Hello again. This is the first usable wifi in awhile so sorry about the lack of updates. We are now overnighting in Destruction Bay, Yukon, Canada. We should be in Haines tomorrow for the boat south on Monday evening.
What's happened since Fairbanks? We Went through the Denali national park, home of the highest mountain in North America (Mt McKinley or Denali) and scene of countless wildlife films. Well I thought it was crap and a complete rip off. The only "town" there is a straggly and scruffy collection of outfitters, trip organisers - rafting, kayaking, flightseeing trips, etc etc and shops selling cheap tat. The road into the park (which is huge, like the size of Wales) is closed after 15milez after which you have to pay a min of $27.50 each for a bus to take you further. Do basically the only way to see anything is to pay a lot of money. The NP campsites were full too and mr unhelpful park ranger claimed not to know of any others. In fact there were several further down the road. We made a bad choice: expensive, rock hard lumpy gravel pitch, and at the bottom of a hill where every lorry put their Jake brake on (sounds like a jet fighter full throttle directly overhead). I was mr angry with a very sore head the next day
Then onto Anchorage to find some bike shops to look at bike boots for Anne and a replacement intercom for us both as the second hand one we took with us had packed up. Anchorage is just another big American town ,without much going for it IMHO. The campsites were like pikey sites and we took everything off the bike and locked in panniers or in the tent. Another gravel pitch under gloomy trees and I was well fed up until the guy in the RV on the next pitch invited us round for burgers and salads
. He then opened some wine, some cinnamon brandy, and made us drink about half a bottle of grand marnier in green tea. It's very good. So a good evening in the end. Next day I bargained hard on a Sena intercom and got it for $200US. Bargain and it's brill. No boots though but some shoe-goo seems to have done the trick.
Then we headed east towards Valdez. Mountainous roads with great views of several glaciers. Over night at a junction/halt called Glenallen and then down the best road so far to Valdez. Valdez is a fishing port and the mostly means sport fishing for Salmon in the sea, and Halibut. Halibut and chips is the best!! We looked at several miserable RV parks before settling on the one most like a huge gravel car park but only coz it had a clear grassy area for tents, great views, and the clincher was a free salmon bake/BBQ in the evening. I had six pieces of the bestest freshest salmon ever caught that afternoon along with platefuls of home made salads. Those RVs would seem to be useful after all.
Yesterday we made a return to Tok and camped at the coolest campsite so far: Thompson's motorcycle campground. We slept in an old Ambulance bit had the choice of a regular pitch, a "wall tent", a Teeper, a log cabin, or a wooden bunkhouse. There is a group shelter under a parachute hanging from the trees, a rustic open kitchen, the longest long drop toilets, and best of all a wood fired sauna/steam room. We spent ages in there.
Finally a wet, long and slow day down the Alaska highway to Destruction Bay. Slow because of the frost damage causing huge dips and lumps to appear as well as big potholes and general damage but also miles and miles of roadworks where you ride on chewed up mud and gravel basically. It's horrible, it's filthy and it's slow going unless you are in a big pick up truck. They control the traffic through in a convoy system and today were making bikes go either first or last in the convoy.
I will try get some pictures off the camera to upload.
Sent from my iPhone with a smile
- Thanks for sharing.
