Blogs from Denali, Alaska, United States, North America - page 6

Another sunny day with temps in the upper 60's. A local told me that today and yesterday were the warmest days of the summer this year. That's hard to believe, but I'm just happy to be here at the same time as the beautiful weather. I only did two things today; drove 150 miles (round trip) to visit Denali (Mt. McKinley) and then went to the Alaska State Fair that is held here in Palmer each year. On the way to Denali I drove through Wasilla. I wanted to stop and visit with Sarah, but I'm just too busy right now and I'm sure that she'll understand. Because it was a perfectly clear day in Wasilla, I tried to get a look at Russia but I'm afraid that my eyesight is just not as good as ... read more

There are only 2 words to describe yesterday's experience, simply amazing! We began the day with a stop at the Denali National Park. We saw a beautifully done video on the ecology of the area. There was also a great display of the history of the park & the animals there. After the visitor's center, we then left on a tour of the park. IT WAS INCREDIBLE! We saw some unbelievable wildlife (No I'm not talking about activity in the back of the bus.) Our viewing included: moose, grizzly bears, a red fox, snowshoe hares, arctic ground squirrels, caribou, wolves, golden eagles. Plus we saw the granddaddy of all things to see, Mt. McKinley. We are now in the 30% club (only 30% of the people that come to Denali actually get to see the mountain ... read more

This park is truly a national treasure. At 6 million acres, it is larger than the state of Massachusetts. Only one road goes into the park, and it stops after 90 miles, by design. Only park buses can travel the entire length of the road, so if you want to go in on the ground, you take the bus and ride for hours—but what a ride! Many people opt for flight-seeing tours, it is so magnificent. Mount McKinley, also referred to as Denali (the High One), is the jewel of the park and the king of the 600-mile Alaskan Range. The mountain is the highest in North America at 20,320 feet, and still growing at a rate of about one millimeter per year due to active plate tectonics. Measured from its 2,000 foot lowlands near Wonder ... read more

Wow this is looking pretty bad. Just when I thought things had settled down and I would have no more bike problems, along comes something else. I was riding the Denali Highway, and what a beautiful ride indeed! Well then I slow down to pass by an RV on the road, and realize I cannot get below 4th gear. So I have 5th, 4th, then the transmission shifts into a false neutral. Transmissions problems are about the worse thing to have on the road. To inspect things, the engine must be taken out, the head taken off, and the entire case split apart. This is something I am capable of tackling in the comfort of my home shop, but not a change of be doing it on the side of the road. I have no idea ... read more

Alaska proved to be a great time- filled with memories of old and with plans for the future. For the first leg of the journey we headed south and east from Tok Junction, to Anchorage after a less than friendly border-crossing experience. Passing the Wrangell-St Elias range was awe inspiring to say the least and the Matanuska Glacier was a specifically memorable highlight of the trip into Anchorage. Apparently there is constructions EVERYWHERE in AK and that can get a little wearisome when its all stop and go, but at least the roads are nice unlike that festering dunghill known as Canada where the solution to uneven and horrible road conditions is more warning signs and some loose gravel. Anchorage itself was a bit rainy although quite pleasant as cities go. We camped out along the ... read more