Month: July 2017

Denali and Beyond

Day 4 and it was time to hit the road. There was, however, a drama with the car rental but that will have to wait for another day when outstanding issues are resolved with Dollar/Thrifty. After two picture-perfect days, the rain had arrived and it made for a very wet and uninteresting 237 mile trip to Grande Denali Lodge perch high on a hill overlooking the Nenana River and the entrance to the Denali National Park. After securing a room on the top floor with a view it was straight to the bar to find some more lifetime friends and it wasn’t long before we were engrossed in conversation. We allowed 3 nights stay which gave us 2 full days to explore the wonderland. The first day was a 6.55am pickup for a 3 hour 12 mile rafting trip down the Nenana River. After the usual signing of your life away and the only fault of any mishap was the fact that you wanted to do it in the first place scenario, we were ushered into the fit out section. This involved a lengthy lecture on the do’s and don’ts of our restrictive and waterproof survival suit for the journey down the river. We were bus 10 miles upriver to near Cantwell for our launch. Here we were briefed on safety issues which were a little concerning with the option to bail if you were not happy about proceedings. There had been a fair amount of rain the night before and the river was running fast, which made for a quicker trip. A whole bunch of fun and plenty of video footage for a future YouTube video. Day 2 was an earlier start of 6.15am. This time I was able to secure a great coffee from the foyer of the hotel before setting off on our 13 hour Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour. The old school bus was full and as we were the last one we had the back to ourselves. The commentary from the driver/guide was not the best and there was not a lot of animals on offer. We managed some Dall sheep high on a hill, a mother Grizzly with 2 cubs, a large herd caribou and a small assortment of little mammals and birds. Lunch at the Kantishna Roadhouse was excellent with gold panning and a historic tour on offer for those who wished to participate. All in all a well run operation. You do have the option to fly back if you wish and there were 6 passengers who had prebooked this, which is recommended. On the way back we were lucky to see a fair bit of Mt Denali on the way back. There are plenty of stops out and back on the 92 miles each way trip. A great day was had by all. The township has plenty of eating establishments and a few trendy coffee places. It is a serious tourist trap so check with your bank manager before setting out, however it is a vibrant atmosphere and a great place to visit.

Looking up to Grande Denali Lodge

Rafting Down River Nenana

Denali Backcountry Bus Tour

Denali Backcountry Bus Tour
Beautiful Valleys

Horseshoe Lake Trail

This beautiful nature reserve is located near the Denali Visitors Centre. A short walk will take you to the trailhead where you commence the moderate rated 2 mile, 2 hour hike. The best experience is to take the loop trail around the lake. There are viewing platforms overlooking the south end of the lake. There is a great view of a beaver dam about mid-way around the lake on the east side. The north end of the loop brings you out of the forest and along the Nenana River.

Horseshoe Lake Trail

Touchdown Anchorage

Staying at Rydges International Airport gave us the maximum amount of rest for the long journey ahead. The 9.50am flight required an early checkin plus we had duty tax to collect and the American Express Lounge to enjoy breakfast, all worked like a dream. Sitting upstairs on the Qantas A380 was a new experience and made for a very comfortable flight, all 14 hours of it. There was a 3 hour layover in LAX which was plenty as they now have an automated custom system as do Australia. A brisk walk of 1 kilometer to terminal 6 and we were on the final leg with Alaska Air to Anchorage another 5 hours on a full flight arrriving at 2.30pm. Who said there is a slump in air travel ?  

Our transport to the Quality Suites Historic Downtown accommodation had us collected and delivered in no time for our 3 night stay. The staff at the hotel was not exactly the friendliest, however we weren’t there to see them. After a quick walk around town it was time for a little nap before we ventured out dinner.  Anchorage is a like a small town and a little spread out and appears to have more parking lots than shops. We stumbled upon Simon & Seafort’s which is apparently the best restaurant in the place, the bill certainly attested to that. My old mate Speed told me I had to try the Halibut cheeks which I did and they were sensational, known locally as poor man’s lobster, not going on the price though. A late start the next day had us down to The Brewhouse (another great restaurant) for lunch before a 1 hour trolley bus tour of the highlights of Anchorage. On day 2 we went on a 2 hour Segway tour of town, that was a hoot, completely out of the comfort zone. On our 2 days in Anchorage we managed to gain a lot of information for our upcoming adventure and climatise however it was hotter than I anticipated.

Trolley Bus Tour

Unfortunately this was not a very pleasant experience dealing with this character. I have never been treated with such contempt in my life and to top it off it cost me a load of money. I would definitely not deal with this organisation again.