In Cantwell, AK

June 16, 2007

I apologize to all, just realized that I double posted a date range!! This should be new info!!!

Went into Anchorage today and did some of the touristy stuff. Doug was not too happy with that, he hates doing ‘touristy’ stuff!!! Anchorage is quite busy on a very nice Sat. afternoon in June. They have a weekly festival in the city park and have all kinds of live characters walking around, food vendors and artists. We went to a couple of museums but did not stay long as Doug felt we had seen ‘all this before’!!! I guess we are through with Anchorage.!!

June 17, 2007

Left our camp ground around 11:30 am heading to Hatcher Pass. The campground we are headed for is out in the country with lots of animals – I should really enjoy that!!! It is too bad there are so few roads up here, we have to keep going over the same ones as there are no choices!! We are also going to try more panning. We spoke to a guy in Fairbanks that owns a mining store and he said what we had was not gold. He had lots of information about different minerals that I hope to learn more about. Doug says, ‘just what I need, another hobby’!

June 18, 2007

Went up to the Independent Mine on Hatcher Pass today. It was warm and sunny when we left the campground, and by the time we got to the mine it was cloudy and COLD! We really enjoyed the tour. The mine was closed in the early 50’s and they have been restoring it the 80’s. We learned a lot about mining and the area has a wonderful view. We had lunch at the Inn there with windows overlooking the valley.

Then we were told about a side road that had a lot of beaver dams. It was a rather ‘rough’ road, looked like it had been bombed! We road it out and were not sorry, what wonderful scenery. We took lots of pictures. My only disappointment was that we did not see any wild life!!!

Have not been able to get on-line for a few days now, the telephone is sporadic, but have enjoyed all the animals at our campsite.

June 19, 2007

Left ‘the farm’ today. Weather is sunny and warm, we are heading to Fairbanks, probably won’t make it that far today.

Driving through the country I can’t help but wish some of this was near us, I would love to live in this type of environment, but it is so FAR from everything!! As Doug says, it is also “so cold and dark for so long”!!!

Stopped in Telkeetna just to have a look around. We enjoyed that town do much the last time we were here. It has changed some, and become a bit more touristy, but I still enjoyed it. They have eclectic moose all over town the way Chicago had the cows, and Anchorage has fish. I am going to try and upload a couple of the pictures.

I told Doug I wasn’t going to stop and take anymore pictures of Denali as I have so many, but the weather is so perfect and the view so great I couldn’t help myself!! Chip, you thought we had lots of pictures before!!!!!

Made it to Cantwell, 27 miles south of Denali park. Will drive part of the Denali highway tomorrow.

June 20, 2007

Took off early today to drive part of the Denali Highway. The highway is 135 miles and about 120 miles of it are gravel. It is supposed to be one of the most spectacular scenery opportunities in Alaska. Since it is so rough we have decided not to take the RV. We will do about 50 miles today and return to camp. After we leave Fairbanks we will take the other road that goes to the highway and do the other 85 miles.

It was a wonderful day. The weather could not have been better. The road was as predicted, very rough is spots. We were a little disappointed in the lack if wild life we saw. We saw two trumpeter swans, I took picture of them and will be sure to send them to you Edie, I know how much you like swans!!! (Family joke!) We saw a porcupine and a cow moose with her baby in the distance. I still have not seen a bear!!!! I so desperately want to see a bear and her cub!! The scenery was everything we had hoped for but it was rather hazy. All the roads up here have mile markers and that is how you identify a location. Similar to the Florida Keys. There is a lodge at the 50 mile mark. We stopped as we were told they had wonderful rhubarb pie. While there we spoke with a couple of people that work for the Bureau of Land Management, very interesting. They had just surveyed a piece of land that a native wanted to stake a claim to. Acquiring land here is a very different process than in the lower 48 unless you are trying to buy directly from an owner. The state will grant land to a native or a resident only.

Before Chip arrived we were trying to work out how we could avoid going back to Anchorage, but it has worked out so well. We have had the unusual opportunity to cover the same areas more than ones and really get to know it.

Tomorrow we will probably leave for Fairbanks.