June 25, 2013 Denali, Talkeetna, Independence Mine

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Slept in and then headed back to the Riley Mercantile.  Saw a few moose along the way – getting to be blaze about moose at this point.  Hah!

Did some house cleaning and then did laundry and took showers at Riley Mercantile while using their wi-fi to catch up on email and blog.  Had delicious huckleberry ice cream cone as we headed out of the park.  Going south, towards Anchorage with the thought of stopping in Talkeetna.

We stopped at the south viewpoint – there were a few clouds across Denali but it is still a breathtaking sight.

Seeing everything in multiples today - several sets of moose, including these two youngsters (I think Mom was in the woods nearby and finally called them) and a Cow with two calves. Survival rate for calves is only 14%, so these are doing well!  They happen to be grizzlies’ favorite food.  Also saw a lovely pair of swans.

 Getting close to stopping time, so we asked a woman who was leaving the welcome center at the turnoff to Talkeetna about boondocking and she told us the name of a road to turn onto to find a spot. We passed this lovely lake.

 We ended up at a local day use park(Talkeetna Lake Park) by xy lake.  It is in the woods and after a quick walk along the lake, we opted to stay inside (mosquitos). Several people here walking dogs and swimming.  Mama duck with a slew of ducklings. Last two people left around 11:00 and we had a quiet night.

Sunset 11:49;  sunrise around 4:00.

 Wednesday, June 26

Rose pretty early and drove the few miles into Talkeetna.  Small town that is base for many small planes that do sightseeing tours,  and other activities like rafting, fishing and ATV’s.  We had breakfast at the Roadhouse Café, which has been in business since the 1940s.   Shared a huge plate of eggs, reindeer sausage, homefries and toast – their special - which would easily feed three or four!  Took a box with tomorrow’s breakfast fixing minus the eggs! The restaurant just has a few big tables, so we ended up sitting with Tom who was here for a fishing trip and a couple who are rv’ers and had just left Denali. Compared mosquito stories :) and others.   Good looking baked goods, all fresh, so we bought a salmon and rice pasty for later today.

Checked out Nagley’s store , an old general store with lots of trapping, sledding and other paraphanilia. 

This is the town where many of the expeditions to McKinley do their preparation, also has a train station where some of the tours come on the way to Denali.

Didn’t see the mayor of the town who is a cat named Stubbs, but did see a sweet little kitten who, word has it, may become the next mayor.  Lots of painted moose around town.

Did a little souvenir shopping and then left for the Birch Syrup Store.  They collect Birch sap (like Maple) and boil it down to a sweet syrup.  Takes 107 gallons to make one gallon of syrup, so it is kind of pricey.  We sampled some syrup as well as some things made with it, like jams, almond brittle, caramels. Very sweet and not as strongly flavored as maple.

The road we were planning to take to Hatcher Pass was still closed due to snow, so we went into the town of Wasila (home of Sarah Palin) and took the Hatcher-Fishhook road north to Independence Mine, just east of Hatcher Pass.  Wasila is a sizable town with lots of services.  We stopped at a Farmer’s market  and bought cherries. The drive to Independence Mine  is a beautiful drive once you are a few miles out of town.  Most of it runs along the Susitna River which is a faintly blue, rocky glacial river, and into the mountains.

Independence Mine is an old gold mine that had its hayday in the 20s and 30s when about 200 people worked there.  We took a tour which showed living quarters, assay shop, kitchen, warming room, etc. and covered the mining as well as the living aspects.  The visitor’s center only opened a week ago because of heavy snows and there were still traces of it. Hatcher Pass, beyond the mine was still closed due to heavy snow.

Independence Mine

 The tour guide told us that this area is about the same geographically as Finland.

Lots of wildflowers

Greg's socks made a great fly magnet!

View from our campsite

Decided to camp along the river at Hatcher Government Peak campground.  Lovely setting with the river on one side and mountains all around.  Enjoyed sitting outside, Greg made a small fire and we ate our pasty from this morning, along with cheese and crackers, carrots, and bing cherries.   What a strange diet – looking forward to supplies in Anchorage.