Our Journey

August 19th, 2024 - Dog Sledding in Denali

2024-08-20T20:30:00.000-04:00

Our day started out slow. Yes, we were lazy - LOL!

We decided to get moving after lunch and headed to the Sled Dog Demonstration at 2 PM.

In Denali, Sled Dogs have been an important mode of transportation in the winter for over 100 years. The only exception was during WW2 when the Canine Rangers were drafted into the war.

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/meet-the-sled-dogs.htm

Our ranger:

She told us about the history of the dogs in Denali and a little about the dogs. Then we had a demonstration of a ride. As the dogs were attached, they were so excited:

And away they go!:

When they came back and were tethered, the ranger continued her talk:

One of the things they are taught are to come back home. This was just cool to watch:

And away he goes - notice his trainer in the orange:

He knew where to go to be safe!

After the demo, we were free to walk around. This is the training sled:

From there we stopped at the Sled Shed - interesting information:

From there we went to the puppies - :-):

They were all so cute! Here are a few:

One question I had was "Do they ever roam free" and the answer is yes...when the people are not here - LOL!:

Cute:

More information on the dogs and their breeding:

Lots of info here:

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/experience/national-parks/2022/10/29/denali-national-park-sled-dogs-alaska/10525268002/

https://pawsandreflect.blog/denali-national-park-sled-dogs-visiting-the-kennel/

https://www.whatspawsitive.org/home/2023/8/10/denali-dogs-how-alaskan-sled-dogs-help-maintain-and-entertain-at-denali-national-park

https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/climate-change-dog-sledding-denali.htm#:~:text=Today%2C%20park%20rangers%20and%20scientists,for%20other%20visitors%20to%20use.

https://www.nps.gov/media/video/view.htm?id=85118750-1DD8-B71C-07CE18ECAA2D7364

So glad we went - what a great time!

From there we decided to take a ride to the end of the road for private vehicles. Yesterday, we saw moose and caribou here. Sadly no animals today.

After the fireweed bloom, their leaves start to turn this beautiful red!:

Our road (sadly, another cloudy, rainy day!):

New snow on the mountain...oh my, time to leave... sad!:

The road continues:

So does the snow - LOL!:

The fall in Alaska - the green turns to reds and browns:

What a wonderful afternoon!

We will be here one more day. I was truly hoping for sunny skies to see Denali in its finest but... May have to be here in the Winter/Early Spring - LOL!

Enjoy today!

August 18th, 2024 The End of the Road in Denali

2024-08-20T20:25:00.003-04:00

Today's adventure...The shuttle bus to East Fork!

From yesterday:

"The Denali Park Road goes 92 miles into the park. Near the end is Wonder Lake and at the end is Kantishna. Sadly, there was a landslide at MP 45 and nothing is allowed past MP 43 (East Fork). Private vehicles can only go to MP 14 so a bus is needed to go beyond that."

We were blessed..In 2007 we made the shuttle bus trip to Wonder Lake. Those iconic pictures that you see of Denali and the reflection on a lake is done on a clear day at Wonder Lake. That trip is here:

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2007/07/july-19-2007-denali-and-wildlife.html

In 2009, we were able to take the trip to Kantishna. That trip is here:

https://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2009/06/june-25-2009-kantishna-experience.html

Sadly, we can only go to MP 43 because of the landslide. BUT!! That is okay since we saw wildlife.

They have a saying that everyone should see the Big 5 Wildlife in Denali: Caribou, Moose, Wolf, Bear, and Dall Sheep. Well, we were blessed to see all but the Wolf!

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The nice thing about taking the shuttle is that you can see a lot.

The not so nice is that you are taking pictures thru the bus windows OR the siting is on the side that you are not sitting on.. LOL

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Our bus stop pickup... (Side note. If you come here in 2027, go to Eielson. Great visitor center, great trails, and if the weather Gods are good.. great view of Denali!). Roaming around the Eielson Center is still on my bucket list!

The mountains are in the clouds:

Our first sighting... CARIBOU! Just losing the velvet from his antlers which is why it is so bloody.

Not too far away, we saw this guy (Sorry the pictures are a little blurry - he was far away1):

Scenes along the way!:

We made a stop at the Teklanika Rest Area. WOW! What a difference from 2009! This is the Teklanika River - a braided river. So what is a braided river?:

"A braided river is a river with a network of channels that branch and merge to create a braided pattern. The channels are separated by small islands called braid bars, aits, or eyots, which are often temporary. The bars form, are consumed, and re-form continuously, making braided channels very dynamic. "

The bridge across the river into the wilderness of Denali:

The Teklanika River:

The Road:

The views and those white spots are Dall Sheep:

If you look close, there are caribou on the ridge:

We made our way to the end of this road at the East Fork of the Toklat River:

Fall is coming!:

So... we were able to get off the bus and take pictures. The shuttle bus is a hop on, hop off bus, meaning that if you want to hike, you can hop off the bus and when you are done, you can hop on another shuttle bus. (Depending on the time of day, they come thru every 20 - 30 minutes.) A few folks left our bus and a few got a ride back.

Heading back:

It is raining out there:

Incredible country - the pictures do not show how grand it is. That "hill" on the left is over five miles away (and look how huge it looks - WOW!)

Dall Sheep:

This caribou came down in front of the bus and then walked up the road - too funny. This is the best picture I could get - LOL!:

Love the fireweed color! As we get into the fall, the fireweed leaves turn a beautiful shade of mauve/red:

Another view along the way:

How beautiful! Look at those antlers!:

And our last treat of the day!:

Isn't he beautiful!

Moose rutting season is starting so hopefully we will see more of these guys before we leave.

Another great day! (But I really want some sun and no rain - LOL!)

Enjoy today!

August 17th, 2024 Riley Campground Shuttle Loop

2024-08-18T21:25:00.000-04:00

We had a slow start today and didn't get moving until after lunch.

The park has a number of free shuttles that take you to various places. So today, we decided to check out those places. First stop was the bus depot for shuttle tickets to take us deeper into the park.

The Denali Park Road goes 92 miles into the park. Near the end is Wonder Lake and at the end is Kantishna. Sadly, there was a landslide at MP 45 and nothing is allowed past MP 43 (East Fork). Private vehicles can only go to MP 15 so a bus is needed to go beyond that.

There are three buses that go to MP 43: two are tour buses ($$) and one is the shuttle bus ($). We had good times on the shuttle bus in 2007 and 2009 so we decided to do that again.

That will be tomorrow.

From there we picked up another shuttle to take us to the Visitor Center Complex. Our first stop was the theater to watch two movies: "Heartbeats of Denali," and "Dog Sledding in the Park" (I just LOVE the national park movies.)

You can find videos here: https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/photosmultimedia/videos.htm

The park has an Artist-in-Residence Program:

"The Artist-in-Residence program is dedicated to exploring new ways for visitors to experience Denali. From hundreds of competitive applications each year, about a half-dozen accomplished artists, writers, and composers are invited to spend time at a historic cabin in Denali at their own expense the following summer.

During their residency, each participant is required to lead a public outreach activity with visitors. Visitors enjoy sharing hands on activities and time with our artists, and in turn find unique ways to connect with Denali on a more personal level.

Artists may choose to donate finished work to the park. However, due to lack of appropriate storage and display locations, the park prefers digital and performance-based donations. Artists are challenged to create artwork or activities for visitors that offer a fresh and innovative perspective drawn from their own experience."

One of those works was in the theater:

Outside the theater, there were many other types of works - nice to see.

From there we headed downstairs to the museum.

This guy is their centerpiece - he is huge:

If you look at the above picture on the right, there is a replica of a mountain. Dall Sheep were on that mountain:

And a bird of prey also:

This section of the museum talked about the ecosystem in the park.

Some interesting tidbits:

There was an area called "Sounds of the Park" where the sounds in various seasons were recorded. It was interesting to know they are trying to keep the wilderness as it should be.

There were two short videos in this area about the park's beginnings and about the Native Peoples of Denali.

Fannie Quigley's cabin:

The native people used all parts of the moose:

More information can be found here:

https://www.nps.gov/locations/alaska/native-heritage-dena.htm#:~:text=The%20Denali%20region%20is%20home,wildlife%20and%20other%20wild%20resources.

Our last stop before heading to the shuttle was the book store / gift shop where I picked up a great jacket!

The shuttle driver was the same one we had for the other two buses and since it wasn't busy, we spent some time talking with him and his story. (I love to hear stories.)

We had planned to have a campfire tonight but lots of wind and rain. Hopefully we will be able to have one before we leave.

Tomorrow we are heading deeper into the park so stay tuned and enjoy today.

August 16th, 2024 Travel to Denali National Park

2024-08-18T20:38:00.001-04:00

We woke to pouring rain... packed up and headed north to Denali National Park. (As a side note.. in 2007 and 2009, we had to make reservations way before we got here because it was difficult to get a site. I made reservations less than two weeks ago and was very surprised to get a site. HMMM!)

Rainy and cloudy as we made our way north:

If it were sunny, I bet this lake would have great reflections:

There were homes/cabins in the middle of "nowhere". Now I may say nowhere but... if you need groceries or any other services, it is about 80 miles south and about 40 miles north. And that is just small stores. Brave souls, I say!

Interesting lakes and rivers:

The sun is appearing..do you see the rainbow?:

Incredible! But we did not find the pot of gold - LOL!!:

Love the fog thru the mountains:

And then the clouds parted and the sun shined thru:

We arrived at Denali National Park!:

This park reservations are very interesting. It is run by Aramark instead of the NPS. So when we made reservations, we made them for an A site, which means an RV greater than 30 feet but less than 40 feet. So we needed to check in first and then find an A site. She only asked how long we were - didn't check. Since we tow a vehicle, she told us to find a "double site" to fit the truck and RV - because we could not park on the road.

So as Andy did the dumping and filling with fresh water, I "trolled" the campground. A and B loop were mostly taken but in C loop I found a few good sites so here we are!

After setting up, we took a road trip - first to the town of Denali and then to Healy, north of Denali. We needed gas, propane and some groceries and Healy had all we needed. After filling up, we headed back home.

Sites along the way - the Alaskan RR bridge:

Nenana River Canyon:

Our final stop was at Prospector's Pizzeria and Alehouse for a pizza (Great) and beer. They have over 50 beers on tap, mostly Alaskan brews. We tried the Prospectors Gold Lager (brewed by the 49th State Brewery) and it was pretty good.

What a great day!

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 91 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Alaska: Parks Highway - AK3

Tomorrow we are going to explore the park so stay tuned and enjoy today.

August 13 - 15, 2024 Denali State Park

2024-08-17T15:56:00.001-04:00

August 13th, 2024

We left our little place in Talkeetna and headed north in the fog.

Oh My! We have some blue skies!

And the mountains:

We stopped at the Denali South Viewpoint:

The mountain is in there but cloudy. If you look in the middle of the picture, Denali is behind the break in the clouds. Hopefully we will be able to see it in its full glory!

Heading north to the campground:

We landed at Byers Lake Campground in Denali State Park. The reviews said that the road had potholes and it did. As long as we took it slow, it was okay. The campground is beautiful and it is almost empty. The sites are large and spread apart. We will be here for three nights so hopefully the weather will cooperate.

After setting up, we went to the Alaska Veterans Memorial near us. This has been on my bucket list. We have passed by many times but never stopped.

"The memorial consists of five 20-foot tall concrete panels, one each to represent the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines and Coast Guard, arranged in a semi-circle. A statue of two Alaska Territorial Guards, carved by Canadian sculptor George Pratt, greet you at the entrance. On each panel is a short history of that branch's contribution to Alaska."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Veterans_Memorial

Territorial Guards Statue:

The panels:

Back of the statue and the view:

Inscriptions on each of the panels:

Other smaller panels:

Andy at the panels - they are huge!:

Next to the panels is a display area on Alaska and the wars.

Interesting article on bush pilot rescue:

So sad:

A good read - they found the plane remains in 2016:

Around the area is lots of plants, flowers, and trees - it is beautiful:

Not sure what these berries are but they are a rich red color and then turn to orange:

Fireweed turning to fluff:

There is a saying: "When fireweed turns to cotton, summer will soon be forgotten".

"As each successive flower blooms above the one underneath, Alaskans begin to mark their calendars. As the older blooms seed and turn to cotton and the last of the flowers garnish the top of the reed, one can be rest assured, that according to legend, winter is six weeks away."

Yep, it is soon time to head out. Bummer!

This is the height of some of the fireweed.

https://medium.com/usfws/fireweed-c0b0f07d905c

Back home, we enjoyed a campfire and made steak and baked potatoes over the fire - YUM!

I found a website, that had a live picture of Denali. We checked it a few times to see if the clouds had cleared. After supper, it looked like there was some clearing so off we went to the viewpoint.

A little hard to see but there she is!:

What a treat! One of our views heading back to camp:

"Denali (/dəˈnɑːli/; also known as Mount McKinley, its former official name) is the highest mountain peak in North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level. It is the tallest mountain in the world from base-to-peak on land, measuring 18,000 ft. With a topographic prominence of 20,194 feet and a topographic isolation (the distance to the nearest peak of equal or greater height) of 4,621.1 miles, Denali is the third most prominent and third-most isolated peak on Earth, after Mount Everest and Aconcagua. Located in the Alaska Range in the interior of the U.S. state of Alaska, Denali is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali

https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/historyculture/denali-origins.htm

What a great day!

Stats for today

Miles Traveled: 62 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Alaska: Talkeetna Spur Road; Parks Highway - AK3;

August 14th, 2024

Today was road trip day. We headed south to the Denali South Viewpoint State Park but no view. We decided to head north to the Denali North Viewpoint State Park with a quick stop at K'esugi Ken Campground. We were going to stay at this campground but it was reservation only and it was all booked. They do have four first come first served sites but I didn't want to chance it. The campground is more modern than where we are staying and they have electric. Maybe next time.

Along the way:

Glaciers on the mountains:

Denali is hiding today:

Our last stop for the day was Hurricane Gulch Highway Bridge. We were on the Railroad Bridge a few days ago so we had to check out the highway bridge. It is 558 feet long and 254 feet above the gulch.

The gulch is breathtaking. Because of the traffic (plus the lack of space), I did not take pictures from the bridge.

More information can be found here:

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alaska/hurricane-gulch-bridge-ak/

https://www.alaska.org/guide/alaskas-most-photo-worthy-bridges

I did find a little path that took me to an overlook of the gulch:

Another look up the gulch - no traffic, so I stopped the car and took a picture:

Beautiful!

Heading back, had to stop and wave to folks on the train:

We spent the rest of the evening outside with a campfire.

This is our site:

Even Gray came out for a while:

Another enjoyable day.

August 15th, 2024

Today was a cloudy, rainy, sunny, cloudy, rainy, sunny kind of day so we just hung out. By evening it was raining! Oh well!

Tomorrow we head to Denali National Park so stay tuned and enjoy today.

August 9-10, 2024 Travel to Talkeetna and More Rain

2024-08-10T23:42:00.002-04:00

August 9th, 2024

We woke to another cloudy, raining, day and after filling with water, dumping our tanks, and getting fuel, we headed north to Talkeetna.

Most of the rivers were very muddy (more than just the glacial silt) and running fast:

Patches and patches of fire week - it was beautiful:

Past a few burned areas:

And some very green areas:

We made our way to the Talkeetna Camper Park, set up, and decided to check out the town. We spent some time here in 2009 and had a blast.

The TV show "Northern Exposure" was modeled after this quirky town. It was the base for those folks who wanted to flight see or climb Denali. Did it change - oh my yes, There must have been at least 10 tour bus loads of folks here. Main Street is now full of restaurants, people, touristy shops, people, vendors with trips like flightseeing, climbing, dog sledding, boat touring, train touring, people, etc. It was crazy. I am hoping that I get a chance to walk it - LOL!

We made our way to Riverfront Park:

Talkeetna River to the Right:

Susitna River - it was really flowing:

Chulitna River - way down there:

This little area was near the parking lot and we watched it fill with water very fast. It continued to a pond behind it. We were wondering if all the rain from the mountains is not flowing to the rivers:

We continued our drive and found this quirky place - LOL:

Hopefully, if it stops raining, I can get a chance to walk the town.

Late afternoon, we stopped at the local VFW and had a great time. This is where they held the Moose Dropping Festival until 2009. We did find out that they still do a Moose Drop, just not the festival.

So what is a Moose Dropping Festival? In 2009, the Historical Society sold moose "poop" turds with a number and a pin. In the parking lot of the VFW, a moose outline was drawn. On the day of the dropping, the "turds" were put in a big net, raised up by a crane, the net was opened and all the turds dropped on the outline. There were prizes for closest, furthest and a whole host of other quirky prizes. The year we were here, the closest won over $3000.00. Big money. All the profits went to the Historical Society.

So after 2009, PETA got involved and they thought that the town was dropping an actual Moose and if they did not cease, they would be fined heavily. Since PETA refused to come to the festival and they could not convince them that it was "poop" dropping, the town decided not to fight. After a few years, the VFW now runs it but there is not longer festival and it is more like a drawing.

So sad, because we had a blast. Folks from all over would come to the festival. It was a big thing!

We did make plans to do a boat trip tomorrow with Mahay's River Boat Tours. We did a tour with them in 2009 and it was great. So since I had a coupon, we made plans to do it again. This tour will take us on the Susitna River to the Chulitna River and to the Chulitna River Gorge.

Then on Sunday, we have reservations on the train to Hurricane, Alaska (round trip).

Looking forward to both!

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 84 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Alaska: South Cobb Street; West Evergreen Avenue; Palmer-Wasilla Highway; Parks Highway - AK3; Talkeetna Spur Road

August 10th, 2024

Since our boat tour was in the afternoon, this morning, I took advantage of the RV park's laundry facilities. When it was time, we headed to the dock and then got a call. The tour we were going to take was cancelled due to flooding and dangerous conditions on the Chulitna River. We had the opportunity to go on the shorter tour on the Susitna River but we decided not to go. It had been pouring rain since noon with no let up (in other words, it would not have been a nice trip on the water). As I write this at 8 PM, it is still pouring. Oh well.

We made a stop at Riverfront Park before heading home - it is running very swift so I am glad we made the decision not to go. In town, there was many tour buses with lots of people milling around - it had to be miserable in this rain.

Tomorrow is our train ride so stay tuned and enjoy today.

August 4th, 2024 Travel to Palmer and Knik Road

2024-08-07T18:55:00.001-04:00

We woke to clouds and some rain, so we packed up and headed north:

Love the clouds on the mountains:

Past glacial rivers:

It is amazing to me how much the weather changes from one mountain range to another. We went thru the Chugach Mountains and now it is beautiful in the next valley!

We are now in the Mat-Su Valley. This is the area that grows those HUGE vegetables!:

One of the lakes south of Palmer:

We made our way to the Palmer Moose Lodge and set up. Right now, we are the only ones here:

After setting up, we decided to head to the Visitor Center for information. There are a few things that I want to do here. One is the Independence Mine and Hatcher Pass - but only if the weather is good. In 2009, we tried to explore but it was fogged in and very wet.

The other item on my list is to learn more about the town of Palmer. Palmer was a supply center for some 200 farm families who were relocated to Alaska from northern Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin as part of the Resettlement Administration under President Roosevelt.

So we will start checking those things tomorrow. Today was a road trip around Palmer and the Old Glenn Highway.

First stop was the Mantanuska River - a glacial river coming from the Mantanuska Glacier about 60 miles away. Notice all the debris that has been carried down the river:

It was running fast.

Some flowers near the viewing area:

From there we headed to Knik Road that parallels the river for about 8 miles. It ends in a lodge/restaurant near the top of one of the hills.

View from the road - that is it Knik Glacier in the background.

The Knik River - another glacial river:

Not a bad road and many people have homes throughout the hills:

Notice the wooden bridge:

A "pond" near the river - many folks fishing, kayaking, swimming and just enjoying the day:

Oops, must have got caught in a flood. We did see a few vehicles along the riverside that had seen better days - in other words, not working anymore.

This turned out to be a "bluebird" day.

We made our way back to the Lodge and paid our fees ($10.00/night for electric - not bad.) Since they were not having any food sales, we decided to go the Elks Lodge in Wasilla.

We stayed at this lodge in 2009 - it is a beautiful lodge that is located on a lake and very active.

We had a great supper and a great time and headed back home.

(I know I am going to be asked why I did not stay here instead of the Moose Lodge. The only reason is cost. The Elks Lodge was $35/night - includes electric. The Moose Lodge was $10.00 per night with electric. Neither one has a dump station but the Elks did have a water hose at the building to use. We did not need water so we did not ask at the Moose.

The power situation is better at the Elks and they have a picnic table for each site so there is that. But we are happy where we are staying.)

What a wonderful day!

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 41 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Alaska: Hoyt Street; Debarr Street; Bragaw Street; Glenn Highway - AK3; West Evergreen Avenue; South Cobb Street