South to Anchorage Area - July 24 - 29

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Leaving Denali early, we had 5 to 6 days to explore and get chores done while not getting too far away from S & E. Having missed the Denali Highway on our way up, we explored about 30 miles to a BLM campground, Brushkana. This was enough to know it was worth a return trip should we ever find ourselves back in Alaska. The road is 100+ miles of gravel that follows the foothills and lakes of the Alaska Range. 

Wasilla became the business stop with one sleep at Walmarts. On to Little Sustina River Public Access, a Fish and Game property for our first salmon river fishing experience. The catch of the day was chum (dog salmon) and it was rainy so we moved down to Anchorage. With a tip that RV campgrounds weren’t particularly good around the city, we opted for Cabela’s with designated RV areas and services for traveling folks. More fishing at Ship Creek with an abundance of mud and pink salmon this time. Again not very good eating but we tried anyway, agreed and continued to catch only enough for Nina who thought they were great. I also picked up a fishing license at this point because sitting on the bank watching was too hard.

Our final days were south at Bird Creek CG on the Turnagain Arm. This was true combat fishing like you read about with people lining the banks casting lines everywhere and mud feet deep and so sticky that if you stand in one place long enough, you sink in deeper and can’t break the suction to get your feet and boots out. I saw one small child fall across the other side of the river. She lost her boots and got stuck. Dad tried to carry her out over his shoulder but with the combined weight, he couldn’t move. Someone else had to come help. This mud is like quicksand containing a lot of silt from the glaciers. They have bore tides in the Arm which is a wave of tide that comes in an hour or so after an extreme low tide. The tidal range can be as much as 38’ with an extremely high tide of 32.8’. There are many warnings not to go out on the sand flats where you can literally get stuck with an incoming tide with no one able to help you get out.

Fishing again produced just the pinks although some were getting an occasional silver salmon. Good for Nina but we gave up after a massive mud cleanup and awaited S & E’s arrival and move south to Seward.

Denali Finale - July 19 - 23

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Out for an early morning walk around the campground w/Nina this morning on the 23rd, there was a big fresh bear poop filled with berries and other matter. I take enough walks around the loops to know it wasn’t there 10 hours ago, probably not even 2 and wished I had the thermapen to know for sure. Well maybe not but it was extremely fresh. Teklanika CG is right along the Teklanika River. Because there wasn’t a lot of snow this past winter and little rain in the spring, the river is quite low and has become braided with gravel bars and low willows along the banks. This makes a great highway for a local wolf pack, caribou and apparently a lone male grizzly. Yesterday, S & E saw the bear as they crossed the bridge from their bus somewhere around 9:30. I also was gone for the day out to Eielson Visitor Ctr. on an early bus hoping to see lots of wildlife and concentrate on photography. After coming back, Harry asked if I wanted to hear about his day. Of course! 

He & Nina were out on the river’s edge when a couple gave him a heads up that there was a bear walking down the river. Which side became the question and there he was about 100 yards out on the far side of the river. Every bus ride, ranger program and poster around the campground preaches bear awareness. Make noise, avoidance, back away if possible, stay 300 yards away, don’t run, stand your ground, bear spray and if contact is unavoidable, curl up into a ball with your backpack on and hands over your neck. Best case scenario, he will only play with you for a while. Yikes!

Harry did the right thing backing away. The other couple continued walking while two others sat in their chairs and watched. Unless cubs are involved, 99% of the time grizzlies don’t want anything to do with humans. They are thinkers and it becomes a mind game of action/reaction. The resounding message, stay calm. The Denali bears living in the tundra eat mostly berries, vegetation and ground squirrels whereas the coastal brown bears are fish eaters making them bigger, stronger and more dangerous. Honestly, I think I would be like the Tennessee Fainting Goats - legs locked, keel over and faint!

We have had a wonderful stay at Denali NP. Five nights at Riley Creek CG and 4 out at Teklanika CG after having already spent 9 nights 60 miles away on the south side at Denali SP. I have been able to go west into the park 3 times and seen many grizzlies, cubs, caribou, arctic gray wolves with one very special black one, arctic ground squirrels, hoary marmot, willow and rock ptarmigans, long-tail jaegers, golden eagles, northern wheatears, american pipits, short-eared and northern hawk owls and so much more. It’s pretty amazing to see a seabird like the long-tailed jaeger ashore nesting with young on the tundra.

A bus ride west is an all day affair and you get to know the folks traveling with you, always one of the greatest pleasures of traveling. The same is true in the campground. We met a wonderful couple, Laura & Doug from Toronto, traveling in a big brother to our RoadTrek, an Adventurous Sprinter model. They chose a campsite across from us and Harry welcomed them in. Laura is a lover of birds and spotted a northern hawk owl on her arrival while Doug’s passion is photography and a Nikon guy. Lots in common. If the wheels were not already set in motion to leave today, I would have loved to have spent another day with them.

We had already decided to cut our stay short by several days because the days were getting long for Harry while I was out hiking and riding the bus. On our ride back out, Harry said he felt like he was dragging a kid out of Disney. Good analogy but I left feeling pretty satisfied when we came across 4 northern hawk owls and a short-ear owl chasing a golden eagle while crossing paths with a northern harrier. If you open your eyes and look around, there is always something special to see no matter where you are.

S & E will probably stay in Denali for their remaining 5 days and then rendezvous with us south of Anchorage in the Kenai Peninsula. Fishing territory!

The Park Road - July 17 - 18

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"If you listen to the land, you will know what to do." - Terry Tempest Williams

This is a wonderful place to listen. 

A trail-less hike is walking in your own footprints, not those made by others or animals, leaving not a trace behind. We went on a ranger led Discovery Hike to remote areas along the Park Road. We chose one that started at Mile 60.5 hiking up to high ground on the tundra of Stoney Hill. The tundra above the tree line (2,700’ in Denali) is mostly spongy peaty moss with pools of water from the permafrost all covered with low wildflowers. Alerted by a passing bus about 4 bears in the direction we were headed, Ranger Tina changed course a bit to a ridge where we were able to see a mom and 2 cubs way off and a single bear by itself along with magnificent views of Denali. 

The Park Road runs east to west with the Alaska Range on the left and Outer Range on the right. One of the perks of the Discovery Hikes is the folks going, 22 for 2 hikes, get a bus of their own. With plenty of space to move around and a great driver Dale who stops for animals, birds, views, and even a recent caribou kill with wolves feeding, the ride was as exciting as the hike. Driving 20-35 miles an hour with multiple stops and 3 restroom breaks, it took at least 3 hours to go the 60 miles. Many of the road photos were taken from inside the bus.

Tomorrow we drive into Teklanika CG at mile 29 where we’ll be for a week. No phone or internet so will be a while for the next post.

Denali National Park - Sled Dog Kennels - July 14 - 16

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Steve was relentless looking for cancellations online that we could grab for an early move over to Denali National Park. In bits and pieces, we were both able to add an extra 3 days arriving on the 14th in Riley Creek CG. This has given us plenty of time to scout out grocery/convenience markets that are few, expensive with limited choice, laundry of course, and acclimate to the goings on at Denali. 

Just a few photos of the Sled Dog Kennels at the park. These dogs are Alaskan Sled Dogs, a breed that are raised, trained and work w/in the park. Each dog averages 3,000 miles of pulling each year patrolling the backcountry of the park, moving supplies and transporting caches left behind too heavy to carry out. They live outside with an optimal comfort temp of 20 degrees below zero! At 9 years of age, they are retired and put up for adoption with strict vetting and rules. Many go to park employees who are already attached to them. The dogs are well taken care of, friendly and massively strong.

Tomorrow a guided hike into the tundra to get used to trail-less hiking. More on that later.

More of Denali SP & Tekleetna Air Flight - July 9 - 13

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Never, ever take for granted views of Denali. We were lucky w/5 out of 8 days with looks, some better than others. With days of predicted rain, we watched the weather for the perfect day to take a flight over the mountains. The day before we were to leave the park was the day and it was a good one - sunny with few to no clouds. The one thing we couldn’t foresee was a change in wind and fires to the north in the Yukon that brought smoke and haze over the range. The flight was still magical but photos a challenge. 

S, E & I had the plane, a Cessna, to ourselves with Harry choosing to stay grounded. Paul our pilot and owner of the company, Tekleetna Air Taxi, was super at navigating up one glacier, flying in figure 8’s around peaks and valleys and back down the Ruth Glacier over our campground and home to the airstrip. Spectacular views of the range and landscape. The glaciers were interesting to see the pools, crevices and better than 30’ of erosion where the thickness of the glaciers had receded over the years.

Other photos show hikes up to the K’segue Ken Ridge, Byer’s Lake and this pretty amazing wood frog, the only amphibian in the park. Included is a plaque that describes the way this frog dehydrates in the winter months replacing water with glucose it manufactures allowing it to withstand freezing temps while just sitting amongst the leaves on the ground. According to the ranger, this is one of the most studied creatures for medical applications such as strokes and preserving organs prior to implant. And I almost stepped on him!

Denali Chapter 1 - July 4 - July 9

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They say only 30% of the people who come to Denali, the “High One”, actually see the mountain. We have been here 3 days and have seen it each day. Currently we are at K’esugi Ken CG in Denali State Park about 85 miles south of Denali NP. This campground has only been open a month and is really beautiful with spacious sites and nice grounds. From here we have the closest view of the southeast side of Denali from our campsite or better yet, 3.3 miles up the newly constructed Curry Ridge Trail that joins the Kesugi Ridge Trail at an elevation of 2000’ with a 360 degree view of the Alaska range and all the around to the south over the ridge. Sunset is now closer to midnight so it’s a whole lot easier to stay up. Hopefully once we get to the other side in the national park, I’ll be able to capture the “alpenglow” on the mountain.

Denali National Park is the corner stone of our journey and the only place we made reservations back in December, 2016. It will be another week before going into the park so will probably hang here for a while. Close by is Takleetna where one can get on a plane for an air tour of the mountains and perhaps land on a glacier - in the works once the weather breaks again. We’ve already tried a local restaurant/brewery, Denali Brewery Co. (5 star), many shops, coffee, the ranger station where they keep track of mountain climbers and walked on by the 1st seen cannabis shop. Bob, Luanne and their pup, Nicky, who we first met up at Ophir Creek have found their way here and I was able to join them on a couple hikes. 

Backing up, photos include some from the University of Alaska Museum of the North in Fairbanks. The “pipeline pig”, the multi-colored plastic thing, is a device used to clean the pipeline. Nenana, a cool small town just south of Fairbanks, was a one night stay. When S & E arrived before us, the 4th of July festivities were still going on with pie eating, egg and spoon and soda chase competitions for the kids. No fireworks of course because it’s too bright. Their claim to fame is the Nenana Ice Classic. A large tripod is planted 2 feet into the Tanana River ice 300’ from shore and connected to a clock with a cable. When the ice breaks up sometime in April or May, the tripod falls and the cable stops the clock. For $2.50 a ticket, a bet can be made with the date and time by the minute the tripod will fall. Last year the payoff jackpot was $267,444. Half of the proceeds go back to the community. I told them if I win, I'll come back in person to collect. This was a good stay.

Fairbanks & the Steese Hwy - June 26 - July 3

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Since coming into Alaska, we have been traveling a bit fast spending 1 to 2 nights at different campgrounds. One regret for more time was at Moon Lake Recreation Area, a small state park just north of Tok. This is where the photo of the pacific loon was taken in the previous post. With chairs set up at the edge of the lake, there were all sorts of ducks, the loon and moose. Getting closer to Fairbanks and the weekend, the parks became more congested so we kept working our way north.

With the pending long 4th of July weekend, we decided to head up the Steese Hwy a day early and chill for awhile. Unfortunately S & E dropped back with unresolved tire issues.

Exploring up the Nome Creek Road, we settled in the Ophir Creek Campground with tall white spruce and the creek wrapping around for 4 nights. This is BLM land with fishing, a section of the creek designated for gold panning, hiking and land of the magnificent great gray owl. This is an owl that was at the top of my wish list and turned out to have a nest nearby so I had many opportunities to see it. There were also plenty of arctic graylings in the creek for Harry but only as "catch & release".

Because we stayed put for a while, we had a chance to meet wonderful campers - a swiss couple who first showed me photos of the great gray owl, Neill a minister in Fairbanks and his family, and another guy whose name I never knew who is a trapper and also trains dogs. Neill was a great help with what to do around town and good company.

We learned that bear spray can be useless. Many carry a 48, maybe a magnum and in one case an AK 47 over the shoulder, 48 at the hip and a 38 tucked into the back of his girlfriend's jeans. Couldn't resist a sneak photo. This couple, Ryan and Maura, came back to visit and talk some more. Ryan works in the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay flying out for 6 days then 2 days off. He is also a photographer and birder and told me about an owl he had seen several times in an area we would pass when we left. This morning as we drove the 12 mile gravel road out, it was the "owl grand slam" with 5 northern hawk owls, 2 great grays and the 2 short-eared that Ryan spoke of. Nice finale to a wonderful 4 days.

Back in Fairbanks to re-provision, fill fluids, propane, shop, check emails and reconnect with S & E. We plan to visit the University of Alaska Museum of the North before moving closer to Denali.