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.

A Day Off - Kayak Outing

Hey Tribe,

What did we do with a day off from work?  Took the little kayak out for a paddle, of course!  Actually, we were torn between being on the water and being on a mountain somewhere, but the mountains will remain and the water will soon be frozen, so we opted for the water while we still can.

Wildfire smoke clings to the mountains and is heavy in the air, making everything seem a bit out of focus, but the lake looked spectacular anyway and I eagerly slipped the kayak into the water.  Rex got a turn first – he is still learning about how to behave on the water and what the “boat rules” are – and we paddled around for ten minutes or so looking at the ducks and fish while he practiced his best kayak manners.  I didn’t push our luck though, so before his puppy energy  could become un-bottled and we ended up taking an unplanned swim, I returned us safely to shore. 

Rex happily re-joined TheFather on shore; Fly was just as eager to get on the kayak as Rex was to get off of it.   Once aboard, she and I paddled across the serene lake watching fernlike plants undulate in the clear water and eagles snatch at sluggish fish.  Loons kept a wary eye on us, but we didn’t disturb them as we made our way to the opposite side of the lake.

Hidden amongst the tall bushes is a short portage to a different world.  Okay, maybe not that dramatic, but it does have a different atmosphere: while the lake is like a lazy neighborhood, the creek is a highway of activity.

Look how calm that lake is!

Just a short path to the creek.

Someone is ready to keep going!

We flowed along with the current, dodging beaver dams and submerged log snags.  A muskrat swished about in the reeds, busy with his errands, and a squirrel churred and argued with a neighbor.  Ducks swam in formation and would take flight when we paddled too close for their comfort.

When we reached an intersection of our creek with another, faster flowing, waterway we turned around to paddle back to our lazy lake.  A soft breeze that began to come at us tempered the heat of the day: it was a welcome addition to our experience, at first, anyway.

Once back across the portage, the lake was in a different state.  Waves rippled the previously glassy surface and the wind could no longer be described as soft.  We were tired and hungry.  We could see our destination.  We I paddled.  The wind and the choppy waves drove us sideways to the East, though I tried to keep us bearing North.  It was a long, arduous paddle and twice I had to stop in the reeds and rest my aching shoulders as the wind blew us back and away from our beach.  Fly whined at me, but there was little to do but keep trying.  So, with our faces to the wind, we slowly inched along the lake and ran aground on our destination’s rocky shore, only to be too exhausted to do anything else but sit for several moments to rest.  A little mud colored dipper bird bobbed along the water’s edge and provided us with an excuse to remain and watch his activity before TheFather arrived to help us clamber up the beach.