After two days at Denali, I saw what I came to see (Mount McKinley) and I saw some things I hadn't expected to see (rain atop Mount Healy). The wildlife bus tour through Denali National Park was most enjoyable, and we certainly did see a variety of wildlife, but it was a long day at that.
So, today, Tank, Eeyore and I packed up our belongings (they are easy to pack for, by the way), and off we went, headed south from Denali NP to Anchorage, Alaska, some 240 miles to the south. The temperature at Denali, when we left was right around 50 degrees. It dropped a little as we left, so apparently the Explorer sensed the warmth of nearby cabins and then was exposed to the road air.
It was cloudy when we started, it stayed cloudy, and as I look out my Anchorage hotel window, it is still cloudy. At many places along the drive here, the clouds hung so low that it was just like fog. I had my windshield wipers on at several points, not because it was raining but more like me driving into droplets of water that were just hanging there in the low cloud on the road.
As much as I enjoyed Denali, I have at least two things I didn't care for. There were no bargains to be found as far as hotel/motel room rates, and the cost of food was noticeably higher that other places I've been to (Canada, the Yukon, Fairbanks, etc). And the choice and the quality of food, I didn't think was that good. But....where else are you going to go to eat?
On arrival at Anchorage, I had lunch for $7.00 USD, and it included soup or salad, two large stuffed cabbage with potato and vegetable, and my usual small glass of milk, plus coffee. Add a $1.00 tip, and that's what I call a price performer.
The drive from Denali was not only cloudy, but there wasn't much to enjoy scenery-wise. Miles and miles of trees (spruce, aspens, etc) and no mountains to look at because of the heavy cloud cover. At least it was clear and bright sunshine yesterday, so that I could see and photograph Mount McKinley.
As I drove, I thought about mountains and such. Where I live, in the Reno/Sparks, Nevada area, the cities are located in the Truckee Meadows, sometimes referred to as Washoe Valley. It's about 4500-5000 feet above sea level and the nearby mountains (Mount Rose and Peavine) are about 11,000 and 9,000 feet above sea level. That's a 4000 to 6000 foot difference. I have climbed both of those mountains.
Not counting Mount McKinley, which is about 20,000 feet above sea level, the other mountains in the Alaska Range seem to be in the 4000-6000 foot range, and the towns and highways seem to be around 2000 feet above sea level (until you get down to Anchorage and sea level). My point is that it's generally about a 2000-4000 foot difference between the low and high lands, somewhat like my home location. The mountains in either case look big and are impressive.
With no mountains to look at during this morning's drive, I couldn't help but look at the roadside. Fireweed, the very pretty pink/purple flower grows just about everywhere in Alaska, and I never tire to look at its beauty. I also took note of how dense the brush is here in Alaska. The early travellers and settlers must have had a very tough time blazing trails through that stuff. Add to the density of the brush, the problems of the mushy tundra and so much water everywhere, it really had to be tough covering any distance.
Gas got cheaper as I got closer to Anchorage. Midway, I stopped for coffee and to refill my gas above a half tank. Gas was only $1.54, down from $1.80 when I was up at the "Top of the World", entering Alaska from the Dawson City, Yukon direction.
As I got closer to Anchorage, passing through towns like Palmer and Wasilla, it became evident that more people live here in the south of Alaska. Along most of the Alaska highways that I have been on, it's a long stretch between any population, much less a town. Keep on eye on your gas tank, is the word to the wise.
I stopped at Walmart and bought a backup battery for my 35mm Nikon. First I had battery problems, and now I have an automatic focus problem. Yesterday, on the wild life bus tour, I was repeatedly changing lens, from my telephoto to my wide angle and back again. It looks like my focusing mechanism has developed a problem. So, for the remainder of the I'll have to manually focus, or use my point and shoot camera. I not only travel with a back up camera, but I also have a back up video camera, because of the problem I had during my 1997 trip.
I stopped at Palmer, or maybe it was the west side of Wasilla, Alaska and spent time visiting the Alaska Museum of Transporation and Industry. It didn't compare to other, similarly named museums that I have been to at various places in the world, but it did have some interesting points. I'm a snowmobile owner (2) and I took particular note of this museum's early snowmobiles on display. They were pretty crude in the 1950s.
At Wasilla, I tried to stop at the local museum and learn something about its history, but today is Monday. Apparently, tourists are not supposed to travel on Mondays, because the place was closed. Just down the road apiece was the Iditarod Headquarters, with interesting displays and live dogs to take you for a ride at $5.00 per person. I found that place to be most interesting. The Iditarod dog sled race has its origins in the 1925 'race for life' in which serum needed to combat an outbreak of diptheria was rushed from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.
I travelled from Delani to Anchorage using Highway 3, and just north of town, it merged with Highway 1, the Alaska Highway (which is called the Glenn Highway in town....go figure that one). Traffic was heavy northbound on Highway 3, with RVs and motorhomes leaving Anchorage and heading for Denali and Fairbanks where I just came from. Coming south on the Alaska Highway, a lot of RVs and motorhomes joined me for the drive into Anchorage.
On entry to the city, Tank got excited by the big sign that the local people put up to welcome us. Just to please him and Eeyore, I stopped and had them take my picture to celebrate our arrival.
My intial reaction to Anchorage is that it's a big town (250,000 people I understand), with all the things you'd expect from a town this size, but of course it has its own brand of weather, probably not like either yours or mine.
My motel reservation was in order, so I'm set for up to five days, but I may leave early if I want to stay closer to the Kenai peninsula or down around Valdez and Prince William Sound. We'll see. I have some laundry to do, and I want to check with the visitor's center to map out my next few days in town. I'll get back to you soon.