“Daddy has a big boo boo on his belly button.” That is Little kid’s summation of the hernia surgery which Pa had on Wednesday,

Before heading into Teklanika Campground at Denali National Park, Pa was fairly sure he had a hernia tear (he had had the left side repaired in 2000 – and so recognized the telltale bulge). Did some googling, found what seemed like a good surgeon, and made an appointment to meet with him on our first day in Fairbanks. The doctor said that the surgery was not urgent; but after Pa and I discussed it at length, we decided to just get it over with, especially before driving thru remote areas on our return to the lower 48.

Surgery was scheduled for five days later.  All went great! They were able to do the procedure laparoscopically, which made for much faster healing time. By day three post op Pa was off the Percocet and getting around fairly well. Each day he gets better and better …..

Also in Fairbanks we swapped generators. Our old one, affectionately know as Jenny, weighed nearly two hundred pounds (weight we did not need on our over loaded tires) and was way too much power for our needs. We sold her on Craigslist, to a civilian military employee, who escorted us onto base (Ft. Wainwright) where we parked at the auto shop and he spent three hours removing the behemoth. She has been replaced with “Honey,” a super quiet and lightweight (21 lbs) Honda generator that Pa has always wanted.

Our time in Fairbanks wasn’t all medical and machines …. there was also time for some fun …… visited Pioneer Park, a 44-acre park with a playground, gold rush town, a kiddie train, museums, etc. Went to the Sandhill Crane festival, where we saw – and heard – hundreds of cranes (and lots of Canadian Geese and a pair of trumpeter swans) as they prepared to head south for the winter. Explored the University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus (and decided that we would never want to go to school where the winter temps where forty below and the sun only came out a few hours each day). Tried our luck at gold panning (no luck). Shopped at Bentley Mall, the northernmost mall in North America (even further north than the mall in Greenland!). Saw a small section of the 800 mile oil pipeline, which runs from the North Slope to Valdez. And otherwise just explored this hard scrabble, end of the road town filled with some really, really nice and quirky people.

Now we are going to spend a few days about an hour outside of Fairbanks at Chena Hot Springs, before we return here for Pa’s post surgery appointment …..

At Denali, as Ma said, we spent the first four days at Riley Creek. After that we went to Teklanika. One day we took a bus to the Eielson visitor center. On the bus, people can call out “stop” if they see an animal and the bus will stop. Sometimes people would call stop for a rock or something else that looked like an animal. On the way we saw some Grizzlies in the distance, little white  dots on the hill that were Dall Sheep, and lots of caribou that were really cool. When we got there (after almost three hours), we had great views of Mt. McKinley.  We went on a mile long hike with a 25% incline! When we finally got to the top, we were blown off our feet with what Ma guessed was forty mile per hour winds. The wind was so strong that I could lean back into the wind without falling over! Up there we also saw two caribou. After a little hunkering behind rocks to escape the wind, we headed back down the mountain.

On the way back to the campground, we saw plenty more caribou. We saw a grizzly bear with two cubs and stopped to watch them. The three came closer and closer until they crossed the road and began eating right next to the bus. They must have been three feet from the bus! After awhile we finally kept going. The rest of the drive back was uneventful.

On my birthday, my day started with surprise chocolate milk – In a striped cup that was super tall! After geting awesome presents from Ma and Pa, Aunt Nancy, and Grandma, we watched a movie on the computer.  Soon we ate delicious brownies cooked by Ma. After that, we took a walk in the campground. I met the campground hostess’s boys and spent the rest of the day playing with them, playing a game where we tried to push each other in mud, and many other games.  In the evening, Pa and I went on a cross country hike. First we took a trail over a hill, bush whacked across the tundra, and then climbed the hill on the other side. When we got to the top, we were very tired. On the way back we got stuck in a swamp and were wading for a while. When we finally got back home,  mosquito bitten and wet, we enjoyed ice cream.

After a couple of days we got on the bus again with plans to get off randomly and hike cross country. Unfortunately, at the place we wanted to get off there was a grizzly bear. The second place we wanted to get off there was a caribou in the middle of the road! Little kid then fell asleep and we went all the way to Eielson. At Eielson, we set off on a small hike. We soon settled in at a patch of blue berries and began eating. After that we got on a bus and headed back. We saw another bear that was right next to the bus! After a little more time in Denali we headed to Fairbanks.

Denali National Park would be beautiful in any weather; but especially so when the sun shines. For twelve days the weather gods smiled down upon us, and normally rainy and cool Denali was awash in sunshine. As an added bonus, there were very few mosquitos.

We spent our first four days at Riley Creek Campground, located at the entrance to the park. There we hiked some of the short trails, explored the visitor center and spied large moose in the trees. We also visited the park kennel, where the park’s sled dogs are housed. Denali is the only national park where sled dogs are used to patrol the park in the winter. The kids got to pet the beautiful dogs and then we watched a team of dogs pull a sled.

The park road that runs 90 miles into the park is closed to all private cars at mile 14; with the exception of people camping at the Teklanika River Campground located at mile 29. We spent eight days at this beautiful, quiet, campground. A fun place to celebrate big kid’s tenth birthday!!

Camped alongside the Teklanika River, we armed ourselves with bear spray (and a hefty dose of common sense) and explored both the river and the river banks. Two days we spent riding the park bus, where we got close up views of grizzlies and caribou (more on this from big kid) and got to see Mt. McKinley yet again. We also enjoyed a lazy day or two around camp, where we took walks along the park road and visited with our neighbors.

Big kid had tons of fun playing with two boys her age in the campground. The trio kept busy with mud fights, secret forts, icecream parties, and a lot of running around and screaming.

Next stop, Fairbanks ….

Yesterday I got my birthday surprise from Ma and Pa – a rafting trip down the  Nenana river.  We went about eleven miles, with eight class three and four rapids. When Ma and I first got there, we waited for the rest of the people. Then we went through the struggles of putting on a dry suit. When I put my neck through the neck hole it felt like my ears were being pulled off. When I finally put everything on, I kept bumping into things because I wasn’t used to being so big.

Then we walked to the boat launch and got on the rafts. The first part was fairly mellow. Then we came to the rapids. Ma told the guide that I wanted to get really wet. He said to go to the very front if I wanted to get wet. I followed the guide’s advice, and I sure got wet! The rapids were very fun with lots of bouncing, and getting wet.

The guide had me stand on a cooler. Then he brought the rafts together and everyone sang happy birthday. It was very embarrassing. The rest of the trip was very fun, with rapids and calm parts. We also saw a rainbow.

At the end I was so cold that I could barely unzip my jacket. I was a little wet on the inside, but the dry suit kept me mostly dry. After a long ride back to town, Ma and I walked back to the campground.

Today we joined the 30% club  – travelers who actually get to see Mt. McKinley.  McKinley, aka as Denali, aka The Great One, usually keeps herself hidden behind clouds. She peeked out this morning for us, while we are in the funky, fun town of Talkeetna. It was clear enough to see to the top of her 20,320 feet!