Denali to East Fork Chulitna Wayside – Day 13

07.14.12 Day 14
Denali NP to East Fork Chulitna
58.81 miles, 695.91 trip miles
10.7 mph, 28.1 max
5:29:35 ride time All pavement
Mostly cloudy and WIND. 50’s
Days of rain: 5

Last night was way to late to be up. We didn’t get up until 10 am. We had a ton to do before we actually got out of town. The first stop was the Visitor Center so I could get a annual park pass and a parks passport. Then back to the first building for my first stamp, then back to the Wilderness Access Center to get a refund from the day before. We bought day passes before and they told use to bring back our receipt and we’d get $20 back. While there we got breakfast snacks even though it was now lunch time. We finally got out of the park acts a few phone calls and phone charging. We were headed to grocery shop for the next three days to Anchorage. We ended up at Sled Dog Liquor and Grocery. It didn’t take us very long at all. I was surprised. We hit the road and found our friend the wind was still blowing in our faces. We climbed for a long while and just took it easy. After a quick stop at Denali River Cabins and Cedar Lodge we climbed some more. After about 17 miles we were in a beautiful valley and the views were amazing. Large mountains, a river, marshes and amazing clouds all added up to more great eye candy. We reached Cantwell at mile post 210 (from Anchorage) around 3:30. There was a debate on whether to go to the cafe or not. We opted to go in and both had a couple of tasty burgers and homemade french fries. As we sat there I got so cold. To had to layer up and I was still cold. It had been slightly raining early so I was afraid I’d get outside and be wet and cold. Luckily I warmed up fast but the rain would come and go the next few hours. With changing weather it’s hard to know what to wear. If you don’t put on rain gear it will most likely rain but if you do it doesn’t. Murphy’s Law. I left mine on but got sweaty so I had to stop and make adjustments along the way. The views were once again amazing. We were in a wide valley which was filled with long lakes and marshes. On either side was mountains. They were mostly void of trees and mostly scree. What made them so pretty was their bases were dark green (spruce trees) then it turned light green (shrubs), then they became scree which was lighter in color which faded to a darker color towards the top. A lot of the mountains had ravines and the had snow. Clouds just hung at the peaks or concealed them from view. We saw four rainbows but the last one just before camp was amazing. It was so bright and the mountain back drop was spectacular. Camp is a wayside along the road. It’s pretty nice for what it is. We’re far enough off the road traffic sounds shouldn’t be an issue. We dined on Mac & Cheese and I had some Ritter Sport for dessert. The mosquitoes are the worst in a few nights but they’re not really that bad. I’m hoping for no head wind tomorrow. It’s getting old. One should not have to pedal down hill.

Glove count: 25
Tie Down Count: 41

Scatman