Monday, June 26, 1989
1:00 a.m. leaving Sands 12811 Summer Drive. 58° Anchorage mileage 29932-29677. Sunset ahead of us on Seward Highway. Spiky Black Pines in silhouette. Denali and Foraker against pink sky.
1:37 Marsh at head of Knick Arm. Sign to Palmer
1:39 Knick River
1:41 Matan River. Matanuska Valley area
1:53. Wasilla stop for our doggy bags. Half moon out back window.
2:00 Sky lighter in northeast.
2:27 Willow Vive of D and F [sic?]
3:00 Talkeetna Junction Road to Talkeetna.
3:02 Mary Carey’s house. Roads named. Looking for Heller’s Cabin Road.
3:18 Scenic view!
3:44 Have explored airport and Talkeetna. Road ends at Talkeetna River. Railroad on north. Back to Heller’s Road (viewpoint mile 12 on left)- next road- RT- Pathfinder trailer under a shelter.
5:00 at breakfast of muffin and coffee. Put on glacier clothes. Leaving
4:45 back to Talkeetna for pictures. Sunrise
5:36 Murie study of wolves (Log Sable Pass closed) found preyed on sick – pub 1944. Yesterday wolf pack killedcaribou. Watched by new study.
5:22 Passing bus on Polychrome Pass Road – rain – Glacial Valley with building new “potties”.
5:52 Mile 47! Lot of peaks unnamed. Divide Mt. Shades of brown, sharp folds – Toklat Riverat base-caribou.
6:06 Most tour buses turn around here- Toklat Rive (Did water housing area for park person) Sheep above, caribou & bear in gravel.
6:20 Going up to highway pass 4,000’ Dry tundra flowers [illegible] Caribou on tundra.
6:40 Going up to Thompson Pass. 15 yrs ago 30,000- now 3,000 calving area outside park. View of road & caribou “Terraces”
7:00 Erels [sic?] on Visitor Center – Bear – 2 cubs
7:32 Willow Ptarmigan & beaver. 65 Degrees at Park entrance last gr – only 3’ snow. Talkeetna 60” per. Pk 15” Dry side of range.
23% Alaska dry tundra. 17% we Tundra.
Mile 22 – 3:10 – Sanctuary Campground – closed
Mile 30 -0 3:26 – Rest Satop
3:40 – Talkeetna River. Much gravel, little water. Braided stream – elev. 2,000
(cinquefoile, mertensia) Start of lane gravel road.
5:20. Toured and photographed Talk. Parked at TalkAir Taxi parking in woods. David Lee pilot- 9000 hours.
5:55 taxi Cessna 185- earphones. Take off in the sun warming up. Foraker clear Denali past Talkeetna River Susetna river in Denali 60 mile one pic. Chixchillten River along highway. Talkeetna means where three rivers meet. Lots of moose. Peters Hills- still dozen active mines. Alaska Range eight miles long 30,000 glaciers in it. Glacier flights May June July.
6:18 Tokasisa River. Glaciers and moraines. Takosha Mountain (no trees) snow year round no animals below 6000 ft vegetation- above none.
6:23 15 mi from summit. Land on Ruth Glacier 20 minutes back flying at 5,000 ft. Moose- Trumpet Swan. Land 7:20 breakfast at Roadhouse- Engish Muffin, egg and reindeer sausage $3.50
7:36 Jeff Brown’s bear story 1986- Glacier [National Park]. Kalispell Hospital one month- 25 times in surgery. He and Patty attacked near Granite Lodge.
7:38 Moose edge of pool- behind him is Muldrow Glacier- 35 miles long- up to 11,000 ft on McKinley. Covered with vegetation in 1600’s. Surges every 50 years. Moved 1125 feet in one day in 1950s.
8:00 Beaver Pond [illegible] gull, yellow legs, scaup. McKinley peeking.
8:05 Black scooter, Arctic Tern
8:15 Wonder lake.
8:20 Reflection Pond
8:22 Ansel Adams Point famous photos of Wonder Lake and McKinley.
8:23 Wonder Lake ranger station
8:25 Solar collectors- weather. Kathi and Bob turned around last September.
8:26 Cross former boundary. This added in 1981. Camp Denali Lodge. 20 guest cabins
8:30 North Face Lodge