Sow black bear- her two cubs weren't far behind

Enroute to Alaska last weekend, we left the small sliver of the state near Haines for Canada after a late arrival by ferry, crossing into British Columbia and then into the Yukon Territory. We drove for three hours to Haines Junction, where the road from Skagway and Canada meets the road from Haines. Growing up we called it the Al-Can Highway- now they call it the Alaska Highway, which doesn’t entirely feel fair to Canada which it has to cross through and which is pretty stuning in its own right!  On the last part of the ferry ride on the Malaspina, we saw a harbor seal peek at us, another humpback whale swimming its rhythmic pattern, and several bald eagles. Every smart person stopped at Haines for the night- it was 9 PM- but we kept on.  Along the beautiful, though foggy and rainy road,

Drive from Haines, rainy but beautiful

we saw a wolf running sleekly into the bushes on hearing our car, and a porcupine waddling up a dirt slope on the side of the road, peeking back at us, daring us to follow. Growing up and working at a vet, I remember more than one dog who came in and had to be put under a general because he tried to play with a porcupine- quills lodged in his face, mouth and even deep into his throat. We admired the prickly guy from a distance. We know we are in or close to Alaska because: my Seattle pedicure is now mangled beyond repair, and noone will care, it was light enough to see all night (though not as light as it will be up north), and even in a heavy rain the Alaskan/Yukon air force, a battalion of mosquitoes, joined us for setting up our tent. I thought I’d keep score in how many I killed vs bites, but there’s no point. They’ve already won.

Vistas all along the drive

Looking to get online, we found (thankfully) the apparently one place in Haines Junction with reliable internet- the bakery, which is worth a visit! It’s also worth noting that if you plan to stay here you should have reservations- or your tent. We found one place with a vacancy willing to accept our 2 AM arrival (we switch back to Pacific time zone here too, very confusing) and when we drove by, we decided the tent would be infinitely more comfortable.

Along the road to Tok

The drive from Haines Junction to Tok prolonged the beauty, the Wrangell Mountains to the south highlighted by streaks of sunlight through dark storm clouds, and the gift of a black bear with her cubs foraging for food just off of the road. She was a rich, chocolate brown with a seemingly flawless coat, already teaching her cubs independence as she swatted one who stayed too close to her until it loped ahead again. We stayed in Tok before heading to Denali to facilitate another work morning of calls, and enroute Denali we took the Richardson Highway south to the Denali Highway. A number of moose ran across the road, the first several also with healthy brown coats, and several others more scarred. Even after living in Alaska for so many years, I’d never driven the Richardson or Denali Highways- at least not when I was old enough to remember. Driving south, the Alaska pipeline came into view,

Alaska Pipeline along the Richardson Highway

snaking over hills and mountains, diving underground to come up again. There were no more than a handful of cars on the road. We filled the tank at Paxson, marked by a run down lodge, and headed west. After the first twenty miles, the Denali Highway is unpaved, and rough in parts. We averaged 30 miles an hour bumping through twists and turns. Despite the clouds and intermittent rain, the drive up on plateaus, diving down into river valleys and coming back up again, mountains soaring on either side, is worth the slower pace. We stopped at each lodge; none were inspiring, but all had hot chocolate and coffee. Along the road we followed a porcupine waddling down the middle of the road who finally veered off to the side to look at us quizzically, and a small red fox darted alongside the road before heading back into the bushes.

At one stop we ran into a man working for the Department of the Interior on a campground.

Porcupine along the Denali Highway

He noted that some of the “state selected” land was up for discussion for transfer from federal to state control in order to better facilitate mining permits. At another stop a hostess mentioned that the BLM was halting additional development on the highway. I hope the latter prevails. It seems a shame to do anything to mar such a special place.

Arriving in Denali, intact but in need of a wash!

Arriving in Denali has given us a few days to go through gear, and do a little bit of light hiking and biking. June is wildflower season here, and the bluebells, lupine, Eskimo Potato (a pretty pink flower which grows on a stalk), Queen Anne’s lace (officially Labrador Tea) are out on display, large swaths of delicate color along hiking trails. A few more days in a bed before we’re back to the great outdoors.