Gakona AK

Happy Anniversary! On August 1 I celebrated the fifth year of my retirement. Life is still good.



Upon leaving Chitina we continued north on the Richardson Highway and stopped once again at the Visitor Center for the Wrangell-St.Elias National Park. We watched a film on the Kennecott Mines and listened to a ranger talk on wolves. Unfortunately the clouds were hiding the mountains, as is often the case. We again continued north on the Richardson Highway a few miles past the Tok Cut-off. There we parked the coach at a roadside pull-off and spent the night. The next morning we continued north on the Richardson Highway in the Honda, bound for Paxson and the Isabel Pass. At Isabel Pass we viewed the Gulkana Glacier. After viewing Isabel Pass and the glacier we doubled back and then drove about 40 miles out the Denali Highway. The Denali Highway was built in 1957 and was the only road to Denali National Park until the George Parks Highway was built in 1972. It was cloudy and drizzly, and we had hoped to see wildlife on this road, but nothing was out today. We went as far as Maclaren Summit (4086'). Finally we returned to where the coach was parked and spent another night in the pull-off.

The next morning we doubled back to the Tok Cut-off and headed north towards Tok. We stopped at the historic Gakona Lodge, built in 1929, an old Alaskan roadhouse. The eleven structures here are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. We stopped again at the Nebesna Ranger Station, Wrangell-St. Elias NP. We had intended to drive out the Nebesna road for some excellent views of the mountains. However, it was again drizzling and cloudy, and we expected the mountain views would be obscured. After much heeing and hawing we decided to drive on out the road, and, miraculously, it began to clear and the sun began to shine. We drove about 30 miles out the road. At that point there are three fords that must be negotiated to continue. Each is somewhat worse than the next one, and passage depends on your vehicle clearance and the amount of recent rain. Much to Dorcas' dismay, we forded the first creek, Trail Creek. Piece of cake. I think we could have negotiated the second one, Lost Creek, but Dorcas talked me out of it. Just as well. The third ford was less than a mile further and would probably not have been passable in our vehicle. We turned back to pick up the coach at the ranger station. We continued a bit further up the Tok Cut-off and parked for the night at a pull-out near the Slana River.

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