moose – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

Day 51: Denali at last

July 6, 2013July 4, 2017Posted in Alaska, RV Parks, WildlifeTagged crab stew, Denali National Park, Denali RV Park and Motel, moose, Savage River4 Comments

Day 51: Friday, July 5, 2013. North Pole, Alaska to Denali. Denali RV Park and Motel, Site 5. 194 miles traveled.

With all our chores and shopping in Fairbanks completed it was time to continue our Alaskan adventure. We left North Pole behind and traveled the Parks Highway to our RV park 8 miles outside the entrance of Denali National Park. Our reservations at Teklanika River Camp inside the national park aren’t until Monday so we will be exploring different areas of the park until then.

As soon as we were set up in our campsite we drove to Denali National Park. A quick stop at the Visitor’s Center to get our National Park Passport stamped and to purchase my Senior Pass or Geezer Pass as it is often called. I officially became a senior when I turned 62 a couple of weeks ago. The National Park Service offers a Senior Pass to those of us who have reached that ripe old age. For $10 you receive a lifetime pass which gets you into any national park or monument for free and a discount for camping in many of the federal campgrounds.

With that chore completed, we stopped at the bookstore to search for a guide book to the plants and animals of Denali so we’ll know what we are looking at.

It was finally time to go explore the park. In Denali, private vehicles are only allowed on the first 15 miles of the Denali Park Road. To travel beyond that point everyone must travel on a shuttle or tour bus. The only exception is campers going to Teklanika River Camp where we will be going on Monday. More about that later.

As we traveled along the highway marveling at the beauty around us we had to stop a few times when a shuttle bus in front of us stopped. If the shuttle bus stops there must be something good to see.

When the shuttle bus stopped, we looked all around to see what they saw

The shuttle bus was stopped to look at this moose

At the 15 mile mark we stopped at the Savage River overlook to enjoy the view and then turned around to make our way back to the park entrance. We were hoping to get a glimpse of Mt. McKinley. Like most days, clouds were covering the peaks. At one of the overlooks we got out binoculars and searched along with a couple from Texas and a couple from Toronto. Henry spotted the peaks above the clouds first. As he pointed out where to look the excitement grew among the crowd. One by one we heard “I see it!”.

At Savage River overlook at the end of the 15 miles

View from overlook on Denali Park Road

Beauty everywhere you look

We could see Mt. McKinley with binoculars. One of the peaks is just above the clouds in the middle of this picture

On our way back out of the park, we stopped again as the shuttle bus in front of us stopped. A moose was right beside the road not bothered by us at all.

The green shuttle bus stopped to look at the moose

Moose beside the road on the way out of the park

Moose beside the road as we were leaving Denali

Mt. McKinley and two moose on our first visit to Denali! What a great introduction to the park!

We stopped at the Wilderness Access Area to find out information about what to do when we check in on Monday. The lady helping us was from Georgia. She told us we could go ahead and check in so we did. With all the necessary parking and shuttle passes in hand we headed back to our campground.

I’ve been waiting for an opportunity to make some crab stew with some of our Dungeness Crab from Haines. The weather here is windy and cold and it was a perfect night for stew. Out of this world delicious if I do say so myself.

Day 47: Driving the Haul Road

July 4, 2013June 19, 2015Posted in Alaska, WildlifeTagged Alaska Pipeline, Arctic Circle, Coldfoot, Dalton Highway, moose

Day 47: July 1, 2013

If you are a fan of the show Ice Road Truckers you have heard of the Dalton Highway. If not, the Dalton Highway is the road the truckers take to get to the industrial camp at Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. The road begins 84 miles north of Fairbanks and ends 414 miles later in Deadhorse on Prudoe Bay. The road was originally called the Haul Road because all of the supplies for Prudhoe Bay were hauled by truck to get there. The Arctic Circle is about at about milepost 115 on the Dalton Highway.

The highway is mostly dirt and gravel with some paved sections. The road follows the Alaska pipeline and was built because of the pipeline. The scenery changes as you go along from birch and spruce forest to tundra. Purple wildflowers bloomed in many of the fields.

Our first view of the Alaska Pipeline from the highway

This Arctic Circle Trading Post is a long way from the Arctic Circle

We traveled as far as Coldfoot on the Dalton Highway

Road construction for several miles on the Dalton Highway

Behind a motorcycle on the Dalton Highway

As we crossed the Yukon River Bridge we could see the pipeline

The goalpost like bars are called Headache Bars to keep tall vehicles from having access to the pipeline

Finger Rock

The Bureau of Land Managment manages a small campground and picnic area at the Arctic Circle. When we arrived two young women from the visitor’s center in Coldfoot were set up under a tent with mosquito netting. After having our pictures made, we received a certificate for crossing the Arctic Circle! We ate lunch there and decided to continue on to the Visitor’s Center at Coldfoot, another 60 miles north.

Signpost at the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway, Alaska

The Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway in Alaska

Dalton Highway, Alaska

The farthest north we traveled was the Arctic Interagency Visitor Center in Coldfoot, Alaska

The visitor’s center had a lot of interesting displays including a display showing the location of the Arctic Circle all around the world. At the Arctic Circle we were farther north than Moscow, Helsinki, and Stockholm. For both of us we were farther north than we had ever been in our lives.

By the time we finished at the visitor’s center we had been gone from our campground for 7 1/2 hours and had to drive all the way back. With so many miles to go, we only stopped a couple of times on the way home.

A moose sighting on the way back

A good look at the Alaska pipeline as it goes underground

View from the highway

It started raining on a dirt portion of the road when we were almost at the end of the Dalton Highway. Henry said driving on the wet dirt road was the worst driving he has had to do this whole trip. When we got back to Fairbanks, we had to stop for road construction at 9:00 at night. Fourteen hours after leaving the campground, we arrived home and collapsed into our chairs. A long day but well worth it.

Day 29: More Wildlife and Liard Hotsprings

June 16, 2013May 23, 2015Posted in British Columbia, Provincial Park, WildlifeTagged Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park, moose, Nature, Wood bison4 Comments

Day 29: Thursday, June 13, 2013. Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park

The Liard River Hotsprings are a popular stopping place for travelers on the Alaska Highway. The springs are open 24 hours a day with a huge parking lot. When it fills up travelers can park across the highway in an overflow lot. Many travelers stop for a soak in the springs, get back in their vehicle and continue on their way.

While Henry took care of some maintenance on the truck and trailer, I grabbed my camera and went exploring about 10:00 am. The parking lot was filled with RV’s already. Just a short walk along a boardwalk and you are at the Beta pool. There is also an Alpha pool which has hotter water but it was closed when we were there. There is a viewing platform up some stairs above the Beta pool to see the Hanging Gardens.

I spotted a moose on my walk across the boardwalk to the hot springs

The springs are surrounded by lush green ferns

Liard River Hotsprings Beta Pool

The Hanging Gardens above the pool

The springs are open 24 hours a day

Can you see the moose through the trees? He was closer to the boardwalk when I walked by on my way back to the campsite

After a buffalo burger for lunch at the Liard Hotsprings Hotel across the highway from the park, we took a drive in search of some of the Wood Bison herd that lives in the area.

Liard River Bridge

This wood bison was very close to the truck and walking towards us. I stepped just outside the truck in case I had to get back in really fast!

He was headed my way

Bison herd with calves near Liard River Hotsprings

The mamas were checking me out

I didn’t want to get any closer to this one

Another soak in the hot springs was a perfect ending to the day.

Day 28: Wildlife Sightings on the way to Liard River Hotsprings

June 16, 2013June 19, 2015Posted in British Columbia, Provincial Park, WildlifeTagged Caribou, Elk, Liard River Hotsprings, moose, mountain goat, stone sheep2 Comments

Day 28: Wednesday, June 12, 2013. Ft. Nelson, BC to Liard River Hotsprings Provincial Park, BC. Site 42. 190 miles traveled.

What better way to relax after 28 days on the road than to soak in hot springs? That hot water was just calling to me all day. To get there, we had to travel 190 miles of winding roads to cross the Rocky Mountains.

Spectacular mountain view

A small waterfall

The long and winding road

Muncho Lake

While driving along we were on the lookout for wildlife. And there was plenty to see.

Our first wildlife sighting of the day was a caribou

Stone Sheep on the Alaska Highway

A mountain goat by the road

Caribou on the Alaska Highway

Moose on the Alaska Highway

Another caribou

A herd of mountain goats

Mountain goats beside the Alaska Highway

Wood bison roam near the highway for the next 70 miles

We saw these bison with their calves just after we saw the sign

Bison near Liard Hotsprings

We had made reservations to stay in the Provincial Park – like a state park in the U.S. – and didn’t know what to expect. There were no hookups so we would be using our generator for the first time on this trip. When we saw our site, we were so glad we had decided to stay for 2 nights. With a long, very wide gravel pad and picnic table all surrounded by trees and wildflowers, it was the perfect place to take a break from traveling. A soak in the hot springs was a perfect ending to the day.