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Friday, June 12
KANTISHNA EXPERIENCE
There are a number of tours into the interior of Denali National Park. The settlement at the end of the road is Kantishna and the tour that we took provided the deepest penetration into the park available on motorized vehicle. The Denali Wilderness Preserve through which we traveled is the largest area of pristine wildness in the United States.
We were very fortunate to have Lisa as our guide and teacher. She came to Alaska about 28 years ago and has, among other ventures, owned a fishing boat upon which most of the crew were women and raced in the Iditarod.
The animals were all around. The weather was somewhat overcast. I still can’t believe how the weather is working for us! Two days ago when we needed clear skies to see the mountain we had clear skies. Now, we got the weather that enhanced this new adventure. Those bears are BIG! Even through the windows and with binoculars you could tell how powerful they were. We saw two cubs playing in the snow with enough power to bowl over a 200 pound man.
Moose, beaver, dall sheep, ptarmigan (the state bird), marmot, a red fox trotted down the road in front of our bus, hunting. We learned that the snowshoe hare has a seven year cycle and that right now there are more hares in the park than there have ever been. Therefore, the lynx population is up as well as the populations of many of the other animals that prey on the hare.
If you come here, try to find time for this tour. Also, if I was to come again I would spend maybe one night at Riley Campground and then move down the road and enjoy the peace and quiet of Teklanika River Campground. You can hear highway sounds from the Riley Campground.
Saturday, June 13
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
After a much needed slow morning we finally made it over to the visitor center in time for a lovely walk down McKinley Station Trail with Ranger Karen. All of a sudden the wildflowers are out. There is one little yellow flower that is so pretty and has medicinal properties too. Karen was enthusiastic about the early history of the valley and it is a great walk.
In the Visitor Center there were some interesting exhibits about the park animals. The park does not favor the hunter or the hunted.
In Denali predator-prey relationships play out with minimal human interference. Wolves, for example, hunt old, sick weak or newborn animals as they have for thousands of years. In feeding themselves, they provide food for other carnivores and help to keep prey populations healthy.
We finished the day with grilled veggies and rib-eye.
Sunday, June 14
DENALI
Sunday before leaving Denali we took a walk with Ranger Michael who is a fan of Where the Wild Things Are. We walked to Horseshoe Lake and Michael asked us to use our senses to “feel the wildness “ around us.
Then… off we headed north…just barely. One of our cyberrally friends had suggested Rose’s Café in Healy which was just ten miles north. After lunch we made it two more miles north to Stampede Road which I had read about in Milepost. Sandy hopped in the RT with me and we drove just past where the pavement ends. We took a lovely little walk with Sandy waiting patiently while I took photos. The weather was delightful with storm clouds in the distance. I will try to get a picture up soon.
For the first time we stayed at different campgrounds. In one of the guide books I had read about Tatlanika Trading Co. and RV Park. It was just what I wanted… by the river and with some wildness around but it didn’t appeal to Sandy. We looked at another place just down the road which was dismal and then I decided to go back to my wildness and Sandy went on to the small historic town of Nenana.
Maybe one of the reasons I liked Tatlanika was the grass airstrip right next to the campground. There was a small plane, Cub like but with a three bladed prop under a cover nearby. When I went into the trading company to pay for my site I visited with the owner, Jay. The plane is a Maule but the prop is a modification to provide more power during climb out. Jay’s father was one of the original Alaskan Bush Pilots.
I checked in with Sandy via cell phone. She was all settled and after snoozing a while I went out to take some photos of the sunset over the Nenana River. Beautiful!
Monday, June 15
TATLANIKA to FAIRBANKS
Monday, and it’s time to try to find someone who can help with my electrical problems. After a few calls I have an appointment Tuesday morning thanks to a suggestion from Dell and John… Roadtrekers who summer near Fairbanks.
After catching up with Sandy in Nenana we headed for Fairbanks and spent the afternoon at the Museum of the North. It has been highly recommended but both Sandy and I preferred the Museums in Juneau and Anchorage.
KANTISHNA EXPERIENCE
There are a number of tours into the interior of Denali National Park. The settlement at the end of the road is Kantishna and the tour that we took provided the deepest penetration into the park available on motorized vehicle. The Denali Wilderness Preserve through which we traveled is the largest area of pristine wildness in the United States.
We were very fortunate to have Lisa as our guide and teacher. She came to Alaska about 28 years ago and has, among other ventures, owned a fishing boat upon which most of the crew were women and raced in the Iditarod.
The animals were all around. The weather was somewhat overcast. I still can’t believe how the weather is working for us! Two days ago when we needed clear skies to see the mountain we had clear skies. Now, we got the weather that enhanced this new adventure. Those bears are BIG! Even through the windows and with binoculars you could tell how powerful they were. We saw two cubs playing in the snow with enough power to bowl over a 200 pound man.
Moose, beaver, dall sheep, ptarmigan (the state bird), marmot, a red fox trotted down the road in front of our bus, hunting. We learned that the snowshoe hare has a seven year cycle and that right now there are more hares in the park than there have ever been. Therefore, the lynx population is up as well as the populations of many of the other animals that prey on the hare.
If you come here, try to find time for this tour. Also, if I was to come again I would spend maybe one night at Riley Campground and then move down the road and enjoy the peace and quiet of Teklanika River Campground. You can hear highway sounds from the Riley Campground.
Saturday, June 13
DENALI NATIONAL PARK
After a much needed slow morning we finally made it over to the visitor center in time for a lovely walk down McKinley Station Trail with Ranger Karen. All of a sudden the wildflowers are out. There is one little yellow flower that is so pretty and has medicinal properties too. Karen was enthusiastic about the early history of the valley and it is a great walk.
In the Visitor Center there were some interesting exhibits about the park animals. The park does not favor the hunter or the hunted.
In Denali predator-prey relationships play out with minimal human interference. Wolves, for example, hunt old, sick weak or newborn animals as they have for thousands of years. In feeding themselves, they provide food for other carnivores and help to keep prey populations healthy.
We finished the day with grilled veggies and rib-eye.
Sunday, June 14
DENALI
Sunday before leaving Denali we took a walk with Ranger Michael who is a fan of Where the Wild Things Are. We walked to Horseshoe Lake and Michael asked us to use our senses to “feel the wildness “ around us.
Then… off we headed north…just barely. One of our cyberrally friends had suggested Rose’s Café in Healy which was just ten miles north. After lunch we made it two more miles north to Stampede Road which I had read about in Milepost. Sandy hopped in the RT with me and we drove just past where the pavement ends. We took a lovely little walk with Sandy waiting patiently while I took photos. The weather was delightful with storm clouds in the distance. I will try to get a picture up soon.
For the first time we stayed at different campgrounds. In one of the guide books I had read about Tatlanika Trading Co. and RV Park. It was just what I wanted… by the river and with some wildness around but it didn’t appeal to Sandy. We looked at another place just down the road which was dismal and then I decided to go back to my wildness and Sandy went on to the small historic town of Nenana.
Maybe one of the reasons I liked Tatlanika was the grass airstrip right next to the campground. There was a small plane, Cub like but with a three bladed prop under a cover nearby. When I went into the trading company to pay for my site I visited with the owner, Jay. The plane is a Maule but the prop is a modification to provide more power during climb out. Jay’s father was one of the original Alaskan Bush Pilots.
I checked in with Sandy via cell phone. She was all settled and after snoozing a while I went out to take some photos of the sunset over the Nenana River. Beautiful!
Monday, June 15
TATLANIKA to FAIRBANKS
Monday, and it’s time to try to find someone who can help with my electrical problems. After a few calls I have an appointment Tuesday morning thanks to a suggestion from Dell and John… Roadtrekers who summer near Fairbanks.
After catching up with Sandy in Nenana we headed for Fairbanks and spent the afternoon at the Museum of the North. It has been highly recommended but both Sandy and I preferred the Museums in Juneau and Anchorage.
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