Day 15 - Denali and Fairbanks

So I left Wassila about 10:30 am, not feeling like I wanted to get on the road all that early.  I packed and gased up Red Velvet for the trip north to Denali, about 200 miles.  Everything in Alaska is about 200-500 miles away.  It was a beautiful ride and after about 120 miles Mt. McKinley came into view and I pulled into an area to take pictures.

I was lucky because the weather was cooperating and I could see the mountain.  Often it can't be seen due to clouds.  While riding to Denali to see Mt. McKinley, a memory popped into my head of my friend Brian McKinley.  When I met him when I was 13 or 14 I remember him telling me that when he had a kid and it was a boy, he was going to name him "Mount"...get it Mount McKinley. It was a good memory of his humor. I miss Brian, RIP my friend.

So when I returned from taking my pictures, I walked back to Red Velvet and she had made a friend.

It was another BMW!  A GS 650, the baby version of Red Velvet.  Red Velvet was quite pleased with this.  I then met Emily the other rider.  She was from Vancouver and the bike was new and this was her first big trip.  We talked for a while about Adventure Riding and ADVRider, a website.  She was heading north like me and we rode about 80 miles together.  

Ladies first and Emily took off fast and it was fun to ride with someone else.  We passed many cars and at the Denali road, she went east and I continued north to the park.  She was a good rider and I hope she makes it back home safely.

So not long after, I decided to eat a late lunch and stopped in Cantwell at the Creekside Cafe.  I parked Red Velvet where she could keep an eye on me and vice-versa.  Wow what a great pick.  I had a really good ham and cheese on sourdough bread baked right there.  It was delicious, as was the included chocolate chip peanut butter cookie.  I was in Denali heaven!

Here is why it is called Creekside and it has a nice camp ground too.  

Great place, stop if you are ever passing through.  So I headed to Denali which was only 15 miles away and simply it is amazing and impressive.  Here is a terrible picture but Red Velvet refuses to take pictures for me.

Wow the Denali Park road is awesome but the speed limit is 35 mph.

The roads are very curved...perfect!

I stopped at the visitor center and spent some time milling about, a term my grandmother used to say that was perfect for today!  I want to go back to Denali with Cathy and spend more time and hike trails.

So back on the road and I was heading north to Fairbanks and I called and reserved a room because it can be difficult to get a room or campsite.  The ride north and the mountains fell away to swooping hills after about 40 miles.

Here is a sign you won't see in the lower 48.

The great thing about riding to Denali today was at one point, every direction I looked there were mountains and this made me very happy.  Alaska is special and I recommend everyone see it some day.  

Goodnight everyone and enjoy your day!