NORTH TO ALASKA! – Anchorage to Denali Nat’l Park

TRIP DAY – 43, 44, 45, 46, 47

DAILY MILES  -  38 – 10 – 139 - 40 - 46

TOTAL MILES – 5,871

7/27 – Today finds us in Anchorage covering the sites.  First it was off to the Anchorage Museum downtown where we spent the morning viewing the exhibits.  This is a World Class Museum.  It contains over 600 Smithsonian Arctic artifacts plus full-sized replicas of native dwellings and a gallery with Sydney Laurence’s classic Mount McKinley painting.  We sampled buffalo stew at the café which Wayne declared nasty.  The texture and taste of the meat was strange but the broth and vegetables were very good.

Next we drove to Lake Hood to watch the floatplanes.  They have as many as 500 per day splash down and lift off.  I met a local lady there, about my age, who convinced me flying in one of these is pure terror.  I’m still thinking about taking a flight at Denali in a twin engine model.  It’s yet to be determined if I’m that brave. 

Then we headed to the Ulu (oo-loo) Factory to see the demonstrations and purchase a knife.  I love to cook and these are great for slicing and chopping and may make meal preparation easier in the RV; also yet to be determined.

The evening found us moving to the Anchorage municipal Centennial Camp Ground.  Ship Creek was just too noisy to get much sleep.  Between the trains and birds, I bet I didn’t get three hours rest.  Centennial just installed electricity and Wi-Fi and Wayne says if they would invest in some gravel and grading they would have a really nice park.

7/28 – Just as we were leaving Centennial campground we met “road trip” friends Linda and Dennis coming in.  I originally met them on a mountain ridge back in T. Roosevelt Nat’l Park in North Dakota.  They entered Alaska and took the northern route through Fairbanks, while we headed south to the Kenai Peninsula.  We have been corresponding via email to keep each other posted on what to see and where to stay per our experiences.  This is the third time we have passed in our travels and our friendship has been very beneficial.  We hope to see them again as we are both heading back down through Canada.

We are burning days on the way to Denali as we are ahead of schedule.  Today finds us just north of Anchorage at Eagle River Campground.  We are camped on a bluff above the river and it has a wonderful roaring sound.  I think afternoon naps are in order.  We still have three more nights before our reservations in Denali Nat’l Park so it will be spent camping our way up the Parks Highway, hopefully at sites as beautiful as this one.

7/29 – TODAY WE GOT OUR FIRST VIEW OF MT. McKINLEY – from just 150 miles away.  Some folks visit the area for days without a clear view of the mountain that tends to be cloud covered.  A stop at Denali South View Point gave us some great pictures and we reconnected with travelers from Illinois and met a couple from Florida that we exchanged information with.  We stayed at Byers Lake SP CG as recommended by Linda and Dennis.  The sites are located in a forest within easy hiking distance to the lake.  The afternoon was enjoyably spent resting and reading.  The campground is almost empty and therefore very quiet and pleasant.  (On the way we stopped in Wasilla and washed the RV at Mud Busters Self Wash and just $18.00 later it looks almost presentable.) 

7/30 – This morning we awoke at 5 AM, dressed and hiked over to the lake where we were treated to two graceful swans on the lake prior to the sun coming over the mountains.  It was truly a beautiful site.  We were the only ones on the shore and had the whole lake experience to ourselves.  This was one of those unforgettable moments that can’t be captured by a camera.  We then drove just 40 miles up the Parks Hwy and stopped at Chulitna River Wayside where we spent the day catching up “RV” housework and computer chores. 

7/31 – Today we drove to Denali Grizzly Bear Resort RV Park where we will have full hookup for the night.  We have been dry camping for three nights and look forward to charging up all the electronic gadgets, taking real showers and doing laundry. 

Tomorrow we head to Denali National Park and will camp at Riley Creek Campground for the next four nights.  We have a ton of activities planned for Denali and I’ll share that with you when I get time and a connection, probably in Fairbanks.  See you then. . .