Denali National Park, Alaska Adventure

Denali National Park, Denali, Alaska 2019

 















I can't believe it's been three whole years since I was driving in AK. So much has happened since then, you can read other posts, to get an idea of where I have been. 

This drive was amazing. Started 125 miles from the California / Mexico border. I then drove to Canada, Yukon, and Alaska. I went up the coast of California and that was amazing. I wish I could have stopped ever few miles to take photos, but alas, my memory will have to suffice. 

Driving to Alaska from the Washington border was easy. I had 'mace' spray or pepper spray, not sure of the difference, the lady at the border was very serious and took my protection. If it had been bear spray, she would have let me keep it. Go figure. Bears were less of a threat than 'man'. 

I drove near Hope, BC and found the road signs were NOT what I was used to in the USA. The sign for a new highway was small. Similar to our "arrow" sign. This was a small sign for a big choice to make. I ended up driving about 10 miles out of the way, before realized it, and then had to find a way to turn around. 

When you have no hurry, the U-turns are not an inconvenience, they just are. You get to see spots you hadn't planned on and at times there are beautiful 'surprises.'

I was just so blessed with all the water, streams, and rivers everywhere. I love Canada and the beauty there. I would live there, in a perfect world. 

I had charted out my route and wrote down the 'signposts' that I 'should see' on my route and as I passed them, I would check them off. I had a notebook with stops, I think 4 pages of stops, about every 50-100 miles. I didn't want to get lost without GPS or cell service. It has also been a great reminder of the route I took. I still have that notebook. 

Driving through BC, Alberta, and then Yukon is just amazing. So much bare untouched land on the earth, some is barren and about as friendly as the moon, but it's unique. I drove past a fire burn area and even 15 years after the burn the trees had not recovered. They are in the tundra, and they have a hard time growing in a good year. 












As a child, when my parents would stop at this type of marker, I was so bored. I didn't have any education of the area, no reason why this applied to my life and it was just a 'random' fact with no meaning to my life. 

An adult needs to prepare their children, teach them and help them gain the meaning of why these markers are there for people to read. I hope I did that as a mom, I may not have. 

The history in this area is not for everyone, some could care less about Yukon or Canada, they are just living their life now. In the here and now and trying to make do on a daily basis. 

I hope you read these posts and get a glimmer of what others went through for our benefit. Roads, Railroads, Highways and tunnels are there for our enjoyment and use now. 100 years ago, it was up to the hardy folk to blaze a trail and find the best path across rivers or over mountains. 

I am thankful, I was able to drive a car over the mountains and over the rivers (well, that was a ferry) to get to my destination. 

I would do it again, but maybe plan differently. More money, more sightseeing, more hiking and less fear. 

I had a lot of faith, but I also was cautious about bears and other wildlife. I was 'alone' and didn't want to fall or get mauled by a bear. So, some caution was good, I think I could have done more hiking and sightseeing and been very safe. 

That is for next time. 



What do you hope to learn about the area, the weather, how the roads are... 

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Shalom







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