31 - Denali
After leaving Fairbanks, I went 100 miles out of the way by riding down a spur road to Cheana Hot Springs. It was a nice ride and a beautiful day.
After washing and shining my bike at Bill's, I applied my very new, and very cool sticker to the windshield.
Alaska Raceway Park
I hadn't see a "dog team crossing" sign before. I'd seen hundreds of "Fresh Oil" signs, but never one on blacktop. That seems odd. What an unfortunate combination: Oil and asphalt.
Denali is such a unique park. I arrived that evening and set up camp after talking with the people in the park store. Rachael, a grad student from NYC, was leaving in Alaska in 10 days and told me about her summer working in Denali. She also gave me the lowdown on where to camp, which bus to catch, and what to do. After setting up, I took off to ride the short section of road open to passenger vehicles. I rode 21 miles to the end of the open road and hiked up the trail Rachael had recommended. The trail led up the steep side of a large rock. I couldn’t see Denali, but could see for a long way.
I returned to camp to find a perfectly thawed piece of Halibut that Bill had sent with me. Along with a bit of butter and heat, the 20 minute transformation made the freshly cooked fish quite tasty. Along with a can of spinach and bottle of beer, the combination proved delicious.
Before leaving Fairbanks, Bill gave me a lot of food. Not only freshly caught and frozen Halibut, but also a collection of backpacking meals and MRE’s. Military issued Meals-Ready-to-Eat, are big bags of food that require nothing but an appetite and a pot of boiling water. Equally as simple to prepare are the backpacking meals. Meals ready to eat directly from the pouch in which they are packaged. The combination of taste and simplicity is brilliant.
For breakfast, I scarfed down a blackberry cobbler and a very strong cup of coffee. I learned a lesson on the first night of the second leg of my trip. Don’t bring an “unbreakable” coffee press on a motorcycle trip. Bring a metal one. After being on the road for three months, I’d not made a single cup of good coffee. The good folks at Beaver Sports had set me up with a new press, and directions to the best coffee roaster in Northern Alaska. With a pound of fresh roasted grounds, I was ready for cup after glorious cup of Java Fuerte.
Thanks to Joe & Brent from Talkeeta, there was no question as to how far I should go into Denali. I should go as far as possible. Period. Rachael echoed their sentiment and so I’d purchased a ticket to go to Wonder Lake.
The driver, Gloria, told us that there were two ways to see the park. Either see the mountain or see wildlife. One cannot do both. Since I’d seen everything on this trip but Grizzlies, I really wanted to see the mountain. I’d seen it too, but riding around in the rain seeing wildlife didn’t appeal to me as much as having a clear day and a great view of the landscape. We saw little wildlife other than Caribou, but we had a great day of Denali viewing. I sat directly behind Gloria and we chatted sporadically throughout the trip. The other passengers also enjoyed the scenery and I had the chance to speak with many of them.
Bob, a recreational fisherman from Florida, had spent weeks in Alaska in his RV and had visited all the fishing hotspots. Upon the urging of several people I’d met along the way, I knew that I’d ride to Valdez before going to Haines. Since it was a great fishing spot, why not grab a pole and give a cast at salmon catching. Bob was headed there to meet friends and gave me his card and an invitation to fish. Nice!
Like the earlier picture of potholes, the picture of this rock is to convey why I'm not riding the 1,000 mile round-trip to the Arctic Circle. This rock was in the middle of a gravel road and wasn't uncommon in either size or shape. Any of the many sharp edges could easily cut down a motorcycle tire.
The picture of me with the giant antlers is to convey an element of coolness that I couldn't possibly convey without some sort of prop. Some stunts work and others don't. The picture of crossing the stream on the 4-Wheeler was pretty cool, while the one below is simply corny. Feel free to laugh at my expense; everyone is doing it.
Mt. McKinley is really majestic.
While in Fairbanks, I used Bill's shop for all sorts of stuff. Not only did he have a bench grinder, which I promptly used to sharpen my axe, but he also had a polishing wheel. I'd never used one, but with a bit of compound and 20 minutes of patience, my axe was sharp enough to shave with and shiny enough to use as a mirror.
One can take a bus for six hours to Wonder Lake and then camp. However, I'd talked to Brent in Talkeeta who said it was positively miserable. The mosquitos were unbearable. As we arrived at the Lake, Gloria, the bus driver, told us that the mosquito season had just ended. My only regret to date is not camping at Wonder Lake. WOW!
In the morning, after breaking camp, I rode to the Denali Kennels to take up Gloria on her offer to put me in touch with one of the Musher’s for a private tour. What an experience! As someone who’s been involved in the Dog-Sports community for a few years, seeing these working dogs in an old and established kennel, really made an impact. In winter, the park is accessible only by dogsled. Motors are prohibited, and skis aren’t practical. The rangers have patrolled the park and protected it from poachers from the park’s inception.
Yes the Dall Sheep is stuffed. My pictures are of the sheep high atop the mountain and aren't good for much. They are amazing animals.
"Hello little Arctic Squirrel!"
These little animals look more like Prairie Dogs than squirrels and are able to survive the Arctic Winters. Their hear-rate slows to about one beat per hour and they are impossible to wake from their uber-slumber.
Much cooler than regular squirrels for sure.
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