The forecast showed a stretch of clear sunny days. August is often rainy in Alaska so we took advantage of the good weather to drive the Denali Highway. This 135 mile long road, primarily gravel, connects the towns of Cantwell on the Parks Highway and Paxson on the Richardson Highway. It was completed in 1957 providing access to Denali National Park which had previously only been accessible by train. The Parks Highway opened in 1972 providing a road between Anchorage and Fairbanks and new access to the Park.
In my opinion, the Denali Highway has some of the most undisturbed scenery accessible by road in Alaska. It's lightly traveled with many pull-offs for camping and picturesque overlooks.
August marks the start of hunting season in Alaska and the Highway is a popular destination for caribou and moose. It was our hope to see some caribou on the hoof and to find unoccupied camp sites.
We were definitely missing our RV as we packed up our trusty tent and sleeping bags. Bucky had already checked out the back of the Focus to see if he could sleep there if needed. It would be a stretch to think we both could fit comfortably in the car. We use an air mattress in our REI, Hobitat Tent which is quite comfortable. This tent has been with us for about 10 years, sheltering us from Arctic winds, Kodiak downpours and Talkeetna Mountain snow squalls. In the same bizarre way that people name and personify their vehicle, boat or other inanimate objects, I have strong affection for Hobi.
We were finally packed and ready to leave by 3 pm. It is 100 miles from Talkeetna to Cantwell where we would start on the Denali Highway. My stomach rumbled. Lunch had taken a back seat to packing. Bucky and I could taste the BBQ we would take out from a food truck in Cantwell. Construction on the Parks highway hindered our progress making the desire to set up camp and eat BBQ even more immediate. The hours ticked by more quickly than the miles.
Bucky's reaction to finding the BBQ food truck closed was less volatile than expected. Our thoughts now turned to Polish sausage links, mustard and relish on buns. Not at all equivalent to ribs and pulled pork, but when eaten beside a campfire, just perfect.
Hobi went up with its usual ease and our site at the back of a spacious gravel pit was ideal. My head nestled into my soft pillow and I was surprised to see daylight when I first opened my eyes. Even in August, Alaskan nights have limited hours of darkness. I assumed it was 3 or 4 am, but was shocked that my phone said 8:00!
The new day presented itself as the previous, with blue sky and warm sun. Glaciers spilled from the snow topped mountains of the Alaska Range while the kettle ponds and green grasses at the base provided stark contrast. Trying to capture the enormity of this landscape was impossible. We searched the tundra for caribou and encountered numerous hunting parties with binoculars held high doing the same.
Alpine Creek Lodge is lovely in summer and a destination for mushers in winter when the road is closed to vehicles.
We scouted the roadside for blueberries and when it looked promising we stopped to pick. A brisk breeze kept the bugs from being too annoying.
Bucky used the berry scoop which made his picking go much faster than mine.
At 4,000 plus feet in elevation, most of the Denali Highway is above timberline and the vistas go on forever.
caribou country
Our treasured time on the Denali Highway came to an abrupt end on our final night of camping. While the temperature remained warm, the wind had steadily increased. Thinking that tenting might not be a good idea, we sought the comfort of a cabin. Tangle Lakes Lodge displayed a piece of plywood advertising, cabin + canoe for $50. Bucky masked up and went inside to ask the price without the canoe. Low and behold, cabin and canoe were not $50.......... but $150!
Bucky then asked, "It's really windy, how 'bout the cabin without the canoe?"
The owner quickly replied, "Right, I'm not allowing canoes out on the lake, but the price is still $150. There's a campground just down the road, you might want to head there."
Bucky was, however, successful in buying me a longed for cup of hot coffee and I enjoyed every drop as we drove to Tangle Lakes Campground. The wind buffeted the tents as we drove the numerous loops within the campground. It was late afternoon and no vacant sites remained. This caused me to once again question why a "full" sign hadn't been placed at the campground entrance, eliminating the need for folks like us to drive around in circles, casting dust on settled campers in a complete waste of time. You'll remember a similar situation occurred outside the entrance to Yellowstone National Park.
It wasn't long before we spotted a gravel pit that was off the road and looked perfect for the night. We wove through the willows and tucked ourselves as far out of the wind as possible. It was a bit of a struggle getting Hobi up, but soon she stood tall, defying the strong gusts of wind. Bucky lugged heavy boulders and placed them on the tent pegs. The plan was to move the car behind the tent to further block the wind and provide another point at which to attach support lines. However.......
Once again, Bucky's composure surprised me. We laughed but also felt great sadness over the loss of Hobi. This marked the end of a long and memorable relationship. We were thankful we had this tent problem on the road system and not above the Arctic Circle. However, not wanting our time together to end, we called REI and looked into repair and the cost of replacement parts. They informed us that the Hobitat was no longer available, but had been replaced by the Grand Hut!
We hope this new comer can live up to its predecessor's strength and endurance. Time will tell.
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