Chop Chop Billy Goat

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!

Yesterday afternoon when we were driving from Anchorage to Talkeetna we suddenly heard a very loud and freaky  bumping noise. We pulled over and Ma and Pa ran out to investigate. I soon learned that the tread on one of our back tires had come off. Ma called our road side assistance service and they found someone in Anchorage, more than 100 miles away,  to help us. We waited about two hours. Finally, someone came with a truck that had all the stuff to replace a tire on the side of the road,  so we didn’t have to be towed to a tire shop. He replaced the tire. It was cool to watch him put on the new tire. We resumed driving about four hours after the tread came off.

This morning I woke to the sounds of Pa freaking out because the battery box had been bent sideways by the tread coming off. There was a mechanic in town, so dad took the RV there while Little Kid, Ma and I went to the playground. Pa said the mechanic bent the battery box back in shape. Pa met us at the park.

Spent a fun and happy week in Homer, on the Kenai Peninsula. Homer, a town of 5000, is an interesting mix of hippies and artists, who describe Homer as being the “conscience of Alaska”, and fisherman, who routinely catch Halibut up to 200 pounds.

We camped on the Spit, a 4.5 mile sand bar, with a two lane road, a walking path, beaches to the east and west, and the usual tourist trappings of gift shops and galleries, boat charters and bars. The area has enormous tides, of twenty feet +, which means great tide pools to explore!

Other than beach combing, we went on some nice walks, visited the local playground, roamed around town, ate icecream, and relaxed. Went on one hike down a road of sorts (very, very steep and very,very rough) and then alongside the beach to a community of Old Believers (a sect that split from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 1600s).

And, of course, there was the requisite backdrop of breathtaking snow capped mountains and fantastic glaciers.