Monday, June 30, 2014

Boondocking on the Denali Highway

Boondocking on the Denali Highway - We spent last night boondocking on the Denali Highway which goes between Cantwell and Paxton. The term highway is not entirely accurate, at least not in the term to which I am accustomed. From Cantwell, ithe road is paved for about 3 miles and then paved again about 15 miles from Paxton. The other 100 miles or so is dirt/gravel and very rough in places.

I had read in a couple of publications that *many* RVers boondocked in pullouts on this road. We drove about 10 miles before we turned around and we did not see a single RV. Hollie got to practice his backing up skills as when we decided to turnaround the road was not wide enough. I walked back and guided him to a parking area by a lake. The spot is about 9-10 miles from Cantwell, AK. It was on a lake and there was one other RV there. What a beautiful spot! Just prior to pulling into the area, we spotted a young black bear crossing the road. Needless to say, we did not spend any time outside, especially since it was raining---again.

We are currently in Anchorage and will spend the next two nights at the Willawaw campground off the Portage glacier highway. We'll take a day trip to Whittier.

We have now been on the road since June 4 and have had a couple of RV expenses. The first was when our electrical cord connecting the tow and the trailer came undone and while dragging on the road, the whole plug was sheared off. We got that repaired in Whitehorse for about $75. Then, we had to replace a fuse and battery for the Scamp. We also bought tires for our truck, which was something that we had intended to do prior to leaving home but somehow forgot to do. On the plus side, we do have three extra tires for our Scamp, two of which are the Kumhos which are highly rated and recommended by other Scamp owners.

In general, all is well. After Portage glacier and Whittier, we will be in Seward from July 2-6 so we can watch the Mt Marathon run on July 4. Seward has a wonderful 4th celebration and the Mt Marathon race is a hoot to watch. It is about 3.5 miles in distance, but it is literally run straight up and back down a mountain (without a real trail).

We haven't actually decided where to go after Seward. It will depend on the weather.

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