July 18: Back to Ninilchik so Dean could pick up the fish and send it home.

July 19 - July 20: Portage: On the way to Portage we took a side trip to Hope, the drive along the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet was pretty, the town wasn't. In Portage we stayed at the Willaway Forest Service Campground, nice sites, dry camping. Portage isn't much of a town since the 1964 earthquake. From Portage we took a side trip to Whittier, called "The Gateway to Prince William Sound" to get there you must drive through the Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, a 2.5 mile World War II era railroad tunnel that was converted into the longest North America vehicle tunnel in June 2000. It's open from May to Sept., costs $12 to drive through and you take turns with the trains. Whittier is a deep water port that doesn't freeze, has a new hotel, a few shops and an abounded military building left over from WW II when Japan attacked the Alution Islands. As we came back through the tunnel (no charge) stopped at the information center, saw a movie on glaciers, one of the best movies we saw on the trip. Looking out of the information center you see large ice chunks floating in the lake. Made reservations today to go down the Inside Passage on the Alaska Ferry System. Will leave from Haines on Aug 12, stop for several days in Juneau and Sitka, arrive in Prince Rupert BC on Aug 21st. Cost for the 40 ft motor home and the Jeep, $1981.00. Feels strange to have a date when we know we will leave Alaska. Total miles we have driven so far, 4968. Miles driven to Ninilchik to Portage 188.

July 21: Back to Anchorage, groceries, Sam's, Wal Mart. Stayed at Sam's. Miles Driven: 57

July 22 - July 24: Talkeetna: Traveled on the Seward Hwy from Anchorage to the Parks Hwy, then off on the Talketna Spur Road. Talkeetna, which means "River of Plenty" is at the base of Mt Mckinley. It sits at the confluence of the Chulitna and Susitna Rivers. The river system is one of the best fishing grounds in AK. The town offers an outstanding view of the Alaska Range. It is the staging ground for climbers attempting Mt Mckinley (they call it Denali in AK). They can climb from mid April to mid July when the snow gets soft and the crevasses began to open. The town is three blocks long and one block wide, with dozens of buildings listed on the National Reg. of Historic Places and most are open to the public. We rode the Hurricane Train, one of N. Americas last whistle stop trains. The train is two 50's era diesel cars, with the same Cummings engine as our coach. The train runs up 120 miles and back without turning around. The engineer just moves to whichever end the train needs to go. It's the only transportation people have to some back country cabins. The train stops to let people off, to pick up cookies someone has baked for the engineer and conductor (that wears Carhart Jeans) to throw a newspaper, to see wildlife, to let us look into a stream to see a Salmon run, and to step off the train on a bridge 300 ft above the river. The scenery is breathtaking, Chuck and Buddy, the engineer and conductor, are neat people, the trip was one we will always remember. We met Mike Curry, who was going to his homestead for the weekend and he told us to call him when we're in Juneau, where he lives. Everyone going into the back country is armed. Cost of the train was $72. each, the trip lasted most of the day. Don't miss this adventure. Mt McKinley co-operated and came "out"on three different days. WOW, what a mountain. Dean went fishing and caught a nice Salmon. Talkeetna was one of our favorite places.

July 25 - July 27: Denali National Park: Came up the Parks Hwy, the mountain was "out" until about 10 AM. We have been very lucky to see it so many times. Caught a bus at 5:30 AM for the eight hour bus trip into the park. School buses don't look very inviting at 5:30 AM, but we figured we'd see more animals early. Reached the turn around point by 9:30AM, Dean and I decided to go on the other three hours to Wonder Lake. Would not add the other three hours again. Makes it 11 hours and that's a long time on a bus. Saw 7 grizzly's, including a mother and 3 cubs, Moose, (one Moose had a huge rack, the driver said he had never seen one like it before, don't know how he held his head up) Elk, Caribou, Dall Sheep and various small animals. There is a wolf pack in the park, but we didn't see it. Denali Park consists of 6,000 acres and there is only one road. There are many trophy animals in the park so the rangers patrol in the winter with dog sleds. There are many places in Alaska we enjoyed more than Denali, probably because of having to go on a bus, and we have seen so many animals and so many beautiful places already. That said, don't miss going there. The pictures of Mt Mckinley in the gallery were taken at Talkeetna. The mountain was only "out" briefly while we were in Denali. Miles Driven Talkeetna to Denali: 158