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Published: November 30th 2011
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Vern and Susan have the type of property that I consider a dream come true. In an acre and a half clearing there is a house, Barn/garage, out buildings and a guest house. A garden area and wood shed complete the picture of country living. Surrounding it is wilderness. A less wooded section to the back of the house provides a small vista and the rest offers woods to hike and run through with the pups. When asked how much property he has, even Vern was not sure. Not all of his property is contiguous. He bought up the lots in front of his property so that he would have more privacy and there is a combination of public land and several owners to the rear of his lot leading out to Hatcher pass.
Speaking of Hatcher Pass; today’s goal is to view Hatcher pass. The bonus was viewing Independence Mine.
Dan and I decided to get up at 6am to make the most of the morning and our jet lag before meeting Vern for the next ride with the pups on the ATV before going out to Hatcher Pass. Vern felt bad that he had to leave us for his
meeting the day before. I think he got the raw end of the deal. He was out until nearly midnight taking care of the business of the county. We woke at a leisurely pace drinking coffee and enjoying a leisurely breakfast as we watched the dawn break out the great room window.
It wasn’t long before we heard the pups getting excited and we went down to check what they were so excited about. They were getting hooked up for a morning ride and each one was hoping to be picked for the team. The cacophony was enough that we didn’t take a great deal of video. Vern hooked up 12 dogs mostly younger dogs in training with 4 of his more experienced dogs; one of which was Charles who ran the Iditarod. The ride was short and through the neighborhood but it was still a thrill to get a second ride.
Once the dogs were situated back at camp we grabbed Jessie the Border Collie and climbed into Vern’s van for a ride to Hatcher pass. Vern showed us were he had a small lake house which needs a lot of repair before it is usable. After an hour
ride through some of God’s most beautiful work we reached the start of Hatcher’s pass and the first of the old mines. Looking down through the pass, the magnitude of the mountains hits you; the remoteness of the area. Over a hundred years ago intrepid adventurers looking for riches ventured out in the untamed wilderness, to places where there were every personal need had to be hiked in. Wow. Along the way we passed SUVs, Campers and pick-ups with ATVs, fishermen and hunters alike enjoying the bounty of Alaska’s wildlife.
After Hatcher Pass we popped over the mountain top to a paved road that lead to Palmer. This is the most popular way to get to the pass and Independence mine. This is no less scenic a route however I am grateful the Vern took us through the whole route. This was also a rare opportunity for a bathroom. The Independence Mine is not operational any more but it is an Alaska State Park. The Mine buildings have been slowly revived and descriptive signs describing the buildings uses and what life was like, living and working at the mine were everywhere. Some of the buildings were still in ruin. The
hike up from the car was started with a candy bar. Vern was smart to offer us up some quick calories. It was a heck of a climb and the 62 year old Vern was showing us his athletic prowess hiking up the steeply inclined road at a ground eating pace. Dan and I were able to keep up due to our own respectable exercise programs in spite of our individual afflictions. I was nursing a groin muscle that was inexplicably spamming since I got off the plane in Anchorage and Dan was nursing a bad foot. He cracked his baby toe on a concrete lip holding a shower next to the hot tub at the hotel we got married at.
After the hour’s hike we headed into town for some much needed food. Vern took us to one of his favorite eateries in Palmer for some hearty chili for Dan and Hummus, cauliflower soup and salad for me. Yum. The Red Turkey was the name of the eatery. When we returned to camp it was time to pack up and hit the road. We still had 3 hours of driving to get to Denali but we could not leave
without getting a picture with Vern and our companion the border collie, Jessie.
Just past Talkeetna we saw an impressive pile of junk on the side of the road. Dan quickly saw that there was a gas pump in the pile and the decision to stop was guaranteed. One of the first things we noticed when we got out of the truck is a small sign that said “Wal-mikes”. We snagged an Alaska License plate and a Route 3 sign for the garage. Score.
We saw the tip of Mount McKinley. I should check our Lotto tickets. It is very rare to be able to see the tip of McKinley. It was rising out of a cloud bank like a floating city. Our first overlook gave us a teasing look. Our second overlook gave us both peaks and awed us. Our last look, first noticed from the rear view mirror, blew our minds.
We got into Denali before dark but very tired. It had been a long day of hiking and driving. This was the last night that the hotel would be open for the season and we were dismayed to find out that they had started to put away
all the little conveniences a traveler looks forward to…like a cart to haul your gear to your room from the car. We were also put in a tiny room (with a good view). They considered this an upgrade. We did not. After tripping over our gear as we got cleaned up and happy hour started we wandered over to the bar for dinner. We were waited on by a tall thin man with a mustache named George. He was a little standoffish at first. However, as he served our dinner he asked me what brought us there. I told him that we were on a tour of Alaska and were headed to Wiseman. He said “I don’t believe you. I lived in Wiseman” I said “really we are”. He responded, “Prove it” to which Dan responded “we are staying at the Boreal lodge with Heidi and Scott.” That got a response from our waiter who’s eyebrows shot up and he said “Shopenhouse?” We proved it. I proceeded to ask if he could advise me of a good gift to bring to our hosts. He was very impressed with our thoughtfulness and recommended food items like Wine. He mentioned that our
hosts had children and I asked if chocolate for the kids would be welcome and he thought it would. We ended our conversation by promising we would tell Heidi and Scott hi for him.
Our dinner was salad and pizza. Pizza is very popular in Alaska judging by the amount of pizza joints and signs advertising the best pizza. Not quite as many as espresso and coffee cabooses though. I once again went to bed early and Dan stayed up to write some for the journal. This travel business is exhausting.
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