Alaska - The Last Frontier(?)

Cabin A8, Denali Park Hotel
Healy, AK
Thursday 23 May 2024

By the time this Blog is finished, we’ll be on our way home. At the time of typing we are near the top edge of Denali National Park.

But, back to Anchorage. First, a bit more about the city. We think that if you parachuted in, hijacked a car. and had a drive round, you could well think you were in any American city, but the backdrop of mountains is a bit of a giveaway so, despite all the usual trappings of malls, eateries like Carls Jr, Wendys (no apostrophe), and DQ (aka Dairy Queen), and traffic lights, it does have the feeling of a frontier city.

How many men to tarmac a small area in front of the hotel? At least seven - several missing from this photo.
No wonder roadworks take so long

After an excellent breakfast at Gwennie’s (with apostrophe) we took the busy road out of the city to Muldoon Drive and the Native Heritage Center. Quite an expensive entry fee of $50 for two oldies, only to find the main part, the Hall of Cultures, was closed for remodelling. This is really the main part of the centre, so it was a bit of a disappointment. In the stage area, there was a demonstration of native Alaskan dancing, with feathers, fans, the lot. And a wander round the lake in the middle, is an enjoyable half hour with various reproductions of different living quarters.

This time, no moose plopped into the water, then we found the place had been fenced. We came back into the main building and two teenage lads were demonstrating a few of the Alaskan Eskimo-Indian Olympic Sports. Quite amazing and it was explained that the various “events” were designed to strengthen muscles required for an eskimo way of life. They demonstrated, and challenged each other to go one better, with various versions of the high kick. Their audience of one grew to about 10 who gasped at their strength and athleticism.

We then drove to a Walgreens for some supplies, and on to a great attraction which few appreciate. Right next to Ted Stevens International Airport is Lake Hood. Alongside is an airstrip and the lake itself which provides take-off and landing facilities to float planes. The airstrip accommodates the many wheeled light planes that are flying to one of the hundreds of airstrips around Alaska. Where there is only water to land on, the float planes come into their own. To many places, the only way to get there is by air. A light aircraft is taking off or landing every few minutes.

Around the lake, are many huts with aircraft parked next to them. I guess you rent a hut and a space for your aeroplane. We found a spot by the lake and watched a few aquatic take-offs and landings.

The city is not really surrounded by mountains on 3 sides, but it does seem like it!

Anchorage is a very busy city but easy to get around. In the evening we found a nice restaurant in the fashionable Spenard district. Bob had Chicken Cob Salad and John a Turkey Reuben Sandwich.

Our day in Anchorage had been lovely, with a clear blue sky and warmish sun. The next day, however, it was overcast and rain threatened. A bit of a disappointment as this was the start of our drive up the left side of the triangle towards Denali (aka Mt Mckinlay) on the George Parks Highway. First we retraced our steps on the Glenn Highway, then forking left before the busy town of Palmer. Here we hit the local traffic of Wasilla, a busy satellite town to Anchorage.

At last we were out of the traffic and onto the highway but we knew this was going to be different to our other drives. Denali attracts the tourists and, for the first time, there were a number of tour buses, many run by the cruise ship companies who ferry their passengers from the boat to various points inland. Also, we were on the route of the Alaskan Railroad, which also ferries tourists to many stops up to, and beyond, Denali. That, plus the poor weather, could have depressed us somewhat, but we knew we were lucky to have had the fine weather we’d mostly had so far. We have learned to take the rough with the smooth and as snowy mountains loomed out of the murk, we were cheered up enormously.

We were also taken aback by the amount of traffic going up the Talkeetna Spur Road, a dead end fork from the main highway of some 14 miles built in 1963. The town was the headquarters for the construction of the Alaska Railroad between 1914 and 1923. The federal government managed this project to help develop the territory and access mineral deposits. It is still used for freight (as we can witness from our cabin in Talkeetna where the track ran right behind). But also fairly frequent passenger trains ferry tourists into town. Despite the puddles and the mud, we took to the place whose Main Street consisted of shops and one or two restaurants in a variety of cabins. We ate that evening next door at “Latitude 62”. John enjoyed Popcorn Shrimp and Bob had Halibut & Fries.

We had a lovely cabin, but had to take our shoes off before entering. The place had a log fire (gas enabled) which had a mind of its own as to whether it would light or not.

The next day was supposed to be one of our highlights, a flight round Mt. Denali with a landing on a glacier. But it started with poor weather that did not bode well. Our due time to check-in at the tiny airport, just behind the cabins, was 7.45am. What a great company Talkeetna Air Taxis are, with a very fair refund policy. The planned flight would not be possible due to the low cloud base. We could have a full refund or take a shorter flight round whatever was possible. Bob opted to take the refund and John said he’d take the flight. We went and waited in the car and, within a few minutes, the lovely girl on reception came out to tell John that he’d hit the jackpot and would be given a flight with just him and the pilot, Andy, in a two-seater. He still got a partial refund from the original fare.

What an experience that was. We flew up to the cloud base and were able to explore the mountains, valleys and glaciers. Andy even spent 10 minutes winding down the skis as he thought he may be able to make a glacier landing. But, due to the weather, this was not going to be possible, so he spent another 10 minutes winding them up again. Quite a procedure with just his right arm which must have bigger muscles than the other arm. When we landed, Bob told John that he had been away for about an hour, but the time seemed longer than that. It was a fabulous experience and one he will find it difficult to forget. “Forget what??”!

We then drove past the “airport” to the “Swiss Chalet Hotel” for a much needed breakfast, where we chatted to the owner about times to visit Alaska, (he said March was a great “winter” month – maybe next time?!). We discussed our various trips and his one and only cruise round the Caribbean (and he pronounced it the same as we would rather than the usual caRIBbean.).

We drove out of town to find a dog sledding company. They run wheeled dog sledding action but we realised the place we found was not open to the public. We assume they use their courtesy buses for getting people to the sledding. Maybe next time?(!!)

That evening we ate at the Talkeetna Brewing Company’s place. Very good food and local beer if you’re into that! Bob had Tuna Cheddar Sandwich with coleslaw and salad and John had the most delicious Brisket. The last time that was available was on the lake in Michigan.

The following day saw another mix of weather with some light rain but also plenty of breaks in the cloud, again revealing high snowy peaks. We stopped at “Mary’s McKinlay View Café”, the last place to eat for 75 miles. We had a very chatty waitress with red hair who had driven her tiny car all the way from California, up the Alaska Highway. Just before we finished a good looking family arrived – but they were too late for breakfast. Arthur had timed the drive just right as we made the breakfast cut-off time by 10 minutes. John then saw that one of the sons was wearing a red Trump hat. So the family immediately plummeted in our estimation!

We carried on up the Parks Highway, with some great glimpses of the high Alaska Range, which contains the Denali system of peaks – but we knew the cloud would not allow us to view this – not that many visitors are lucky enough to do so.

On past the entrance to the National Park, past all the usual touristy buildings that gather near Park entrances (cabins, lodges, shops, gas stations etc) and on to a small place called Healy, which is home to the only coal mine in Alaska. The place consisted of one food store, a café, a Brewery restaurant, again, and a couple of gas stations, Our stop for two nights, was in the rather grandly titled “Denali Park Hotel” which, as we knew when booking, was more a simple motel. At least it’s not a wooden lodge full of Princess Cruises passengers, making lots of noise above our room! We have peace and quiet, on the edge of the woods with occasional views of the mountains next to us.

CONTINUED:- AT 37,000 FT, Flight AS16,
Seattle to New York JFK.
Sunday 26 May, 2024

Next day Friday, the skies had broken up quite a bit and there were lots of blue patches. This was our day to drive into Denali National Park and, though conditions were not clear enough to see the beast himself (Mt Denali) we could see a lot more of the Alaska Range.

Having failed to find anywhere that sold sandwiches the previous night, we found a place at the Denali Park area selling “T Shirts, Sandwiches and Ice Cold Drinks”. We bought enough sandwiches and other snacks for a picnic breakfast in the Park and for an in-cabin dinner that night.

Around the visitor center, things were pretty busy. Most people go in on the converted school buses as they can go farther in than in private cars. But we preferred our own company and drove as far as we were allowed, to the Savage River which was a lovely spot. A guy passed us and excitedly told us that there were Dall Sheep “up on that mountain”. We couldn’t spot them. Then we got talking to a ranger and we could spot the sheep and managed to get a rather blurry picture with the telephoto lens on our little Canon camera. We also learned about the Mew Gulls we saw. They come a long way inland to mate and their nesting areas are protected.

These white blobs are the Dall Sheep, a long way away!

It was odd there was no entrance where the National Park passes were checked. We’d had to buy them anyway as, by landing on a glacier, we would have entered the park – not that that happened! – so we assume it was all done on trust. And we were pleased how few cars were taking the drive that we did. We found a perfect layby for our picnic stop – consisting of a shared egg salad sandwich and a shared ham and cheese one with a bag of salty crisps and very naughty, and sticky, Kellogg’s Rice Crispy bars. Now is there an apostrophe in Kellogg’s? Yes, on checking, there is! I have to correct one statement because, on checking, Wendy’s does have the required punctuation mark! Sorry to them.

On the drive back, we saw a couple of caribou grazing by the roadside. But no bear, moose or porcupine, though Arthur claims to have seen many of each, he thinks! This, all between him counting all the trees we pass. The final tally will be in our last Blog!

We then took a drive down Parks Highway, the way we’d come, to see if we could see any more of the mountains. But not really, so we drove back the other way to check out the town of Healy. We couldn’t find any more to it than the odd buildings and businesses on the main road. So, with a population of 980, we wondered where they all live?

A lovely quiet spot, Otto Lake, just down the track from the motel which we had, all to ourselves!

Saturday morning saw quite blues skies again but, as we drove towards Fairbanks, the skies turned blacker, and we had rain most of the way, some of it heavy.

The usual hold-up for roadworks

A lovely home "cookin' " breakfast in the tiny town and railway stop, Nenana, on the River Nenana (pronounced, "Banana" according to Arthur).

The rain had stopped by the time we got back to Fairbanks. We had planned to run the car through a car wash but there was little point, given the state of the roads. So we popped into Walgreens for a few supplies (chocolate for Arthur, and us, soft drinks and one or two bits to take back home with us). We also went back to the Heritage and Visitor Center to buy a gift.

Then it was on, via a gas station to fill the car, for its return on Sunday, and then to the Best Western Plus, just a short distance from the airport. We’d originally planned to go back to the Hampton Inn but then Best Western said we’d earned a free night (we’d only had two stays!) so we cancelled the Hampton and took up our free night, which saved a few bucks. They did put us in a room next to the elevator and the sink had hot and hot running water, but it was fine for one night.

A final trip to the Airport Way Restaurant, where the lovely waitress (the one with all her teeth) welcomed us back. Bob enjoyed liver and onions whilst John had a New York steak sandwich, which was pretty good. The waitress hoped to see us again soon, before we explained we were on our way back to Spain the next day.

On this trip, quite a few have asked “where you framm?” and are bemused when we say Spain.

This marked the end of our triangular drive in Alaska, and the start of our long journey home.

We think it would be better to cover this in a final episode of the Blog, where we can pull other odds and s*ds together, such as Arthur's final tally on the number of trees we've seen!

Bag End Travel Office
Saturday 1st June

This edition finalised at home after long, but enjoyable journey home. Sorry for the delay and hope you insomniacs have managed to get some sleep without the aid of a Blog! One more to come!

Thank you for being there!