Kev n Jens Adventures: 2022-07-03

Sunday July 3, 2022 - Today we went white water rafting on the Nenana River with Denali Raft Adventures. It was a wild ride, with some class III and IV rapids. At the end of the ride they said we could jump in and try out the dry suits, Kevin, Aunt Gerry and Janet all jumped in and were flopped back into the raft, face-first, by the guide.

getting ready for the trip down the Nenana

The Smiths look ready

Kevin overboard

and pulled in

Aunt Gerry couldn't wait to be next in

and pulled in...face down on the floor of the raft

We made it back to the bus! Although the bus broke down a few miles down the road and we had to listen to a bunch of bad jokes from the guides, trying to keep us entertained.

As you know, we love the Alaskan cut-outs...I guess we summited Denali!

Monday, July 4, 2022 - Today Janet, Bob, Kev & I took a ride on one of the Green National Park buses. We booked it a few days ahead, at the bus depot and they picked us up at 8:30 in the morning at the bus stop across from our campground. Since the landslide took out the road at Mile 42, last summer, that's as far as the buses can go into the park. It took 4 hours round trip and the driver was full of wildlife info. He stopped the bus whenever anyone saw wildlife and we saw a lot of it: a willow ptarmigan (the Alaska state bird) caribou, several moose, dall sheep, a golden eagle (there aren't many bald eagles here since there aren't many fish in Denali) and a grizzly bear! For dinner we had a Fourth of July Barbecue in the pavilion. No fireworks in Alaska, since it never gets dark!

A Grizzly bear, in the distance, munching on grass. The driver told us that the Grizzlies in Denali are smaller than the coastal Grizzlies, since coastal Grizzlies live on fish. There aren't many fish in Denali, eighty percent of the Denali Grizzlies diets are vegetarian (mostly grasses and berries).

We stopped for a quick walk at mile 42. I would have liked to see the landslide that took out the road, but it was a 2.5 mile walk one way, guess we'll have to wait for our next trip when we can hopefully see the finished new bridge.

Alaska has lots of braided rivers

the back of the bus crew

The Grizzly had finished eating grass and moved to a snow pile for a cool nap

A smokey day in Denali, due to the Alaskan wildfires

Gerry, Kevin, Janet and I decided to take the bus 3 miles down the road, to hike the Savage River Loop Trail. It was a beautiful 2 mile hike

Fourth of July picnic

Janet swatting mosquitoes with her zapper

Our grill master!

Our Fourth of July picnic moved into the pavilion, when we got a little rain

Tuesday July 5, 2022 - Today we did the Denali Sled Dog Demonstration. We got to tour the Sled Dog Kennel before the demonstration. It was fun to get to see all the dogs, which are Alaskan Huskies. The ranger explained that Alaskan Huskies are not registered with the AKC, since they are somewhat mutts (huskies, malamutes, chinook and samoyed) . The Denali dogs are sometimes bred with sled dogs from other groups, to keep the gene pool diverse. During the presentation the ranger talked about what life is like in Denali in the winter. The rangers make trips all the way out Kantishna at Mile 89 by sled dog. They stop at the NPS cabins along the way which are about 10 miles apart. After the demonstration we went into Healy for lunch at 49th State Brewery, where the bus is from the "Into the Wild" movie.

Grizzly statue at the Denali Visitor Center

An old dog sled and snow shoes at the Sled dog kennels

each sled dog has a log hut with their name on it. The dogs are trained to jump on the roof, so they can be prepped with their harnesses and the handlers can check on them.

the guys were happy to be at the visitor center with some cell service

The bus used in the movie "Into the Wild"

Janet's driving

Janet got a flight of sodas

I got the crab grilled cheese, with chowder to dip my fries in, wow was it good!

We had fun sitting on the deck

On the way home we saw a Momma moose with her baby

Janet, Kev and I took a 2 mile hike from the visitors center on the Triple Lakes Trail before heading back to our campsite.

The suspension bridge over Riley Creek

When we got back to the campground, Janet and I hiked up to the glacial stream we had seen earlier in our trip and soaked our feet in the freezing cold water

The trail we hiked has a sign that's used to block off the trail when necessary

Wednesday July 6, 2022 - We were sad to leave Denali but it's time to head to Fairbanks. We have reservations in the city of Fairbanks, at Riverside RV Park. It was a 2 hour drive, and we stopped for a break in Nenana on the way. It was a fun little town to wander around in. The town has a raffle each year, where people guess when the Tanana River will break up. The Ice Classic has been going on since 1917 when a group of engineers surveying for the Alaska Railroad bet $800, guessing when the river would break up, and it's been happening every year since then. The town sets up a tripod on the river, they hook a cable to it that is connected to a clock in a building on land and when the ice breaks, the tripod falls, tripping the clock. Whoever guesses the correct day/time wins the pot! Last year 18 people shared the $252,000 pot. They are taking guesses for 2023, so we all entered.