After 10 straight days of driving our weary road warriors arrived in Anchorage to celebrate the waning hours of our Nation’s birthday. Our CCL friend George Donart was making a rhubarb crisp from his garden and before his wife Michelle returned home from feeding a neighbor friend’s cat Paul was deep into his first Epsom Salt hot water bath.
Can you feel the relief?
The drive from Tok was windy, slow and a bit smoother than the previous two days. And the views of the glaciers in Wrangle- St. Elias (the largest National Park in the US) were indescribable. It just keeps getting better and we feel so lucky to have friends here to point us toward our next destination.
George, like Paul, is a former grade 2 teacher and Michelle and he have hiked and camped all over Alaska and North America. They have been super helpful in planing our 2 adventures north to Talkeetna and Denali National Park and south to the Kenai Peninsula and hopeful whale watching and iceberg kayaking. Also sharing all their light weight home dried food and camping gear, and navigating the sometimes tricky reservation system to find camping during high season in Alaska.
We will stay in Talkeetna tomorrow and in Denali NP Sunday with hopes of extending our camp sites by being there and filling cancellations. With Paul’s stiff neck and overall soreness we have opted away from a wilderness permit and will take day long excursions into the park and return to our home base and vehicle (Inshallah, if God is willing)
We spent our 3 nights and 2 days in Anchorage getting to know George and Michelle and their 18 year old kitty Patches. We had wonderful home cooked salmon meals (they are both commercial fisher with their own boat) and George walked us around to my massage (many thanks), the print shop for Paul to make more Simple Steps propaganda, and downtown to see the Iditarod start line with the Balto statue photo and dog mushers hall of fame photo and pick up postcards to send to family and friends.
Depending on access to service this may be the last blog for a few days or not. We are in a new land and want to experience as much as we can. And if the weather doesn’t clear perhaps a flight-seeing tour above Denali. Here’s a photo of the majestic mountain from a fellow traveler who shared with us.
Sharing Ralph’s book
One last highlight for Paul was sharing our friend Ralph Bovard’s book “Gilly and the Snowcats” with George and Michelle. Ralph is a Birchlegger (20+ year Birkie skier) and on our board for the Birchleggings Club. His book is magic…. about a 12 year old girl Gilly (his niece) winning the Iditarod with a team of magical cats…..read it here. Thanks Ralph, for for the Denali flight-seeing details.
All things must end, this blog and apparently Paul’s Mac Air that no longer turns on. Thanks for trying to extend its 8 year life Drew, Apple Genius at the Anchorage Apple Store. Lucky we are a 2 Mac Air family and thanks Mindy for sharing your machine.
Everyone, send ‘clearing cloud’ messages to central Alaska, here we come.
– Paul
So excited for you guys, what an adventure you had making it to Anchorage!! Thanks for the wonderful story telling and hello to George and Michelle 👋 what amazing hosts! Soak up each day up there in the Magic and beauty and can’t wait to read more whenever you’re back to WiFi 🙂