TEN HOURS – 134 MILES & INCREDIBLE CLOUDS

Ten hours – 134 miles.  In all fairness, this included constant photography stops, and adventures at the three establishments on the gravel road.   The Denali Highway is not in Denali National Park and by my definition is not a highway.  It is an adventure, some of the most gorgeous scenery I’ve ever seen.  Passable but bumpy, this dusty gravel drive is  worth every mile.  
Our destination is on the far side of yon mountain range.
Most of the road was like this - beautiful scenery but so rough that 20 mph in the motorhome was pushing it.
Thirty miles in, we see our first road sign.

The scenery was fantastic, as we followed the Alaska Mountain Range. 
The cloud formations added to the unworldly experience.
Trumpeter swans were plentiful in ponds beside the road.
We were supposed to be on a bus in Denali National Park today, but after experiencing that yesterday, we decided to venture out on our own.  We rationalized that we’d had enough dust, but since we ended up on an even dustier one and are happy we did it, the reality is that we just aren’t cut out to travel in a large group on a bus where we can’t stop, get out, take photographs, and cavort with other travellers exploring on their own.  Additionally, we've left the bugs behind.  For whatever reason, the only place we've been plagued with the legendary huge Alaska mosquitos was within the borders of Denali National Park. 
 
Gracious House, the first establishment we come to on the Denali Highway, is a bar in a trailer with a distinct personality.  The antique snowcat decorated with flowers catches our eye when we pull in.  We stop out of curiosity, and because we’re not sure how far we might travel before seeing another commercial operation of any type.  It’s early afternoon and we’re travelling, so it’s definitely not cocktail time.  Carol, the proprietor, suggests the Blueberry Pie.  It’s a good  recommendation. 
The Gracious House also offers Air Taxi Services, as well as fishing and hunting tours.  Carol’s husband, Bruce, well into his 70’s, is the pilot.  It seems that nearly everyone is a pilot here, or lives with someone who is.  
Today, our favorite new people are Reese and Lyle, who we meet at Gracious House.  They’re riding BMW’s on this road, making any complaints I have about dust lame in comparison to their eating dust from those of us in motorhomes, trucks and other big vehicles. 
Just down the road, we see a bed and breakfast.  We make a quick stop for a Coke and to check out the Alpine Creek Lodge, the second establishment on this road.  
Three hours later, at Maclaren River Lodge, the third & final establishment, we run into Reese & Lyle again.  Lyle waves as we leave after spending an hour with them. 
We proceed to the intersection of the Denali Highway with the Richardson Highway, a paved road that will end when we get to Valdez.   When we pull into the campground, we realize that EVERYTHING is covered in a thick layer of dust, including items in the drawers.  Thankfully, we have plenty of water in our tank and napkins to use in wiping everything down while we laugh about the dust disaster we’ve created in the motorhome.  There’s enough water left for a quick shower for each of us.