Fairbanks!

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Another catch-up post.
A bit of a race to get to Fairbanks to pick up Fran. There is always so much to see, and I want to see it all! It is possible to see Denali from the Parks Highway, but I didn't.
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Unnamed mountains near Denali State Park

After the previous day's incredible sights (definitely a highlight of the trip), I wasn't sure how anything could surpass it. Also, I was a bit under the gun to get up to Fairbanks, and knowing how I like to make lots of stops, I was going to have to rein in that impulse somewhat.

The drive is not a spectacular, but it certainly is pretty.

Grasses are more prevalent than flowers here

There was some road construction on the road, requiring some waiting due to one or both lanes of the highway being closed. Some of the waits were pretty long (1/2 hour), so everyone turns off their vehicles, gets out and stretches, and makes phone calls or checks email. Unfortunately, while reception has been better than elsewhere in Alaska or Canada, I had no reception at any of the places under construction!

The Parks Highway follows the Suisitna, then the Chulitna River and the railroad line through broad valleys and more tantalizing views to the east and west.

Hurricane Gulch is a place I want to come back to: it's a deeply incised canyon with sharp cliffs — a miniature of what you might find in Waimea Canyon, Hawaii. I couldn't see much from the highway, but it sure looked interesting!

Near the summit (above), south of Cantwell, the mountains were remarkable for their regularity. They reminded me of the mountains that I used to draw as a kid: peaks swooping down to a valley, repeated as long as the paper held out. And while these mountains do not have a name (as far as I can tell on the topo map), they are nonetheless impressive: there is even a glacier tucked away in one of the valleys that one could just glimpse at through the clouds.

Summit Lake area topo map, showing parallel lakes

An interesting feature of the lakes here were that there were parallel lakes in the broad valley. It was very evident, because the highway (and a landing strip) are on a ridge between Mirror Lake and another unnamed lake, so as you travel you have a lake on either side!

Usually, there's one lake in a valley, formed by a terminal moraine damming up glacial outwash. Here, it would appear that the lakes were formed by each track of a glacier, separated by lateral moraines. It's an interesting geomorphological feature that I haven't seen before.

Clear Creek and looking towards where Denali might be.

The clouds were clearing, but not enough to see Denali, which I kept looking for, but couldn't find.

Of course I didn't really know what I was looking for, or where exactly to look, but I was ever hopeful.

But still, it was nice to see that brilliant blue sky and some white clouds. And flowers that weren't bedraggled by rain.

Denali NP&P

The area outside Denali NP&P known as McKinley Park is pretty commercial. Since there are not many services IN the park proper, they are all outside, advertising "just .9 miles from Denali Park," which is a fine thing.

There are a number of big, ritzy hotels — the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge (there is nothing "wilderness" about it!) and the Grande Denali Lodge, as well as cabins, gift shops, gas stations, eateries, bars and guiding offices.

It was a very busy place on this summer weekend, something akin to Yosemite Valley at midsummer. Tour busses, RVs, people toting shopping bags and screaming children. It was a bit much, but I'm glad the craziness is outside the park.

The road passes by the towns of Healy, Lignite, Anderson, Nenana and Ester before finally getting to Fairbanks.

The hostel was easy to find, but I was somewhat surprised to find that it was so small! It looked like a little (very little) house!

However, all was good when I met Cho, the proprietor. He had all my notes (i.e., that I'd check in for both Fran and me, but that I'd have to go pick her up late in the evening.

He was very well organized, using Square on his iPad to process credit card payments. The backdoor has a coded keypad for keyless entry, so there is no need for keys or curfews. There is a full kitchen, with guest privileges for the refrigerator and freezer, microwave, stove and oven. He even had a pretty full suite of pots and pans and lids, and dishes and flatware to use. Pretty nice setup for what amounted to $30 per night.

Cho has an iMac computer for guest use, fast wifi, and a decent TV in the sitting/living room. There is also a nice backyard with a swing, deck and gas BBQ. It's a really nice setup, and I can see why he's full almost every night! The price, for the amenities, really cannot be beat.

I'd been in touch with Fran since earlier in the afternoon, and picked her up at the Fairbanks International Airport without mishap, about 11:30 at night. There was a beautiful sunset then; maybe she'll share the pictures (I was busy driving)!

The adventure with Fran will begin tomorrow!