Alaska Bound Days 44-46

Day 44 Denali National Park The day began cool and cloudy. We both did some catch up work including for me working on the blog. Then we took Judy’s van over to the visitor center. It is a hub of activity and the place where most of the Cruise ship related passengers arrive. We watched a film on the park and then set off with Ranger Karen for a ranger guided hike on the McKinley Station Trail. This trail follows the sites of some of the early park buildings and roads/trails and Karen had photos of that period. She also handed each of us pictures of plants and we were to say when we matched up. Karen could be a younger version of my sister-in-law Sara. The resemblance and mannerisms were striking. Perhaps it was the enthusiasm Karen showed for the wildlife and living in Alaska. She pointed out scat and tracks of animals, told stories of the park (these are being repeated but assists me in remembering them) as well as identifying plants and their position in the life cycle of the area. We walked back to the visitor’s center and spent some time at the bookshop/gift store before using the Wifi in the café area. The connection was not great but I managed to get the blog posted.
Returning to the campground we had another of Judy’s great grilled vegetable and steak dinners. Afterwards we walked up for the ranger program only to discover there wasn’t one. The day had turned beautiful after on and off rain so perhaps that had cancelled the program.

Day 45 Miles 94 Nenana RV Park, Nenana AK We headed over to the Denali Park Visitor Center for another ranger guided walk at 10. This one was led by Ranger Michael whose theme was Wild Things in the Wilderness and he began and ended with quotes from Maurice Sedlack (?) book Where the Wild Things Are. He fostered our imaginations and senses as he gave us challenges along the Horseshoe Lake Trail. There were some steep and rocky areas and rain threatened during the first half of the 2 hour trip but it was exhilarating. The tiny drops of water on the plants were like jewels and the fragrance of the plants varied. (See what Michael did to my senses.) We have noted how many wildflowers have come out in just the short period of our visit. Yet areas of ice and snow are still visible.
I wished we had more time to do some of the ranger led walks farther into the park. We could have stayed another day but it seemed best to move along. We have tasks for Fairbanks where we’ll also sketch out our final weeks. Judy needs to resolve her electrical problems and I need to get my oil changed and tires rotated. I think I will also get new windshield wiper blades. Rain today convinced me they could do a better job. As I was leaving Wassilla the other day, a motorcycle swerved in front of me and threw off a stone that hit the windshield. It caused a small spot but I worry it could spread so I’m hoping to get either a kit to fill it in some way or have a glass shop do it. I’m told you can purchase such a thing in a parts shop or even that the insurance company will send someone out to do the job since it may prevent eventual replacement of the windshield.
We had a great lunch at Rosie’s Café north of Healey, suggested by an Alaskan Roadtrek owner. We also took a side trip down Stampede Road. It was in this area that the young man of the novel and film Into the Wild spent a winter and died. The Milepost Book says there is a memorial at the site and our driver, Lisa, says she has passed the bus when she’s been in the area with her dogs. It is quite a distance from the road however. We walked a short way over what might be described as muskeg.. It was full of fluffy white flower heads bending in the wind. A rain storm was coming over the hills to the west and it wasn’t long after we were back in the vehicles until it reached us.
In a miscommunication we had two different campgrounds in our GPS’s. Discovering the difference we visited Judy’s first. Perhaps it was the gloomy rainy day, but it didn’t appeal to me. We then tried a compromise at Anderson AK riverfront park near Clear A.F. Base. That didn’t work for either of us. So Judy headed back to her more wilderness location and I came on to Nenana, a small historical town that is pretty quiet on a Sunday night. The campground owners winter in North Point Florida and I met someone who bought their Rialto in Sebastian FL.
I picked up the Sunday Fairbanks paper. Sunset tonight is 12:41a.m. and Sunrise is 3:01 a.m. “Civil twilight” begins 2:13 a.m. and “Civil twilight” ends at 2:13 a.m. I guess that means it never is totally dark. I’ve been using a sleep mask. It’s just difficult to know when to go to bed. With such brightness at 10 p.m., I’m tempted to hit the laundry.

Day 46 Miles 68 Riverview RV Park, North Pole AK No I haven’t visited Santa yet. The drive here was scenic with frequent truck lanes for slow traffic like me. We first rendezvoused in Nenana and decided our initial Fairbanks stop would be at the Museum of the North at University of Alaska. It is a spectacular building and highly touted but we felt that the displays at Juneau and Anchorage were easier to read and follow. True to form we parked in a decal only lot which we discovered on returning to the vehicles. Fortunately no tickets and the campus seemed pretty quiet. We watched two films at the museum. One was on the Aurora Borealis. Fairbanks is supposed to be the best place in the world to see this magnificent light show. The other film was about experiencing winter in Alaska. Surprisingly a number of people have out houses. In fact one of the “art” exhibits was a humorous portrayal of the Alaska outhouse. I guess the alternative is frozen pipes. Fairbanks has the most extremes in temperatures and -60F is not unusual. Judy noticed the electrical boxes by the parking spots for plugging in the vehicles in the winter. We’ve heard tales of frozen batteries.
We checked out the location of Arctic RV where Judy with take her Trek in the morning. Hopefully they can make speedy work of the diagnosis and cure for her electrical woes. The campground is fairly crowded with a caravan of large vehicles arriving about the same time as we checked in We are staying here two nights as of now. My mail was waiting for me thanks to sister Margaret’s diligence. No big surprises or problems either.
Fairbanks has always been the turning point on the itinerary. The next stops will take us more easterly. And back into Canada. We both are feeling like we’d like to do parts we’ve done over again now that we’ve figured out what it is all about. Also it is getting warmer! However last night the mosquitoes almost did me in. My flight information for my Europe trip in September was part of the mail which is another reason that this wonderful trip will have to come to an end.