I certainly can’t pinpoint when the “official” national park quest began … or that I would become a “park chaser” or “park collector,” but in the summer of 2016 several life events punched me in the gut and destined me to drive cross country to  Oregon for my annual visit with daughter Tasia.  In planning a route I decided on a diagonal course from Florida to Oregon and chose a mixture of historical sites and national parks.  So with my two dogs buckled in,  I headed to Hot Springs National Park via Little Rock AK  and then  to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park from Oklahoma City.  The  seed to be a National Park “collector” was planted. Though still employed as a professor at the University of South Florida,  I was fortunate enough to be teaching a class on-line that fall semester, so I had significant latitude as to my departure schedule from Oregon. So on September 13th I set off on a return journey  to Florida with the express intention of visiting and camping in several national parks. Using another somewhat diagonal route,  I “collected” Lassen Volcanic, Great Basin, Mesa Verde, Capitol Reef, Great Sand Dunes, Mammoth Cave, and Great Smokey Mountains National Parks. By now I was 100% INVESTED in visiting as many national parks as possible before an aging body says NO MORE sleeping on a rock strew tent pad, getting chilled to the bone in a tent much too large for myself and the two dogs to heat up, wondering what critter I might encounter on one of a couple of middle of the night adventures to a bathroom, or getting lost on wet, muddy under water hiking trails, being kicked in the butt and  exhausted by yet another 2000 feet of elevating… 

Since I live part time in Alaska it seemed like an economically wise and no brainer decision to focus on the national parks in the vast and amazing wilderness of the State of Alaska.    Given the size of this state and the location of many of the parks,  I quite accurately  anticipated that this would be an expensive undertaking.  At least living within a three hour drive from Anchorage I would not have the expense of a flight to this immense far up north state. So, “Why not start the farthest north, above the arctic circle?” and I opted to visit Gates of the Artic National Park and Kobuk Valley.  Adventures awaited… This above the Artic Circle Adventure began in Fairbanks.

As a kid, we drew igloos in school. Thus,  I was left with the impression that Alaska was all ice and snow year-round. This adult self knew otherwise … I read of the cold and hot extremes of temperatures in Fairbanks. But I somehow anticipated having a more unique experience (i.e.  “rough-and-ready)  in this northern most city. Despite the guidebooks that describe Fairbanks  brimming with shops, restaurants and attractions,  I mostly saw impoverished areas and the fast food establishments (Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Arby’s, McDonalds, Burger King, Subway, Popeye’s , KFC… yes it has them all)  of the lower 48, lots of road construction… it could be almost any town USA in the summer. … The cost of living is very steep making  everything quite pricey. The friend I was traveling with had reserved a “less expensive” room at the Super Eight with a price tag of $204.12 for 1 night and the place was a dump! I am sure this has in someway affected my overall view of this city for this trip. This is what they promised vs below is what we got! The best part was the lamp without a shade and to Super Eight logo in the corner of the pictures above the bed.

Fairbanks, located in the Tanana Valley, straddles the Chena River near its confluence with the Tanana River   The Tanana Valley is crossed by many low streams and rivers that lace the Tanana Flats, an area of marsh and bog that stretches for more than 100 miles (160 km) until it rises into the Alaska Range. It is a marvelous sight  to see these pristine serpentine rivers and rivulets snaking their way across the tundra. Fairbanks is 198 road miles south of the arctic circle and I was shocked to discover Fairbanks rests only 446 ft above sea level. My vision of Alaska being a land of tall mountains (akin to Denali) has been shattered. Fairbanks is best known for viewing the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights from August to April but I had yet another disappointment, as the Aurora was not visible on either of the nights I was there due to cloud cover in the area.

To be fair I have only experienced a potion of what Fairbanks has to offer.  Though raised in suburbia and living proximate to larger cities, I am not a city girl at heart. I love the wilderness, woods and rivers, forest and wide open spaces so I am not the ideal individual to rate a city experience. We visited Pioneer Park, an historic village that features original buildings moved from downtown Fairbanks, as well as museums and a Gold Rush town street. It had potential but it was the end of the season for the shops and restaurants (some closed)  and the day was chilly so the experience was less than exhilarating. However, the real highlight of the visit to Fairbanks was a visit to the University of Alaska Museum of the North. It is a wonderful modern museum.  It is rich in Alaska Native cultures, Alaskan women settlers and settlement history and showcases the diversity of wildlife , an Arctic dinosaurs,  and a great collection of Alaskan art and crafts.  A visit to Creamer’s Field Migratory Fowl Refuge sighted a gaggle of geese strutting and waddling towards a small lake which I assume is their temporary home since this area is “advertised” for migratory fowl. I opted out of a hike deeper into the refuge due to the muckiness of the ground and the dinner hour approaching… I did not want to miss out on a meal at the local diner (right across the street from the decaying Super 8 with its deluxe prices and right next to a shuttered Denny’s.) One hears about how great diner food is –  at least some diner food- but the diner of choice threw me for a loop when I ordered a medium rare hamburger and was informed they couldn’t do that because the patties were already pre-cooked and well done. So much for a delicious juicy burger… after assuaging my appetite with some very mediocre food it was back to the less-than-super Super 8 and preparation for a flight to Bettles AK the next morning.  

Sunday July 29th 2018

We had a nice cozy  night at the Hidden Vally B & B in the Blue Room with its two twin beds and as I anticipated the two dogs and myself would only use one. Slept well again and naturally we were up by the very late hour of 5:30 am. It was a bit of a challenge getting myself dressed, and the dogs down the stairs and out the door to pee (I did remember to pee in the house though I could have just as well used the woods as I have doing in the night and first thing in the morning while camping). Of course Kili had to join me in the bathroom as his loud bark at my abandonment of him for all of 1 minute would wake the whole household. I think we actually managed to not wake the other guests.while tromping down the stairs.  We hung out on the first floor by the kitchen, drank coffee and Kili begged the whole time JoAnn, the woman managing the B &B, cooked breakfast.  He smelled people food and would not eat his dog food.  i took the dogs for a walk and then parked Simba in the car so I did not have to carry him up and down the stairs again while I packed up.  If I had let him wander in the house he would probably find the basement stairs to fall down. I was packed up and ready to go before breakfast and went through the now very consistent routine of getting Kili to leave his newly established home! Breakfast was served at 8:00 so I also put Kili in the car so he would not be hanging around the table begging and pestering all the guests. 

We were off by 9:00 am to find a real grocery store in this real town!!!  Once I resupplied the lunch food, got ice, coffee and gas we were off to Snag Junction – back to camping.

Generally speaking the Alaska Highway is in good condition but the further north I got there was more road damage, bumps, dips, gravel breaks, and sections where the road had heaved significantly due to thawing and refreezing. It probably goes without saying but I will anyway.  The scenery got more beautiful and mountains higher and more rugged than the days preceding. Once heading north out of Haines YT,  the  Alaska Highway bordered Canada’s  Kluane National Park and Reserve to the SW and the Insling Range to NE and in the distance several peaks sported long glacial fingers crawling down their crevices.  I decided that if we were to engender mountains I would see them as female — they are so awesomely beautiful, extremely varied and colorful, they are bold and strong, they have curves and bumps and rumps, and teats, and tits and nipples etc.  They could not be male as there was not much in the line of phallus unless you count the thousands of fir trees adorning the slopes.

An exceptionally beautiful area was Kluane Lake. From the first glimpse at the Boutillier  and on through Destruction Bay and Burwash Landing, the waters shimmered and the many hued mountain slopes makes for an idyllic ride. It is the largest lake in the Yukon.  Fireweed  lines the highway in many many areas.  I have commented previously on the scarcity of services and on closer look, the population of most of these town identified on the map is less that one hundred.  And they are mile and miles apart.  Just re-supplying food and gasoline is a challenge according to one shop keeper. Additionally most of them have a historical significance either as a trading post, grew out of the building of the Alaska highway, or popped up in the era of the Gold Rush.  By now road conditions are only fair continuing so we were  undulating, rolling and bumping, and jostling over frost heave areas and many spots of construction to repair seasonal damage. I have read that this area was one of the toughest sections to build due to the nature of the glacial soil and the lack of suitability for road embankments. Further on down the road were great views of the Icefield Ranges of the St. Alias Mountains.

The intention was to stop for the day at Snag Junction Yukon Government Campground. It was a delight small campground (15 sites0 overlooking a lake.  I was able to get a lakeside site and we set up and settled in for the late afternoon and evening, 

 

Saturday July 28th.

Simba woke me up at 5:20 and we followed our normal am routine – except he did not want his breakfast.  The traffic started around 6:00 am, with intermittent RV heading out.  I surmised  that this campground was perhaps a family get away week-end destination given that it was filled to capacity. But by the time I left at 9:00 am Saturday it was almost empty.  Than I thought more rationally and since there is no city, town, village, community of notable size within a 200 miles driving distance that was unlikely. And given, most of the time, I thought this highway I was on was a dedicated RV only traffic highway, it was people on the move. 

After a bit of a walk and my normal 1 hour breaking camp routine we were on our way to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. The road continued with no centerline or shoulders thus remaining a lot of fun to drive. It felt like I was rocking and rolling around the curves and the ups and down of a roller coaster. Early on in the drive I came upon a large area devastated by wildfires in 2010 and 2012 and another in Tisgar Lake area in 2001.  It felt quite eerie to see mile upon mile of tree skeletons with an occasion lone fir surviving in this ghostly wilderness. 

Soon I heading north on the Alaska Highway 1, back to  lines and shoulder. I was in Yukon Territory and with each mile the scenery appeared to get more rugged –  the mountain peaks sharper and higher, the sky bluer, the forest denser and predominantly pine and fir tree, and many shimmering lakes along the route, and of course rimmed with wildflowers. 

I remained  amazed when I would see a “services in 2K”  sign and then almost miss the dot of an old gas pump and small store.  I kept wondering where the very few people who lived in this sparsely populated area get their groceries – real food not just convenience store muffin, cookies, candy and chips. Another thing than I began to notice was the absence in most section of utility poles and lines.  I got my coffee and ice in Nugget City, at the first rather attractive restaurant, store and bakery I had seen in a few hundred miles. It came shortly after hitting Alaska 1 in Yukon Territory. The road was certainly more civilized but definitely not quite as enjoyable. I can’t say that I missed all of the graveled sections and initially I found myself on a very flat and strait highway. Despite this being one of the main routes through northern Canada to Alaska, the traffic was quite minimal.

The first mishap of the day occurred around 12:30 in Ranchiera.  i was motoring happily along and a larger semi truck was whizzing by me in the other direction. I hear a loud crack and a stone had been jettisoned into my windshield, leaving a two inch circular shattered “spiderweb “ right in the middle of the windshield.  I was so mad that my almost new Lady Spitfire Jeep Compass has this big blemish on her face.  What was even more maddening was that this was major highway and well marked and maintained and I had been driving a couple thousand miles on rougher tar and gravel roads with no dings.. 

Soon i was at the Ranchiera Falls Recreation site and had planned to take the dogs for the walk down to the falls. I was still stewing about the windshield and wanted to skip it (that certainly wouldn’t get the windshield fixed or solve anything). It was a lovely gravel and boardwalk trail through a boreal forest to a picturesque falls.  Fixed lunch in the parking lot and ate in the car as didn’t want to share my wrap with the bees and mosquitoes. Actually I discovered that the bees haven’t been bothering us nearly as much as I anticipated as they are hungrily devouring all of the dead bugs on the front of my car.

Not to far along the road after the falls I finally had to head those warning signs I had been seeing all along the way to watch out for wildlife.  I had anticipated I might see an elk, caribou or deer. However, what did happen was a bear ran across the road not far in front of me and I had to slam on the brakes, thus shifting everything forward in the car. Now I was very glad that it wasn’t the bear that hit the windshield. The windshield is easily repairable and hopefully the bear is thriving.   The better part of the day  was spent “WOWING” and occasionally stopping to feast on some beautiful lakes and mountain scenes as well as after committing them to memory though I would also take a photo for back-up memory!

 

Filling up my very thirsty Lady Spitfire is always an adventure in theses remote parts  – from the burly guy who hung my credit card on a line behind the desk so I could fill up to a sign I am sure we would rarely see anymore in the states: fill up, move car, come in and pay!  And not to forget some ancient pumps and the above ground tanks.

Getting nearer to Whitehorse, I decided to head on down route 8 to Carcross –  I am not sure what prompted me to do so but I think I visited it years ago and found it quite interesting. The drive was pretty but not drop dead gorgeous and Carcross was quite quaint but doubt it is the town I was thinking of. It didn’t seem familiar at all.  I however was not disappointed in that it was a very old, rather run down little town but also a bit of a tourist mecca.

I then headed back up to the to the Hidden Valley B & B in Whitehorse at which I had a reservation.  Upon first glance I was a bit taken aback and was wondering what kind of place i had reserved.  The long approach driveway was bounded by what appeared to be a couple of run down buildings, some rusting out machinery, a house that looked in disrepair, wood piles, a brightly painted barn, a few horse…but once I reached the house and was led into the main house area and gardens it was beautiful. The gardens and outdoor seating areas were exquisitely decked our with flowers and planter boxes with a great variety of graceful flowers. The house itself was lovely.

My biggest challenge was having reserved the Blue Room, with twin beds – on the second floor (this I did not know or think about when making the reservation).  Since Simba can’t climb stairs I had to not only carry him up the grated front steps but up to the  second floor – plus all our stuff.  I took my eyes off Simba for a few minutes while i was fixing his insulin shot and I hear this thud! Simba had wandered out of the room and tumbled down the stairs.  I was so afraid that he was injured as he was holding his front led at a funny angle but it seems he is no worse for the wear.  So hopefully after three strikes there would be no more startling events. Once we were all settled with our stuff in the room, we went down and sat out on one of the patios overlooking the mountains and the beautiful flowers.  The dogs were so welcomed there as the owner has dogs and Kili was able to wander freely.  I sat out later than I had anticipated but with it not getting dark until around 11:00 pm it was easy to loose track of time. Now was the hour for a glorious shower. I think I belong to a different age because  I was perfectly OK with waiting the week while camping for my Saturday night bath. I climbed into my first real bed in a week and could see the sun setting 11:00 ish through my window. What a peaceful moment.