Alaska adventure, Early August 2019 - Anchorage, Talkeetna, AK

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Glacier near Denali

We are on our way to Anchorage to visit some of Nicida’s friends then spending a few extra days touring other areas around town.

Almost immediately after leaving Denali NP we run into road construction.  This is serious; flag persons, stop and wait, pilot car, the whole nine yards.  Not once but multiple times.  To this point the roads are in pretty good shape, certainly not the horror stories we have heard from years past.  We are driving among green covered mountains that look like the mountains we hiked just a few days ago on our Discovery hike so I am not fooled into thinking a hike here would be easy.   

Alaska adventure, Late July, 2019, Denali National Park

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Leaving smoke scented Fairbanks we are hoping for better air conditions but are expecting more of the same.  The haze thickens as we ascend each ridge dropping into the next valley.  Lots of new birch and aspen growth appears from long ago wildfires. 

Alaska adventure, Mid - Late July 2019, Fairbanks, Prudhoe Bay, AK

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Fairbanks

Fish traps

I bought some eye covers so I can sleep with light sky at night.  I am certain I will need them, the 11PM sky is bright enough to read outside without any auxiliary lighting.  I used them a couple nights but find the light is not an issue.  Noise, at some of the campgrounds is an issue.

Alaska adventure, Early - Mid July 2019, Albuquerque to Fairbanks, Alaska

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Alarms set for 630 are not needed.  All the research, planning, scheduling and preparation are done, now to get on the road.  I had picked up two vegetarian burritos from the Burrito Lady the previous day; our regular morning ritual when starting a trip.

The road is quiet through to Farmington where we run into road construction traffic.  It’s warm, 80’s and sunny as we make our way to Monticello, UT, our first stop on this adventure.  The mountains west of town are spotted with snow; a big change from the snow covered mountains we saw this past April.