Earlier this week we did some exploring of the areas around Cantwell. Tuesday we drove along the Denali Highway about 30 miles and back. The Denali Highway runs from Cantwell east 135 miles to Paxson Alaska. The road is mostly gravel, some has a lot of washboard and potholes, some is pretty smoothly maintained. The road runs through the heart of the Alaska Range and the views are spectacular
We returned to the campground briefly then headed north to Denali National Park again We hoped to see a grizzly (from the truck) but no luck We did see harlequin ducks (on my wishlist!) and a caribou
The harlequin ducks are so beautiful! They like to swim in fast-rushing and rocky rivers Look them up to see how beautiful they are!
Added bonus: Denali was Out! It’s so rare and wonderful to see!
The next day we drove more of the Denali Highway, to Maclaren Pass which is the second highest pass in Alaska at just over 4000 feet We saw many beautiful ducks, an eagle flying low and nearby, several porcupines, swans, and a few of these big guys:
We had lunch at the Maclaren Lodge where the burgers were great but the coffee… well…I wouldn’t drive 97 miles across the tundra for it.
Yesterday we hiked about 3 1/2 miles on the Triple Lakes Trail in the national park We made it to the first lake (again more great birds—Barrows Goldeneye, Horned Grebes, Mergansers, and American Wigeons) We met some nice young hikers from Croatia who come to Alaska in the summers to work and explore We meant to go on to lake 2 but the temps dropped and it began to rain, so we took a “rain check” on that (I know you see what I did there…)
Today we fished a bit along the Jack River where we once again caught no fish. No red fish, no blue fish, none with a little star, none with a little car…but what a lot of fish I’m sure there are!?!
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