Alaska - Road Trippin’
Watch Out! There’s a Mountain in the Road!!
May 16-22, 2023
I had no idea after being delivered to Fairbanks by Santa in his sleigh, that I would later be picked up from my massage appointment by the “Security Service detail” in an over-sized black SUV. Nivaun was missing the dark mirrored sunglasses, but he jokingly expected traffic to pull over to let us pass, as we drove across town to retrieve the last of our gear from our Warm Showers hosts.
After recounting our misadventure over a cup of tea with our hosts, it was time to begin the 500+ mile drive to Kenai. Retracing the route of our once-cycled bike path to the edge of Fairbanks, the transition to Spring was noticeable. The birch were just starting to bud, the sun was out, and the path was busy with cyclists, dog walkers, and a curious never-ending string of school kids. A few of them actually stopped to wave as we passed by - proof that our ‘ride’ apparently did give us celebrity status after all, at least from a kids’ point of view.
To Denali
We were now back on track with our plan to road trip to Kenai, almost like we intended. If it weren’t for my leg propped up on the dash with both my knee and ankle turning the colors of brewing storm clouds underneath the skin.
This was our first time traveling the Parks highway together. Just a few miles out of Fairbanks it begins to climb, winding up a ridge revealing expansive views of the Chena river snaking its way through Fairbanks on one side, and a seemingly endless valley skirted by the Brooks range on the other. As we continued to climb, I was somewhat consoled by the thought that we wouldn’t be cycling this stretch a week from now - until moments later, across the road, we saw a couple bike packers, the first of the season, taking a break while waiting for the rest of their 4-some to catch up - my gut couldn’t help but twinge. We would have to come back someday and make this right.
That is one thing, well, the best thing about Alaska - it is almost impossible to have a bad day when you are surrounded by never-ending mountains, rivers and wildlife…and the occasional random brewery in the middle of nowhere. 49th State Brewing was another stop Nivaun had made on our friend’s bucket list trip, so of course we had to pay our respects and raise a glass to our dear friends still with us and those in spirit.
Next stop - Denali!
Our original plan was to briefly check out Denali National Park on our way to Kenai to confirm just how far we could cycle on the 92 mile park road given the road repair project at mile 40. Unfortunately, we arrived just a couple minutes after the Visitor’s Center closed for the day. I had mixed feelings anyway about being on the edge of a National Park I couldn’t even explore on foot. But after some deliberation on my part, we decided to stay the night at Riley Creek campground just inside the park and head back to the Visitor’s Center in the morning. And it was a good thing we did!
The next morning we checked out the artists exhibits in the lobby, gazed longingly at the relief map and were about to leave when Nivaun discovered that pre-season, guests are allowed to drive 30 miles back into the park! In two days time, the road would be restricted to Park buses, cyclists, and guests with campground reservations. We gleefully accepted our consolation sur-prize and headed back to the SUV!
At this point, I could go on and on about the oooohs and aaaaahs and overwhelm you with endless mountain scapes. Instead, here is a sampling of our driving tour. As I have heard many say before as they cycle this road - there are no words and no pictures that will ever do it justice. It is ‘raw’ nature - It is one of the last remnants of everything that us humans have put in jeopardy. And, it was a privilege to be permitted to view it from a car window, but did not give it near the respect it is so deserving of, were we to have been here under our own power.
To Kenai
For some reason I thought leaving the park entrance and heading further south, the mountains would disappear behind us. But we were not in the lower 48! Here mountains rise up from sea level to the sky and follow you everywhere. The snow-capped Alaska Range flanked us on both sides of the Park highway for hundreds of miles. And only briefly did we lose sight of them, when the Chugach Range rose up in front of us. It was hard not to seriously question why we weren’t here 24x7x365 to be surrounded by such ridiculous beauty.
Once we entered Willow (location of Iditarod re-start), I had officially traveled the entire length of the Parks Highway that extends from just above Anchorage to Fairbanks a total of 323 miles. Only this time I was seeing everything from Willow to Kenai unveiled and bursting with Spring color. We had seen the very first signs as we left Fairbanks and watched the progression of “green-up” the closer we got to Anchorage. The roadsides were a vibrant green with patches of yellow blooms, the birch were now covered in leaves, revealing just how dense the forests are once the foliage reappears.
We had spent over half the day in Denali, so it was looking doubtful that we would make it all the way to Kenai before midnight. In search of dinner and not finding any campgrounds with tent spots in Wasilla, we side-tripped over to Matanuska Brewery in Palmer to enjoy another glass of their Blueberry ale that we first discovered at the Turtle Club.
After dinner we decided to revisit the drive we had taken on our first trip to Alaska on the old Glen highway before heading into Anchorage. Pioneer Peak towers above the Knick River and is known for its many avalanche chutes that frequently close this section. We saw more than one that had stopped just shy of the road.
It was nearing sunset, Alaska time that is after 10pm, when we reached Turnagain Arm and decided to pull in to Bird Creek campground nestled between the highway and the railroad just above the shoreline. Kenai would have to wait util tomorrow.
Turnagin Arm - tide was out but reflections in the pools were dazzling
The next morning we stopped briefly for espresso and pastries at the Girdwood entrance and continued on to the Kenai peninsula. Going through this pass has always been one of my favorite sections because there are literally road-side pull outs where backcountry skiers can park and walk up a mountain side to ski back down to their tailgate - backcountry can’t get much more accessible than that. I did ski once at Alyeska and that alone is an amazing experience with views like no other resort I have seen, yet.
The drive was spectacular, as any drive in Alaska is - until we reached the turn for Skilak Lake & recreation area. We had watched the reports of the lightening strike fires that merged in 2019, creating an inferno that lasted for months. But now 4 years later actually driving the still warped gravel road through the devastation was jaw-dropping. The loss of wildlife and habitat will take decades to recover. Alaskans describe Black Spruce as “gasoline on a stick” because they don’t just ignite, they flare in a matter of seconds.
Skilak Lake - all the dark hillsides are burn, 170,000 acres in total up to the edge of the Sterling highway the only road in/out of the Peninsula
Back on the Sterling highway feeling deeply sobered we were just a few miles from Soldotna and Kenai and more than ready for some grandkid energy to lift our spirits once again.
Making Memories
The next few days we enjoyed spending time with Nivaun’s son’s family. All three of the grandkids performed in their end of the year dance recitals in ballet, tap and jazz that weekend. Time at home was spent meeting the menagerie of pets, checking out the backyard fort, never-ending tricks on bikes and pogo sticks, trampoline flips and swapping marshmallow roasting tips over a bonfire. Unsure how soon our next visit would be I was glad we were able to still make it happen. After the last recital, we said our good-byes and the next morning, headed out early to make the drive back to Fairbanks for our flight home.
