Anchorage Blog # 11

   Traveling south from Denali last Sunday afternoon, we dawdled our way along the Parks highway headed in the direction of Anchorage, about 225 miles away. We moved over on several occasions to let faster traffic shoot on by. Why would anyone want to rush through such majestic surroundings?

  Earlier we had driven for a final time around the area and had taken some final Denali photos. We stopped by the bookshop at the visitors center and picked up a few items, then drove to the top of a high cliff to the Alpenglow dining room at the Grand Denali Lodge and enjoyed a wonderful buffet breakfast...with a view. Back at the campground I emptied the holding tanks, disconnected, pulled in the slides and reluctantly, we slowly escaped in the southerly direction. We had truly loved and enjoyed Denali. Of course Denali has been in the news the past few days with the very real story of two young female summer employees that have been missing in the park for several days. That's the bad news. The GOOD news is that they were found yesterday and are in fine condition.

     During our time in the area we had totally missed seeing Mt. McKinley It is so high that it makes it's own weather and was clouded in 24/7. Farther south there are some great viewing points for the highest peak in North America so after about a 100 mile drive we decided to park it all at the state campground at Byers Lake and try to get another look. All the mosquitos in the state of Alaska decided to park with us. We drove a few miles down the road to a designated viewing spot. No success. Drove a few yards farther to McKinley View Lodge for a piece of pie. They said, "Come back early in the morning and you'll be able to see it." Baloney! It was no better Monday morning. (But the pie was excellent)

   We stopped along the way at the Trapper Creek general store for propane and a little breakfast. For Sweet Lynda it was the obligatory mushroom omelet. The ladies running that place were super and very hard working. Got to talk with several fellow-travelers as well.

   At Wasilla we checked out the Transportation and Industry Museum. Good move. Some very nice old tractors. Airplanes, cars, railroad cars & stuff, old equipment and oodles of other interesting things. We spent a couple of hours there but more time would have been better. So glad we stopped.

   In Anchorage we went on a picnic, watched the trains go past the Ship Creek RV campground at least 100 times. Those tourist sight-seeing cars ARE fancy. We talked to owner Rosie at the Mountain View car wash and went to the Zoo. Got back a bit ago from having a wonderful dinner downtown at the Glacier Brew House . On top of that we went to WalMart, Barnes & Noble, and Fred Myer's grocery store a couple of times. Tomorrow we head south into the Kenai peninsula for a week or two. Might try to connect up with Jim & Shirley at Whittier  early Saturday morning before they board the train for their northward run.

   We discover that it's necessary to take a break and rest up a little now and then. Talked to Jamie. She and grandson Josh are in a family way. Another great-grandkid in the making. The Pike dynasty continues. (Now you know about this one too, Angel).

   From Louis L'Amour's Bendigo Shafter.....     "The world isn't built around people who do 

                                                                                     what they want to do. . . what they want regardless of who gets hurt.  It is built by people who do what they SHOULD do."

   More in a few days from down around Resurrection Bay.

LOVE AND BLESSINGS. . . ALWAYS. . . ON THE ROAD WITH WINSTON & LYNDA