Day 54: Denali National Park
Thursday, June 23, 2016
Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, United States
Woke up to a beautiful sunny day and temps at 80 degrees! So I took advantage to give Sara an outdoor bath, since Linda and I had our showers last night also. We decided to use the RV shower ourselves since campground was charging $1 per minute in their showers and we did have water hooked up to RV. But this am we needed to unhook utilities so we can change to the Denali Park Campground, and dump sewer, and get Sara to Canine Resort. I am worried sick that she will be a barker and get kicked out of the resort, so we also stopped to give her a good run, hoping to tire her out some. We dropped her at the resort, and could hear her barking as we left the property - she's not normally a barker, but the kennels are empty except for one other dog and she likes to be around the people or other dogs. So I keep checking my phone as I drive away, expecting to get a "bad parent" phone call at any moment! But we headed to Denali and checked into Riley Campground on the Park property - this means no utilities, and very limited generator use allowed only at certain hours. So no brownies in the convection oven here! Next we got our bikes out and went exploring for where we will catch buses into the interior of the park tomorrow - all we know is it leaves at 6:45 am!! And it's supposed to be about an 11 hour tour to Wonder Lake, but we can catch earlier shuttles back. But the park is 6 million acres and we can only travel by bus 84 miles into the interior. Unless you get the wilderness training and want to hike under your own power!! I don't think we would make it - today our big task was riding to Denali's dog kennels, only 8 miles round trip with 1 mile being a 10% uphill grade! I wouldn't even know what that means except my RV books say to avoid roads with greater than 8% grade incline or decline!! We did have to debike and walk a little way, being passed by the Park's Shuttle buses every few minutes, but we made it to their sled dog demonstration on time. It was a nice demonstration and they told how the dog teams get them out to the wilderness areas in winter for providing supplies and updating research studies that are being done in the remote regions. Then it was a whiz trip back down the mountain to our campsite where we built a fire for the frozen salmon we purchased back in Whittier. We grilled the salmon and broccoli, plus some apple arugula salad made for a great dinner at our campsite - this might be one of the first days it was warm enough to eat outside and enjoy it! We saw a peak temp of 86 degrees today, but still much cooler than Atlanta's 86 degrees! Also, checked in on Sara, and they are letting her stay another day, altho she may be on probation! As I suspected, she was "just fine when we came out in the yard with her" so they let the owner's dogs play with her in the play yard. Let's hope she sleeps quietly tonight, because they have a music concert tomorrow! Sara may be having more fun than us if she doesn't get expelled! Early to bed tonight since early wake up tomorrow.
Other Entries
-
39Day 37: Quartz Creek/Cooper's Landing, Alaska
Jun 0617 days priorCooper Landing, United Statesphoto_camera2videocam 0comment 0 -
40Day 38: Cooper's Landing to Seward, Alaska
Jun 0716 days priorSeward, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 2 -
41Day 39: Seward, Alaska
Jun 0815 days priorSeward, United Statesphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
42Day 40: Seward, again!!
Jun 0914 days priorSeward, United Statesphoto_camera18videocam 0comment 1 -
43Day 41: and Seward again!
Jun 1013 days priorSeward, United Statesphoto_camera8videocam 0comment 0 -
44Day 42: and more Seward, Alaska!
Jun 1112 days priorSeward, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
45Day 43: Seward to Summit Lake, Alaska
Jun 1211 days priorMoose Pass, United Statesphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 0 -
46Day 44: Moose Pass to Hope, Alaska
Jun 1310 days priorHope, United Statesphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
47Day 45: Hope to Whittier, Alaska
Jun 149 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera13videocam 0comment 0 -
48Day 46: Portage to Girdwood to Bird Creek, AK
Jun 158 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera18videocam 0comment 1 -
49Day 47: Bird Creek to Anchorage, Alaska
Jun 167 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera11videocam 1comment 0 -
50Day 48: Anchorage, Alaska
Jun 176 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
51Day 49: Anchorage, Alaska
Jun 185 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
52Day 50: Anchorage, Alaska
Jun 194 days priorAnchorage, United Statesphoto_camera15videocam 0comment 1 -
53Day 51: Anchorage to Willow, Alaska
Jun 203 days priorWillow, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
54Day 52: Willow to Denali, Alaska
Jun 212 days priorDenali National Park and Preserve, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 0 -
55Day 53: Denali area
Jun 221 day priorDenali National Park and Preserve, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 0 -
56Day 54: Denali National Park
Jun 23Denali National Park and Preserve, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 1 -
57Day 55: Denali National Park
Jun 241 day laterDenali National Park and Preserve, United Statesphoto_camera11videocam 0comment 0 -
58Day 56: Denali National Park
Jun 252 days laterDenali National Park and Preserve, United Statesphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 0 -
59Day 57: Denali to Fairbanks, Alaska
Jun 263 days laterFairbanks, United Statesphoto_camera4videocam 0comment 0 -
60Day 58: Fairbanks to Chena Hot Springs, Alaska
Jun 274 days laterPleasant Valley, United Statesphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 0 -
61Day 59: Chena Hot Springs, Alaska
Jun 285 days laterFairbanks, United Statesphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 0 -
62Day 60: Chena Hot Springs to Fairbanks, Alaska
Jun 296 days laterFairbanks, United Statesphoto_camera22videocam 0comment 0 -
63Day 61: Fairbanks to North Pole, Alaska
Jun 307 days laterBadger, United Statesphoto_camera10videocam 0comment 0 -
64Day 62: North Pole, Alaska
Jul 018 days laterNorth Pole, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 0 -
65Day 63: North Pole to Tok, Alaska
Jul 029 days laterTok, United Statesphoto_camera7videocam 0comment 0 -
66Day 64: Tok, Alaska
Jul 0310 days laterTok, United Statesphoto_camera4videocam 0comment 0 -
67Day 65: Tok, Alaska
Jul 0411 days laterTok, United Statesphoto_camera14videocam 0comment 0 -
68Day 66: Tok, Alaska to Beaver Creek, Yukon, Canad
Jul 0512 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 0 -
69Day 67: Beaver Creek to Haines Junction, Canada
Jul 0613 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 1 -
70Day 68: Haines Junction, Canada to Haines, Alaska
Jul 0714 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera12videocam 0comment 0 -
71Day 69: Haines, Alaska
Jul 0815 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera5videocam 0comment 0 -
72Day 70: Haines, Alaska
Jul 0916 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera19videocam 0comment 0 -
73Day 71: Haines, Alaska
Jul 1017 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera9videocam 0comment 1 -
74Day 72: Haines, Alaska
Jul 1118 days laterHaines, United Statesphoto_camera6videocam 0comment 1
Comments

2025-05-22
Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank
vidalia1
2016-06-24
Loving the blog...