Denali Highway Weekend

Hey Tribe,

Road trip season has arrived in Alaska!  Usually, this means roadways chocked full of motorhomes, but this season has started more mild, so, to keep the feel alive, we loaded up the Scamp and did a little 500+ mile road trip of our own.

Serious road trippers

The abandoned Paxson Lodge marks the beginning of the Denali Highway

Most of our time was spent rambling and rumbling along the Denali Highway; for added adventure along the way, we brought the kickbike and the kayak, but the lakes weren't quite thawed enough for paddling.

Happy dogs, ready for any kind of adventure!

Snow holds a strong grip at the higher points of the highway and the dogs were thrilled to romp in the cool winter glory.  Though they don't mind summer and all it's smells and growing things and creatures to inspect, their faces tell you everything you need to know about their thoughts regarding snow.

Happy Little Chappie

Fly never says no to snow

Rex is a snow swimming powerhouse

Happily the roads were in decent condition and snow free.  They were traffic free as well, with only an occasional passerby; this was ideal, because the dogs and I were able to kickbike along the road without fear of being run over.

Perfect day for a run

Snowmelt pitstops are so refreshing

The road is ours

Our journey was spent by ourselves and it truly felt as if we were the only travelers making our way across the expanse.  How very Alaskan.

The Denali Highway is 135 miles of gravel road that connects two of Alaska's main highways and "is certainly one of the most spectacular drives in the world" according to the completely *not* biased alaska.org which is a very nice resource to check if you are planning/dreaming a trip in Alaska.  

What I love most about the Denali Highway is its sweeping views and peeps at several glaciers; it has a lot to offer in the way of trails and lakes and is very much a choose-your-own-adventure experience.  Pull-outs and side roads are plentiful and we took advantage of many for snack/lunch breaks and to do a bit of leg stretching.

Rex and I take in the sights

Fly wonders why this painted portrait of herself is yellow and not b&w.

Our selected campsite was a gravel pit area off the road, so we had a bit of privacy.  Or so we thought.  As soon as I set the dogs free to romp and explore, Rex ran up over a gravel pile and out of sight.  Immediately, I called for him and a few seconds later he came running back to me shaking his head.  Something was wrong.  As he ran closer I saw what was wrong: he must have tried to kiss a porcupine from the look of the quills sticking out of his muzzle.  Rex was grabbed, pliers were grabbed, quills were grabbed.  Whew.  Guess we weren't as alone there in the gravel pit as we'd thought.  After dinner, both KBDs suddenly bolted for the ridge.  Another porcupine?  No, this time it was a caribou trying to covertly spy on us, but it turned and jumped away as we all rushed up to where it was previously skulking in the low brush; I re-called the dogs as the 'bou's fluffy backside grew smaller the further it ran across the tundra.  From our vantage, we spotted a lone moose browsing below us at the edge of a creek.  No, we definitely were not alone.  Oh, and that pesky porcupine came back later in the evening.  Ugh.  So much for privacy.

Rex keeps watch at camp

Fly prefers to keep watch of cooking dinner

Everyone gets their own bed when it's sleep time

A kickbike ride got our muscles going in the morning.  We passed several sleepy campers swatting thirsty mosquitoes and staggering around their campsites and I was happy we were on the road before other travelers so we had the morning and the songbirds to ourselves.

Ready to roll

Love these kinds of trails

Overlooking the Susitna River

The day was spent riding, driving, and stopping at prime overlooks and scenic pull-off spots so the dogs could frolic and sniff and we had a very enjoyable time, despite a storm that came pouring over the mountain range.  Alaska is beautiful, no matter the weather, and the Denali Highway never disappoints.