Did we get Lost in Alaska ??

Well sort of.

We’ve either been out of cell range or simply having too much fun!  We’re celebrating our 40th Anniversary today. The blog posts will be coming rapid fire once we get home in the end of October.

Thanks for waiting!!

A Remote National Park Drive & A Glacier

Slana, Alaska

Kendesnii Campround 

If you ask someone what they want to see most in Alaska, I think glaciers would be near the top of the list. This leg of our trip will take us past our first glacier, Matanuska.  But first we pass some gorgeous, green, marshy areas that are home to many moose.  We spotted a few on our 3 hour drive on Nabesna Road.

Nabesna Road is a 43 mile long route from Slana River, dead-ending at the tiny community of Nabesna.  It's usually a very tough, mostly dirt/gravel road.  This road takes you through the northern-most part of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.  It's a very remote area that most people do not travel down.  We wanted to explore this far corner.  They say to allow 1 1/2 hours EACH WAY to travel this road.  They were right.  It's very rough.  

Somewhere mid-way we came upon this interesting sign.  Strange though, no potty to be found.

We parked at a pullout for Rock Lake so we could hike to a backcountry cabin.

It was very warm out and we should've worn our muck boots as the ground was very spongey/mossy and boggy.  While it looked nice, you sank in several inches.  Our feet were soaked almost right away.

After a short hike with our bear spray, we came upon the Viking Cabin.  It was super cute.  It was built in the 1970s by Thor Brandt-Erickson.  You can rent it through the park service.

It has a bed, loft, kitchen and eating area.  There is an indoor wood storage area and an outdoor bathroom.  Water can be taken from the nearby stream.

It was very clean and well stocked with the basics.  You pack in/out what you need.

Maybe an old root cellar?

The stream is so clear you almost don't see it.

   

The newer outhouse.

We arrived at the Kendesnii Campground after a long drive on the bumpy dirt road.  The views were beautiful as is all of Alaska so far!  Above is our campsite.  There are about 20 of them in a loop. We were in #1 with fantastic views of the mountains.  It is free to camp in this campground.

Rick and Angie's site next to us.

Lovely lake but we could not kayak as the winds picked up.  We tried to fish from the shore but it's mostly overgrown on the shoreline and too shallow and weedy at the bank.

This campground is the only one in the Wrangell-St. Elisa National Park.  The park and preserve have nine million acres and it is the largest in the system of 757 areas in the US.  You could fit four Yellowstone parks in the Wrangell-St. Elias Wilderness Area.

Rick and Angie went wood gathering for our fire and found some large pieces.

We loved our time hear just relaxing.  Then it was off to see our first big glacier!

What a gorgeous drive!  The day was sunny and crystal clear giving us jaw dropping views of the mountains.

Chugach Mountains

And there it was as we came around the bend.  The Matanuska Glacier!  We had a sudden change of plans (all is well) and had to leave a bit earlier than planned.  No worries.  We'd come through again, later and spend more time on the glacier.

Sutton, Alaska

Matanuska Glacier Campground

It was $20 to camp here.  Our site #7.  It was a small campground, and mostly full when we pulled in later in the day, but we got two of the last three open sites.  Nice campground but you could hear road noise.

There was a nice Day Use area here with views of the glacier and a short hiking trail.

   

You could see the glacier path.

   

You can see the antler rubs on some of the trees. 

Soon enough it was time to head out.  We've been lucky with the weather, having a lot of sunshine and clear views.

We've got some fishing coming up.  A new species for us.

We Made it into Alaska Via the Top of the World Highway!!

South of Chicken, Alaska

West Fort BLM Campground

The question everyone asks???

Well, first we have to climb the Top of the World Highway.  We stayed in Dawson City, Yukon a couple extra days so the sun can dry out the road some.  The report we got from others that just came down the way we are going up, is it was very muddy and slick.  This road is known for being horrible to drive.

It dried out quite a bit in those two days.  It also appears to have been recently graded.  Yay for us!  That's a plus for heading up here early as most of the grading has just been finished. Except for some soft spots it started out very well.  We were lucky too as we had blue skies which made it possible to enjoy those gorgeous mountain views that aren't normally visible when there is cloudy skies.

It's about 65 miles from Dawson City to the Canadian/Alaskan border.  It took about 2 hours to drive that.  We took a few stops for pictures along the way. 

When you get up at the top, you know how it gets its name.  You are up, what seems, even with the surrounding mountain ranges.  They surround you.  Pictures just can't capture the vastness.

At one point the clouds were below us.

It's so hard to miss all the potholes, even driving mostly at 25.

That thin light line is the road. 

We see very few others except the Ricky Racers.  They just zoom past you, bouncing along.

The snow was still pretty deep in some spots.

We quickly were covered in dust and mud.

Looking behind us at Rick & Angie.  Some parts of the road were very dusty!

Some fun facts about the Top of the Highway Road:

It's about 80 miles long from Dawson City, Yukon to Jack Wade, Alaska.

It's been in existence from 1955 to present, open only in the summer.

It's one of the most northerly highways in the world at this latitude.

The border is only open 8am-8pm.

There is a 1-hour time difference after crossing the border.

It's just around the next bend!  We are at the highest elevation on this road at 4515 feet.  It sure seems higher.

There it is.

Of all the warnings they could post, this seems a little weird.

Crossing into Alaska! It is May 31st, 2024.

We made it!!  After 35 days from leaving Placerville, CA and 2,836 miles, we have arrived!

We absolutely loved the time we spent in British Columbia and the Yukon along the way and look forward to seeing more on the return trip.

We found another spot in Jack Wade that has a public gold panning area.  Good thing we don't do this for a living.  We'd be broke.  Actually, we're thinking there's no gold here at all.  HA!

The only thing we came upon was some rusty stuff.  But it was fun though!

It's nice when they mark the really rough spots with flags.

A few more bumpy roads and we finally arrive in Chicken, Alaska!

You can spot the dredge coming into town.  The giant chicken sits across from that.

There isn't much here really, except a couple RV parks, a store, saloon and cafe.

I remember my Mom telling me about this place when they came through in their RV about 15 years ago.  It was just liked she described.

We had some lunch and took a break from the road.

Plenty of hats and bras and other items hanging from the ceiling.

Parked out front, we had some company.  It's like we're part of a small army of campers!

Cute bathrooms outside.

 

We may not have found gold, but we got lucky another way  ;-)

Back onto pavement.  Pretty choppy, but it felt better than the bouncy dirt road portions.

And then back to gravel/dirt.

The Westfork BLM campground was quiet and only $6 with our Sr. Pass. 

We just stayed 1 night.

We looked forward to arriving in Tok where we had many stops planned.  First up, a bath!  $20 did it.

Turtle 1 and Turtle 2 as we call them sometimes.  All clean and shiny!

Then it was time to dump tanks, fill fresh water, get gas, groceries and pick up our guns.  So nice to fill the tank up with cheaper gas.  $3.81 a gallon instead of the usual almost $6 Canadian (w/conversion).  We shipped our pistols and rifle from Washington to Tok. We should've been able to cross into Canada with the rifle (legally), but we got rejected and turned back.  To read the blogpost about why, click HERE.  Steve found an FFL (Federal Firearms License) that recommended we use an FFL in Bellevue, WA and have him ship them to Tok, which was our first stop over the Alaskan border.  All worked out perfectly and we moved on after a late lunch at Fast Eddies Pizza.

Tok, Alaska

Gravel Lake Dispersed

The scenery from Tok down to this boondocking spot was gorgeous!  We saw several moose along the way.  At first we thought this spot was a bit of a bust.  As we drove back a bit further we pulled up along the small lake, relaxed and decided we liked it much better.  Especially the free part!

The water was super clear and somewhat shallow.  We did see some trout swimming around later as we hiked around the lake and the stream that fed into it.

Lots of BIG moose prints.  We never did see any at camp though.

The water out of the stream is crystal clear.

It was just us until a motorhome joined us later that evening.

We are so happy to be in Alaska!!  Wow, it doesn't even seem real!  This will be our home until late September.

That night I noticed that the pink duckie our son, Brennan, placed in the camper in a strange spot, was actually STILL there.  Nothing is holding it in place on this little block of wood.  Weird, as most everything else gets tossed about now and then with all the bumps and potholes on these roads.

Lucky Duck!