In which we go to the dogs....

- - - - - - - - - - - -
This is my final catchup day with Fran. I'll probably do just one more post that's a "After-Fran Fairbanks" post, and that will be it... Hope you've enjoyed reading; I'm looking forward to writing about things as they happen again!
- - - - - - - - - - - -
We figured we could do one more thing at Denali before having to get back to Fairbanks. Happily, we both wanted to do the same thing, which was to visit the kennels and take the "Sled Dog" tour.

Tephra, one of the sled dogs at the Denali National Park sled dog kennels

Sled Dogs

After a good breakfast (I got up early to make French toast!), we just made it on to the sled dog shuttle bus. It's so great that they have these busses so you don't have to drive everywhere.

There were dogs everywhere! They each have a kennel with their name on it; they are chained up with about a 10-ft swivel chain so that they have a fair amount of room to move around, each in their own space. This is done by design: it's not a community kennel where they are all running around together. The handlers want them to work together as a team  — with the human being the "alpha" dog — and not to establish hierarch among themselves, which is what would happen if they were left to their own devices. This was interesting and somewhat unexpected.

There are rope dividers between each dog's space. We were instructed to remain behind the ropes, but we were told it was okay to call a dog over with any dog-enticing noises we could make. If a dog came over, we were welcome to pet it, scratch its belly, or hug it. It was pretty cute to see some children with dogs almost on their laps! Some of the dogs were less sociable; preferring to stay up on their kennels, or sleep, and everyone was pretty good about letting them alone.

Is there anything more adorable than a 2-week-old puppy?

There were some dogs who were behind fences; some were in heat, some were young and reliable with different people, some were just not "pettable."

There was even a litter of two-week-old puppies!

There were sled dog rangers and volunteers on hand to answer questions, but it soon was time for the presentation and demonstration.

The ranger who led this was a fine speaker. Her script was informative, being just slightly humorous; she had sparkling diction, speaking slowly and enunciating clearly so she was easy to understand; and she conveyed a perky enthusiasm that seemed genuine.

Some of the information we'd heard before, but some of it was new. One of the differences is that these dogs are not racing dogs, they are working dogs. So while they are Alaskan huskies, the same breed as we had seen at Trailbreaker kennels earlier in the week, they are bred not for speed, but for pulling and their work ethic.

Rupee, one of the sled dogs

The dogs bred at the kennels are part of a long history of dog mushing in Alaska and Denali National Park in particular. As non-motorized transport, dogs have helped the rangers patrol the park in the winter for almost 100 years (the park was founded in 1917). Today, they still perform routine patrols in the backcountry. They have helped bring in equipment, such as a ton of bridge parts to repair one of the road bridges; and take out trash, including the parts of a downed aircraft. They have to be strong, willing and dogged.

Litters are named by subject: so there was a "Volcano" litter (Tephra belonged to this litter), a "Knots" litter, and others. Find out more about the dogs in each of the recent litters.

Our ranger guide spoke about the different "team" positions: lead, swing, team and wheel dogs, and what it takes for a dog to hold those positions. At the park kennels, they often "mix it up" and switch dogs in and out of the different positions. She said it can be stressful to always be the lead dog, so a dog might only perform in this position for a 6-hour shift, and then is moved back to be a swing or team dog. (Personally, I think this also probably emphasizes the alpha-dog quality of the human musher who is calling the shots, although she did not say this.)

We got to pose on one of the traditional sleds

What traits does the Park Service look for in their sled dogs? First and foremost they have to be adapted to the winter climate, with a warm, downy undercoat that they shed in in the spring; broad paws with closely-spaced claws (almost webbed) so there's not a lot of space for ice to get in and give the sore feet), short ears so they don't get cold, and fluffy tails so they can curl it around to keep their noses warm when they sleep. Of course, they also look for the will to work, intelligence, and the ability to get along with a team.

She talked about the food that the dogs eat (a high-quality kibble); they eat twice as much during the winter when they are not "on vacation." She told us about their training: they get walked three times a day by volunteers during the summer, and they will start working out with them on roads using the training cart starting in the late summer. During the summer it's actually just too hot to work them with hard training.

Then they started bringing the dogs out for the demo. They almost half-carry the dogs, hoisting them by their harnesses so that they are walking on two legs. While this might look cruel, it's so that the handlers have better control over the dogs. The dogs love to pull so much, that they would have their handlers halfway to Fairbanks if they had all four feet on the ground!

The rest of the dogs that weren't chosen to go were barking and showing lots of excitement, racing up and down in the kennels and dancing on all four feet. The five happy dogs that got to go were wagging their tails and pulling and and jumping around until they were harnessed to the training cart. They only had five dogs: two leads, one swing, and two wheel dogs. More dogs would have been too much power for this short run.

But as soon as they got hitched into the traces, they were all business. They calmed down and waited for the signal to go! (If the movie below doesn't play, you might have more success with the YouTube version.)

It's just exciting to see how much joy these dogs have for their work. The humans seem to like it, too.

Last look

Mushrooms and mosses and low-bush cranberry.

We had a bit of time and it wasn't raining, so opted to take the hour-long walk back to the Visitor Center.

It was a pleasant enough walk. The recent rains had brought out mushrooms everywhere. There were flat pancake mushrooms; tiny mushrooms; red, white, brown, purple, pink, yellow and green mushrooms; spotted mushrooms and cupped mushrooms; fat mushrooms, delicate mushrooms, ruffled and fluted mushrooms.

It made me want to know more about mushrooms in general. The array of different kinds was staggering.

We were enjoying our walk, when we came around a bend, and there was a couple there standing in the middle of the trail, looking at something. They "shushed" us and waved us over.

They had espied a moose!

How they ever saw it is a mystery. I took and picture and have included it below. As a hint, the moose (a cow) is bedded down in the exact center of the photo. It was as close as I would like to be, and was actually glad there was so much forest between us. (The closest I've ever been to a moose was on a hiking trip back in 1976 in the Canadian Rockies where we came around a bend on a trail that was in the middle of some willows. We were probably all of 20 feet away. We stopped, abruptly, and fortunately the moose just ambled off the trail. It was a close call; I'm glad I lived to tell the tale.)

Find the hidden moose

Upon getting back, we had a late lunch, did a little shopping at the visitor center and also visited the science center, where I got my passbook stamped. (The larger National Parks, Historic Parks, Monuments, etc., seem to have more than one stamp, now: each visitor center within a park can have a different stamp! So Denali has one each at the Main, Toklat, Eilson, and Kantishna Visitor Centers; the Sled Dog Kennels, and the Murie Science Center. At this last center is a beautiful quilt there: a representation of a map of Denali National Park, plus furs you can pet and other educational displays. We were both sorry more people weren't there.

It was time to leave, with much regret.

Back to Fairbanks

I confess that the drive back to Fairbanks was something of an anticlimax. Fran was great and read the entries on the Milepost, so I learned a bit more about the country we were driving through. I hadn't realized it was a coal-producing region (Usibelli of the Usibelli Pavilion at the Fair was a successful coal miner). We drove through Healy, where a lot of the quilters were from, and swung by Nenana, which looks like it might be a fun town to visit. It's at the confluence of the Tenana and Nenana Rivers, and is one of the towns that conducts a state-wide "Ice Classic" — gambling on the exact minute of breakup. Breakup is determined by when a tripod set on the ice, and connected to a clock, is upset by the flowing river and trips the clock.

It's a Really Big Deal in Alaska, and after the long, cold, dark winter, I can totally understand the excitement.

Back in Fairbanks, we checked into the funky but sweet Ah Rose Bed and Breakfast. We had a spacious second-floor room with two twin beds and a full bed. And a cat. Which made both of us feel right at home.

Fran contacted Renée and Warren, and we made plans for dinner. We stopped by the hostel; it felt almost like going home! We chatted a bit, I was jealous that Renée and Cho had seen the Northern Lights the night before!! After some discussion about where to go for dinner, we took Warren's advice and went to the Thai place in downtown Fairbanks He's never steered us wrong. The portions were huge and tasty, and I had enough for another serving the next day (although I did find it odd that there was an extra charge for rice).

We went out afterward to a new craft beer joint. It was so new they didn't even have a sign on the street! Not liking beer at all, I didn't partake; Renée had hard cider. They had big TVs, so it was fun to watch the Olympics, which had just started a few days ago.

It was something of a bittersweet ending to a lovely time.

Fran had to get up early (4am!!) to catch a 6:30am flight; she wanted to try to take her luggage and check it beforehand so all she'd have to do in the morning was get on the plane, but after much research on Warren's part, and phone calls to Alaska Airlines, that was not going to be possible. So everything got packed up in the car.

I dropped her off at the airport while it was still dark. When I got back to the B&B, the proprietor was a little shaken to see me coming in the door. Apparently he thought that I was leaving with Fran! We got that straightened out, and I went back to bed for another couple hours of sleep.

I'll start the new day on a new post.

Denali!

- - - - - - - - - - -
I'm almost caught up with the Fran chronicles...
- - - - - - - - - - -
This was an exciting day. Everything worked for once: we had decent weather, camping, transportation, and animal viewing! It was great to end our time together on a such a high note.

Our first view of Denali in the Park. It's about 70 MILES away!

We left our soggy camp early in the morning. (Yes, I CAN get up at 6am if there is a reason to do so!) We stopped for gas outside of Cantwell (Fran was happy to get her coffee and some breakfast), and shortly thereafter checked in at the Mountain Resource Center to see about getting a campsite and bus tickets.

We lucked out on getting on the 10:30am bus, and we also lucked out on getting a walk-in campsite for two nights. Again, "walk-in" isn't as bad as it sounds since you can drop stuff off, and then it's only a short walk in to the campsite. You just have to park your car in the "limited parking area," so if your forget something, you don't repeat that mistake. They have bear lockers nearby, so we kept all the cooking stuff and food in there. My 10-year-old backpack has been getting a good workout, since it was Fran's "sleep-kit."

Dall sheep grazing on the mountainside

We had some time — but not a lot — before the bus left, so we just toured the visitor center beforehand. We were on a "double" bus: there had been so many people for that time slot that they got a second bus. This turned out to be doubly (haha) lucky, since the bus was only half full. We first sat together, but then realized that we could each have our own window! Score!

Our bus driver, Sandy, actually was a naturalist with the natural history association, and therefore was fount of information.  She kept up a running patter about what we were seeing, from the trees, to the animals to the geology and history. It was great!

I think the first animals we saw were a couple of moose cows. I didn't take any pictures, because they were so far away, the bus was moving, you had to put the windows down to take pictures, and I already had good pictures of moose! It was nice to be able to sit back and relax and just enjoy the sights!

WE GOT TO SEE THE WHOLE MOUNTAIN!!!

Sitting back and relaxing didn't last long, though, because we did get to see the WHOLE of Denali. We stopped briefly, and everyone piled out of the bus to take pictures.

I cannot describe the feeling. The mountain is so big, so massive, that it looms above everything else. You're looking at all of these other mountains, and then all of a sudden it's there, bigger and whiter than everything else. If it hadn't been as clear as it was, it would be easy to confuse it for clouds!

Grizzly bear foraging

And then there were more animals! 

Since our driver was, well, driving, and supposed to be paying close attention to the road, which is a one-lane dirt road, we were supposed to be the scouts.

She instructed us to yell out whenever we saw something, or even if we just thought we saw something. "Bear at 11 o'clock" if there was a bear off the left side of the bus. "Don't be shy" she said.

It turned out that one of group of us at the back of the bus was a very cool guy from Oklahoma. He was a hunter, and he had an eye for animals like I've never seen. He managed to pick out movement, or patterns, or something, while the rest of us didn't see anything except plants and rocks. He was our star spotter.

Arctic ground squirrel. I don't care if it's a rodent, it's adorable.

So we managed to see everything from moose (at least five), bears (at least two), caribou (lost count), Dall sheep (lost count), ptarmigan (a flock), Arctic ground squirrels (a bunch).

Grazing caribou

We did not see any wolves, lynx, or eagles, although there was a callout for an eagle at one point, but it wasn't confirmed (hard to see eagles from the bus). Just the day before our driver's passengers had seen two white wolves harassing a caribou, but we were not so fortunate. I'm really not complaining at all!

We made made short stops for picture-taking from the bus. We were strictly warned to keep all of our appendages (arms, hands, noses, legs) inside the bus windows. Camera lenses could stick out, but that's all. So yes, all of these pictures were taken from the bus!

We were also advised to keep our voices down low so as to not disturb any of the animals.

Broad valleys and hidden peaks near Polychrome

Need I say it? The scenery was incredibly beautiful. I'll let the photos speak for themselves.

Near the Toklat visitor center

Stream emptying into the Toklat River

We stopped at Toklat Visitor Center for a short break and leg stretch. The area here would be interesting to come back to, as there are some fossils that have been found in this area. The most recent discovery is a "football-sized" area that has hundreds of well-preserved dinosaur footprints!

There were some moose and caribou antlers that we could handle. Fran got a picture of our star Oklahoma animal spotter with a moose antler for scale!

That's a big antler! (pic by Fran)

By the time we got to Eilson (about 2pm), the clouds were starting to sock in, but we could still see Denali's peak It's about three times taller from here than I thought!

Denali's peak looms over everything. You might even miss it if you didn't know it was there!

It's huge. It's massive. It's incredible. We were so lucky to see it.

We didn't tarry long at Eilson; I think Fran would have liked to stay longer, but I was slightly worried that later busses would be full, although in retrospect I'm sure they don't leave anyone in the backcountry without a permit! As it was, the four-hour trip would get us back after 6pm, and lunch would have been a long time away, so I'm glad we stayed with our initial group.

On the way back, we saw more animals, and the scenery was as compelling as it was on the way out, the lighting was just a bit different.

Grazing caribou (probably young)

We saw a few caribou on this trip (real, wild caribou, not reindeer). Our trusty Oklahoma scout was kept busy shouting out his sightings. I was kind of surprised that the caribou weren't in a big herd. Maybe this only happens in migrations, but the only caribou I've seen this on this trip have either been singles, or small groups of at the most five. Maybe the others are just out of sight!

I think this is Mt Eilson. The fall colors are just starting to be evident.

We saw quite a number of sheep in the mountains. They are a little easier to spot than the caribou because they are white, and show up against the darker rock or vegetation. On the other hand, they were really far away. When somebody — not our Oklahoma scout — pointed some out ("Sheep at two o'clock") our driver joked that they were "sheep dots."  There are a lot of sheep dots and caribou dots!

Dall sheep doing what Dall sheep do.

Somebody spotted this bear on a steep hillside. Somebody else thought there might be a second bear nearby, but both of them scrambled down the steep bank toward the willows alongside the Sanctuary River, and we really couldn't see them after that, even though they got nearer. We could see bushes moving, but it was impossible to see the bear(s). I felt luck to have seen TWO bears in Denali; close enough, to my mind!

Our second grizzly bear of the day

This ptarmigan, along with about seven or eight others, were right at the side of the road! They were pretty well camouflaged, though — our bus driver was the one who spotted them! There are three different ptarmigans found in Alaska: white-tailed ptarmigan, rock ptarmigan and willow ptarmigan. This is probably the latter, Lagopus lagopus. Notice that this bird is just starting to change feathers from the brown of summer to white for the winter. Yes, Winter is coming.

Ptarmigan, the Alaska state bird

We had seen several cow moose on our way out in the morning; the bull moose seemed to come out in the evening, as we saw two of them in rapid succession. These were the first live male moose I'd seen (ever!). It's hard to imagine that they can run at 35 miles an hour and jump a 7-foot fence — from a standstill. They are big and unpredictable. Best viewed from a distance. Not sure if I will still be here for "the rut," but that would be awesome to see!
Want more moose info? There are a lot of funny stories.

One bull moose

A second bull moose

The big wattle under the male moose's chin is called a "bell." According to our guide, no one knows what it's for. I did a little online research, and it's true, nobody knows for sure. There is some conjecture that it's related to sexual attraction ("my what a big bell you have"), since bells are bigger in males than females, but nobody really knows. Not sure how one would research that hypothesis!
Want to know more about moose? Here are some answers to random moose questions! Makes for entertaining reading and answers questions you didn't even know you  had!

Wilderness that stretches on for almost ever

We made it back to the campsite in the early evening. There was a ranger campfire talk at the Riley Creek amphitheater, so in order to take full advantage of everything at Denail, we went to that, too, from 7-8pm or so. With it being so light so late, there was no danger of running of out of light in order to make dinner!

The talk was interesting: the main thrust of it was about the hidden resources of wilderness, and the effects human have on the park. The ranger asked us to think of words that would describe Denali, and people came up with: "Awesome," "Wilderness," "Bears," "Magnificent," "Adventuresome," "Wild," "Ecosystem," you get the drift. 

He introduced us to some of the studies that are being conducted in the park. Of course, we might be familiar with studies on plant and animal populations, searches for fossils and geological interpretations, the effects of human activity, but he told us about a study on NOISE in the park! He asked us to sit quietly for a few minutes (no talking), and write down all the sounds we heard. We are so used to human noises in the background of our lives, that until we really listen, we tend not to hear them.

But of course human noises are all around us, even in a wilderness park. We heard planes overhead, a helicopter, trucks on the road, squirrels chittering, people in our group coughing. The sound of the buses grinding their gears had been a part of our earlier day, even the sound of human voices carries outside. They actually are taking these studies into consideration, and trying to figure out how to ameliorate the sound of humans in the park.

I applaud them for this. There's been many a time when I've been in the Sierra, thinking that I'm miles away from civilization, only to have planes fly overhead. It really breaks the sense that you're far away from people...

We ended the day with a fine meal of turkey burritos, cleaned up and went to bed!

I want to hold this day in my memory forever. 

And I will be back...

The Denali Highway

- - - - - - - - - -
Yes, I'm determined to catch up. Still working on it.
- - - - - - - - - -
The Denali Highway was a real high point (literally and emotionally) for me. I loved the wide open, wild country where you could see for miles...

Tangle Lakes region the next morning. Where did the views go?

…unless it was raining. Unfortunately, the good weather didn't last.

Drying out in the morning

Tangle Lakes

We got to Tangle Lakes campground, and were just a little dismayed that it was full. We did manage to snag one of the three remaining "walk-in" sites. Fran set up the Hornet, and I commenced making dinner.

Unfortunately, it started to rain in the middle of things, necessitating a scramble to put up the tarp. It was one of those showers that could either stop in a few minutes or commence to rain in earnest. I prefer not to gamble, so was more than happy to set it up (and in all honesty, if I'd been alone I would have set it up first, before making dinner, just to be safe). Of course, shortly after getting it set up, it wasn't raining any more, but was threatening, so I considered it worthwhile to have a dry place to eat in the morning.

Fran went to bed; I took a walk to Round Tangle Lake.

Watching pancakes cook

There were blueberries everywhere! At the lake I saw what might have been a muskrat, but could have been a beaver (I saw a lodge the next morning). Stupidly, I had not thought to bring binoculars. There were a few waterbirds, and it was so blissfully quiet up there after most people had retired; it was just perfect.

The next morning, Fran was up early. I think this was the night that the tent pegs weren't securely in the ground, so the tent fly collapsed in the middle of the night, thereby getting her wet. Also, with the wind (and probably water weight), the tarp had collapsed. So Fran busied herself with taking everything down before I was aware of anything. At least she had her hot coffee and oatmeal.

Fortunately, the rain held off for awhile, although it sure looked threatening.

Blueberry sourdough pancakes

Mmmm. Can taste the berries from here!

I really, really, really wanted blueberry sourdough pancakes one of these mornings. I'd smuggled my sourdough across two borders (into Canada, and then again into the US), and this was the first occasion that I'd had to use it. I have made pancakes for myself, but it's better when there are two people!

I'd resurrected the sourdough so it was nice and bubbly; in fact it had expanded out of its container and into the secondary cardboard box!

We picked just enough blueberries for breakfast in about five minutes! Is that awesome or what?

Whipping up the pancakes was easy. The Dragonfly stove allows one to regulate heat, and the new frying pan deflects the heat so there are no hot spots.

The pancakes turned out very well. If anything, there might even have been too many berries, if there could be such a thing! (Like, who's complaining!)

We took a bit of a hike up on the ridge after breakfast. We could get a good view of the lakes and surrounding tundra. There are trees, but they are short and relegated to hollows or lee sides of hills (I think). In fact, we were trying to figure out why trees were growing where they were. There are lots of low bushes (cranberries, blueberries, crowberries) and grasses. The lakes were quite a bit bigger than I'd initially thought: the campground is on a small arm of the lake, not the main lake!

Some people use the Tangle Lakes as a put-in point for an extended 100-mile-long float trip down to the Delta River. If you remember the fast-moving water from yesterday's post, you'll understand why the Black Rapids — part of this trip — is a nasty stretch of river that should "not be attempted in an open canoe." There is also a falls that "absolutely" requires a portage. That said, though, I can understand the draw that has people doing this: no roads, few people and wilderness at its most pristine.

View of Round Tangle Lake from ridge hike. Campground on right.

The rain looked like it was going to start up again, so we went back to the car and started driving. I'm sure that there must be views like we had seen the previous day, but unfortunately, the mist and rain came down, so we didn't get to see very far. This was familiar to me, though!

It's still pretty country, and tantalizing to think of what is must be like on a clear day.

Glacier Gap

There are a series of large gaps in the mountains, Landmark Gap was one, Glacier Gap was another. Obviously in the past glaciers came out of these, but they are long gone. Only the lakes in the valleys formed by the absent glaciers' terminal moraines and the gaps that the glaciers carved out of the mountains remain.

Topo map of the Gap Lakes

The gaps are one of the reasons that this area was so popular with the Athabathscans: the caribou used these natural gaps as migration routes, so the hunting was good.

And I take it the hunting is still good up here! Caribou still use this area. We saw some on a far-away ridge, but they wandered off before I could find a place to pull over and get the camera out.

The weather was threatening, and so we kept going, but I'd love  to come back to this country and take one of the hikes to the lakes.

Yep. We're in Alaska, if you had any doubt. MUST HUNT.

One of the surprises about this route was how many people were out here. I think there were more people here along the road than any other place I've been (except the towns).

You can camp anywhere alongside the road, and people were doing just that. There were group camps of RVs, campers, big motor homes, tents, and trucks. LOTS of them. Lots of people with ATVs. We kind of joked that they were circling the wagons, because that's sure what some of the camps looked like!

We weren't sure if they were staking out hunting spots, or what; hunting season starts in September, but of course hunting regulations are complicated. There are different start dates for natives, bow hunters and regular guys.

We had lunch on top of an esker, with a great view all around. I got to see a trumpeter swan (just one) on one of the many ponds or kettle lakes, so that was a thrill. Had I been alone, I might have stopped more, but... you guessed it: I'll be back.

The drive continues from the high point of MacLaren Summit (el. 4,086), then continues down a series of broad stepped highlands, crossing the MacLaren River, Clearwater Creek, Suisitna River, and countless other creeks. The rain continued off and on throughout the afternoon. We were finally treated to an ephemeral, but vivid, broad rainbow. It was pretty magical, and the first rainbow I'd seen in Alaska!

We stopped at the Brushkana Campground, but weren't that impressed, so kept on. The last 20 miles or so of the Highway is on native land, controlled by the Ahtna Corporation. You can camp on their land, but need prior approval, which we did not have. So we kept going, now following the Nenana River, to the Parks Highway.

Our second rainbow of the day: during dinner!

We had decided to head to Denali NP early the next day, hoping that the weather would give us a break. We ended up camping at Denali State Park (North View), where there were some walk-in sites, and was just about an hour's drive from the National Park. I was happy to stay in the car, and Fran was okay with setting the tent up in the woods. In the rain. She is a trooper. She also made sure that the tent pegs were firmly in place!

We were treated to another rainbow just before dinner. The clouds were moving in, but the sun was at a low angle and it must have been just right for rainbows!

We got dinner made (just barely) before it started to rain again, and it rained most of the night. Things were pretty soggy for our early morning departure (no hot coffee).

But this turned out to be an excellent decision...

Richardson Highway

- - - - - - - - - - -
Yes, it's more catch-up, but I'm flyin' now.
- - - - - - - - - - -
It was a fabulous day of adventuring and seeing a lot of country. Some of it was a repeat for me, but the last time I did this drive, it was raining, so I didn't see as much as I would have liked. It was a treat to get a second chance.

We think this is Denali, as seen from the Richardson Highway between Fairbanks and Big Delta

Moose meets RV. Moose wins.

Having worked out our morning routine (Fran made her coffee, Dena got up a little earlier), we packed up the car and set off.

We hadn't gone very far when we spied another moose. We'd actually seen several the night before, but didn't stop for pictures. Fran's seen moose before, and, well, so have I. I'm starting to get picky! The next time I'm taking a picture of a moose, it's going to be in a pond, with vegetation dripping from its mouth!

I think we saw TWO moose in the morning, one of them with a calf, in addition to the ones the previous evening. It is amazing how they melt into the willows by the side of the road, though. Even though you know there are there, you cannot see them!

The Alaska Range and Tenana River from the Richarson Hwy

THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY: the Tenana River and Alaska Range 

The Richardson Highway, which we were following back to Delta Junction, roughly follows the Tenana River. We took the drive leisurely, looking and stopping along the way.

The flyboys near Eilson AFB were pretty entertaining. They were practicing flying and touchdown landings. Not anything like the Blue Angels, since there was a lot of airspace between them, but still fun to watch.

We stopped by the Tanana River at one point. It was clearer than it had been for days, and we could see the Alaska Range, and we think Denali was peeking through the clouds (above). The river was racing, too, after all the rain.

We drove in to see Harding Lake, but bypassed Quartz Lake, which I had thought about going to earlier in the trip (but didn't). Harding Lake is a BIG lake. Looks like it would be fun to paddle on. There was a lot of parking available — I'm sure it could get crowded for fishing, but there were few people here mid-week, even in the summer.

The Tenana: a classic braided river

Big Delta is the town at the confluence of the Delta River and the Tanana River, and is not to be confused with Delta Junction. If you remember, Delta Junction (about 10 miles south of Big Delta) is the town that is the northern terminus of the Alaska Highway (although Fairbanks would like to extend that claim to itself). Between the two towns is an excellent highway pullout with a description of the Denali Fault. There is a reason that Denali is such a big mountain: it's the result of the Pacific plate colliding with the North American plate, with the Yukutat micro-plate (aka terrane aka "block") refusing to subduct underneath. Instead, it's smashing into the North American plate and building mountains like crumpled rugs. (Here's a scholarly synopsis.)

RICHARDSON HIGHWAY: the Delta River

At Delta Junction we got gas and stopped at the store for some supplies. Fran got into a conversation with an older gentleman in front of us at the checkout line. He had some entrenched opinions about California!

Clearwater Mountains, Delta River

Probably the McGinnis Glacier, Mt McGinnis in the clouds

I was SO glad to repeat the section of the Richardson Highway, because the last time I was through it was rainy and misty, and visibility was severely impaired. Clouds were still caressing the peaks, but… there was blue sky! It's amazing what a little sun will do!

The mountains and glaciers of the Clearwater Range, in view to the west across the valley of the Delta River, are spectacular.

We stopped at a viewpoint to see bison, but didn't see any at all.

And lest we get carried away by looking across the valley, there were more mountains and glaciers on the southeast side of the road, too, spilling from mountains with names like "Mt. Silvertip," "Triangle Peak" and "White Princess."

It is a dramatic drive!

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is often visible from the Richardson Highway

TAPS

One of the things I haven't mentioned is that the Trans-Alaska Pipeline (TAPS) runs parallel to the Richardson Highway. You can almost always see it, except where it runs underground.

You may not agree with the politics or the environmental risks, but there is no arguing that it is an engineering feat. Because of the danger of earth movement, both from permafrost and earthquakes, the pipeline is built in a zig-zag fashion to allow for movement. It is even supported by teflon sliders where the pipeline crosses the Denali Fault. The underground segments are refrigerated to keep permafrost from melting, and there are special radiators to diffuse heat above ground rather than below. The elevated design also allows animals (primarily caribou) to cross it.

The pipeline continues to be controversial. After the pipeline was completed in 1977, the amount of oil transported peaked in 1988, and has been declining ever since. With a lower through-put, there is some danger that without heaters, the oil will actually cease to flow due to the cold (there are different estimates for when this would happen). This is the impetus for opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling (to increase the amount of oil flowing in the pipeline).
Read a clear synopsis of the issues.

THE RICHARDSON HIGHWAY: Isabel Pass

The road climbs almost unnoticeably, but the river quickly gets smaller. Think about it in reverse: the river grows so quickly because of all the glacial runoff. As the road gets higher, there are fewer contributory streams. But the ones that are there are impressive!

The fabled "Rainbow Ridge" is a distinctive feature just north of Isabel Pass. The highest point is Rainbow Mountain, made from colorful volcanic rocks of Permian/Pennsylvanian age. See geology paper by Bond, GC. 

Looking at the south-facing slope, it's hard to believe that there are massive glaciers just on the other side of the ridge. Snow does melt in the summer here!

Rainbow Ridge near Isabel Pass

Approaching Isobel Pass, the north summit area was spectacularly beautiful. I suppose the clouds added to the drama; it wouldn't have been nearly the same without them. And I didn't see ANY of this on the previous trip through here!

Unnamed peaks along Phelan Creek. Isabel Pass is in the notch

On the other side of the pass, one can see the Gulkana Glacier. Pity we couldn't see all the mountains up there: Institute Peak, Minya Peak, Cony Peak, Ogive Mountain, Skull Peak, and Icefall Peak, to name just a few. (I'm not really complaining, as last time I couldn't even see the glacier!) 

The Gulkana Glacier from Isabel summit

Can you find the pingo?

But there was a pingo down in the plain, so that was kind of fun! A pingo is basically a mass of earth that's been pushed up by freezing and re-freezing of water.
Here's a good discussion of how they form (much better than I could give). Plus, diagrams. And pictures!

I'm not sure I would recognize another one, but this one was very distinctive. It looked like one of those volcano obstacles in miniature golf that used to drive me nuts.

Once over the summit at Isabel Pass, we did NOT stop to look at the dying salmon in the headwaters of the Galkona River, but pressed on to the Denali Highway.

I had really wanted to take this road. It's reputed to be very scenic, and, since it is a gravel road for the most part, everyone has to move at a slower pace. I was looking forward to that, and also kind of getting away from the RV crowd. Plus there were identified trails to walk on!

The region also encompassed the Tangle Lakes Archeological District. Rich with berries, caribou, and other game, Athabascans have been traveling and living in this region for 10,000 years. Over 600 sites, including pit houses and places where hand-worked tools were discovered, have been identified. I was eager to see what drew the people to this area.

Perhaps this gives one an idea... I would go there even if there were NOT caribou!

Panorama looking back to Mt Silvertip, Isabel Pass and the Gulkana Glacier (right).  

The view is spectacular. 

The weather was holding.

I was in heaven.

Hike and Relax (Angel Rocks & Chena Hot Springs)

- - - - - - - - - -
Catching up still, but I'm hoping this will go slightly quicker now that we're on the road a bit. Let me know if you'd like less writing, or more pictures!
- - - - - - - - - -
The evening was a bit buggy, but we had both slept well and were looking forward to the day's adventures.

Dena & Fran near the top of Angel Rocks

Low-bush cranberries along the trail

We had some logistic things to work out; Fran is an early-morning (6am) riser with caffeine requirements; I'm not (on either count). We worked this out for the rest of the trip by heating water at night and storing it in the thermos so that Fran could have hot water in the morning for coffee and oatmeal.

We decided not to hike the longer Tors hike (15 miles), but thought that the shorter, 3.5-mile loop hike around Angel Rocks sounded just perfect. It's a respectable climb; the trail climbs almost 1,000 ft, so it wasn't just going to be a walk in the park!

Angel Rocks

Like the Tors, Angel Rocks are the weathered parts of an 80-million-year-old granitic pluton (a body of molten rock that cooled deep in the earth) that's been pushed up to the surface and is now eroding. The protruding rocks are distinctive and can been seen from afar.

The Rocks are said to be a nexus for rock climbers, but I'm not sure that I'd want to climb them since the granite is pretty weathered.

Amanita muscaria mushrooms

The hike starts innocuously enough alongside the Chena River. We passed by at least one beaver dam and lodge, although we didn't stop to watch for the beavers.

It is interesting to note that I've seen lodges on this trip that are NOT in the middle of a pond, but built along the stream or river. Perhaps the beavers haven't gotten the memo about the "safety in the middle of the water" thing... or maybe their dams are more robustly constructed to keep predators out that might try to get at them from the land.

There were so many things to see along the hike: the recent rain had brought out all sorts of mushrooms; the blueberries were ripe, and cranberries were ripening, too.

We didn't see that many (any?) birds; we saw no larger wildlife (I was carrying bear spray), but there were squirrels chittering away in the forest.

View from near the top of the trail; Chena River is below (Fran's pic)

Fern growing in the rocks

The views from the top were rewarding. The area around Fairbanks is not particularly mountainous, so it was great to get up higher and get a good view. Besides, one always feels more virtuous when one has done the climbing oneself!

The trail was a pretty busy trail. In the morning there were a few people, but by the time we reached the top and were on our way down, there was a veritable flood of people, including quite a few young children. Not all of them were happy about the hike, but on the whole they were real little troopers!

Because it's such a good hike (not too long, not too short), the trail does get a lot of use, resulting in an incised and eroded trail bed, which made for poor footing on the way down. It's not something that you notice so much going up, but you do notice it doing downhill. It was also complicated by the bits of weathered granite, which acted like little round ball bearings that slid on the trail when you stepped on them. I think both of us were glad we had brought hiking poles for balance as more than once our feet went sliding from beneath us!

We had lunch down by the river. On a Sunday afternoon, it was busy there, too! There were families hiking and picnicking. One family had eight children, with another on the way. I have seen a few (very few) similar large families in my travels — it still kind of gives me a turn and makes me do a double-take.

Chena Hot Springs

We packed up and drove a few more miles down the road to Chena Hot Springs Resort. It is quite a setup! Besides the hot springs and pools, there is a hotel and cabins, restaurant, gift shop and ice museum. They offer a variety of activities in addition to swimming, including massage, horseback riding, dog-mushing (summer and winter), and aurora-watching!

Chena Hot Springs "Adult Lake" (this is about half of it)

The large indoor pool was closed for repairs and re-tiling (seems it had "collapsed"), but the big outdoor "natural" pool was open, as were an assortment of indoor and outdoor hot tubs.

The main pool, called the "Adult Lake" because no one under 18 is admitted, is beautiful and quite large, with a natural gravel bed and surrounded by rocks and exuberant flowers.

There's a raindrop-fountain kind of thing in the middle, so if it's not raining, you can pretend that it is. There's also water shooting out of a pipe under some considerable pressure, so you can get a water rolfing massage if you are into that sort of thing. It was so strong that I found it best to feel it just under water so it was kind of like a jacuzzi jet.

Dena & Fran. Just. So. Good.

$13 (yaay for senior rates) gets you into the Adult Lake all day. You can come and go as you like, and stay as long as you like (they are open until midnight). No shoes are allowed into the pool area, so you have to leave them outside. There are lockers and a large changing room.

The one weird thing is that there is nowhere around the pool to put anything; a few hooks for towels are inside the covered access passageway, but that's it. Perhaps this is in an effort to keep trash out of the area, but it's hard keep hold of a waterbottle while you're in the pool.

It's pretty deep for a hot spring pool — maybe 3-4 feet? In fact there was one little Asian lady who wouldn't go in any further because she was afraid she wouldn't be able to keep her head above water! It was so good to see people of all ages and nationalities and body types enjoying the hot water. It's a great equalizer!

There were some young military men who were on maneuvers, probably from nearby Eilson AFB since they were talking about pilot training. I talked with one gal who was a teacher having one last fling before school started. Her father was there, and he got talking with the flyboys, having found common ground in that they were both from Jersey and Brooklyn (close enough). There was a smattering of other local folk and travelers. It says something about the size of the place that it easily absorbed a group of 25 Spanish-speaking students, without feeling crowded.

Aurora borealis martini

We soaked, got out to sit on the relaxing Adirondack chairs overlooking the pool, then, when it started to rain, we went back in the pool. Sheer heaven.

We finally got out, and, I confess I wasn't really feeling like cooking, so Fran treated me to dinner at the resort restaurant. We started off with a beer for Fran and a fancy cocktail for me (an Aurora Borealis martini: a beautiful layered drink consisting of green apple vodka, blue curaçao and red grenadine. Fran had a salmon burger, I had a regular beef burger and fries, all of which were delicious, and there was no room for dessert!

We reluctantly got back in the car, realizing that we'd have to set up camp, but, hey, all was good after that loooong hot water soak.

We could have stayed at Tors again since there were only two parties there; we checked out Red Squirrel (there was NO one there), and finally opted for Rose Hip campground. There were more people there, but it looked nice.

We walked around the camp and met the Camp Hosts. They remembered us from the previous night (or they remembered N0Mad with all her rigging and the South Dakota plates) since they were doing double-duty at both Tors and Rose Hip campgrounds. They mentioned that the state had trouble getting enough camp hosts, and they had been asked to cover both camps. They had a very energetic and playful husky dog, a reject from one of the sled dog kennels. Dumb as a brick, but adorable and fluffy.

We slept well.