Denali Highway

Casey and I drove through the foggy gloom on riffled roads to the Maclaren River Lodge today where he'll be working for 2 months. The good omen was that the sky cleared up and I had beautiful vistas all the way home.

In Delta Junction, we stopped at the IGA to use the bathrooms (follow the bear footprints through the back room), buy donuts and look at the Russian food. Casey bought either cookies or crackers and a mysterious drink. The road was all torn up and we enjoyed the excitement of riffles and potholes while following the tailend of a row of motorhomes and oversized vehicles until we got out of the construction zone.

We passed through Paxson which is essentially a crossroads for the Denali and Richardson Highway. The people along the Denali use the Paxson Roadhouse as a parking spot in the winter when the road is not plowed and is a snowmachine highway and also for mail. Today there was only one car parked outside and we ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, chips and bananas instead of buying the $12 burgers.

The Denali Highway on the east end is paved for only the first 20 miles. It is above the treeline and the uninterrupted views are alpine tundra with wild and scenic lakes and rivers. It's a mecca for wildlife and is a popular hunting, fishing, berry picking, bird watching and wildflower collecting area.

The Maclaren River Lodge is across the river from John Schandelmeier's dog yard (as in the mushing guy). The property was set aside for development when the road was improved in 1958 and has been a lodge since then. Susie and Allan have been owner/operators for the last 5 years and operate it all year round, catering mainly to hunters, snowmachiners and sight seers. In the summer they get busloads of people at mealtime and their cabins and bunkhouses are often filled up with groups. In the winter, they are the only business open on the 120 mile snowmachine trail and their bar and grill are popular. They are also the search and rescue for unprepared or injured adventurers.

We went on a tour today and saw the 4-5 cabins. Susie was telling about Agnes and Mary, the two ghosts who inhabit one of the cabins. One night she heard one of them singing. Krista says that when she's making beds in there, when she returns later there are imprints of heads on all the pillows. In general though, Agnes and Mary are harmless and mind their own business.

One day Krista was working on the riverbank and a bear was spotted by Susie on the sandbar upriver. She totally didn't see it until Susie told her to come up to the Lodge right away and then showed it to her. It was the only bear spotted this year, but hikers carry bear spray and take the dogs with them everywhere. Moose and caribou, fox and birds are regulars.

When people visit the Lodge, they can go hiking on the numerous trails, take a boat up to walk on the glacier (15-16 miles upstream), rent bikes and ride along the highway, go fishing, get dropped downstream to canoe back or just enjoy the quiet relaxation out of cell phone area.

I stopped for a buffalo burger in Delta Junction on the way home. The lakes and rivers were all swollen from the rain, but there were moose along side of the road, not caring about their wet legs.

Good luck, Casey. Keep a journal. Enjoy the unique people. Get outside as often as you can. Save your money. Dress warmly. Take pictures. Experience the solitude.