The End of an Era

For the last month or so, I’ve been working with Tim to get our RV ready to be sold. Today was the day. No, the RV hasn’t yet been sold, but we did drop it off with a consigner who will handle the sale for us. Leaving the RV in the consigner’s lot was certainly bittersweet. While we knew it was time to let the RV go, we will miss having it around.

Although Tim and I could have tried to sell the RV ourselves, neither one of us is good at selling things. When we downsized, for example, it was easier to donate the items we couldn’t use rather than have a garage sale. We certainly weren’t going to donate the RV, but neither one of us was willing to take on the task of selling it. A consignment arrangement is just better for us.

While we will miss the RV, we will still have the many memories we made with it. It was our home for five years, and we were able to visit 49 states and several Canadian provinces in it. Hopefully, someone will enjoy it as much as we have.

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

Will I Ever Update this Blog?

It's been eight years since I left this blog hanging.  "Stay tuned," I said.  I can't imagine anyone staying tuned for eight years!

I'm not making any promises, but I may actually spend part of this coming winter adding at least a few general updates.  That might make a good project!

Stay Tuned . . .

After an intense, but rewarding, two-week work session at Denali National Park, Tim and I packed up and headed towards Fairbanks to restock for our trip south.  Yes, we have begun our journey back to the Lower 48 and will cross into Canada today on the Alaska Highway.

I still have several posts to finish about our time in Denali, including my two trips into the park.  Reviewing all those photographs and selecting a few favorites takes time!  I’m not sure when I’ll get those posted since we will have to rely on WiFi in Canada.  I won’t leave you in total suspense, however, and will give you a spoiler alert.  I did see the mountain on a gorgeous blue-sky day!

I’ll try to post when I can during our two-week trip to Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site in North Dakota.  We likely won’t cross back into the United States until the day before we arrive in Fort Union, currently scheduled for September 21.  Stay tuned.

Winter Weather Advisory! Seriously?

When traveling to Alaska, one never knows what might be in store as far as the weather is concerned.  For the most part, we have had three months of the most amazing weather anyone could hope for.  I guess it’s our turn for some nasty stuff.

Ever since we arrived in Denali almost two weeks ago, it has rained virtually nonstop.  Yes, there were a few nice days last week (when we were sick!), but all I can remember is rain, and more rain.  I hate to complain, but even the locals are sick of this weather.  

There has been so much rain that the park road has been closed on and off due to mud slides.  Yesterday, the road was closed at mile 53 because of snow!  Yes, snow in August!  I’m just not believing it.  The temperatures have really plummeted as well, and it will likely dip below freezing during the next few nights.  Highs are only in the low 40s where we are.  Brrr!  Now, to top everything off, the park is under a winter weather advisory until noon tomorrow!  Seriously?

Baby, It's Cold Up Here

You've Got to Be Kidding!

Although most full-time RVers would take this as a sign to get those wheels moving and head to someplace warmer, Tim and I are committed to working at Denali National Park through next Friday.  Tim is conducting an on-site archival survey and accessioning project, and the work is going well.  This project is not as glamorous as cataloging a historic photograph collection, but it’s an essential part of museum management.

The contract with Denali has been a bit different than previous ones with other parks.  Typically, Tim and I work together, with each of us undertaking different components of the same project.  Here, Tim has been focused on his project, while I have been doing whatever needs to be done to help the park’s museum curator.  I do get to work with Tim on occasion, but mostly I’ve been doing other tasks.  The staff has been great to work with, and I’ve been learning lots of new things, which I always enjoy.

Hard at Work

Both Tim and I have had to spend a lot of time walking from building to building in the park headquarters area, where the roadways are under construction.  I have to confess that my most enduring memory of working at Denali National Park will undoubtedly be this endless construction, constant rain and slippery mud.  Employees at the park have had to deal with construction for the last three years, and I really do feel for them.  They are ready for it to be over.

Walking Through the Rain and Mud

Dodging Construction Equipment

One of the perks of volunteering at least 32 hours per week at Denali National Park is that our campground fees are covered by the park.  That is especially nice when the rates top $40 per night for full hookups.  Volunteers are also encouraged to get out into the park, and we are given a voucher for a trip on one of the park shuttle buses. 

Our friend Kathleen has gone out of her way to make our lives very easy while we are here.  Not only did she let us stay with her last weekend, but she also picked up groceries for us while she was in Fairbanks last Monday.  The tiny markets here only carry a few items, so that was a huge help.  Kathleen also gives us a ride to and from work every day, which is especially nice since we are traveling without a car in Alaska.  We can leave Kitty behind at the campground and not have to try and find a place to park the RV.

Watching the Trees Change Colors Day by Day on Our Way Home From Work

I actually took the day off today (volunteers are only required to work 32 hours per week), since our propane gauge registered empty.  Although I had thought about using my bus voucher to venture farther into the park today, my priority was driving to the nearby town of Healy to fill up with propane so we would have heat tonight.  I also wanted to see if I could find a somewhat larger space heater than our tiny one.  Have I mentioned that it’s been really cold?  The trip was a success.

Before I left, however, I decided to drive the RV to mile 15 in the park, which is as far as private vehicles are permitted.  At least I would get to see a little bit of the park today.  Much of the landscape was enshrouded in clouds, and visibility was limited, but the drive was still beautiful. It even snowed for a while, but the sun tried to peek through the clouds from time to time.

Driving the Park Road

Hoping for the Sun to Peek Out

Fresh snow blanketed the nearby mountains, and fall colors reminded me that winter is not far away in this part of the world.  The snow added a new element to the park experience. 

Loving the Fall Colors

Walking Along the Savage River

Looking Down at the River

Deciding that It's Just Too Cold for a Hike

Noticing the Little Things - Snow on Mushrooms

Enjoying the Breathtaking Views

Hoping to See Wildlife

Admiring the Snow-Covered Mountains

Moose rutting season has already begun, and photographers were lined up along the side of the road to capture the action.  I stopped and watched for a short while, and I was even able to see a bull moose in the distance – the first one for me this summer.

That Seems Quite Tasty

I Can See You

Hoping to See Denali

The drive to Denali National Park was rainy, with low-lying clouds, so the views just weren’t there.  We glanced over at the numerous Denali overlooks, but to no avail.  The Parks Highway Scenic Byway just wasn’t too scenic that day.

Because of the extended forecast for rain, we decided to stay at an RV park in order to charge our batteries before checking into Riley Creek Campground within Denali National Park.  Denali Rainbow Village RV Park isn’t much more than a crowded, gravel parking lot with interior dirt roads filled with potholes.  It’s certainly not our kind of park, but it’s the closest commercial park to the entrance to Denali.

We barely ventured out of the RV for two days since we were both battling colds.  Tim likely picked up his on the flights from Oklahoma, and he was kind enough to share with me.  It’s rather surprising that this is the first time either one of us has been sick since beginning our full-timing adventure (we won’t count Tim’s surgery last summer as being sick).  Colds are more annoying than debilitating, but we still didn’t feel up to doing anything.  The rainy weather only added to our lack of desire to extend ourselves or to expose others to our germs.

When it was time to move to Riley Creek Campground on Wednesday, I was feeling no better.  I stayed in the RV while Tim met with Denali’s museum curator to finalize the details of his two-week contract.  Tim returned to the RV full of enthusiasm about the project, which will begin on Monday, August 24.  We then checked into Riley Creek Campground and got set up.  Riley Creek is the largest campground in Denali National Park and is located near the park entrance.  Like all campgrounds in the park, there are no hookups, but the campsites are nicely situated in a wooded area with a lot of privacy between sites.

Since the weather forecast for Thursday was fairly good, Tim and I talked about taking a shuttle bus into the park, which is the only way to travel the park road since private vehicles are mostly prohibited past mile 15.  Shuttle buses are glorified school buses, filled with fellow tourists seeking to take in views of magnificent wildlife, breathtaking landscapes and, hopefully, Denali itself.  In the end, however, I accepted the fact that I was still sick.  The idea of spending eight hours on a bus was not at all appealing.  So, I sent Tim on without me.

At 1:00 pm on Thursday, Tim hopped aboard a green shuttle bus headed to the Eielson Visitor Center, approximately 66 miles inside the park.  The bus was scheduled to return to the park entrance by 9:00 pm.  Tim thought this would be an interesting schedule, and he was hoping to get on a less-crowded bus and take advantage of afternoon and evening light for photographs.  Well, the bus was crowded, but the visible light was great for photography, as you can see in his images.

Shuttle Buses Transport Visitors through Denali National Park

Private Vehicles Are Prohibited Past Savage River

The road through Denali National Park winds its way through a remarkable landscape, and wildlife sightings are almost guaranteed.  It is said that visitors are much more likely to spot wildlife than Denali itself.  Denali is an Athabascan name meaning “the high one.”  The mountain is often hidden behind clouds, but Tim was fortunate to see a partial view. 

Up high on the alpine, the tundra is already turning to a carpet of gold, with highlights of amber, red and yellow.  The remaining hues of green are holding on but becoming less and less each hour.

The Many Colors at Polychrome Pass

The Park Road Winds Around the Mountains

The Mountain Made Itself Partly Visible

 

The View from Eielson Visitor Center Is Lovely, Even if the Mountain Is Hiding

The Tundra Is Already Starting to Show Its Fall Colors

The Colors of Denali National Park Are Amazing

Braided Rivers Wind Their Way through the Park

Denali National Park Is Much More than the Mountain Itself

 

The Colors Were More Vivid on the Return Trip

Wildlife views included moose and a dozen or so grizzly bears, all large males.  They were all at a considerable distance from the road, requiring binoculars to view.  A much longer zoom lens than ours would have been required to capture images.  One of my wildlife goals in Alaska has been to see caribou, and Tim was able to see a couple of them for me.

Two Caribou Were Grazing Not too Far from the Road

Unfortunately, Tim’s most enduring memory of the bus ride was the screaming children and parents who could not, or would not, control them.  When wildlife is spotted from a bus, passengers are required to be very quiet.  Although the bus driver repeated this message time and time again, it seemed to do no good.  It’s a shame that parents inflict children like these on other passengers who have paid a lot of money to experience a wilderness environment.

I Still Think Tim Had a Good Time

Tim and the Locked Antlers

I was feeling a little bit better by Friday when we checked out of Riley Creek Campground, so we toured the exhibits at the visitor center and watched the film.  We then made our way ten miles north to the small town of Healy to spend the weekend with our friend Kathleen.  Kathleen was Tim’s colleague at Rocky Mountain National Park, but transferred to Denali National Park four years ago, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

Tim and I have really enjoyed driveway camping at friends’ houses.  We get to spend quality time with them, but still sleep in our own bed.  The rainy and cold weather provided us with a good excuse to just hang out with Kathleen at her home.  She prepared a wonderful dinner for us on Saturday and invited one of the women we will be working with at Denali.

We returned to Denali Rainbow Village RV Park on Sunday night, and this is where we will remain for the duration of our time at Denali.  Although it would have been great to stay in the park, we do need hookups.  The weather has turned cold, and rain remains in the forecast for at least the next week.  Kathleen remarked that she cannot remember such a long stretch of rainy weather this time of year.  I’m still hoping I will be able to get out into the park and enjoy wonderful vistas, wildlife sightings and views of the mountain.