Driving the Denali Hwy Again...

Our BLM campground at Tangle Lakes at the Paxson end of the Denali Hwy

     We wanted to drive the 140 miles across the Denali Hwy again so we started at the east end and headed west. We noticed 2 things that were different from the first time we drove across. One was the colors of the vegetation were getting their fall coats. The second was that Caribou season was open and most of the stealth camping spots were full of hunters. It must have been an exciting time for them. We drove to the first of 2 BLM campgrounds, Tangle Lakes, and found a site to spend the night. After setting up and having lunch we decided to go for a hike. There was a nice trail that went up and around the campground. After a couple of miles or so the trail ended at the top of a bluff. We could see more lakes in the distance so we continued hiking cross country to explore further.

As we returned we noticed several campers out along the trail with buckets picking the beautiful wild blueberries. The next morning we drove on across to the next BLM campground that was closer to the west end of the road. We enjoyed a nice quiet night on a whitewater stream. 

Hiking back to the campground

Joyce and I found these branches that either a moose or caribou had rubbed their antlers on

Abundant blueberries

More nice reflections along the Denali

The fall colors are starting!

Visiting North Pole & the Museum of the North

North Pole Alaska 

     We headed north on the Richardson Hwy. after leaving Valdez. We stopped for the night at a BLM campground about halfway to Fairbanks. The next day we stopped at the North Pole a tourist stop that has a Christmas theme including some resident reindeer. After this we went up to a university farm project where they raise Musk Ox and Caribou.

We camped overnight in Fairbanks and woke up to a cool, windy, rainy day. It was a good day to visit a museum so we headed to the Museum of the North at U of Alaska. The displays were very nice and informative about Alaskan wildlife and native Alaskans culture and history. We spent 2 or 3 hours there before heading out to get lunch and to move on down the road.

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Fall colors were starting to show up here and there

Pretty scenery as we head down the Richardson Hwy.

Valdez - 2nd Time Around!

     The next morning we ate a quick breakfast in the camper and drove over to visit Worthington Glacier. After that we traveled over Thompson Pass to Blueberry Lake SRS campground. This campground is one of our favorite campgrounds in Alaska. That being said, it is very popular and full most of the time. We got there by 9am and parked near the entrance and watched for someone to leave. After about 15 minutes 2 motorcycles left and we quickly moved to their vacated site. There was a motorhome on the site that we had previously stayed at that was getting ready to leave so we moved to that one when they departed. We stayed here 3 nights.

Joyce found these Salmon berries at our campsite

     The next morning we drove into Valdez about 25 miles away. Along the way you drive thru the Keystone Canyon which contains 2 nice waterfalls; Bridal veil falls and Horse tail falls. There also is a tunnel that was only partially completed. It was to be built for the railroad and was never finished after gun battles interrupted progress. There were 9 companies competing for this short cut to move copper from the Kennicott mines.

Unfinished RR tunnel

Horse tail falls

Bridal Veil falls

      This time when we went to Valdez we wanted to make time to stop by the old townsite which is about 4 miles before you get to the current town. Much of the original town was destroyed by a tidal wave during the huge earthquake in 1964.

     

Looking up the bay from the old townsite

     We also went to visit the USFS visitor center in town. They are on a stream that has salmon swimming upstream to the base of a small waterfall. Inside you can even view the salmon from underwater cameras. A very nice place to visit.

Salmon working their way upstream to spawn

Crystal clear water at the base of the waterfalls

We enjoyed this sign inside the visitor center

     Will at Blueberry Lake campground Joyce went blueberry picking and after an hour or so had huge bowl full. She made a wonderful blueberry cobbler for us to enjoy. Yum Yum!

On the Glenn / Richardson Hwy - Southbound

Mount Sanford stands out huge in the distance

     After spending the night at Sheep Mountain, we headed towards the Valdez area on the Glenn Highway over to Glennallen. Then we headed south on the Richardson Hwy. This stretch of road is very beautiful as you enjoy seeing several snow capped mountains, including a few in the 16 to 17 thousand range over in Wrangell - St. Elias NP. We stopped and ate lunch overlooking a beautiful glacier with a lake below it. The scenery just never ends as we drive along. We found an old gravel airstrip just off of Worthington Glacier to camp at for the night.

Our beautiful view while we ate lunch

It's a breath taking view as you drive along

Looking down the airstrip we camped at with Worthington Glacier in background

Visiting Sheep Mountain

Sheep Mountain - contains minerals that sheep enjoy

      After enjoying our time at Hatcher Pass Road area we resupplied in Palmer and headed east on the Glenn Hwy. It was our 41st wedding anniversary and we found a nice quiet campground to enjoy the night at. 

Our quiet campsite that we spent our 41st Wedding Anniversary at

     I had made reservations to camp at Sheep Mountain Lodge further east in the Matanuska Valley for the next night. They have a small restaurant at the lodge that we enjoyed a nice meal at to celebrate our 41st. The lodge had beautiful scenery all around it, as well as several hiking trails adjacent to them. The place had just been sold to a new family. The previous family had been involved in racing in the Iditarod sled dog race to Nome. While enjoying our anniversary meal we met another couple who had flown over to Anchorage from Bethel (where they live) to drive out to stay at the lodge a couple of days to celebrate their anniversary too. It was fun to learn about life in the Bethel area which is accessible only by plane or boat for the most part. (maybe snow-machines in the winter) 

While hiking the trails we noted that there were an abundance of wild blueberries.

                           

This 13 year old former sled dog had been in 5 or 6 Iditarods...she was blind in missing an ear

A few of the cabins behind our campsites

Joyce enjoying one of the trails

Enjoying Hatcher Pass Road

Enjoying the Fireweed along the Gold Mint trail

     We enjoyed our trip across Hatcher Pass the first time we did it that we decided we would do it again from the opposite direction. We also wanted to spend a couple of nights camping out there. We enjoyed beautiful weather along with outstanding scenery. We found a nice stealth campsite next to a pretty stream just west of the final climb up to Hatchers Pass.

Pretty stream next to our stealth campsite

Our campsite 

     The next day we drove over the pass and set up at a campsite at Gold Mint SRA. There were scenic mountain views all around us.

We decided to pack a lunch and head out on the Gold Mint trail for a hike. The hike turned out to be very beautiful. We passed a nice beaver pond and the Fireweed was everywhere. We ended up hiking around 8 miles round trip on one of the most beautiful trails we hiked in Alaska.

Gold Mint Trail

Looking back at where we started hiking the Gold Mint Trail

      The next morning we drove back up the pass to visit the Independence Mine. It was open this time and we were able to tour inside some of the buildings. After this we went across the road and did some hiking for a couple of hours. We truly enjoyed our revisit of Hatcher Pass Road.

South Rolly Lake SRA

Pretty Flowers Bird Creek SRA

Campsite @ Bird Creek SRA

     We camped along the Turnagain Arm at Bird Creek SRA after we finished the Upper Winner Creek trail hike. It is nicely located along the Seward Hwy. They had a nice trail along the Turnagain Arm that we walked that evening. The next day we drove thru Anchorage, stopping to resupply, and headed to the Nancy Lakes area west of Wasilla. We camped there 2 or 3 nights and actually experienced an earthquake while eating supper in our camper one night. The truck shook violently for 5 to 10 seconds...amazing.

We hiked a 7 mile RT trail to another nearby lake. We saw a moose off the side of the trail on our way to the lake. We were amazed at no mosquitos bothering us even though the last mile or so was through low wetland type forest. 

South Rolly Lake with storms moving in

 Mr Loon

The lake we hiked to