After canning our salmon and regrouping, Bucky and I thought about where our next move should be. We decided that we needed to try to cross the Denali Highway. This road was opened in 1957 and provided the only access to Denali National Park and Preserve other than by air or train. The Park Highway was completed in 1972 and now provides access from Anchorage and Fairbanks. The Denali Highway is 134 miles long with 110 miles still unpaved. Questioning our judgement, after our lack of success in driving the Mc Carthy Highway, we never the less set out for Paxson, spending the night around Glennallen. As the weather was cold and rainy we felt we had nothing better to do, so why not drive. Once on the highway, we sensed we would be able to dodge the potholes and perhaps make it the entire distance. We were stopped for ongoing road construction which occurs during the summer months in AK. After several of these stops, we realized that all the flag girls had dazzling white teeth and perky good looks. Quite different than what we were familiar with from home. After they stop you, they come to the window and chat, letting you know how sorry they are for your delay, where are you headed?, where are you from? how long have you been in AK? and such. We chatted so long with one girl we felt we should offer her some of our snacks which we had retrieved from the back of the camper along with a cold drink. She said she couldn't. When I commented that it must be awful standing in the rain, she said it wasn't so bad. She said she just kept thinking about lying in the sun in Mexico where she spent the winter, not working. We later found out that flaggers are paid very high wages and go to flagger school, competing for these highly sought after summer positions! I would say they are also chosen for their looks. Anyway, what started as heavy rain gradually turned to snow resulting in our taking a break at Naidine and Jack Johnson's Tangle River Inn. It was here that we learned the secret for cleaning salmon. According to Jack, the best way to clean the exterior slime and silt off our salmon is to pack along a pressure washer. By using the right nozzle attachment and by holding the nozzle at the correct angle and distance one can in fact blow the scales and slime right off. One must however, be careful not to hit ones own skin as a serious wound could result. After blowing off the exterior grime of the fish, the power washer can be used to clean the fillets, your cutting board, the camper, your hip waders and even your dog, that is if you have one along. However, you must carry along fresh water for the power washer as the river water is too silty. If you run out of fresh water, you can usually refill at a fire station. Naidine and Jack have lived in the Tangle Lakes area for 60 years and Naidine even has a mountain named after her. Jack is quite a hunter. He delighted in telling us about a recent wolf hunt during which he removed a Fish and Game radio collar which had been placed on the wolf and put it on a wolverine which he and his son had trapped and then painted flourescent green. It was obvious to Bucky and I that these people have spent too much time in the bush. Naidine does however make an excellent cinnamon roll. As we traveled on, the snow ceased and the sun decided to grace us with a beautiful afternoon of viewing mountains, caribou and ptarmigan. We were able to cross the 134 miles in a long day of driving, but enjoyed every minute of it. Another box checked off the list of Alaskan roads traveled. Following this, we had the chance to float by raft, with the Vickaryous family (dog included), Willow Creek to its confluence with the Little Susitna River. We had hoped to catch some silvers on the way, but it wasn't to be. Floating the river provided us with a chance to see the interior of the land. It was a fabulous experience and one we would love to do again.