Category Archives: scenic drives

A Trip of a Lifetime

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Alaska Road Trip

The last trip that was suggested was another chance to see Alaska. As you all know I took a land cruise tour in 2013. It was nice but I’m convinced it could have been so much better. “Pete” who lives in Alaska recommended a road trip that included Homer, Denali, Fairbanks, Valdez, ending in Anchorage. This immediately caught my interest. A road trip like that would take some planning so I started pouring over guidebooks, maps and Alaska Blogs. I think I have the framework laid out.

Minimum 14 days

A road trip like this would hit most of the high points but it can’t be rushed. I think it will take at least 14 days to complete. I think the best time of year will be summer. That means I can’t go this year. I can’t get 2 weeks off this summer. Maybe 2019? I can probably use the time to make lodging reservations. Here’s my rough draft of the ideal road trip.

Alaska Road Trip Itinerary

Day 1:  Anchorage… Pick up rental car, drive north on George Parks Highway. Overnight in Talkeetna

Day 2: Talkeetna to Denali. Overnight in Denali National Park

Day 3: Denali National Park. Overnight in Denali

Day 4: Denali to Fairbanks. Overnight in Fairbanks

Day 5: Take a tour to the Arctic Circle. Overnight in Fairbanks

Day 6: Leave Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway for Delta Junction. Overnight Copper Center

Day 7: Wrangell St Elias National Park – Valdez. Overnight in Valdez

Day 8: Valdez, Prince William Sound-Ferry to Whittier/Seward. Overnight Seward

Day 9: Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park Overnight Seward

Day 10: Seward to Homer. Overnight in Homer

Day 11 : Homer. Overnight in Homer

Day 12: Leave Homer for a scenic drive to Ninilchik – the oldest settlement on the Kenai Peninsula. Overnight Cooper Landing

Day 13: Leave Kenai Peninsula and drive north through the Chugach National Forest to Portage Glacier. Overnight Anchorage

Day 14: Anchorage –  Turn in the rental car and catch the flight home

Denali

 

Comments Welcome

So that’s the first draft of the trip. Any suggestions? Any recommendations for accommodations at the various stops? I considered renting an RV and camping but changed my mind. I think an SUV is more to my liking. Suggestions and comments welcome!

 

 

You’re off to Great Places!

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I Love your Great Ideas!

You had some great trips for me to consider. Thank you for sharing your suggestions. I have a lot to consider.  “Diane” suggested Glacier National Park. I must say that National Parks are always a super choice. I’ve been to many. I even have the “passport” books and collect the stamps. I thought that Glacier National Park was primarily a hiking destination and I’m not sure I’m up for much hiking. Time for me to do a little research.

Glacier National Park

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The first thing I found out when I searched Glacier National Park was Going-to-the-Sun Road. This drive connects the east and west sides of the park as it cuts through the middle. Going-to-the-Sun road is 50 miles of scenic wonder. I’ll need to plan this vacation in the summer. The road is often closed by snow in the winter. It’s wild country out there. Wildlife may be present anywhere along Going-to-the-Sun Road. As you know if you’ve read many of my posts, I’m a sucker for Wildlife. I can watch for mountain goats and Big Horn sheep.  You can even see a glacier from the road at Jackson Glacier Overlook. A bonus for me is that Glacier National Park is in Montana. I haven’t been to Montana yet!

Yosemite National Park

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Sticking with the National Park theme, my boss at work got in on the suggestions. She lobbied for Yosemite National Park. She and her family recently vacationed there and she came away quite impressed. Yosemite National Park is in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains. It’s famous for El Capitan and Half Dome, two iconic landmarks. Its also home to giant, ancient sequoia trees. When I think of Yosemite I think of waterfalls. I was concerned that this hiker’s paradise might be another place that would be beyond my skill set? I’m happy to report that many areas of the park can be reached by car and some places even have shuttle access! Sounds like a user friendly park to me!

Stay Tuned

There are more suggestions to come and they just keep getting better!

 

Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

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Time to change to The Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge

We had one more day but it was at The Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. Say bye-bye to The Denali Princess Lodge. Our luggage was picked up at 7 am but our bus didn’t leave until 11 am so we had time for a nice leisurely breakfast. The sun had finally come out and with the sun the mosquitos. You have to understand that Alaskans consider the mosquito the unofficial state bird. They are huge!

On the road againigloo

At 11 am our bus pulled out. Along the way we passed an abandoned “igloo” https://aroundustyroads.com/2013/07/02/one-more-lodge/

Moose scrambles up the bankShortly after that the bus to bus radio crackled to life. There was a grizzly chasing a moose along side the road. The lead bus gave us the mile marker but by the time we got there they were gone. No sign of either moose or bear. A bit farther along the way we spotted another moose. This one was also trotting along the side of the road. Just as my window came even it turned and scrambled up the bank toward the woods. 

The new lodge

antler door handlesThis lodge was pretty unique right down to the antler door handles. A shuttle bus took you around the property. The main activity here seemed to be Denali watching. It’s rare when the clouds clear to give a view of the peak. They even have an alert system so when Denali is visible you can check it out. We were lucky. A good portion of the mountain was visible the whole time we were there.

Denali

New Life Begins

Our Alaska visit was coming to an end but Alaska was coming to life as we prepared to leave. The baby animals we wanted to see were finally being born. A Mama moose has a pair of twins right near the lodge. Ms. Moose kept her babies well hidden until they could get strong enough to move. Clearly we had made our trip a week or two too early in the season. We will be leaving for Anchorage in the morning where we will catch our plane back to real life.

mama moose

 

An Afternoon Surprise

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lunch of yummy berriesAnother afternoon Moose

The afternoon was waning so I left the little bear to his berries. I planned to continue checking for moose. There’s a swampy area right at the Moose Junction end of Moose-Wilson road. The parking area looks out over the bog. This is supposed to be a great spot for moose but so far I haven’t had any luck here. I pulled in to park for a bit but as the sun slid toward the horizon all was quiet. Time to wrap up for the day.

A Bit of Deja-Vu

Moose in the afternoonAt the end of Moose-Wilson Road I turned right past Moose Junction and the Visitor Center. Taking another right I was back on the main road to Jackson. I’d just passed the Jackson Hole Airport when I saw cars lining both sides of the road. Another critter jam. This time everyone was looking west toward the Teton range. The sun was angling right into my eyes. At first I couldn’t see what everyone was looking at because of the sun. Suddenly I got the angle right and I spotted it. It was another moose.

Moose watchingBull Moose

This was the same area where I saw the last moose but that time the moose was on the left side of the road. This time the road was above the marshy ground on the right side of the road. It looked a lot like the same moose. He was just as unconcerned as the other one too. This time instead of wandering along the side of the road he was meandering toward the road from across the large field. It was hard to get an angle where the sun wasn’t hitting the camera lens directly.

Here Comes Bullwinkle

Moose in the setting sun

As the big guy headed toward me I took as many pictures as I could. Since the field only had some streams and marsh I wasn’t going to get that iconic photo of a moose in a pond but I’ll take what I can get. For quite awhile it seemed Bullwinkle would head right at my car but when he was about half way across the field he changed directions. He was still heading for the road but now he was going to meet up with it way behind me. It was time to move on. My photo ops had passed.

 

Moose in the afternoon

Madison Junction to Gibbon Falls

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Madison River joins the Gibbon River

At Madison Junction the road from the West Entrance joins the loop road. The Madison River also joins with the Gibbon River at this point. I continued on the Grand Loop to follow the Gibbon River. 

Gibbon Falls

Gibbon Falls

I saw the stone walls and walkways first. Photographers were set up with tripods, intent on something I couldn’t see. I was coming up on the parking area for Gibbon Falls. Gibbon Falls is not the highest or wildest waterfall in the park but it is really wide. The water flows in lacy ribbons over the gradual rock drop. From the parking lot you have a walk of about .2 miles to the southern end of the lookout. Along the way you enjoy different views of the falls and interpretive boards that describe what you are looking at. This is a very nice stop.

Gibbon Falls

You’re Looking at the rim of a Caldera

The Gibbon River flows along the rim of the Yellowstone Caldera. Gibbon Falls is where the river falls off the rim. Its mind boggling. The rim just looks like a mountain ridge but its the lip of a giant volcanic crater! 

over the caldera rim

A White Navigator

Returning to my car I met a couple who, like me had just trekked the length of the walkway. They were driving a large white Navigator and once again I wished I had an SUV instead of my little black Toyota. That would soon be a factor in my next Yellowstone adventure. Little did I know what was waiting for me just a few miles ahead as I followed my new acquaintances out of the parking lot. They turned right and so did I. They were on their way to Norris Junction. I planned to skip Norris today and start my swing back toward Jackson through the   Hayden Valley. I was hoping to start spotting some wildlife. All I can say is “Be Careful What You wish For!”

Jousting Bison