It’s departure day for Alaska! This trip started with the show in St. Paul on Saturday, and then continued with visiting with family in Carver, MN and Waconia, MN on Sunday. It’s now Monday and time to head for the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. After so many days of research, planning, and consideration of all of the options in Alaska, the plan is set and the day finally here. I’m completing the journey of seeing all fifty states, and doing it with one of the most exciting states of all. I am eager to say the least.
My 11:50 a.m. flight is a long one at six hours, but it worth it as the water and the acres of tall pines rolling from the water’s edge come into view during the descent. Once on the ground at about 6:00 p.m., I have an amusing incident (amusing later, not at the time) at the rental car counter. I get in the express line while others are lined up in the non-express line. The one attendant working asks if I have an express card with me. I tell him no, but that I have the number and it’s on my reservation. He says that I have to get in the other line, adding in all seriousness that since I don’t have a card, I might not be telling the truth about being an express member! He was a bit sheepish about it when it was finally my turn. No harm done, except to my possible reputation among the other car renters!
Approaching Anchorage
I’m now on the road exploring Anchorage before heading north to tonight’s destination. I stop by the Fred Meyer grocery store to stock up on food supplies for my hiking ventures. I then grab a tasty bacon burger and onion rings at a Fodor’s recommended diner called Arctic Roadrunner. Every condiment here packs a little heat, from the pickles to the variety of salsas.
The Arctic Roadrunner
Now it’s time to hit the road for Denali National Park. Much research has gone into this part of the trip, in part because it is very different from any other national park that I know. For instance, one can’t just drive into the park. You can drive up to it, but you must make a reservation on a park bus to take you into the road accessible areas of the park’s six million acres. Another unusual characteristic is that the park only has one marked hiking trail. For the entire rest of the park, you’re on your own.
I take Alaska State Route 1 north to Wasilla, AK, home of Sarah Palin. I have to stop by the Wasilla Target for another supply item or two. The thought does go through my head as I scan faces in the store that it’s not impossible that Ms. Palin or other Palin family members might be doing some shopping as well. We don’t run into each other at Target.
From Wasilla, I turn onto Alaska State Route 3 north. It will take me all the way to Denali. It’s an interesting drive. The feeling of entering one remote area that leads to another area that feels even more remote is giving me exactly the feeling I was hoping for. It’s a sense of excitement, of discovery, of seeing something very special that few people get to see, the satisfaction of the extra work and commitment given to gain the privilege of seeing this.
About halfway between Wasilla and Denali, I take a quick break at a country convenience store. There are photographs on the wall of bears in the area. They only stoke my wildlife fever. There are two animals I am on a mission to see in the wild in Alaska: Grizzly Bears and Moose, two of the biggest, most majestic animals in North America.
I reach Denali River Cabins. Sunset was just after 10:00 p.m. It’s nearly midnight and there is still some twilight. The sound of the Nenana River is one of power and one of calm all at the same time. The cedar log cabin is perfect – small and simple with just what I need. I’m almost too excited to get to sleep, but I better. It’s a big day tomorrow with my first hike into Denali National Park.
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