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OK in the middle of nowhere I have now been thrown off the internet twice.... apparently the first 15 minutes are free and the cashier was giving me free minutes...have now bought an hour.... willhave to get my laundry out before that time is up...
Have figured out my unease and chaotic thinking and confusion in my packing and doing and blogging... its the%^#@$(*&% time constraints!!.... in eating, in sleeping on early days ...in getting the tent down or up..... in spending time at stops either pit or visits.... for internet access ... for getting the cooking done ... and on and on....
Am on another persons schedule.... and that schedule involves getting to camp grounds and to towns and to places in good time to catch ferries or cook the evening meal. This is going to take some getting used to...its day 12 and I have just figured out the problem. The internet loosing my whole little composition does not help either.
Delani Park was very busy Friday night. It took a little think to figure out that it was the weekend ...thought people were doing a rive by to stare at our truck but it
was RV campers.
The scenery changed quite a bit during the drive to Fairbanks. The spiky snow covered Alaska Range is now out of site and green rolling hills with meandering rivers are visible on eihter side of the narrow paved road.
Mt. McKinley lies behind us and we are heading for the Arctic Circle today and The Arctic Ocean tomorrow!
Wheather: lousy….cold….wet….foggy…finger numbing…nose dripping… hat heading… tent condensing… puddle forming…ass nipping… undies undrying…bone chilling!
Some of the group bring their sleeping bag into the truck especially now that we ar heading for the Artic Ocean. Can I do that? …of course not …it would dirty the bag and then how do I sleep in it comfortably.
Comfortable may be difficult today.. .had to wrap the thing up wet…slept in a puddle last night because the rain had collected under my tent.
Am looking forward to standing under hot water for 15 minutes. The laundry is full of locals... again the weekend!
The little coffee place a la Starbucks but without the price tag is full of us truck people and LOCALS ..its Saturday.
The weatheroutside is dingy and wet. There is
Bison Grazing on Kodiak
Saw a herd with small calves.nothing to walk to.... who knows where the museum is... but with only3hours laundry and internet and coffee win out over a search for the museum.
The laundry is dry and I have some time left o n my hour. Amin extremely close conditions...my coat sleeve opens new tabs...am surrounded by noise...better get used to it...we are in an area where theplaces do not open until May13 and probably later this year because all the water pipes are still frozen. The whole season only lastsuntil mid September... so the Gift Shop has only 4 months to selll their 3-4 cases ofPoopin' Bears, made in China. Also in the same shipment seen while buying a hat and scarf were boxes of key chains and Poopin'Moose!
The Parks in this area seem to be geared to RV users. All sites are well laid out with a fire pit and a platform for outdoor gear like collapsible tables, BBQ’s, deck chairs and other ‘camping’ amenities. Here in Denali and at the Quartz Road there was difficulty finding places to pitch our tents because of reforestation endeavours. A few ranger vehicles have been viewed but no hassles have been encountered.
Tony's Birthday
Everyone had a feast with roast beef and cake and lots of beverages! We are all on the lookout for a bear. When the trip began most of the members of the group bought bear bells and bear spray. Every evening all the food bits are packed up, all toiletries are stored inside the truck, the garbage is put inside the truck, dishwater is disposed off far from the tents and nothing odorous is left in the vicinity during the night. One camp even had food safes in which to store food. At one camp site where the treesa had big enough branches we hung the garbage in a tree. With all these precautions will we ever see a bear?
The wild animal list so far includes: lots of eagles, a black fox, dolphins, otters, whale spouts, bison, cariboo, one moose, ptarmigan, grey jays, magpies, snowshoe rabbits, marmots, and locals in flipflops and shorts.
Activities in Denali:
included a long ride into the park for as far as the road was open. We reached a look out point where two park workers were having a break. The rest of theroad was being grated in preparation of the May 13 opening of the park. They had seen a sow and her cub
further up the road. The man was not willing to be bribed into taking us in on his truck to see the bear.
A walk up a steep path to see Thunder Falls. Some falls…little thunder. The trail was along an extremely steep cliff. There was property for sale here and the backyards of houses bordered on the trail.
Went for a walk to the Merchantile Centre… beside the Delani Princess Hotel where summer workers were receiving training for their summer jobs … the only shops open were the gift/liquor store and gas station add-on.
had a shower in the portable tent set up when we got here
Cooked up the feast for the birthday … roast potatoes and carrots, beef roast, gravy, steamed broccoli, cauliflower and zucchini, A birthday cake had been bought at Costco and we all ad a piece of the excess icing covered white cake.
The lunch had included a very hearty vegetable soup with barley and lentils.
Breakfast was cheese omelette and toast.
Besides eating we have started a Domino ternament and we have put five dollars into a distance lottery. I predict we will have travelled 56,000km by the end
Quilted Bear in Kodiak
This one's for my Heritage Friends of the trip. The winner gets $60. Some people did not enter because they are not travelling the whole way.
Alaska is one wild place..... nothing but scrub brush and tall gangly trees for miles on end. Very little traffic (untill we reach a smalll city) and a lot of far out people dressed in flipflops and shorts...summer has started here!
In the cafe at this moment I see an older Inuit and a younger First Nations woman, two old geesers,two techies, some housewives in sweats, some younger people and some of us from the truck.
Its quiet now... and I am relaxing a bit about the whole trip....willl get into sync with my leader and not worry about being confused and forcedto follow someone else's lead.... this is not easy!
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sandra
non-member comment
I'm impressed
that you are still being patient. I would find all that togetherness a little hard to take. Loved the quilted bear. The photos are great. Keep up the writing. We are all on your journey with you. We are off to Las Vegas on Tuesday. I'll get the machines warmed up for you!