Oh no…another wildfire. We needed to revise our route again. Instead of going northwest to Fairbanks, we are headed southwest to Valdez, with a stop in Glennallen. Since we are traveling during the 4th of July week, the campgrounds in Valdez were booked until the 6th, so we stayed 4 nights in Glennallen. It worked out great as the salmon are running in the very popular fishing area of Copper River, we can visit one of the 8 National Parks in Alaska, and enjoy the 4th of July with a small community
The fire that diverted our plans is in Denali National Park (NP). The Alaska Fire Service has closed the only road leading into the national park and evacuated one of the park’s three campgrounds. We are scheduled to camp in Denali NP for 5 days starting on July 11th. Fingers crossed we will be able to go.
During my last blog I mentioned Alaska is known for its mosquitos and rough roads. I shared some of our rough road experiences and now, we have finally encountered the mosquitos. At our campsite in Glennallen, which is surrounded by spruce trees, we get bombarded with mosquitos whenever we leave our RV. Here is a picture of Dave with his head net on (courtesy of Paul and Nancy who had visited Alaska last year) and Helen with hers on with a bug zapper. Both couples have a bug zapper that we use primarily to rid the inside of our RVs and cars of mosquitos. A big thanks to Wendy Menne for showing me the way of using bug zappers when we were traveling the Everglades together early in the year.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the largest national park in the United States, over 6 times the size of Yellowstone. Four major mountain ranges meet in the park with their peaks representing 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the U.S. Four of its major peaks – Blackburn, Drum, Sanford, and Wrangell can be seen from the road when the weather allows. The year-round snow-covered mountains are cloaked with ice fields, with over 3000 glaciers which have carved many of the valleys and canyons in the area. There are limited visitor services within the park due to the rugged, yet stunningly beautiful landscape, but adventurous soles can find lots of backcountry activities.
At the visitor center, we watched a short movie which seemed to capture the essence of the park. I’ve included a link below if you would like to see just a small part of this majestic national park.
During first two days of our stay in Glennallen it was overcast, but on July 4th, we were able to see Mt. Drum and Mt. Wrangell in the distance. What an amazing sight. Mt. Wrangell, at 14,153 feet, is one of the largest active volcanoes in North America.
The small town of Glennallen, population of 522 in 2020, has tremendous support from local groups who sponsor various 4th of July activities including a 5k run/walk, parade, and a salmon bake with music and games in the park. All events are donations only. Amazing! Greg, Helen and I walked the 5k while Dave was our official photographer, we sat roadside for the parade and even had candy thrown our way, ate a delicious salmon bake complete with baked potato, corn-on-the-cob, coleslaw, bread, and watermelon, and watched the games while listening to great music. Since it doesn’t get dark until midnight, we didn’t hear anything about fireworks. We chatted with several locals during the picnic. One couple, originally from Minnesota, moved to the area in 1981 and raised their 3 kids. They said it wasn’t unusual for the temps to get below -30° in the winter and they would still send their kids out to play. Such a different life. It was a great way to spend the holiday in such a friendly community.
Greg and Helen were able to snag two seats on a guided fishing tour during our stay in the Copper River area. They arrived at the fish camp at 5:45 AM and after getting fitted for fishing waders and life jackets, they climbed into a van which drove about an hour over bumpy and winding roads to their raft put-in location on the Klutina River (a tributary of the Copper River). Off they went downstream. There were 4 in their boat, plus the guide who paddled and steered around the sandbars. Greg & Helen did not know there would be white water rafting too! The guide would pick a location to stop and they would get out and wade in the river casting for sockeye salmon that were running upstream. After two stops with no fish caught, the third stop was a charm with Helen catching the first fish! The fishing continued and all 4 in the boat were able to catch their daily limit of 3 each. Dave and I were thankful to receive several large salmon filets from their catch. Yummy!
While Greg & Helen were on their fishing adventure, Dave and I drove about an hour to the small town of Chitina, known as a great location for dip netting. I had never heard of dip netting before. It is reserved for Alaska residents only and they must have a permit, in addition to their fishing license. The technique is just as the name says. They dip their net into the river, hoping to catch a salmon swimming upstream. Here are a few pictures of dip netters we watched. One dip netter was just walking back and forth about 50 feet with this net and very long pole. You can see him in the second picture. Lucky, we got to see them catch two fish during one of their dips.
We also learned about a fishing technique using a fish wheel, pictured below. The current of the water rotates the fish wheel around and the slanted side dumps any fish captured into a holding tank. Only Alaskan residents can use a fish wheel, and like dip netting, they need a license and it can only be used for their own personal use, as part of the subsistence program. The subsistence program provides Alaska residents in rural areas or Alaska native tribes to catch fish for personal or family consumption, sharing or trade.
I can’t believe how much I continue to learn during our trip. Thanks again for following our adventure.
Fresh salmon rocks Brenda, Amazing Alaska Dave, I like salmon too but Dad wouldn’t let me swim with them Murphy
You find excellent and entertaining things to do wherever you go! Good luck with the detours!
Marvelous! Your travel report on Alaska takes me right there. I am enjoying every word and those photos are so real. I loved the young ones and the hanging hot dogs with mustard coatings! Happy Fourth and our precious Independence Day.
Reta
Went down the Wiki rabbit hole learning all about those fish wheels… incredible experiences you’re having. Thanks for sharing!l
We had to cancel an Alaska cruise last year and I am more determined than ever to go.
Interesting to learn about unknown techniques for fishing. The fresh salmon must taste amazing!
So excited you get to head to Denali after all! Can’t wait for more photos!
Terri