As July starts we’ve made reservations for week inside Denali National Park. Along the road south on Parks Highway is a stop at Nenana. Each year people try to predict the ice break up where the Tenana and Nenana Rivers Join, down to the month, day, hour, and second. Tickets are sold and last years winner pocketed over $300K. A giant tripod on the frozen river stops the clock by cable the instant the river starts to clear. The Nenana Ice Classic is a big event.
Park Service allows RV’s as far as the 29 mile Teklanika River Campground. Our Jeep will have to be left at the visitors center. On Friday before our reservation we take the Jeep in the Park, pick up tomorrows RV permits, and drive the paved park road to the mile 15 checkpoint. All vehicles without passes are restricted beyond this viewpoint. Saturday morning we drive the RV’s in, our backcountry passes are checked and they make sure we have plenty of food and water for the next 7 days. There are no stores or restaurants past the visitors center and the RV can’t leave the campground. Transportation for the rest of the 92 mile gravel road is now provided by Park Service. Shuttle busses run all day, you can flag down a bus any time, they'll stop if they have an open seat. The mornings are in the low 40’s and a sunny day will reach 65. A day trip on the bus to “view points” or mile 66, Eielson visitor center is 5-7 hours. We’ll pack a lunch, flag down a bus and bounce along the gravel road looking for wildlife along the rivers, on the mountains, and in the meadows. Around mile 58 we reach the top of Stony Hill. Everyone on the bus gasps, for there, on this glorious clear morning, Mt. McKinley comes into view, 20,320 feet high and indescribably beautiful. And, were still 40 miles from the mountain, only accessible by hiking or flying to the 7000’ basecamp. We’re fortunate to have this beautiful morning, by early afternoon the “Big One” is shrouded in clouds. Only 30% of visitors to Alaska ever see the “mountain”. Our week is filled with activity, a Ranger led hike, or a bus rides, recuperating from bus rides, and evening Ranger programs at the campground. All 6.2 million acres is still wild, and thanks to the stewardship of the Park Service it will remain so. A great week in the Park.
As we continue south from Denali National Park there are stops in Cantwell, Talkeetna, and a few days in Anchorage to stock up on supplies for the drive south and the Kenai Peninsula. After a few nights near Portage Glacier we drive down to Seward for four days and find two spots on Resurrection Bay right on the water. We’re within walking distance to the boats and shops, and all the daily action that surrounds the harbor. The unseasonably cool weather warmed up a bit in Seward, we enjoyed the sun and a few naps by the water. We end the month on our way to Homer with stops in Soldotna and Ninilchik.
