Dateline July 1, 2011, Denali National Park
We had finally reached the destination the whole trip had been pointing at, Denali National Park. We met some of the Roadtrek group for a dinner theater show about Fanny Quigley, who came to Denali to prospect for gold in the early 1900s. She never struck it rich as a prospector, but she served meals out of her tent to feed the other prospectors, and that operation eventually became the Roadhouse at Kantishna. The show told the story of her exploits and celebrated the frontier life she lived. It was fun, and it gave you a feel for what life was like for those early Alaskans. The salmon and BBQ pork ribs dinner, served family style, was good too. Kitty the barmaid gave kisses for a dollar, and Janice had a lot of fun
giving her dollars and watching John turn red.
We moved into the Riley campground on Tuesday, run by the National Park Service. The sites were without services but pleasant. The weather cooperated with a good Alaska rain. Along with Hal, Kim, Peter, Bunny, Anne, and Ruth we planned an international potluck dinner. The group grew to include many of the Roadtrek people. Three tents went up to protect the food and the cooks from the rain. The food was great and everyone had a great time. Special mention goes to Hal and Kim,
who spend several months a year at their apartment in Hungary. Hal made a fantastic Hungarian goulash with spaetzle. It had a great spicy flavor, and we all wanted the recipe.
Bunny made Polish perogies with sour cream, also great. Janice made her mother Jeanne's mac and cheese (come on, it was international, and America still counts as part of that). Everyone stayed dry, and the rain finally stopped for the group picture.
Tuesday morning we all moved out onto the Park Road, the 92-mile route into the heart of Denali. We were heading for Teklanika campground at mile 29, the farthest point private vehicles are allowed to go. We would camp there for the next three days. Crossing one stretch of road, a number of vehicles were pulled off looking at caribou down in the riverbed. We could not spot any, so we drove on. Benny took sentry duty, watching for wild animals as we rolled in.
The National Park Service does such a good job with these sites, and the people who stay at them do their part to keep things neat and clean. We set up camp, which by this point meant putting out the awning and laying a cloth over the picnic table. Did we miss last summer's tent setup? Not even a little.
The majority of the Roadtrek group was in camp, so we joined them for hors d'oeuvres and cocktails. It was a great way to meet people from various parts of the country. We were scheduled for the 9:40 bus trip out the Park Road, but decided to get the first bus, which came by the campsite at 6:20. Fortunately there was room on it, and we were off for the day. The buses are basically standard school buses. We started out and stopped whenever the driver or one of the passengers spotted wildlife. We got a clear view of the north side of Mt. McKinley, the lead picture at the top of this post, and it turned out we were the only people in our group who saw the mountain that day. Another wonderful experience. Rather than writing much more about the day, the pictures from the drive tell the story. It is truly a wonderful National Park.
