The weather was poor again today as I drove to Denali National Park. I didn't see Mt. McKinley once on the during the 200 mile journey. Low clouds obscured all the taller mountains in the Alaska Range.
In spite of the weather, I really enjoyed the drive along the George Parks Highway. It is a wide smooth road through beautiful forests. There is very little traffic & very few commercial establishments. I did make two detours along the way.
First, I stopped in Talkeetna, purportedly the inspiration for Northern Exposure. There, I had a brunch of blueberry sourdough pancakes. I also stopped in Denali State Park for what I first thought would be a quick stroll around Byers Lake, but actually ended up being much longer than I expected. It was a good hike under the conditions. It would have been much better with clear skies.
This looks like a great trip thus far! How long will you spend in Alaska in total? Will you spend any time near old gold rush routes?
ReplyDeleteNot to Skagway or Chilkoot Pass. Those are in the panhandle. I could have actually driven there if I went through Canada, but it would have been an extra day of driving at least. This trip focused on the areas most directly accessible by car from Anchorage. Tomorrow, my last in the state, I am going to see a gold mine so I'm not completely ignoring that aspect of the state's history.
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