We left at 6:30 and found our way to Cascadia International, arriving shortly before our 7:00 appointment. Steve went into the office and was greeted with a fellow that was less than friendly..."we don't have you written down for an appointment...we don't work on RVs...etc..." Steve told him he made an appointment yesterday leaving his name, phone number and info on the truck.
But in the end, it all worked out and we had two mechanics working on our truck. They removed the air hose and clamp, did an inspection, cleaned it all up and put it back together. Our bill was only $62.50 and the grumpy fellow was much friendlier now...maybe he hadn't had his coffee yet. :)About 45 minutes later we were on our way back to the campground. Steve loaded the boat back onto the truck while I packed up inside. We hitched up...and by 9:15 we were back on the road. Denali, here we come!
We headed northeast on Alaska Hwy 1 to Wasilla, where we took Hwy 3, the Parks Highway, north. We passed the turnoff for Nancy Lake (this picture is for you, Nancy!)...
...near the community of Willow...
This is the Kashwitna Lake public fishing access turnout. The lake is stocked with rainbow trout and has a small private floatplane base on the east shore. Apparently it is a good viewpoint for Mount McKinley...but not today...
At Milepost 88 is Sheep Creek Lodge, a picturesque Swedish-scribed log building. It was closed in 2012..."current status unknown"...
Montana Creek Campground..."the Silvers are in!"
Nice camping spot on the river (sorry for the dirty windshield)...
We passed through the community of Trapper Creek......and then about an hour later came across a very, very long stretch of highway construction...
Hurricane Gulch...the 550-foot deck of the bridge is 260 feet above Hurricane Creek...
.All the Milepost book says about this is..."Igloo City (still closed in 2012, for sale)"...
The clouds are still very low...
Just before the town of Cantwell...
Cantwell in the distance...
The highway parallels the Nenana River...
The Nenana River heads at Nenana Glacier in the Alaska Range and flows north 140 miles to the Tanana River at the town of Nenana. Guided rafting trips on the Nenana are popular (plenty of river raft tour operators in the Denali Park commercial area)...
We are almost at the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve...this is Riley Creek...
We turned west onto Park Road at 2:15 and drove the short distance to Riley Creek Mercantile where the registration is for all campgrounds within the park. We have reservations for the largest campground, Riley Creek, which is next to the Mercantile and close to the Visitors Center and Wilderness Access Center...right in the "heart of things" at the entrance to the park. We pulled into the sani-dump area where Steve got started on filling the fresh water tank while I walked over to the Mercantile to register.
We have an "A" site reserved ($28/night, no services), which is the largest site available (max 40 feet). They don't assign sites, so you must pick any "A" site from the 3 loops within Riley Creek Campground. We ended up in a handicapped site simply because it was the only one left that was large enough to accommodate both the fifth-wheel and the truck. However, before setting up we decided to walk back to the Mercantile to ensure that there were no restrictions for the site. Nothing was noted in the literature given to me, nor was anything said...but we wanted to be on the safe side. There are a number of "handicapped" sites within the park and there are no restrictions, as long as we pick an "A" site. We walked back, unhitched and began unpacking.
Once we were all setup, the sun came out...eventually, it ended up warming up enough to warrant shorts and flip-flops!
Cec and Alan came by and joined us and we sat chatting until after 9:00! How quickly time goes by when you are in great company!
Well alrighty...now I have to make the trip to Alaska to see MY lake;o))
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