2017 Motorcycle Adventure to Alaska (Day fifteen)

This morning I pulled up stakes in North Pole and jumped on the George Parks Highway and pointed my “Black Ugly” (formerly Black Beauty) toward Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula.

The day started out cool with some overcast clouds even though the forecast called for warm and sunny. At my first gas stop in the town of Healy I mentioned this to the young man at the cash register and he simply said, “The mountain out there just does what he wants”.  I took a lot of photographs of the incredible scenery all of which would have turned out better with more sunlight.

At some point north of the Denali National Park the mist turned into a real downpour. I was well prepared and despite the soaking my rain gear kept me dry as a bone. I love my Frogg Toggs.

Mount Denali is 20,310 ft. high (nearly four miles straight up) so you can imagine how magical it felt riding past this stately giant.

The highway was mostly two lane but had a generous number of passing lanes so getting around all the motorhomes was a non issue.

As I got further south the vegetation changed from the scrawny “Dr. Seuss” like evergreens to the kind of forests I see every day in Muskoka.

Nearing Anchorage the elevation was dropping steadily to sea level as the city is a major port on the Gulf of Alaska. It was late afternoon and I knew it could be tough finding a campsite near the city so I decided to push on to Girdwood on the Seward Highway leading out to the Kenai Peninsula. 

The first campground I found was full and being a Saturday night in mid July I was not surprised. Girdwood is a small coastal town that appears to be an outdoorsman’s paradise with everything from hiking, fishing, cycling to downhill skiing in the winter. I wound up in the parking lot at the base of the chair lifts for the winter ski resort. It offered no amenities but the price was right (free). Because I brought along my little 1000W Honda generator I could produce my own electricity which I’m currently using to power my Macbook. That reminds me. Ever since arriving in Alaska I haven’t had to use my lantern in the evening because it stays light enough that you don’t need a light source. Strange but true.

There are three other families camped out here and I have made friends with Bob and Alice from Maryland, USA who are right next to me in their Winnebago. Because bears are always a concern I feel more comfortable at night knowing there are other people nearby.

Tomorrow I will run down to Seward (pronounced Sooward) and then back up to Hope and then begin my gradual trip back home. Unfortunately this will involve back tracking through a lot of the country I came through but once I get past Whitehorse I will take a more direct route home on the Yellow Head Hwy. that cuts through Edmonton and Saskatoon instead of Calgary and Regina.

If tomorrow is a clear day I should get some great photographs.