After our windshield was fixed at Safelite in Wasilla, we headed north on the Parks Highway. We decided we were going to try to get up and see Denali.
Denali, formerly known as Mount McKinley, is the highest mountain peak in North America, reaching a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 meters). It is located in the Alaska Range.
We were aiming for the smaller state park across from the big National Park. We decided that the national park is quite complicated to stay at, and you cannot see Denali from the actual campsites. You have to take a shuttle bus or a tour bus to get anywhere close to seeing the mountain.
Also, dogs are forbidden in any of the areas of the park other than directly at your own campsite.
You need to take shuttle buses to view things within the park, you cannot drive around and look at things yourself. Of course, dogs are not allowed on the shuttle buses either.
So we decided it wasn't dog friendly at the National Park. We didn't want to leave Nick for hours on end alone in the motorhome either. Looking at some of the scheduled bus routes, we could be gone for a long time to make a complete loop.
So the state park called K'seugi Ken seemed more to our liking.
We headed north on the Parks Highway and it was absolutely beautiful!
As we got closer, we could see the mountain range in the distance where Denali should be. But it wasn't.
It was clouding over and raining right where Denali should be.
The closer we got, the darker it got. You can very faintly see the outline of mountains among the black clouds up ahead.
We drove through the K'seugi Ken State Campground. There were many empty sites but they all had signs on them saying they were reserved. We looped through twice just to make sure we didn't miss any. It's sad, because a lot of these sites never get filled up anyhow. We actually talked to a person (a few days later) that said he had reservations for two nights but they were driving on to Fairbanks because the weather was bad. He just shrugged it off as a loss. Many do that. If we had known, we would have taken his two nights!
So we did the next best thing, right across from the state campground is Denali South View Point parking lot. When the conditions are right, you can see Denali the best from here instead of being in the national park itself.
What is wonderful, is that you can pay a fee at the kiosk and stay overnight right there in the viewing point area. Each site is also furnished with a picnic table and a fire ring. They have outhouses and a water source. But of course no dump station or electric services. We didn't care, we just wanted to see Denali and didn't mind parking there overnight for a $20 fee.
The sun was shining when we got there, but the clouds were all over blocking out Denali and you couldn't see very far at all.
You can see the lower mountains in the front. But behind all those clouds should be Denali....
There! I fixed it. Lol
The storyboards on site at the viewing platform explained how the weather is affected by the height of Denali. It essentially creates its own weather around it in a dome.
It really explained a lot of why only 30% of the visitors ever see Denali.
I cannot imagine being brave enough to climb up there, people who have done it, are exhilarated by the experience. Or disappointed by their failure of not making it the whole way?
It is interesting that something as natural as a mountain down on the ground can affect the weather above in the sky.
They also have a large diorama display which shows all of the mountain peaks and their heights. It displays why Denali is so much larger than all the rest of them, and easily seen if the sky is cooperating.
We just didn't get any cooperation....
We hung out in the viewing area for 2 days and nights. It was cloudy and rainy all the while. So we really didn't get to see Denali at all. We finally gave up and having south back down the Parks Highway towards Trapper Creek. We could use a freshwater refill, dump our tanks, and spend a night with electrical hookups. Right behind the Three Bears Store at Trapper Creek there is a small RV park attached to the Trapper Creek Inn.
Here is their website, and they do take reservations for the RV park:
We caught up our laundry and did a little shopping within the store. We opted to park along the fence near the front so we would have an open clear sky for Starlink. They do have Wi-Fi, but it's kind of slow.
They are a clean well kept part, definitely big rig friendly. There's about seven or eight pull through sites on one side and other wooded back in sites on the other. They also have some tenting sites.
In the center they have a big pavilion, perfect for large gatherings or if you are traveling with a tour group or convoy.
Someone took a lot of time to build this heavy duty pavilion. They found big logs with burls on them which are odd growths during the lifetime of the tree. They took the time to scrape off all the bark and implement the chunks of log into the supports for the pavilion. It's a real "Alaska Thing" to do this on your log cabin too.
These are the wooded sites down the other side that I think are rustic camping for tents. I don't think there's electric over here except for the very end one. But they are nice shaded sites.
Their little store had a little bit of everything. There were grocery items and a small array of hardware items and sporting items. There was a bit of giftware here and there and tourist knick knacks. I found something I didn't know I really wanted. Lol. But I bought it and I really really like it!!
It's called an "ulu knife"... And the wooden chopping block that goes with it with a concaved area called the bowl.
"An ulu (Inuktitut: ᐅᓗ; plural: uluit) is a traditional multi-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik, and Aleut women. It features a semi-circular blade and a handle, and is known for its versatility in various tasks such as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting food, and even trimming snow and ice. Ulu knives are often sold as souvenirs in Alaska."
Here's the YouTube video that goes along with today's blog:
It was dreary and damp when we woke up at Glacier View Campground at Matenuska.
We could see the glacier right from the parking lot but we weren't about to go hiking in this damp icky weather to go to walk on it. But it was really interesting to see it right from the rec area. I had always thought we would have to hike miles and miles to go see a glacier, our go on an airplane excursion to see one!
This time of year, I'm never sure if I'm just seeing a lot of snow that hasn't melted yet, or if I'm seeing an actual glacier. Lol
So I started reading some of the storyboards that were surrounding the parking area. It was very interesting, but then it started raining some more so I had to hop back in the motorhome, enjoying the warmth with Steve and Nick and the rest of my coffee.
We started heading further west on the Glenn Highway. The mountains were unfolding in front of us even though the hills were misty and full of wispy clouds.
There's a beauty even to a rainy day when you are in the mountains...
Now this next thing was crazy ---- remember, we had driven all the way out to McCarthy and back. 120 miles on rough rugged gravel roads. We have driven through a lot of really rough gravel patches all the way up here through Canada and into Alaska. Not a single problem!
So here we are, cruising along on smooth black-topped pavement. And what happens? A car coming the other way was pulling a trailer. Somehow it kicked up a rock and hit us right in the windshield!
Yep, a rock chip!!! Aarrrggghhh! (Pleated window shade unfolded behind so you can see it)
It's important to get a rock chip repaired right away so it doesn't spread any further. We do have two rock chip repair kits with us. But with the damp icky weather we really didn't want to do a repair that would trap the moisture within the windshield.
Our American Family Insurance has partnered with Safelite windshield repair and has a program all set up in place. All we needed to do was make one phone call and it was all taken care of. All chips are repaired for free. We can have a service vehicle come out to meet us or we can stop at any Safelite facility. There happened to be one just 30 miles down the road in Wasilla. They made an appointment for us for the next morning at 11:00 a.m. How nice is that?
Also, if we opted to have the entire windshield replaced, it would only cost us a $500 deductible. They would take care of the rest. But since it was just a chip, we chose to get it repaired quickly and hope it doesn't spread any further.
We drove on the next 30 miles to Wasilla. It happened that the Safelite location was conveniently situated across the street from the Walmart! So we could overnight in the Walmart lot and just buzz over in the morning for our Safelite appointment. How nice is that?
We got settled in our parking spot along one edge, with a couple other RVs. We were able to extend our slide out into the trees.
We went inside to ask permission, and purchase a few things. We noticed this was a very clean, well-stocked Walmart.
We had a nice grassy area beyond the trees to bring Nicholas to run around and burn off some of his energy.
Yes, he sure does have a lot of energy. Being cooped up in a small motorhome on a rainy icky day, he really needed to get rid of some of his "zoomies".
I made a very delicious scrumptious roasted chicken!
Actually it came right out of the deli in Walmart. So we enjoyed an easy meal and had leftovers to pick off the carcass to save for a future chicken stir fry. So we get two meals out of one of their rotisserie chickens for $6.99. quite the bargain.
This location was pretty quiet, it wasn't near any major interstates, so we were on the quiet side of the parking lot.
We got a good sleep and the next morning we stocked up what we needed inside of the motorhome. It was nice to grab some of our familiar favorite items. The prices were just about the same as in the lower 48s.
About 10:00 a.m. we headed over to the parking lot at Safelite. We thought we would see, just in case, if they could take us early. Yes they could!
They said to pull right up into their handicapped parking spot and a technician will be out in a moment.
He wheeled out his cart of supplies. It was going to be very easy for him to do the repair right out in front of their building, and not have to make a service call.
He used a special piece of equipment to extract any moisture out of the crack. Then he filled it with a special resin while he had a dome over the windshield taped into place. That was to prevent any UV rays from affecting the resin while it cured.
Once he had a good seal, he set it on a timer and was able to completely finish up the job in about 10 minutes. Then he cleaned the surface and scraped away any excess.
Steve enjoyed chatting with him, and found out he's a young father with small children. He talked about doing camping and enjoying the outdoors.
Even though American Family paid for our repair in full, Steve left him a nice little tip. Every little bit helps and when you have friendly customer service, it's always appreciated.
From there, we had looked up a Great Clips location in Wasilla. Steve has been looking increasingly shaggy and needed to clean up his act.
Here is the "before":
And here is the "after". He sure cleans up pretty good with a little lick, spit, and polish. Ya think?
Okay, by now we've had enough of the big city... Traffic and noise and people all over. After spending so many weeks in such remote quiet wilderness areas, it was a barrage to our senses to be in the middle of chain stores and traffic lights and noise, noise, noise.
On our way north out of Wasilla, we literally saw children swimming. Yes, the ice probably just went off this pond last week. And these hardy Alaskan children were swimming!
We headed straight north on the Parks Highway. We were heading out to go see Denali!
There's a state campground called K'esugi Ken, but we weren't able to find a campsite there. There were a lot of empty campsites, and they all had reserved signs on them. But people just never show up. That's a shame, because people like us would gladly take them. I would say approximately half the campground was empty and it was pretty late in the day. Other people have said the same thing. It gets reserved up and then people never come and change their plans. Instead of canceling, they just let it run out and forfeit their money.
In Wisconsin State Parks, if you don't come on the first night, your forfeit your money. But the park is allowed to rent out your campsite for the rest of your reservation period. Not so in Alaska.
So we did the next best thing. Along the Parks Highway there are two viewpoints for Denali. They are paved pull out areas with large parking lots and restrooms. You are allowed to park there in your RV overnight by paying a $20 fee at the solar powered kiosk provided. Actually, you can stay up to 15 days!
I know it's just a parking lot, with access to restrooms and dumpsters. They furnish picnic tables and a fire ring. There are no hookups and no dump station etc. But it was a spot to park for the night, and get relaxed and unwind after our busy day in the city.
They say only 30% of visitors to Denali ever get to see the top of the mountain. We were part of the unlucky 70%. We walked over to the viewpoint and we could not see Denali. Although it was somewhat sunny and partly cloudy on the way up with beautiful blue skies and puffy white clouds, Denali was shrouded in darkness. It is said that Denali makes its own weather because it's so high. So we could not see it at this point. But that was okay, we would try again.
Here's the YouTube that goes along with today's blog post:
I left off where we had driven this whole crazy long road out of McCarthy back out to "civilization" again! Lol...
We ended up back at Kenny Lake, which is where we had made a stop off on our way out to McCarthy. This time we decided to spend the night. It's quite expensive but we were tired and we needed a break and needed to stock up and do laundry. It really isn't much more than a parking lot with plugins. But we needed a break and this would suffice.
Although we were parked close to the road, there really wasn't much traffic at all on this little highway. Once it gets dark, people don't travel too much because of the possibility of hitting a moose. You know, moose are like a cow on stilts.
We did a little shopping in their mercantile. For a small mom and pop business, they tried to really include a lot of items in their small store. It's nice to patronize places like this, rather than big chain stores.
They have fuel, both diesel and gas, and propane. They have a dump station and freshwater fill. They have a small hotel, and even a laundromat. So we took advantage of almost everything there, with the exception of the hotel of course.
Steve went over and fueled up our tank before leaving. Fuel was $4.12 a gallon. That's not too bad. Our budget says anything under $5 a gallon is good for us! He did 15.8 MPG which is probably due to all the slow driving back and forth in and out of McCarthy.
It was time to catch up on some laundry. Everything was neat and clean. We took care of two full loads, and it only came to $13. It was nice to just walk back and forth to the rig in between changing the loads. Can't do that in a city laundromat.
The laundry was complete and I got most of it put away. One of my sweaters and my favorite flannel shirt don't go in the dryer. So I hung them from hangers for a while up in the cockpit before we were ready to start driving. Then I swapped them over into the shower stall.
We also had the opportunity to meet a couple who are YouTube followers subscribers of our channel! They are also from Wisconsin and they have been watching our journey step by step. They are kind of behind us on most of our stops. But then they are going in a different direction now than we are planning. But it's nice that we have crossed paths, and maybe we will cross paths again soon!
Our next intended stop would be over by Matanuska Glacier on the Glenn Highway. We knew we would be in for some wonderful scenery, but it was kind of dark dreary and rainy. We were hoping to make the best of it for the next 100+ miles.
We made it up to Glenallen, and made the turn to head further west. Seriously, the roads here are not known for being smooth. You could kind of get seasick going over pavement like this!!!
As we were zooming along, we were enjoying the texture of the landscape and the difference in trees from where we were earlier. These are tall skinny pine trees, and in this section where nice and green.
But all too often we are seeing sections where they get invaded by the pine bark beetle and it is doing a lot of damage across Alaska. These aren't too bad yet in the picture below but we are seeing other areas where many many acres are just completely brown. And then of course, they are more susceptible to wildfires because they are all with dead dry branches on standing timber.
Up ahead, snow-capped mountains were unfolding with every mile that we drove west. It was so cloudy we could not see the tops of them, but it was very pleasant to roll along and watch it materialize in front of us.
We made it to the Matenuska Glacier area... and pulled into the Glacier View Rec sites. The website said there were only six sites, but when we got there I think it was closer to 10 or 12. We found a very nice secluded site and got settled in.
During the evening, we ran into another individual setting up a tent nearby on the site across from us. He had ridden up on a bicycle. Steve started chatting with him and we found out he is a pretty interesting guy.
His name is Pascal Picard. He is doing a journey from Alaska to South America on his bicycle. So this is the first or second day of his amazing journey.
He is creating a documentary on the relationship between people and nature and what you find within your soul.
All of his gear that he needs he is taking along on his bicycle. We are really in awe of his efforts and his planning to do this trip.
It was cloudy and miserable, no solar, so he needed to charge up all of his camera batteries as well as his phone. We offered the external USB and C ports of our Bluetti unit to charge up everything he needed. He was extremely grateful.
We really enjoyed meeting him and chatting about life. He took this photo of us to put on his social media pages. We are excited to be part of his journey, especially at the very beginning. We can't wait to see his documentary on the day it is done and published!
This is a silly photo from his social media that shows absolutely everything that he has with him and how it's amazing to be all packed together neatly on his bike.
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