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!