Anderson to Fairbanks and back

After the rough night with the campers in Denali, Mr.Charley & I decided we’d seen enough, so we hit the road and headed up to Anderson  a day early. Since it wasn’t far, we got there relatively early; which was a good thing because the brakes on the truck were scrubbing so we dropped off the rig & headed up to Fairbanks. We found a Ford dealership but they said they couldn’t get started on it for a few hours.   At least there was a Walmart nearby, so we walked over got a Subway for lunch & sat in the grass in the little rose garden on the corner. The girls sure enjoyed wallowing in the grass after all those rocks in Denali. A few hours later, we walked back over to Ford, they weren’t finished yet, but they said it wouldn’t be too much longer. I told Mr. Charley I’d walk back over to Walmart & get some groceries and he can come pick me up when the truck was ready. Another hour and a half later,(and a few hundred dollars)  he called and said he was checking out.
Time and Money……..
By the time we got back we were tired, but we finished setting up; hung out with the folks for a little bit, then came in to chill out before going out to dinner.
We went to Clear Sky Lodge for the BEST steak in Alaska!  Great Food, Fun & Fellowship. The girls were happy with the leftovers when we got home.
I did get a few pics along the way:
I love the blue sky ….. and those clouds are fantastic
       
  
Yes, it does say “Skinny Dick’s Halfway Inn” go to their website and read the story behind it.
   


 








RV Riding means if you don’t like your neighbors you can pick up and move on

Denali

Mr.Charley and I decided since we get up so early, we’d leave the girls home and drive into Denali before all the tour buses get there. Well, it was a good idea, but although the park doesn’t “officially” open until 8, they obviously get an earlier lead time than we expected.
At least I got a pic of the sign without a bunch of people in front of it


And you can’t beat the views…somewhere back there is Mount Denali (aka McKinley)
     
 
 
And the wildlife……
     
We made it into the Visitor Center on the way back out

It had some interesting displays
   
           
Yeah that’s a display of different kinds of bear skat
    
I really liked the display of the medicinal uses of plants
   

This was on the board  at the coffee shop

When we got back to our site, we were thankful most of the rigs had pulled out. We took the girls for a walk and decided since Anderson was only 42 miles up the road we’d ride up there and check out the campground the Loosey Goosey folks were going to meet up in. We also needed to get our propane tanks filled.
It was a nice ride, we even saw a mama moose and her babies:
  
We found the campground and Dennis & Carol had just got in! We chit chatted a little and headed back to our site in Denali. Anne & Briggs were in town for the night after taking their granddaughter on the LONG bus tour through Denali. We met up for happy hour & dinner and by the time we got back to our site we had some new “neighbors”. These folks were a caravan of two rented Class C’s that decided to camp in a “V” shape as close to our side as possible to house their 8-10 kids and fire ring.  
It was a long night.

Have a good one everybody, we’re trying to.

RV Riding is dealing with it and enjoying what you can

Anchorage to Denali

I failed to mention our ride to Palmer and Wasilla as we hung out in Anchorage. The Highlands Games were going on in Palmer although it seemed strange to be in Alaska watching Scottish games, when Highlands, NC is right up the road from SC; but we were “game” for anything. (hah!). I guess we got there too early, because it was barely going when we drove through,(even though the gates were open for over an hour) so we didn’t stay. We drove around Palmer then made our way over to Wasilla. Mr. Charley said that’s where Sara Palin is from but we didn’t see her;  but it is home to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters.
We left Anchorage heading to Parks Highway and Denali. We were excited to add another National Park to our list. Through Wasilla to Houston (the ONLY place on the Mat-Su Borough where it is legal to sell fireworks). On to Willow (had it’s start about 1897 when gold was discovered) and sponsors of an annual Winter Carnival in January and the Iditarod Restart. Onward through Talkeetna where a solar collector helps power the warning signals at the railroad crossings. Over Hurricane Creek where the 550 foot deck of the bridge is 260 feet above the creek, but not as high as the railroad bridge that spans the gulch near the Chulitna River. Then on over Honolulu Creek Bridge where the highway begins ascent to Broad Pass, the gap in the Alaska Range crossed by both the railroad & the highway. Through Igloo City, this landmark first advertised in The Milepost  back in 1973 and eventually into Denali borough.
Here’s some pics from that ride:
Sunrise out of Anchorage
                      
I really need to Google how Iceworm Gulch got its name. I’m sure Hornet Creek is self explanatory
   
   
  
Since we got in so early, we decided to take a ride to Denali National Park
               

I don’t want to say it was a disappointment, but…….unless you get on a tour bus (which can run up over 12 hours in and back), you are only allowed to drive in the first 14 miles. About the only ‘wildlife’ we saw were some rabbits. I think we’re just spoiled by Yellowstone & Custer where you can drive through and see in the comfort of your own vehicle. But after remembering all the things we’ve already seen, I wasn’t going to let that get me down. We decided to go back early in the morning without the girls and drive through, then come back up to the Visitor Center and Science and Learning Center.
When we got back to our site, the place was filling up. Let me tell you, after enjoying the large wooded sites in Anchorage, this place was a packed in mess. There was barely any room between sites and no grass for the girls to walk until walking through a lot of gravel. Of course, Sadie will goes when/where she wants so we’re always sure to keep bags in our pockets.
Well, we’ll see what tomorrow holds at Denali.
Have a good one everybody! We’re going to no matter what.

RV Riding is taking it as it comes and thankful for it all