We finished our chores in Fairbanks (laundry, dump/fill tanks, propane, groceries, Alaska Public Lands Visitors Center and headed back south to Denali. We have 4 nights reservations at the campground in Teklanika River, although will likely leave late on the 7th since I have another cardio appointment on the 8th in Anchorage. We made it to the park around 2pm, checked in, got a shower, and checked out the visitors center. Before 1957 you could not drive here with the only access by train. People still use the train to get to Denali from Fairbanks and Anchorage.
We drove the park road and made it to camp around 6. Since we were here a few days we set up the shelter. It’s a good thing we did since the rain started at 10PM and went all night.
The next morning we had bus passes to ride up to where the end of the road is. Apparently the visitor center at mile 60 some is not open because the road is still being repaired from a landslide several years ago. We enjoyed the ride, and walked 3 to 4 miles at the very end through the river bed, across the bridge, and then up several miles on the Park Road. We checked out a little side road to one of the Rangers cabins, and found some fairly fresh bear prints. We didn’t actually see the bear fortunately, but we did see a caribou running down the creek.
it rained again once we got back to camp, but then the sun came out and it’s supposed to be really nice for the next couple days. Maybe we’ll get to see Mount McKinley. Tonight it’s grilled chicken for dinner over a fire that will hopefully be able to have.
Well the appointment went well. My heart has returned to normal Sinus rhythm and the cardiologist said my heart and valves all looked like things were normal, except for the AFib. So he wanted to schedule a heart monitor for 48 hours and then a chemical stress test. We set it up for August 8, and he said I should be good to continue to enjoy our trip. We headed into Anchorage to pick up some coins Kathy missed at the Alaska Public lands Center, and the hospital called back and said I could pick up my monitor. We headed back there and finally got on the road to head to Talkeetna.
We arrived in the afternoon and the town was packed. We looked for a campsite and ended up at the VFW for $20. I took the pups for a long walk, and we watched the salmon fishing on the shore of the river. When I got back, Kathy and I were wanting to browse the cool shops, and then had some great local pizza. By then the town was vacating and we headed back to camp for a great nights sleep.
We decided to try some salmon fishing and hired a local kid who was renting poles and gear. He showed us how to fish, which was surprising without bait. The chum and pink salmon were running in the river and all we had to was wait for them to get hooked. Well it took me about 90 minutes and I caught the biggest fish I’d ever caught (I’m from AZ, not known for big stream fish). About 20 minutes later I snagged an even bigger chum salmon. We got our guide and he offered to fillet them, so we said why not. By the time he was done, we probably had 10 lbs of salmon.
I cooked two pieces in the oven and made cilantro lime Rice. This was the first time Kathy had experienced Freshly caught salmon and she loved it. We shared some with the pups as well. We have 6 more salmon fillets in the freezer.
Since we decided to stay two nights in Talkeetna, the next day we got up and did some shopping/browsing through this quaint little town. It turns out it’s pretty barren the morning, but the train stops here and unloads cruise ship passengers as well as folks coming from Fairbanks and Anchorage. So the town fills up for the day and then at about six or seven at night. It shuts down again, similar to Skagway. I wanted to do a bit more fishing, and since the Alaskan tag was still good until 2pm that day, I looked up Landon again and rented his poles. I did catch one small pink salmon, but decided not to take it.
We packed up around 2pm and made the long drive north to Fairbanks. We had a package to pick up from Amazon in Fairbanks that we had ordered two weeks prior. We had no idea at the time that would be spending so much time in Anchorage. So we camped at the University of Alaska Fairbanks parking lot, which amazingly had power so we could top off our batteries. Tomorrow we head to Teklanika Campground in Denali National Park. We’ve had reservations there since April. Teklanika is at mile 29 on the Park Road for some remote camping.
We broke camp early (for us, 8:30) so we could get around the Turnigan Arm where the Alaskan Wildlife Refuge is located. We got there around 10AM and went straight for the moose. They had two cows and Kathy got to see them up close. We stayed a couple of hours and watched the Wood Bison, a herd of cow elk, a couple of Bull elks, some brown and black bears, musk-ox, some wild wolves and foxes, and reindeer and caribou. The animals were all in there due to how they were stranded in the wild as youth and cannot live on their own. I guess that makes us feel better seeing them behind fences.
Some interesting things we learned is that Wood Bison are not the same as plains bison. Slightly larger and hardier and were almost extinct until they found a herd of a couple hundred in Canada. They have taken some of this herd and started breeding them, and protecting the herd in Canada where they were found. There are several thousand head now, and they’ve been re-introduced to Alaska as well. Apparently, they are doing extremely well in the wild.
Another interesting thing that we learned was that brown bears are all grizzlies but not necessarily call grizzlies, depending on where you find them determines how large they are. The bears around the coastal areas that feed on salmon are typically hundreds of pounds heavier than the brown bears inland. We’ve all heard of the Kodiak bears. Those are the largest of the grizzlies. Black bears are just small and cute.
We turn the truck around back to the highway and headed over the pass and on towards Homer. We stopped along the way at a well respected resort that has inexpensive showers and a laundry facility. We both were relieved to have a good shower. We continued on and tried to find some spectator spots so we could watch the fisherman, but that area is so active. They’ve got everything blocked off or set it behind a pay wall. So we just continue on down to Homer.
The intention was to camp out on the spit, which is a southernmost point you can drive in mainland, Alaska, but the spots were extremely close together, all on dirt lots, and beach camping was reserved for tents. So we spent a little time going through the shops, we stopped at the salty dog saloon and took some pictures, and then had a nice dinner at a steak and seafood restaurant. The scallops were huge, fresh, as was the shrimp. All mixed up in an Alfredo pasta was simply delicious.
we headed back towards Homer and found a nice campground on the edge of the beach ( above the beach). And had a nice night. Apparently an 8.3 magnitude earthquake had gone off in Russia and they were tied away warnings being sent around the Pacific. We sat out and watched to see if something came in, but it didn’t make it up as far as we were.
On the 30th we got up and left around our normal time, 11 AM, and stopped by the Alaskan Sea Museum. It is another great free museum that has excellent exhibits and is very interactive. We drove back north again and stopped along the river before we got to Sadona to watch some people dip netting. The locals in Alaska are allowed 25 salmon for they had a household and 10 for each additional member of the household. They’re allowed to fish by just dipping a net into the rivers and catching the salmon as they swim upstream. It’s pretty impressive how quickly they can fill their ice chests. This year apparently is a boom year for salmon and everyone’s filling their freezers. We stopped at the Kenai national wildlife refuge in Sedona, and took a quick tour. I was enamored with the chairs and the couch that they had sitting in front of the fireplace. I might have to build some of those someday.
We were intending on driving to Hope, Alaska, and spend the night there. But after driving through the rain all day and arriving in Hope, we found out that on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and Thursdays the town is virtually shut down. We tried to call to get a camp spot, but there was no one answering. Plus with nothing there $40 a night for a dry spot seemed a bit much. So we continued on to Anchorage and about an hour later set up in the bass pro shop south parking lot with about 40 other campers.
I had my medical appointment at 10 o’clock in the morning, and it went off without a hitch. So the rest of the day we decide to take a hike around an area that Kathy‘s friend said there were Moose. We did see a moose when we were there, it was across an airfield at the edge of the forest. I walked over and took a couple of pictures of the moose in the bushes. Overall, it was a very nice three mile hike along a salmon stream and through the forest around the BLM air field. When we got back to the parking lot, we rested for a while, made lunch and helped the guy with his car. Our little Maggie was getting a bit dirty, and has not had a haircut since 31 May, so I found a nice lady that does cuts and Maggie had a shampoo and a haircut and her nails done. Her eyes were big as sausage when she figured out. I was leaving her, but a few hours later when she was done, she was extremely happy. It might’ve been from the liver treats of the lady was giving her.
We headed back to Bass Pro shop south, found the same spot in the parking lot and set up for the night. Kathy’s friend was working nearby, so she stopped by and hung out for a while. I met a guy that was originally from Manitoba, had moved to Florida, and now was traveling in a truck camper like ours. He was three months into his trip. We are two into ours. He and I traded stories, compared some things with the campers, and Kathy and Nora just sat there and called us nerds. Lol. Tomorrow I go in for my cardiologist appointment, and then we’re heading up towards Denali.
We spent two nights camped below Exit Glacier just outside the Kenai-Fjords National Park. We decided to stay an extra day since it was raining and i was feeling a bit under the weather and wanted to ride it out. It was a good day to do it since the weather was cold and drizzly all day. On the 27th we packed up and headed to Seward to look around.
Seward is Mile 0 for the Ididerod dog race to Nome, AK. Also has hundreds of campsites owned by the town set up along the shores and marina in typical sardine fashion. There was a cruise ship in the harbor so tons of additional tourists were mulling about.
We browsed through some interesting shops and had a delicious hot sandwich from a bakery on the Main Street. The town had free dumps and water fill so we took care of that after filling up with fuel.
We drove back to Anchorage to get a medical checkup for me as I was not feeling better. It turns out it was a problem so after admitting me to the emergency room, I was referred to the cardiologist and prescribed some medicines. We could not fill the prescription as nothing was open past 7pm in Anchorage, so we had a dinner at a bougie Mexican restaurant called Sorrenos. The food was good and service was OK. We retired to the Bass Pro Shop parking lot for the night.
The next day we headed in to get the Rx filled and topped off the cupboards. The pharmacy helped with some coupon pointers and a ridiculous cost for a medication went from $800 to $23. This trip has definitely thrown us some curve balls.
We went to downtown Anchorage and hung out at one of the public parks, walked the pups, did some reading, etc and then headed up to Eagle River to get a campsite at the state park. We set up and then met one of Kathy’s former students who lives in the area. She’s a hoot and we had a great visit and learned much about the area, its quirks, and politics.
On Monday, the 28th, I got a call from the Dr and have two follow up’s on Thursday and Friday, so we are in the area until then. We took off after lunch to check out two local parks, did some hiking with the pups, and then met Noria again for dinner and some laughs. We camped again at the Eagle creek State Park. It’s easy, and only $20 for the night.
We are goning yo break camp in the morning, head around the Turnagain Arm and visit the Wildlife refuge, and the. Continue on towards Solditna, the Russian River, and Homer. We have to be back Thursday morning for my appointment.
We had a nice night with only one interruption. A black SUV with some loud people pulled up after midnight across the road from us. I was able to get back to sleep but when I got up in the morning to let the pups out, there was some campfire smoke in the air. They pulled out and left the thing burning. The worst part is they lit it in a grass area, on the grass, and just left. These kind of people are why we lose access to public places. Uggh. I pulled a bucket of water from the lake and put it out.
I managed to work on the electrical a bit on the truck. It turns out some of the repairs I did in Idaho and two days ago in Wasilla were the cause of the issue. I had connected the ground on the center reverse light pin on the 7-pin cable. This was blowing the trailer reverse fuse. And Ram keeps 12V on all of the time to sense a trailer, so I disconnected the 12V power lead from the 7-pin to remove that sensor. Finally, since the truck camper does not have trailer brakes, I clipped that connection as well (in the patch cable between the truck and camper). This fixed everything, at least for now. I am still seeing a loss of brake controller connection in the codes, but I’ll watch that for a bit. I hope the initial crossed wiring in Idaho that started all of this didn’t kill that truck component.
Now on to the travel. We headed over to the Portage Glacier visitors center and enjoyed the exhibits. We decided not to go to Whittier and headed towards Seward. This is a busy road, as it’s the only one to the lower peninsula. Along the way we were treated to a moose foraging in a pond. Very neat to watch
We continued on to the Exit Glacier and the Kenai National Park to have lunch, hike, and get some park stamps. We headed back toward the highway after several hours and found a great place to camp along the river. The pups and I took a nice long walk along the river and enjoyed the cool evening.
We drove into Downtown Anchorage and paid for parking so we could walk the pups on a trail that winds along the coast. The pups ended up walking 2.4 miles on this walk and had a blast with all the smells.
There was a brewery called 49th State Brewery, so I stopped in for an IPA and an Elk Sausage sandwich. Kathy came up the hill to join me and we sat in the beautiful weather. We then hiked up the road to the Alaskan Public Lands Visitors center. They had some great exhibits and we enjoyed the education. We purchased the coins, fit the stamps, and picked up some postcards and stickers before heading out to the tourist stops.
We praised many shops and found a few trinkets we wanted. I had checked the tidal schedule and low tide was 2 PM, and since it was now 3:30 we headed towards the Turnigan Sound to watch the tides at Beluga Point. We didn’t see and beluga whales but the dogs enjoyed playing on the beach.
we continued onward to top up on water and found a nice campsite in the Portage Valley. We quickly set up and had a peaceful evening of sleep. We took a few photos today. The one below is the Anchorage Visitors Cabin and in the you get to address and send free two free postcards home. Yeah, that was free.
We got to bed really late, even though the sun was still up, had a great night sleep. Today was chores day: showers, laundry, refuel, water fill, grey and black tank dump, etc. So we headed back in to Wasilla to take care of that. There was a NAPA store next door to the showers/laundry so I did some troubleshooting on some electrical issues I’ve been experiencing with the truck/trailer connection to the camper. I found 2 blown fuses so I replaced them (only to find out one blew again right away). Later that day we noticed the running lights were on after the truck was shut off, so I pulled the fuse in the camper for the running lights. We don’t drive at night here anyway. I have to do some thinking about the issue.
We went on a search for Dr Pepper zero and after three stores, I ended up with 20oz 6-packs of them and headed on to get fuel for hungry Howie. The muskox farm was a few miles from town and we wanted to see these gnarly beasts.
We decided on the tour, which was OK. And we got to see about half of their herd of 75 animals. They comb them once or twice a year to get the fine hair from them and use it for making super soft and warm clothing. $60 per skein, wow! $200 scarf.
I was getting late so we headed out towards anchorage. We found a free dump and another free water source and then got to Bass Pro Shop about 8 pm. We met a couple of other overlanders there and had some nice travel discussions. One gentleman from NY named Emory had been all over the states off and on the past few years. Another was from Quebec and his don is a fishing guide up in Yellowknife, NWT. Two others were from Brazil and Argentina. Kind of cool.
We walked around the riverbed looking for evidence of wildlife. Saw a bunch of OHV tracks and dog tracks, and some moose prints. We packed up and headed to Wasilla.
We had planned to head to Anchorage to find a place to fix Howie, but word is Anchorage can be dangerous. We could not find a campground or place to park near a Hone depot, so after consulting with Kathy’s friend, Noria, she suggested the Wasilla/Palmer area. So we pointed to Home Depot.
Along the way we passed over Thompson’s pass again, and stopped and took some pictures. It looks cold up there, but it was only about 55°. We continued on the the Richardson Highway to the national Park visitor center to check out the exhibits, get a stamp, and take the dogs for a walk. We continued on towards the junction at Glen Allen, and then made the four hour trip to Wasilla. We decided to stop for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, which was fairly decent, picked up a filter for Howie, and then headed to Home Depot. We got permission to stay in the parking lot so I was able to start fixing Howie the next morning.
When we were heading to Dawson city in Canada, the road is in terrible condition and at one point about an hour after we got started we hit a frost heave at about 40 km an hour, and the truck almost went airborne. The camper lifted off the truck and bent one of the anchor points on the driver side, and broke the camper on the passenger side. I wanted to make sure we got it fixed before we headed up to Denali and the Dalton Highway.
I had decided to buy a used camper, and with those always come issues that are somewhat unseen. This side of the camper had had an issue with the previous owner, hitting the jack and breaking the amount points, so a repair was done. I had thought about taking it apart and verifying everything was in good shape, but I didn’t. It turns out the anchor point at the front of the camper was attached through some rotten wood and that bump broke the boards. I ended up cutting out the support underneath the side of the camper and underneath the propane tanks and rebuilding everything. It took about 12 hours and I’m optimistic. It’s going to hold strong now. It amazes me these campers are built with 1×2” boards and 1/8” inch plywood. I’m kind of glad the exterior of this is aluminum rather than the newer stuff which is a plastic fiberglass, because you can pull it off and put it back on pretty easily.
This was probably our most expensive day because we found probably the biggest Walmart we ever have experienced and we stocked up our fridge or snacks, pet supplies, and stuff for the truck. Combined with the hundred dollar repair cost at Home Depot, today set a record. But the cool thing was camping is allowed in the Walmart parking lot so we set up along with about 50 other RVs. Peaceful night when the sun finally set around midnight.
We had a great night underneath the waterfall off of mineral Creek Road. A nice night of free camping. The dogs and I took a walk for about a mile up the creek first thing in the morning. This time of year the foliage on each side of the road is about 8 feet tall, so every once in a while, we got a view. I did see a bunch of raspberries that were nearing ripeness.
We headed into Valdez to stop at the Safeway, the visitor center, the Ranger station, and a gas station called Captain Joes. Diesel is $4.30 per gallon just for reference and although we didn’t fill up the last several days, this one blasted through our daily budget.
Although the salmon went running yet at the hatchery, it was low tide so we headed out to the hatchery on the other side of the bay because we heard that some of the fish road coming in. When we got there, sure enough there were thousands of salmon waiting at the stream mouth. We watched them try to jump up, but the way the hatchery works, there is a fence that blocks them from getting up into the stream. We did find a place where there were some of the smarter fish working on their way around the edges. They are definitely determined. We toured the hatchery, but unfortunately, the salmon ladder was not running. The hatchery said it processes 20,000 fish a day. They separate the males from the female females extract, the eggs and the milt, and then in a very controlled process, they fertilize the eggs in the hatchery. Apparently they release about 300 million salmon back into the ocean each year. We watch the harbor seals go in and out of the mouth of the stream. They didn’t seem too interested in fishing, but were there posing for photos?
We also visited the Valdez glacier lake and saw the icebergs floating as well as a bunch of kayakers. Had some crazy dudes there doing a polar plunge.
We perused around town for a bit, and then decided to head out towards our next destination. It was already late in the afternoon, so we found a side road and camped on the edge Lowe River, a massive glacier stream bed. We didn’t see any moose, bears, or really anything else, but we did find Moose tracks at the edge of the river.
It’s pronounced Val-deeez. Just saying, lol. The drive out of McCarthy was bumpy but uneventful. When we go to Chitna, at the fork of the Chitina and Copper Rivers, we stopped at the ranger station to exercise the dogs and get another Wrangall stamp. Kathy struck up a conversation with the Ranger and learned a bit more about the area. Turns out that log cabin is about the only structure in Chitna that has not burned down.
We continued on to the post office to mail some post cards and make a quick lunch. The 30 miles out of the copper river valley to the Richardson Highway was quick. From there we turned left and headed towards Valdez (Val-deeez that is) and this section of the highway is breathtaking as it winds up the canyons, over a pass, and down into the coastal valley. Waterfalls, rivers, snowcapped peaks are on both sides.
We stopped at the pass and hiked to the bottom of the Worthington Glacier. The funny thing about glaciers is that they are covered in debris and hiking around them is challenging and dangerous. We watched small boulders tumbling down where we were trying to hike and decided this was not a great idea. We did get to see the river emanating from the bottom though.
We continued across Thomson Pass and down the road into Valdez (did you say it,? Val-deez) where we stopped to view Bridal and Horsetail Falls. So beautiful. We made it into town, stopped at the post office to mail some more postcards, and then I almost caused an accident at an intersection that I thought was 4-way. Turns out it was only 3-way which is weird. Oh well; tourists. We headed up to grab a free camping spot up mineral canyon. Camped in a nice pull off next to a waterfall on horsetail creek (different creek). Sounds like our back yard, only louder. We lit a fire and hung out while the logs were converted to ash.
