Across the Middle

I wanted to drive across Alaska on the Denali highway, and so did Dennis and Carol, so we rolled out of Seward and headed back up the Glenn highway. Our goal is the road that used to be the only way to get to Denali National Park. It’s still there, and is mostly unpaved, but now everybody travels the Parks highway to Denali. Hey, ’the road less travelled’, sounds good!

We rolled up to Anchorage, and Dennis got me onto the base. We stayed at the Fam-Camp one night, and did all that not-so-interesting stuff, like laundry, groceries, fuel, etc. The next day we headed towards Paxson, where the old Denali highway starts. It’s a nice day, and I got some good photos.

     

Along the Glenn hwy, you get some great views of the Matanuska glacier. it’s the only glacier with direct access by road, at least , that’s what it says in this here tourist brochure.

  

OK, I’m game! I find the access road, and am confronted by this set of signs.

  

Well, what the Hell. I start down the road anyway, since it says it’s “open”. By the time I get to the river, I decide maybe I shouldn’t be driving my house into such forbidding territory and bail on the whole Idea. Maybe I'll come back and take the bike down that road another time,

  

Turns out that the confusing barrage of signs is all part of a neighborly (or un-neighborly) dispute about road rights, you can read about it here. I didn’t see any naked people.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/mat-su/2017/05/14/a-legal-battle-between-neighbors-leads-to-confusion-along-road-to-popular-alaska-glacier/

Moving right along, I catch up with D&C at a gravel pit just below Paxson. It’s a good place to boondock, but the mosquitos are thick! We stay there anyway, and have fun playing zap the skeeters with some electric bug zapper doo-dads. Rainbow the cat is not amused.

     

The Denali highway is paved for the first 20 miles or so, and we climb up above 3000 feet and are suddenly above the tree line. The views are amazing!

     

The road turns to gravel, and we start looking for a really scenic place to stop. I think we found one! The day starts off sunny and warm,and we sit out and look for animals and enjoy the serenity. Then storm clouds roll in, and it starts raining late in the day.

        

The rest of the trip is cold, wet, and socked in. The drive is challenging, and there’s not much to see. I’m glad to get back to pavement again!

     

I’ll try to come back again late in the fall to see the tundra turn all the awesome fall colors, but for now, let’s roll on to the next place.