Next morning in Fairbanks, it was time to dump and I needed to figure out why my black tank was not emptying completely. So, I followed the advice of the YouTube channel I have followed for a while, Go Small, Live Large.
We drove out the Elliott highway after adding the ice, water and detergent to drive for 30 minutes, and it was very beautiful. A friend suggested a campground out the Steese highway and so we headed to it for the next two nights.
Upper Chatanika River State Recreation Area
The camping area is about a 40 mile drive out from Fairbanks along the Steese highway. The highway winds through some glorious wooded foothills. The road goes further out but it turns dirt at some point, and we only went as far as the campground.
Entering the campground we drove through a very wooded area to the back where there were anywhere between 5-10 tents per site, no people or vehicles around and about 6 sites sitting that way. Mosquitoes were thick. Coming around back towards the entrance, we also found stacks of boxes with military meals. I was puzzled, but we decided to stay anyway. We picked a spot overlooking the river, out in the open where the mosquitoes were not bad. There was a nice breeze.
Firefighters
It turned out that the tents and meals were for the firefighters. The campground was a staging area for the firefighters and there was a team from Montana and a team from California. Now, I guess I am naive, but I was surprised that they have to camp after fighting a fire all day long. I would want a big shower if I fought a blaze all day. They get a big baby wipe, military rations and a hard ground to sleep on. They are a tough lot!
It was interesting to talk to them and learn about firefighting. There is a woman on the California team (she told me it is the best job in the world). When I expressed surprise they were from California, they told me that the Yosemite fire started after the team was in Alaska . I learned that firefighters are deployed for 2-3 weeks at a time and will not go back until that time was over. The Montana team left my 2nd day riding on a school bus back to Fairbanks, where they get one night in a hotel (presumably to clean up) and then fly home next day.
Fairbanks Again and a Boondock
We drove back to Fairbanks to purchase some groceries and prepare for Denali National Park. Being a Friday night, we boondocked at the University of Fairbanks again, but did not need to get out so early since weekends had no time limits. When we got up in the morning, we had a view of Denali from Fairbanks!
Fall in Alaska
We had another night to kill before our reservations at the National Park, and I wanted to get closer to the park. So, off we set to find a boondocking spot. Pulling into an overlook a few miles south of Fairbanks, I met two young men who were ex-Army living now in the area. I commented that it felt like a beautiful Michigan fall day. They told me, “This is it. The one fall day we will get”! We all laughed, but I think they were serious.
Nenana Boat Launch
A nice little boondocking spot sits near the confluence of the Nenana and Tanana rivers at the boat launch. It’s a huge parking lot with a view of the Nenana river and it was relatively flat and quiet.
Denali National Park
Next morning, we had another beautiful day, and we got our first real glimpse of the beast mountain. Denali is the largest mountain in North America standing at 20,310 feet. I was excited because we had a glorious day that I hoped would last until we got to the park.
Later that afternoon, the clouds came in and we did not see the mountain again until the day we were leaving the park.
Next Morning!
Denali Park road is closed at mile 43 (road is 92.5 miles long) because of a landslide. It is possible to drive your personal vehicle to mile 15. I just could not justify $128 to ride a bus the 23 more miles to the closure when it was cloudy, and I did not want to sit on a bus with a bunch of potentially sick people either, so I did not go further.
Man oh man, your the Denali whisperer as you are a 10%’er multiple times!
Thanks for the YouTube video connection! Educational & led to me downloading RV apps as well! Great pictures of Denali!
Denali is simply stunning Karen! Pretty cool you got to see Gilann and Bill, too!