Day 25, 26 and 27 – Denali Village/Denali Park, AK

Saturday-Monday - July 24, 25, and 26

Denali National Park is Alaska’s number one visitor attraction. Within the Park is Mt. McKinley at 20,320 feet. It is the highest mountain in North America and is also known by the name given to it by the Athabascan native people, Denali “the Great One.”

In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson established Mt. McKinley National Park. It was expanded in 1932 and expanded again in 1980. It was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 under the Carter Administration.

8-Hour Bus Ride on Denali Park Road to Mile 66

at Eielson Visitor Center

(photo from a park info board)

A lot of the Park road looks like it did when it was built in 1938.

In 1956, the Park service began to widen and pave the road because of increased visitor traffic. Conservationists challenged the decision. Eventually the paving stopped at Mile 15 and the widening stopped at Mile 30.

In some places these buses could barely meet - Yikes -!!

Our driver (on the left) is from Colorado.

This was her 4^th year driving at Denali Park.

The tourist season runs mid-May to med-September.

We saw lots of Dall sheep.

This guy was the top model for the day!

A couple of good looking tourists!

We saw a fair number of caribou.

A Learned Fact – both males and females can grow horns.

One of the more strange looking caribous!!

Don’t these seats look comfortable?

(Fortunately we made lots of viewing stops along the way.)

Wildflower from the day's trip - Whitish Gentian - Found on the alpine hillside at Mile 66.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

Cheesecake served at the Denali Grande Lodge – outside the park.

A well deserved treat after a long bus ride - don't you think?

Talkeetna, AK

“river of plenty”

Located about 125 miles south of Denali National Park and Preserve

Because of the clouds and rain, the flightseeing trip over The Mountain never happened. We were able to get a brief glimpse of it once on a morning drive on the Denali Park road before the clouds and rain moved in.

We drove to Talkeetna where the flight was to originate from. With the flight canceled, we spent the day checking out the shops, restaurants and history.

Talkeetna, population 850, has an intimate two-block downtown area and serves as the base camp for those attempting to climb Denali.

The climbing season runs March 15^th through the end of July. A Park Ranger said that each year ~1200 people attempt the climb but only half of them are able to reach the summit with 1-3 deaths.

This little town also draws numerous busloads of tourists that are looking to shop and eat!

The food was great but the weather wasn’t.

Peter, Moose-ing around!

The most exciting part of the day was the Real Moose we saw on the drive home.

Day 24 - Fairbanks, AK to Denali Village, AK - 119 Miles

Friday - July 23

We arrived at Denali Rainbow Village Campground, a few miles from the park entrance, in time to do a little touring.

We drove into Denali Park for the 15 miles cars are allowed to use - at any time. After that point, there are rules and regulations to drive to the end of the 92-mile road. The majority of traveling in the Park is on tour buses.

Peter and William are checking out the Visitor’s Center.

This Harebell wildflower was just asking us to take its picture along our drive in the Park.

Kristina arrives at Fairbanks on a "red-eye" flight from San Francisco.
At 10PM, William and Peter head back to Fairbanks to pick her up - no problem as it is still light out.
She will be traveling with us for the next week.

Day 22 and 23 - Fairbanks, AK

Wednesday/ Thursday - July 21/22

Fairbanks is the 2^nd largest city in Alaska with a population around 32,000. Founded in 1902, it is another town started because of Gold discovered in the area. The city was named for Charles Fairbanks, a senior senator from Indiana at the time.

Today the military (present since the 1940’s), the trans-Atlantic pipeline and tourism are vital parts of the local economy.

Day 1 – Riverboat Discovery

We took an “intimate” trip down the Chena River on the Riverboat Discovery, along with ~ 600 other tourists. It was interesting despite the crowd but it rained for most of the trip. There was a sled dog demonstration along the shore, a float plane landing and taking off on the river, a stop at a re-created Alaska Native Athabascan village plus general area history.

The sled-dog training quarters and demonstration along the Chena River's edge.
We are on the river boat to the right of the man on the right.

The young tour guides were Athabascan college students from area tribes attending the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. They were proud to be sharing their traditions and culture. The Athabascans have lived in Alaska for 12,000 years.


These animal skins are important to the Athabascan people. Left to right: wolf, wolverine, lynx, martin (it takes 3 to make a hat), muskrat (50-60 skins are used in the main body of parkas), mink (not valuable to the culture as the skin is too thin and the hair is too short), ermine, when white – called a weasel when brown, red fox, cross fox and arctic fox. A beaver pelt is the one being stretched.


Parkas are made by the village women. They spend 5-hours a day for 6-months to make one coat. The beaded flower design identifies which tribal family you are from. The hood’s ruff is made of wolf fur.
Front

Back

When it started raining, rain ponchos were handed out to all of us tourists at the village.

A grizzly bearskin drying.

Salmon-drying at the village.

Day 2 – Off to Chena Hot Springs for the Day

We drove 50-miles to the Chena Hot Springs outside of Fairbanks.
Along the way there was a mother moose and baby in a pond by the road.
The Mom!
(a 30-minute Kodak moment for Peter and William)

The Baby!

We stopped at Chena River State Park on the drive to the hot springs.

Our walk along the river included another rock throwing session.

Hiking the trail at Chena River State Park

Alaskan "M & M's" everywhere!
(Moss & Moose-scat)

At Chena Hot Springs, Peter and William tested the waters - $10 each. The water directly from the hot springs is too hot and needs to be cooled before people can use it. One sign on a fenced-off hot spring warned that the temperature was 156-degrees F.

The Hot Spring's décor included the skeleton of a 1959 Polaris snowmobile – the first year they were made.

A Hot Springs flower garden.
Most of the flower gardens we've seen so far in Alaska include rhubarb!

Odds and Ends

After three-weeks in close quarters, we are still smiling-most of the time!!

At least Alaska is safe!

Back to including wildflowers:

Bluebell

(Lungwort/Mertensia)

Day 21 – Tok, AK to Fairbanks, AK – 212 miles

Tuesday, July 20th

Peter was excited to see an RV-wash at the Tok campground. He happily washed off all of yesterday’s mud this morning before we started the drive to Fairbanks. It didn’t take too many miles to change his smile to a frown - more rain, more road repairs more mud!! So it goes.

Could not pass up this Kodak moment!

She was standing in the campground office.

We didn’t see any buffalo but we had our eyes peeled after seeing this warning.

After 1422 miles and $115 million, the Alaskan Highway ends at the town of Delta Junction.
Do you remember where the Alaskan Highway started?
(Dawson Creek, British Columbia)

After seeing mountains and rivers, we were surprised to all of a sudden see the signs of farming as we entered Delta Junction. In the late 1970’s, the state of Alaska made an effort to start a large commercial farming operation, primarily barley, near Delta Junction. Commercially, the venture was less than successful but many of the farms, on land leased from the state, are still in operation.

We weren’t quite prepared for mosquitoes this big!

You won’t be able to read the fine print, but this demonstrates the historical diameter of the pipes used to transport petroleum products in Alaska over time:

top circle – 1943-1947

middle circle – 1955-1971

bottom circle – 1977 to present

The city of North Pole is about 15 miles south of Fairbanks. We had to stop but only for pictures. The North Pole was incorporated in 1953. The land was formerly a homestead that was subdivided and settlers bought lots and built homes. The buyer of the majority of the homestead was a development company that thought the name North Pole would attract a toy manufacturer; that didn’t happen but the name stuck. Today North Pole is a theme city that is known throughout the world. Travelers come from all over the world to shop at their huge Christmas themed store.

_____________________

No Wildflower of the Day.
We didn't have Internet access at the campground in Fairbanks and I am behind!!
We arrived at Denali Park today - Friday July 23rd.