just a quick entry. i did the old Denali Highway this last stretch off.
looked like perfect weather, but that is how it is here. lots of rain. lots of bugs, which is expected this time of year but lots of wildflowers as well.
these are from previous trips. so i'll just give you the highlights from this trip
the first day was beautiful. so many lupine on the side of the road driving north. the Parks Highway is not really all that picture worthy in general. not until you get closet to Denali Park and even then you really have to get in the park for good photo ops
the dogs and i stayed in a cute little cabin in Talkeetna. Meandering Moose is dog friendly. the cabin had electric and wifi. there was a bathroom a short walk from cabin.
that night the dogs and i settled in then headed to walk the loop around X lake i think. there are X, Y and Z lakes and Tigger Lake. so we did X the first night and Tigger the next day. i've looped Tigger before but hadn't done the full X lake walk. it was a bit longer than i figured. it only said like 3.5 miles though. it strayed off of lake and had some little elevation. it was actually the perfect length and had some lake stops for the dogs to cool
then i headed downtown to wander and get something to eat.
the next day we walked Tigger and then headed north.
we did a final gas up in Cantwell before heading across. ran into a nice couple. the guy was also pumping his RV to trek across. he said his wife loved the color of my CR-V.
they have done this crossing every year since the 70's. i'm sure they have seen some stuff out there. he said they do it over 3 days every time.
i crossed as far as the Maclaren Lodge...it's 42 miles in from the Paxson side. they are also dog friendly...
i settled into our cabin there and then i headed into the lodge for dinner. i left the dogs in the cabin while i ate. after i wandered around with them out there before bed. left them again in the cabin while i asked about towels...again the bathroom/showers are in another cabin. i got towels and was told repeatedly by various staff that my dogs were adorable and were totally welcome inside the lodge anytime.
i've always thought this odd. an eating establishment and all. it is a bit of a hassle for me and that night there was a large tour group...as it turns out one of the tour leaders was someone i knew ages ago. so we caught up briefly. Alaska can be a small state.
i can't say i slept well. Ivy had settled in at the foot of my bed and wasn't budging. so i had to work around her. my knee was sore...i think i have one of those arthritic knees that gets wonky during storms. the rain was coming down pretty strong all night. it had rained off and on during the drive across as well. saw a few cars with flat tires.
i was thrilled to not get a flat...i've never changed a tire..i do understand the concept but i suspect in reality i couldn't change it myself. more than that though was the idea of being stuck outside with all the bugs. mosquitoes are one thing...those biting flies leave welts though.
Ivy hates to miss anything.
i read most of the night. finished it the next day after i arrived home. i think it was called the Dutch House.
the next morning i took my shower and then decided to do as i had been encouraged to do by the staff and bring the dogs in to breakfast. there was a family that was nearly done eating and then it would just be us
got them settled, tied to a post...the family commented on how cute they were and i cracked a few jokes about the hoping there was no squirrels in there or the dogs may pull the post down.
as soon as i sat myself an older gentleman from their group came around the corner. he had two trekking poles and walked with a pretty big limp. the poles spooked Ivy. she barked a few times....3 to be exact. the man was never in danger and i had her under control and stopped the barking.
right after that the older guy was still slowly making his way past when a guy came from the kitchen area and told me i needed to get the dogs out. i just said i had been told they were welcome. he muttered something about it being muddy out...which it had been the night before when i was encouraged to bring the dogs in. i was embarrassed and annoyed because the only reason i brought them in was because i was encouraged to. the party next to me quickly got up to leave. they came to meet the dogs. clearly they were embarrassed as well. it was awkward and irritating to me. so i packed the car and loaded the dogs. went back into the lodge settled up in a bit of a huff and left without eating breakfast. we stopped several times but with the rain continuing i opted to just head back to Anchorage. headache today....puked ...kind of wonder if it's not allergies..the cottonwoods are going nuts. better get ready for work.
thankful for. A. safe travels. B. no bad critter encounters. did see a fox, always cool. C. a night off the grid to just relax and leave the world behind.
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