Denali Park Road Open to Savage River!
Another first sign of spring is when Denali Park opens the park road to traffic. It’s a long process, but the crews are working hard to get the road cleared all the way in. For now, we have to be happy that it’s clear to mile 15 - Savage River. At the rate the crews are working, I hope to be able to drive into mile 30 within the next couple of weeks.
Yesterday, my friend Lori and I drove to the park. Although Steve is off for seven days, he was more interested in staying home to watch basketball, than to take a scenic drive. I was very thankful for Lori’s company. We made a full day of it, with a stop at Monderosa for burgers, a short deviation off the highway in Nenana to seek out a cemetery, and a lap through Nenana to see the tripod perched on the frozen river, as well as other interesting things. (Lori has never stopped in Nenana to have a look around, and I was happy to point out those things I am familiar with.)
I’m working on photos from our excursion and will be posting some when I get them re-sized. We had a beautiful day, with views of the mountain all the way to the park. Unfortunately the clouds rolled in and obscured Denali from view by the time we got there. It was a poor day for wildlife sightings too. All we saw was a gray jay and some ravens. No ptarmigan, no hares, nothing. That was a bummer, but we still had a great day.
I look forward to my next visit!
