We had finally found internet that worked down in the Camp Mercantile
(ie shop !!), so for an hour or two this morning I had been getting as much
blog done as I could. But by about 9 am,
everyone else was starting to log on, and the connection started dropping out
every 5 minutes, so I gave up. That was
when I went to fight the “blue loo” tent !!
Eventually, with blue tent folded up and blog sent, we set
off north towards Fairbanks…..But we didn’t get very far. 2 miles down the road, we saw a sign to a
Hotel located up a very steep and winding dirt trail that overlooked the whole
valley, so we went up to have a look at the hotel, and their view. It was only about 1 mile or so of road, but
as you will see from the photos, someone who built the road has a sense of
humour and the road signs in that short distance had us in fits of laughter. I
think you all might understand when you see the photos ! And as for the hotel – I cannot believe it
is built right on the edge of a very steep cliff which is very unstable and
there are always rock slides around here, so how long they expect it to last, I
don’t know. Anyway, not my problem !! Nice hotel though, and stunning view over
Denali Park.
We then got on the road towards Fairbanks, passing one of
the sightseeing trains as it came into Denali from Fairbanks. Then there were some amazing cloud patterns
in the sky behnd us as we left Denali, and the forecast for the day was rain.
Soon we came to the first of many roadworks – They tend to
repair fairly lengthy sections of road here after the winter, so you can wait
for up to half an hour while cars come from the opposite direction following a
works vehicle (in case of trucks or equipment on the road), and then you go in
convoy the opposite way. I think there
were 3 or 4 major roadworks sections.
We stopped for lunch in a layby overlooking a spectacular
valley of spruce trees, and had no sooner stopped than another motorhome pulled
in, and the couple came over to us. Two
Aussies from Brisbane who had seen our number plate and pulled in for a chat
!! And then, after they pulled out
again, Raya and Arie arrived and pulled in behind us !! We couldn’t help laughing – We just can’t get
away from these guys !!!
Then drove into Fairbanks, went to the RV park I stayed at
last time and booked a spot before heading into town to the visitor centre
where we got some details on the weather for Prudhoe Bay, which basically says
it should be fine for the next few days.
We therefore plan to have a day in Fairbanks tomorrow, going to the Museum
of the North at the University, and a few other sights, before heading up the
Dalton Highway to the Arctic and Prudhoe on Sunday morning. Once that decision was made, it was still
only about 6 pm, so we went out the Creamer’s Field and went for a walk in the
Arboreal Forest there, which is an excellent self guided walk I knew of
previously. Hafway through the walk, we heard all these birds squawking, looked
up , and it was a number of gulls chasing and harassing a bald eagle ! Suddenly the eagle swooped down and land in a
branch right above our heads ! I quickly
got the camera out and managed to get a couple of shots off before he flew away
again, still chased by the gulls.
After our walk, we stopped at the supermarket to stock up on
groceries, then over to REI, the outdoor camping shop we use, for some trousers
for Janet and some extra mosquito coils, because this warm weather we are
currently having has started to bring them out in their droves. After that it
was to the campsite where we found Arie and Raya again – With a major tyre
problem. They had a balloon on the
inside of their tyre bigger than a tennis ball – How it had not punctured on
the road, I don’t know. What was worse,
their rental van had no jack or other tools, as they were supposed to phone for
help if they needed it – But the number they had been given didn’t work ! So it was past 10 pm before a tow truck arrived
to help them change the wheel, only to find there wasn’t even the tool to lower
the spare wheel from its place !! So
now we are all going to bed, and the saga will continue in the morning !!
I love reading about such adventurous people! This was a fun article to read and I showed it to my mother as well who also agreed that it was a relatable and funny experience that you shared!
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