"North to Alaska"...Day 46...Friday, July 19, 2013

I awake to the familiar sound of raindrops falling on the camper...it's another cold and rainy morning. I may not be camping in the Park, but my location has some advantages. The RV Park is behind a row of shops and little restaurants...including a nifty little coffee shop. I dash over there through the rain for a very large black coffee and a big piece of cinnamon walnut coffee cake...both enjoyed in the warm comfort of the shop.
I'm not up for hiking in the rain, but I do want to see the Park. You can drive your vehicle about 14 miles in on the Park road. After that, you have to book passage on one of the many buses that drive you deeper into the Park. So...I drive the 14 miles...taking photos along the way. I see a few moose but, again, they're gone by the time I get my camera ready. I stop at a pull-off and make myself a ham sandwich for lunch...some chips...a Coke.
Around 2:30, I head back to the campground and venture out for a little shopping. It's very sad...while there are a few (very) shops selling "authentic" Alaskan products...most of the stores are crammed with imports from China. T-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, wood carvings, key chains...you name it...all made in China. And I'm just not buying any of that.
Around 4:30, I head over to the Denali Princess Hotel for cocktails. The bartender fixes a pretty good Manhattan, so I have two before dinner. I ask for, and get, the same waiter as the night before...Shannon...he's a good one. Another very good Caesar...seared Halibut in lemon-caper sauce (excellent)...a few glasses of Pinot Gris...some Huckleberry ice cream for dessert. Then back over to the bar for a few beers to kill some time before bed.
I checked the weather forecast for Denali this morning...it's rain, rain, rain for the next five or six days. And while I love Denali National Park, I just can't see staying here any longer in the rain.
I also checked the weather for Talkeetna...150 miles south...it's warm and sunny there. So...as I crawl into the camper to sleep, my decision has already been made. Tomorrow I head south to Talkeetna.