with a better understanding about Alaskan life. It is, indeed, more meaningful to listen to a first hand account of history in the making.
After Sim finished all the cooking, we attempted to go for a walk, but the cold wind beat us, and our walk came to an end sooner than we planned. We hopped in the jeep to site-see the Denali highway, where we knew the road is paved for only the first five miles at this end of the highway, but who cares. The highway is 135 miles long and of that a total of 25 miles is paved. This area has 400 known Native Alaskan archaeological sites, dating back at least 10,000 years. Native Alaskans are continually fighting to keep this particular road unpaved to keep down the traffic. On the way we stopped at the Cantwell school/library to print out our bus pass for Denali National Park. We drove miles and miles on the Denali highway and saw only two cars on the road. The mountains were pretty dramatic when low clouds flew on top of them. You can't help but feel you have a whole lot of freedom when you are in such vast open areas of mountains and tundra. By 5:30 pm we saw enough of the beautiful Denali highway scenery and headed home.
There was a 5:30 bus, but it was full. Early morning is the best time to see the animals. We were at the bus stop in front of the Teklanika campground at 6:15 sharp. It takes the bus an hour and ten minutes to get to our campground from the WAC (Wilderness Access Center).
We boarded and settled in for the 5 hour ride to Wonder Lake. The bus stops at 3 or 4 rest stops along the way and of course stops at all the animal sightings. We saw Grizzly Bear, Dall Sheep, Caribou, and Moose, but no sign of wolf on this bus trip.
Although most of the animals we saw were a bit far for our camera to capture good pictures, it was fun and exciting to see wildlife with our binoculars.
The only bummer was that it rained the entire day. We got to Wonder Lake, and it was no “Wonder”, as it was raining, the wind was blowing, and the clouds covered the entire Alaska Range including Denali. Even though at the end of the day we were wet and cold, it was still a fun day. The scenery was spectacular even in the rain. We didn't see Denali or any wolf on our first day of adventure, but we hoped for better luck on our second day.
It stayed dry for the 2 hour hike after lunch as well. We spied a Grizzly across the valley about ½ mile away, but there were no encounters on our hike. That was probably because of all the “Hey Bears” we were shouting out as we hiked through the bush. We got a little wet trekking through the willows following a caribou and moose trail. I fell and got a little muddy when we were hiking back down another river bed. At one point I was wondering how Sim managed to escape the mud while the girls who were in front of and behind her were sinking into the mud up to their ankles. Sim said she was not sure, but it might be her super light weight. It was a great hike and we learned quite a bit about the native plants and animals from Jenna. So for this day we were lucky to have seen a wolf, now we needed to see Denali.
We learned that they had been camping 8 days already and had not seen Denali yet. We debated if we should go to all the way to Wonder Lake. We decided to get off at the Toklat River, 32 miles before Wonder Lake. We walked the Toklat river bank until we came to a sign that read “No access beyond this point.” Then we changed direction and walked on the main road towards Polychrome, which is about 6 miles east of Toklat. A light rain started falling as we walked on the brown and red muddy road. In spite of the rain the walk was a great joy as we were surrounded by amazing, beautiful mountains, rivers, tundra, and vegetation. We arrived back in camp not having seen Denali again. We came to realize that we were more than likely going to be in that eighty percent group of people who come to the park and never see the High One.
We decided to have a campfire and play some cards even though the temperature was dropping and it was about 40 degrees F.
While we were playing Mille Bornes, Margaret walked past our campsite and stopped to say Hello when she recognized our coach. We invited her to play Mille Bornes with us. Joe was at the river bank enjoying his last sunset at Denali while Margaret enjoyed exchanging Alaska experiences with us. We discovered that Margaret and Joe traveled a similar route to ours. We were about a week behind them. Remember the Cantwell grocery shop? Margaret and Joe paid $10 for a bag of chips and $5 for a head of lettuce. OUCH!! The sun must have set late because Joe stopped by at our coach at almost 11 pm. You would think two hours were plenty time to finish sharing Alaska experience. Nooooooo, we could go on the whole night and not be done sharing our Alaska adventure. It was another fun night with new friends.
Today is our last full day in the park. Sim got up before me and discovered a bright sun with the most clear blue sky compared to the last four days of our stay. She woke me up with a very excited voice like she won the lotto.
I got up and saw scattered clouds with no sign of rain, but a very bright sun. So, I got ready quickly, as the morning is usually your best chance to see the mountain. We boarded a bus bound for Wonder Lake and were rewarded with views of the mountain at the first viewpoint. The clouds were coming in fast but we managed to get some good pictures of the mountain as we got further down the road. Sim couldn't take her eyes from majestic Denali. She said the sky seemed to be lower than usual when the High One was out. And today it was not only just OUT, but also was in full GLORY.
Before we got to the best Denali viewpoint, we saw one bear up close. He was only about 100 feet away from our bus, enjoying his blueberry breakfast. This was the closest we had been to a Grizzly Bear and we were excited. We would only be more excited if we were in that small 20% group of people who get to see all of Denali in full glory.
All the campers has been given the mandatory bear warnings before this happened, so no one panicked, but the host had to call it quits because the bears stayed around , so the humans needed to back off in this case. Also one couple told us that they encountered a mother bear and two cubs up close while they and their two daughters were walking on the Teklanika River bank one evening. He said he could hear his heart trying to jump out of his shirt and beat like the drum of a hard rock band. His head told him not to run and stay calm, but his legs were very much running to his RV already. Fortunately, the bears walked away from them. Bears appear to be tame, but they are a top predator, so you should never run away from a bear because running will provoke the bears' instinct of prey and may chase you down. They can reach speeds of 30 mph, so you don't have a chance of out running them.
As we drove out of the park, we stopped 3 or 4 more times to take pictures of the mountain and another moose encounter. We just could not get enough of Denali National Park; we felt privileged to visit and we left with unforgettable memories.
Sim goes around the inside of the coach and dusts and vacuums and I put out awnings, wash the bugs off the front of the coach and put up the sunscreens on the windows on the outside of the coach. The campground is nice with grassy sections separating the campsites. Picnic tables, a laundry, dump station and even a car wash are available to the campers. One of the attractions, I thought, was the float plane pond and small airport right next to the park. I though it would be fun to watch the planes take off and land, but that fun lasted only the first day of our stay. After that day the noise of the planes taking off and landing got old.
They have a nice little river walk and offer cute river front cabins at the park. There is also a full service restaurant on premises with a nice ambiance and views of the Chena River. After we got settled in our campsite, we headed over to Creamers Field. Creamers Field used to be a very large dairy farm and is now a bird sanctuary. They have hundreds of Canadian Geese, Sand Hill Cranes and other migratory birds that use the land there. There is a Nature Walk that Sim and I took that lasted about an hour. We did not see any moose, but lots and lots and lots of birds.
Panicked, I went back to the coach to see if it was inside. It was not. I had forgotten to lock the Jeep and someone stole our GPS during the night. After I got over the anger at myself and the jerk that stole our GPS, I made up a sign and posted it on the bulletin board saying “there was a thief in the Campground” and you better lock your doors. Then I got on line and sent an email to Garmin with the serial number of our GPS and asked that they refuse any and all support for that GPS. They replied and agreed to not service the unit or provide map upgrades. We made it to the SS office, and my documents were duly noted as genuine and we were done with that task.
They have lots of art, artifacts and interpretive displays. The most unique exhibit is the Listening Room. Inside a 15ft by 30ft room is a long bench. There a colored lights and a constant sound coming out of about 20 speakers. The sound and the colors are supposed to represent the sounds and feelings of the earth. We were told the sounds change when the weather changes and the room actually shakes when there is an earthquake even if the earthquake is on the other side of the world. Nothing exciting happened when we were in the room so we left after 10 minutes when boredom set in. They had a talk and short film on the Northern Lights so we went to that presentation and learned more about the Aurora Borealis.
I have been wanting to play some golf so today looked like a good day. Sim was interested in going on the Riverboat Discovery cruise. So I dropped her off at the boat dock and I headed off to Fairbanks Golf and Country Club. I hit a bucket of balls and played 9 holes of golf with locals Stan and Jack, who play every day. It was a hot 80 F degrees, and I was beat from carrying my clubs for 9 holes. It had been quite a while since I last played golf. So when I finished, I was a bit exhausted. I went back to the boat dock and waited for Sim. The boat pulled up about 15 minutes later. Sim had tried a sample of smoked salmon on the boat and liked it, so we went inside the gift shop and bought some to bring home. Sim told me about the river trip, and I told her about Stan and Jack.
Aug 17
At one point we were stopped for a construction zone that had only one lane open. We met some bikers from Alabama that were heading for the Arctic Circle as well. They told us they ride 12 to 14 hours a day and it only took them 8 days to get to Alaska from Alabama. They were doing the drive from Fairbanks to the Circle and back in one day.
The scenery was quite nice with lots of mountains and hills covered in tundra, and the falls colors were just starting to appear. There were also many chances to view the Alaska Pipeline as it snaked its way up and down hills, under ground, and over rivers.
I guess what sealed the decision was Sim's trip to the outhouse that would be our bathroom for the night. She made one stop there and told me we were driving back today.
jumped back in the car and headed back to Fairbanks.
There is not much there except for the sign. A couple of tour vans were there and the driver/guides were busily completing “Official Certificates” for the guests. We tried to con one to no avail. We got back to Fairbanks about 9 pm, no worse for wear. The Jeep however was in serious need of a bath.
Admission is free so we rode on in and looked around. They have a playground for kids, shops for the women and nice benches for the husbands. They have a museum; a train that runs around the park and it is also home to the all you can eat Salmon Bake. The Bake is $31 per person for salmon, halibut, cod and prime rib. Plus you get bread, salad, desserts and coffee. Sim and I did not sign up. We found a bike trail next to Pioneer Park and headed off to see where it would take us. We ended up in downtown Fairbanks and continued on until the trail ended at the military base at the north end of town. We rode back to Pioneer Park and then a bit further south. We stopped at a Kayak rental place and inquired about a kayak adventure for the following day. Our short bike ride turned into a fun three hour ride.
Sim had been talking about going Kayaking for a week so we looked at the weather when we got up and decided today was a good day. We drove over the the kayak rental place and listened to our trip options. First was a 2 hour adventure down the Chena river where we would be picked up and brought back to the kayak rental place. The other option was to be taken up the river and do a 5 hour adventure back to the rental place. Seeing as how neither of us had been in a kayak more than a couple of times, we opted for the shorter trip. We jumped in our kayak and headed off. The river runs pretty slow all the way and we had a lot of fun checking out the homes on the riverfront and chasing down ducks in the river. Did not see any otters or beaver and the only traffic on the river were a couple of guys on jet skis. We survived and now have the kayak bug.
We were up in the tundra with little trees or other protection. We were hoping it was not and going to rain. We found the dome and stopped to have lunch. We could see for miles in every direction and marveled at how quiet and peaceful it was there on the dome. We saw no animals other than a few small birds. We hiked back to the car and headed back into town. When we got close, Joe suggested we stop at Hot Licks and have some Ice Cream. Apparently Hot Licks ice cream is quite famous in this part of the country. We had blueberry ice cream and it was good. We enjoyed Margaret and Joe's company for the day. After dropping off Margaret and Joe, we stopped at Beaver Sports. Nothing I like better than browsing a sporting goods store. I found the kayaks and had the salesman tell me everything I wanted to know about them. While I was getting indoctrinated on the finer points of kayaks, Sim was browsing the clothing section. When she finally joined me, I had already picked out his and her kayaks. I figure we could get out the door for under $5000 for a couple of kayaks, paddles and necessary accessories including a rack for the kayaks on top of the Jeep. No, I did not pull the trigger. The kayaks, Current Designs, are manufactured in Minnesota and we are going through Minnesota after Kenora. Perhaps?
We slept in this morning and decided to get our laundry done. We gathered it up and headed over to the Rivers Edge RV Park to use their machines. On our bike ride the other day we had stopped at a local laundry and found washers at $3.00 and dryers at $1.00 for 15 minutes. The laundry at the RV Park is $2.00 for a wash and $2.00 for an hour in the dryer. After we finished the laundry, Sim started preparing meals in advance for our dry camping stay at Chena Hot Springs, then got caught up on her emails to her friends, and planned out our route over the Top of the World Highway that we will be taking next week, while I went back to the Fairbanks Golf and Country Club and played another 9 holes of golf and got rained on. I played much better today. Surprisingly, I was not exhausted carrying the same golf clubs. It may have been that refreshing rain shower.
We learned that his bus was loaded with Singaporean military. We could have carried on the conversation but we had not had lunch yet so we excused ourselves. Sim couldn't help it, she was curious why Singaporean military were in Alaska. After we finished lunch, she went to talk to the Singaporean troops. Five minutes later, I saw Sim leading six or seven Singaporean youngsters toward our coach. Holy crap, what now Sim! They all came inside and Sim did introductions “Everyone, this is Jim, my husband; Jim this is everyone, whom I don't know their names, just yet.”
So, we shook hands and they introduced themselves. We learned that there was a military training exchange program and that they swap troops for 3 weeks. They were done with the training program yesterday and now had three days to sightsee before going back to Singapore.
Today we took on two of the many hiking trails around Chena Hot Springs.
The first was a “Nature Trail” and it wound around the boundary of the resort. We did not see any animals until the trail went right by the dog kennels where they kept the huskies they use to pull the Japanese tourists around on a 4 wheel buggy. Actually, the service is for every visitor who pays for a ride, but we only saw the Japanese tourists use the service.
Today we bought a day pass to the Hot Springs Rock Pool. We went in the first time around 1 pm. Sim could only stay in for about 30 minutes and she had to get out. She gets too hot and besides she does not like the mineral smell of the water.
We went in again around 7 pm and, well, same story. I thought it was nice. We planned to stay up late tonight to try to see the Aurora. We built a campfire, got out the chairs and settled in for a long night. I think we called it a night around 1 am. No Aurora but the moon was sure pretty when it rose. Next day we found out there was a lunar eclipse at 1:30 am and we missed it.
We did not make it to Chicken but stopped at a BLM campground just south of Chicken. We had been on the road for 10 hours, and I was beat. The camp host came over to say “Hi” and collect the $4 camping fee. He also asked us how much free firewood we needed for the night. After he dropped off about 5 hours worth of wood, he proceeded to tell us about the motorhome that tipped over after getting too close to the shoulder of the road up on the Top of the World Highway just last week. Very encouraging, thank you. The host also told us they saw the Aurora two nights ago along with an eclipse of the moon. So, determined, we stayed up till 3am with a blazing campfire in a chilly 30 degree night. No, we did not see any Northern Lights.
Everyone that travels the Taylor Highway and on to the Top of the World Highway must stop to visit Chicken, one of the original Forty-mile-area gold camps. Chicken is located 283 road miles north east of Fairbanks. With a winter population of 15 plus one three legged dog, the town swells to a population of 20 -30 plus the same dog in summer. The town has no city water, sewer, or electric service, and winter temperatures can get to 80 F below 0 in winter. Originally the town was to be named Ptarmigan. Ptarmigan is a plentiful local bird that filled many a pot in the miner’s camps, but no one in the town knew how to spell Ptarmigan so they named the town Chicken.
It was good lunch and excellent pie. We took a self guided tour of the famous Pedro dredge that used to search for gold in the river beds nearby. It is now just a hulk of rusting metal. We drove a bit more up the road and stopped at another BLM campground for the night after we finished touring Chicken. This campground also had free firewood. We stocked up and went to bed early after setting the alarm for 1:30 am. We were going to see that Aurora if we had to stay up all night. We got up at 1:30 am, got warm dress on, and I went out to start the fire. We got a roaring fire going and stayed up until 4 am when the eastern sky was getting light. Oh the Aurora? No, nada, zilch, nothing.
OK, on to the Top of the World Highway. We made it through the “dangerous” places without incident. We started out late in the morning because one of the road workers had mentioned that most of the trucks travel early in the morning. We did not encounter one truck, but few cars. The weather was perfect and we had no problems whatsoever. I can imagine however that this road could be really nasty if it was raining, and you were traveling early in the AM. Some sections are not very wide so meeting an 18 wheeler in the rain could be dicey.
I didn't know that she is also a stress release therapist. So, we climbed up to the top of the mountain. Believe or not, it did help. Walking on tundra that was soft like a sponge was harder than it looked, but it was more fun than we thought. It took us about 45 minutes to climb up the mountain and 30 minutes to get back down. From the border it was all downhill. The view of the Top of the World highway was unbelievably gorgeous; the endless emptiness, the infinite mountain ranges, the fall color of the tundra and berry bushes, the snaking roads up and down hills, and the clear blue sky. After we finished the route, I told Sim “driving the Top of the World was a piece of cake” when she asked my opinion about it. She said then we could do it again, and we should come back to Alaska next summer. Um.... let's not, Sim!
The ferry takes everyone and everything across the Yukon River to Dawson City. It runs 24 hours a day except for some down time for scheduled maintenance. I have no idea why they don't just build a bridge. Anyway, I checked with the guys, and they said I could get on without unhooking the Jeep.
Today Navigator Sim said we should try to make it the 400 plus miles to Fort Nelson. My best day was 414 miles. However, I did not think I could make it to Fort Nelson on these roads so we decided to boondock some where when I got tired. We had a nice drive during the day. Usually it is clear in the morning, then around 2 or 3 in the afternoon it clouds up and we have been getting some sprinkles. Today was no exception. We saw and interesting rainbow. Unlike a regular rainbow shaped in an arc which has horizontal stripes of colors, this one has vertical colored bars. Sim was pretty excited when seeing it. She said it was a daytime Aurora, and it was the only Aurora we were going to see on this trip.
An unofficial boondocking spot back off the highway. I should have read the description in Church's book before committing our entry onto the road. I discovered once we committed, that there was no where to turn around. We had to unhook the Jeep and then do one of those 8 point turnarounds and hook up the Jeep again. But all was well and we had the entire place to ourselves for the night. The spot was right by a river and there was plenty of firewood on the ground so I built a nice fire.
Once again we awoke early to get a head start on the day. Today we are shooting for somewhere close to Fort St. John. This part of the Alaska Highway is known for having lots of chances to see wildlife and we were not disappointed. First thing in the morning before the fog lifted we came across a herd of Bison that were just hanging out by the road. This one took his time crossing in front of us. Then we encountered Stone Sheep just off the road. I actually stopped in the middle of the road so Sim could get out to take pictures.
The day kept getting better when we came around a corner to find mule deer or reindeer, not sure what they were, but they were all over the road, licking salt we think. If it wasn't some kind of mineral they were after, then it must have been gravel, because that was all we saw.
We thought it could not get any better until we crested a hill and saw 2 or 3 cars stopped to look at a bear cub right on the side of the road.
This guy was either really brave or really stupid. I tend to think the latter, but he did get some good close ups of the bear.
Later in the drive we saw more Bison and some Caribou crossing the riverbank below the road. Unfortunately we also saw at least 4 dead animals, mostly deer alongside the road, victims of people going too fast on this section of the road. We boondocked again at a big wide rest stop parked just behind an old bus conversion with a man and his father who were from Washington. It turns out this Rest Stop was where all the big trucks stop to check their brakes before descending a steep hill just a half mile further down the road. I was so tired that I did not hear them coming and going at all.
