Rosehip State Recreation Area Chena Hot Springs Road, Alaska

Mileage:  46,132

Chena Hot Springs…to go or not to go?  We had heard it was a tourist trap and that is usually not our thing.  We had also heard that it was great and “you just have to go!”   Our drive took us east on Chena Hot Springs Road.  It follows the Chena River so I expected views of the water.  The drive was through dense forest, obscuring all views of the river.  We chose to camp at Rosehip State Recreation Area.  It was an okay place to stay.

We rested awhile and then traveled to the end of the road to Chena Hot Springs.  There was a padlock on the door of the ice museum and it looked like you had to go through the resort to see anything else.  We drove through the parking lot and back the way we had come.  We did see a female moose in the water but there was no great place to park and watch her.

We did take the Jeep on several river access roads.  We decided to pack the grill and table and chairs and have a picnic by the river.  Some people have their dinner at the local bar…we ate tonight on a gravel bar.

Tim brought car washing supplies, a bucket and some rags.  We used river water and got the bulk of the dust and grime off the Jeep.  It had gotten pretty muddy from all of our off-road adventuring.

The shrimp and grilled green beans and garlic bread must have smelled good to something.  We were just finishing our meal when we heard first a twig snap and then an animal rumbling sound from across the river.  Not sure what it was but we are both sure that it was something big.  It was either a bear or a moose.  Dinner was over!

Twelvemile Summit Steese Highway, Alaska Day 2

It is so gorgeous here that we hated to leave.  We decided to stay another day and do some more 4WD exploring.  We had seen a lot of trails leading from the highway yesterday while we were out and about so we knew we could find plenty to keep us busy.

We had breakfast by Willow Creek.  There were multiple dirt roads to go and explore but what we were finding was that they all led to some sort of recent or current mining activity or they were gated off.  It seems that there is still gold in these waters.  When we were able to get off the road a way we noticed that all of the sites looked the same.  The creek beds had been looted and pillaged in the search for gold.  As much as this left an impression, I took no pictures of the ugliness and devastation left by the treasure hunters.

We stopped at Eagle Summit and met David and Lorna, and their friend Linda.  People are always interested in where we are from and what we are doing in Alaska.  They were coming from a cabin further down Steese Highway.  They were happy to tell us where we might go and take the Jeep off-road.  They were on their way to pick some blueberries at mile marker 94.

Lunch was along Bedrock Creek.  Although we have not seen a wolf…we have enough evidence to believe that they exist out here.

At mile marker 94 we saw David’s truck parked.  The three of them were out on the hillside with buckets picking blueberries.  As we approached they gave us lots of good advice.  “Keep walking until you see a dry spot.”  “Get your blueberries from higher on the hill away from the dust of the road.”  “Watch out for ground bees.”  I know that blueberries are bear food.  “Yes, they are, and we usually bring a pistol with us but we forgot today!”  “Just keep talking loudly.”  So, we chatted with these people as we all picked delicious, tiny little wild blueberries.

David told us that in a couple of weeks the caribou would be migrating through here by the thousands.  David mentioned that is was very hot yesterday (75 degrees).  The moose he said don’t like the heat or the wind and so they go up into the trees.  It is one of the great pleasures of this trip to meet cool people.  They were all so welcoming and warm and we enjoyed our time in the blueberry patch with them.  Lorna and Linda told us that we HAD to go to Chena Hot Springs…so that’s where we will go tomorrow!

More wolf prints near our RV.

After dinner we took this path way up to near the top of the mountain.  The trees became very close on both sides of the Jeep and we were forced to back up and turn around.  There is a house way up there and whoever lives there likes to be by himself!  New campsite for the night…with a view!

As we sat by the campfire Tim noticed a large bird high in the clouds.  As he soared across the sky and approached a patch of blue, we could see his white head and tail.  A bald eagle catching air current…just beautiful!

 

 

Twelvemile Summit Steese Highway, Alaska

Mileage:  46,026

Another day dawned bright and beautiful with just a touch of crispness in the air.

So, we begin to head south.  We are in no particular hurry and our schedule allows us to explore a little more.  Our plan is to continue to travel on unfamiliar roads and to keep things interesting all the way back.

Gravel pits like this one are located intermittently along all the highways.  They are used for road and shoulder repairs and rest stops!

Driving cautiously, we made our way south on the rollercoaster that is the Elliott Highway.  We had decided to return to the Steese Highway.  We had a lot of fun there.  It is a scenic byway.  It is a good paved road for the first 80 miles so we can easily get the RV at least ½ of the way.  We wanted to see what might have missed.

As soon as we turned onto the Steese Highway the road conditions were much better, what a relief!  We parked the RV at a turnout and then moved it later in the afternoon to the Twelvemile Summit.

We packed a lunch and set off with the Jeep to go exploring.  We had our picnic at the North Fork Twelvemile Creek Bridge.

We are traveling in tundra and subarctic climates.  This is caribou country.  The slopes of these mountains are covered with lichen.  Caribou love to eat lichen!  Lichens are thought to be one of the oldest living things on earth and they can live for 1,000 years or more.  They grow only about one millimeter a year.  Late July through September is caribou migration time.  We did not see a single caribou today, but it is easy to imagine them traversing over these great slopes in tremendous herds.  The caribou traipse right through the town of Central as they make way to their wintering grounds.  There used to be a herd of about 500,000 that came through but now the numbers have dwindled to 5,000.

We took a 4WD trip to a summit where the brilliant blue skies and sunshine allowed for expansive views.  We are far above the tree line and it is wide open and you can see so far!   It was about 10 degrees chillier up there, VERY windy, and very awesome!  This part of the highway has been one of my favorite Alaska drives.

There are some abandoned and active gold mines along the creeks deep in the valley.  While mining here the remains of wooly mammoths and mastodons were discovered.

We stopped in the town of Central to get gas.  There is a bar/restaurant/grocery store/gas station combo.  There is also a Circle District Museum.  They had a small Saturday market there but we didn’t need any crocheted baby things or Beaver fur purses or headbands.  They had neat dog mushing sleds on display as well as rusty old mining and road construction equipment.

Old trucks!

We have an amazing “campsite.”

West Fork Tolovana River Bridge Livengood, Alaska Day 2

We stayed at the Colorado Creek trailhead last night.  Tim met a couple who had come from Arkansas and had also chosen to spend the night here.  They were in a Class C motorhome.  They had tried to take the RV up the Dalton Highway and after 20 or 25 miles they turned around and came back because of the road conditions and they were driving their motorhome.  They were hoping to stay up and see the Northern Lights.  The Northern Lights cannot be seen unless it is very dark.  In this northern area the sun is out 22 hours a day and it is a weird kind of twilight for the other 2 hours.  They did not see the Northern Lights.  They are not visible until September.  I am sure they were disappointed.

The Dalton Highway was built back in 1974.  They had discovered oil in the North Slope at Prudhoe Bay and they needed a way to get men, equipment, and supplies to the oil source.  The road was known as the “Haul Road” for this reason.  It still exists to transport goods and at it’s entrance there is a sign that reads: “Heavy Industrial Equipment, Proceed with Caution.”  If you have ever seen Ice Road Truckers on the Discovery Channel – this is one of the roads the truckers travel.  We did a lot of reading before we went.  The books all said to prepare to be self-sufficient in difficult or emergency situations, carry 2 spare tires, carry plenty of food and water and first aid supplies.  There were lots of warnings about road damage and dangerous conditions on the mostly gravel road.  We knew that we didn’t want to take the RV and this meant leaving it behind.  If we stayed at lodges in order to get all the way to Prudhoe Bay then the RV would be alone and unattended for days.  We decided to take a day trip at least to the Arctic Circle and then head back.

As we began there were orange cones in potholes in the middle of the road and signs indicating road damage.  For the first 25-30 miles it was pretty rough.  After that it was surprisingly good!  Maybe they leave that first section really rough to deter people…

We pulled over at an Alyeska Pipeline access road to allow others who wanted to fly down the road to pass us.  These roads are gated and off-limits.    We looked up though and saw a black bear.  He is on the left side of the gate in the picture.

We crossed the Yukon River.  The river is about ¼ mile wide.  It empties into the Bering Sea.  Because the Jeep has a relatively small fuel tank we decided to fill up at the Yukon River Camp while we had the chance.  The lady inside was pretty grumpy and so while I waited for Tim to pump gas, I did my best to get her talking.  She became warm and chatty and I enjoyed talking with her.

The pipeline runs along the road sometimes on the left and then crossing under the road and sometimes on the right.  Sometimes it runs beneath the road and it ran across the Yukon River Bridge.

I am wondering what the life expectancy of the pipeline might be?  I am thinking metal fatigue, corrosion, exposure to extreme temperatures, earthquakes, hurricane force winds…We read today that the temperature in this area can be as low as -80 degrees.

We passed through an area of higher elevation where the air became chillier and cloudier.  The terrain was alpine tundra.  There were no taller trees and it was rocky and scrubby.

At mile marker 115.5 we arrived at the Arctic Circle.  There we met Bob.  He was working with the Bureau of Land Management as he has done for 27 years.  I asked him what the most amazing thing he ever saw might be.  He recalled that about 10 years ago he was working at the West Arctic Camp.  He said that he was there for the caribou migration.  A herd of 500,000 caribou walked right through the camp over a period of days.  He said that grizzlies marched right along beside them.  He had always wanted to see 100 or 1,000 caribou…but this was amazing to witness!  He declined to have his picture taken.  He did however award us our certificate for reaching the Arctic Circle.

We did travel on to mile marker 132.1 to Gobbles Knob.  We were supposed to be able to see the Brooks Range…but it was raw and rainy. It took us 5 ½ hours to get that far.  We ate our lunch and it was here that we decided to turn around.  We are disappointed that we cannot get all the way to Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean but Deadhorse is at mile marker 415.  If we had been able to travel further north we would have been able to see the changes in the environment and we might have seen muskox.  Only one tour company is allowed to take tourists past Deadhorse and onto Prudhoe Bay and the Arctic Ocean.  You have to submit your names and license numbers at least 24 hours in advance for a security check.  Finishing the Dalton Highway just isn’t feasible this trip.

The sun came back out as we made our way back.

After 8 weeks on the road, we have reached a turning point in our trip.  We were as far north as we are able to travel on the northern most road in Alaska.  Only 1% of people who visit Alaska travel north of Fairbanks…and we did it!

Look where we are!!

West Fork Tolovana River Bridge Livengood, Alaska

Mileage:  45,900

We haven’t posted for 5 days now.  We have been in backcountry areas without any service.  We will get caught up though as quickly as we can!

The Elliott Highway is a winding road through the White Mountains.  It is another Alaska Scenic Byway.

The frost heaves as we left Fairbanks were like a bad carnival ride.  It is hard to rate them all, but this is one of the worst highways we have taken.  There is a much-needed road construction project to improve the roadway happening this summer.

The White Mountains are very green, thickly covered with white spruce, alders, birch trees, and all kinds of scrubby vegetation.  They are the White Mountains because they are white limestone beneath all the greenery.

The pictures do not do justice to the beauty of this area.  We were able to count 8 overlapping layers of mountains as we stood there looking…gorgeous!

The oil pipeline runs parallel to the road and was visible at intervals today.  It passed beneath the highway at some point and we should see it again on our drive tomorrow.

Our “campsite” is at the Tolovana River.  This is a parking area for the Colorado Creek Trailhead.  This trail is mostly for wintertime use.

We parked the RV and took the Jeep to the unpaved portion of Elliott Highway.

We saw lots of dragonflies.  This is a good thing.  They eat mosquitoes!

A family of ptarmigan took off as our Jeep rumbled by.

We saw a moose and her calf standing in the road.  As we approached, they trotted off into the thick brush and when we passed…there was no sign of them.

We went as far as Minto Village.  We had our lunch there by the Minto Flats.

Minto has a population of 212.  There is a gas station/convenience store, a school, a senior center, and a health center.  That is it!  The population is mostly Athabascan Native Alaskans.  They live a subsistence lifestyle.  Moose, small game, water fowl, berries and fish make up a large part of their diet.  Several families practice trapping, weave birch baskets, and make beaded and fur items.  The food in the “grocery store” was tremendously expensive and not very healthful.  I hope that they only overcharge us tourists and that maybe the locals get a better discounted price.  The temperatures in the village range from the low 70’s in July and then in the winter it can be as low as -40 degrees with a stiff wind chill as well.  It looked like most families were of modest means and struggling.  Minto is also a dry town.  It is illegal to bring alcohol here or sell it.  Penalties include jail-time.

We traveled back to the RV and had our dinner by a campfire by the little river.   We saw a beaver swimming around.  It was cool to see him so closeup.  Having seen a bunch of dens and dams I would love to sit and watch these little industrious guys work.

We tried to do some off-road exploring but the first trail got very boggy and muddy and too wet to continue.  The second trail was very short.

Tomorrow we plan to take the Dalton Highway, hopefully to the Arctic Circle.

We may never pass this way again and so we want to see as much of “real Alaska” as we can.  It is better to see this once than to hear about it 1,000 times.

River’s Edge RV Park Fairbanks, Alaska Day 2

Today was a great day!  Not too many people get to do what we did today.  It was 84 degrees and gorgeous.  We traveled north and east on the Steese Highway.  The White Mountains were to the north and the Tanana Hills were to the south.  The Chatanika River ran parallel to the highway.  We only saw about 20 cars all day.

Our first stop was at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline Viewpoint.  I still cannot imagine that people are allowed to be this close to the pipeline!

The pipeline is an engineering marvel.  Dr. James Maple had many things to consider when the pipeline was designed.  In the areas where the ground is permafrost, the pipeline had to be insulated, raised and suspended.  The pipeline has areas where it is submerged below the ground to allow animals to cross or in areas where avalanches and rock-slides might be a risk.  If the warm oil passed through the ground it would cause the permafrost to thaw which causes heaving.  The suspension system that the pipeline sits in allows for changing seasons and for earthquakes.  The pipeline is also designed in a zigzag pattern so the the whole system can flex from side to side as well as up and down.  There is also a passive refrigeration/heat pipe system that allows heat to be transferred away from the pipeline.

We went off-road to see an old gold dredge.

Breakfast was beside the Chatanika River.

The McCay Creek Trail is designated for dog sleds, hiking, and 4 wheel drive vehicles.  Although we did not see this wolf…the track was fresh.. he was in there with us somewhere!

We didn’t see this moose either.

We took an access road down into the valley.  Lunch was beside this river.

This may also be a wolf print although it doesn’t match the book as clearly as the first print did.  The track was bigger than my phone.  It is not a lynx, nor a wolverine, nor a fox, nor a coyote…and definitely not a bear.

In the White Mountain National Recreation Area, US Creek Road is a gravel road that goes 3.5 miles to the summit and then another 3.5 miles to the next junction.

The views are spectacular.

Blueberries growing but not ripe for another month or so.

There you can travel another 12 miles on the gravel road in the remote wilderness to the Ophir Creek Campground.  Just past the campground, there is a boat put-in at Beaver Creek National Wild River.  If you choose to put you boat in here…it will be 360 miles before you are at a road accessible take-out.  You can arrange to have a bush pilot meet you on a gravel bar somewhere in the river.  If you need help, you may have to hike 15 or more difficult miles to get to someone.  Too bad we aren’t going back that way!  An adventure for another day…or another couple!  Would you do it?

If you are looking for adventure, Alaska doesn’t disappoint!!!

River’s Edge RV Park Fairbanks, Alaska

Mileage:  45,830.

It was a very short drive to Fairbanks from Ester.  When we arrived it was too early to check in.  Tim sent me to Walmart and the grocery store while he waited in line to wash the RV.  We got fuel, had the oil changed in the Jeep and did lots of laundry.  We need to stay an extra day here to receive mail.

It is sunny and 87 degrees here today.

There are two kinds of mice…city mice and country mice.  We don’t mind riding into the city to ride our bikes along the waterfront or to have dinner.  This applies to Baltimore as well as Fairbanks.  WE are country mice.  The wilderness is calling to us!  Tomorrow we will take a road out of the city and explore a little!

We did ride our bikes along the Chena River in downtown Fairbanks.

The Golden Heart Plaza.  This is a tribute to the first family of Alaska.

The flowers in town are gorgeous.

The Antler Arch.

Old car today.

Polaris – a sculpture representing quartz, ice and the Auroa Borelis.

And dinner downtown at Bobby’s.

We were sad to see lots of native homeless people in this northernmost city.

Ester Community Park Ester, Alaska

Mileage:  45,822

Denali greeted us from our campsite this morning.

And then again along the drive back to Cantwell.

Wow!  5 days in a row.  We were told today that the mountain is only visible 20% of the days in each year.  We decided to drive into Denali National Park one more time and drive the first 15 miles.  It was a gorgeous day and we could see Denali from there as well.

These pine cones will make good food for the ground squirrels and bears in the autumn.

There is a caribou in this picture…really!  Did you know that caribou and reindeer are the same animal?  Kyle taught me that!

As we passed Denali Village, we also passed a sign that said “End of Scenic Byway.”  Today was a nice ride on a pretty day through wilderness and forest.  We are on our way north to Fairbanks.    We passed the area where Chris McCandless hiked into the woods and lived in a bus.  It sounds like people actually take that hike.  There are 2 rivers to cross and hikers have actually drowned there.  The bus from the movie “Into the Wild” is actually at 49th Street Brewing Company.

This RV was stopped in the middle of the highway.  This family with 2 small children was having some kind of issue with the transmission.  Tim tried to stop and help but there wasn’t anything he could really do!  The guy was hoping to cool things down enough that the transmission would work again so he could get off the road.

We traveled around for quite some time before we finally found a place to park for the night.  We are at a small community park in Ester, Alaska.  This community worked really hard to get the funds to buy this park.  There is a nice playground and a nice amphitheater.  They are able to leave toys out for the kids to use when they come.  We met an organic farmer who was here to distribute his bushel boxes of vegetables to his customers.  He and his wife and small children live an alternate lifestyle.  They have no electricity and no running water.  Farming in Alaska is hard work and there is a very short growing season.  Because the days are so long they are able to harvest crops of eggplant, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and lots of kinds of greens.  Farmer Brad told us that once in awhile he gets a harsh reminder that he is living in wilderness.  A couple of weeks ago, a wolf killed a moose 3/4 of a mile form his farm.

We spent some time this afternoon working on ordinary life stuff.  Tomorrow in Fairbanks, we have a long list of chores.  Fairbanks is the last hub before we head south and then back into Canada.

Our dinner spot.

Old truck of the day.

It is fun traveling from one place to the next every day or two but still sleeping in our own bed!

 

Scenic Turnout Denali Highway Cantwell, Alaska

Mileage:  45,639

A late start for us today after sleeping in.  It is very quiet here this morning…just us.  Kyle landed safely in Baltimore at around 4 pm.  His schedule is sure to be a little messed up with the 4-hour time difference.  The last thing that Kyle said as he got out of the car at the airport was “keep having fun.”  So that is what we are going to do.

As we were checking out at the campground this morning, the camp staff told us that 4 bears were shot in the campground last Wednesday.  A sow ripped into a tent.  Alaska Fish and Game were called and they shot the mama bear and then all three of her cubs.  The tenters had been irresponsible with their food and supplies.  Everywhere we go the campground hosts reinforce the importance of storing all of your food and hygiene supplies in a hard-sided vehicle.  Bears are attracted to smells.  “A fed bear is a dead bear.”  Once bears are accustomed to people food, they become dangerous and aggressive as they forage for meals.  The rangers had tried to deter the female bear in other ways but she just became more aggressive.  Fish and Game have a policy to destroy the cubs as well.  I was deeply saddened but also mad.  I am not sure if the cubs were too young to survive without their mother or because they were exposed to the campground and they could also be a danger.  They couldn’t find a zoo or preserve that could take the cubs.  It is apparently very costly to care for and relocate cubs.  There are stiff fines for people who disregard the food storage rules.  I hope that the tenters at least have to pay the fines.

Four bears shot dead at Anchorage campground after bear rips into tent

We are headed north on Park Highway toward Fairbanks.  We stopped at the Susitna River to walk around.  This river supposedly has “tremendous” salmon runs.  There was no one fishing as we made our way to the water’s edge and we could see no salmon.  A ranger told us that this year the salmon runs have been much less than usual.  Experts believe that this is due to dipnetting and overfishing.  Dipnetting is a practice by native Alaskans. They have been granted the right to continue fishing in keeping with their tradition.  Dipnetting happens at the mouth of the river using large round nets to harvest the salmon coming from the ocean.  This reduces the salmon runs in the rivers.  We haven’t seen salmon running yet…but we won’t stop looking!

As we drove north we saw Denali in the distance.  This is the 4^th different day that we have seen the mountain.  Since most people don’t see her at all, that is pretty awesome.  Most people probably don’t hang around for a week either!  It makes us feel almost sorry for the people who only get a couple of hours on a bus tour

Today we could see the whole mountain.  If you didn’t know what you were looking for – you might mistake the snow-covered peaks for clouds.  At first you can just make out the faint outline.   As you get closer the view is unbelievable.

This is our view from Denali State Park Viewpoint South on Saturday July 14^th and then our view from today.  At this place we are 41.5 miles from the 20,320-foot south peak and 43 miles from the 19,470-foot north peak.

July 14, 2018

Today.

A couple of ground squirrels ran out in front of the RV as we were driving on the highway.  As the Denali bus driver said “You do not swerve to avoid ground squirrels.”  It is just too dangerous.  She called them “grizzly granola bars.”  And then said “hey, we recycle here.”  Today, I am happy to report that the two ground squirrels made is safely off the asphalt.

We decided to drive the short distance down Denali Highway with the RV and stay at the same lake that we stayed at with Kyle.  “Our spot” was taken by another RV so we are at the opposite end of the lake.  We napped and we sat in the warm sunshine and enjoyed the view.

Our campfire.

Centennial Park Campground Anchorage, Alaska

Mileage:  45,425

Today we needed to make our way back to Anchorage so that Kyle can catch his plane at 2:32 am Sunday.  Coffee first.  There are these little espresso sheds everywhere!

Not eager to spend the whole day in Anchorage, we planned a field trip to Whittier, another small fishing village.

In order to get to Whittier, you have to pass through a tunnel carved into the mountain.  It is 2.5 miles long and it is shared with the train and opposing traffic.  Everyone takes turns.  The train went in first.

We waited for our turn and took pictures.  We could count at least 5 glaciers in the mountains surrounding us.

At 12:30 it was our turn.  It was cool and creepy at the same time.  I don’t think that Tim really liked driving through!

This is a small town with a deep water harbor for a cruise boat.  Parking the RV and the Jeep proved to be challenging but Tim got the job done.  Lunch was at the Swiftwater Seafood Restaurant.  Kyle got halibut and chips…you have to get them while you are here…it’s a thing!

Some pictures from town.

We found a waterfall and took a short walk.

Truck part of the day…an old tailgate.

Kyle had the perfect socks to wear today…thanks David! (edited for gma).

More trucks today.

As I have said before, the hardest thing about taking this trip is being away from friends and family.  We miss David and Andrea, the boys, and my mom terribly.  It was really special to Have Kyle here with us to share what we love.  It was nice to have a little bit of home come to us.  It is very hard to say goodbye.  We know though that in a couple of months he and Allison plan to join us in Portland, Oregon.  We have that to look forward to!