Heading back to Oregon

                           

August and Heading back to Oregon

Well, we have turned in all of the keys and supplies; Chuck has everything in its’ place in the bed of the pickup and Jane has everything secured inside the trailer, so it’s onto the road we go!

It has been a great 3 months at Ninilchik River Campground as we have met wonderful people and have seen many beautiful parts of Alaska.  So we leave the camp site as we found it and head north on the road that will allow us to see more of Alaska’s natural beauty.

And talking beauty, I have to digress just for a moment to tell about a “lost foot bridge”.  It seems some years ago Ranger Dave had heard about an old trail that had gone through part of the park but he had never uncovered the bridge.  Well one evening he stopped by to say he had uncovered a corner of the foot bridge and would get to uncovering it “someday”. 

 Well C&J were eager to do something before leaving so they went down to the trail and uncovered the foot bridge.  They found a 20 long 8 foot wide bridge made out of 6 inch by 24 inch old timber planks 8 feet long.  The moss and grass that covered it apparently had protected it for many years as it looked in pretty good shape.  C & J wished they would have found it earlier in the season so folks could have enjoyed the path all summer.  They told Dave about uncovering the bridge and he checked it out and he too was amazed at how well it had weathered over the years.  He said he would put protective coating on it when it got dried out so it will be enjoyed for many years to come.

Now back to our travels.  Our first stop for the night would be Clam Gulch Camp Ground another Alaska State Park that is hosted by Lena and Charles Sutton. They had set up a potluck for the night and we would be able to say “Good-by” to all of our new friends at one time.  It turned out to be an enjoyable evening with great food and even more wonderful fellowship. Even-thought we may never exchange another hug, we all felt like we were leaving family members. As everyone said to “stay in touch” and headed back to their camps, J&C took their last walk on the beach. 

 It was a very pretty night and the sundown was spectacular.

Six A.M. came early, and Chuck wanted to reach Wasilla before evening and stay the night with Joe and Terry Quinn who had been Hosts at Deep Creek campground. After a call for directions and a stop for a burger, we pulled into their large lot. They are full time travelers now and live in their large 5^th wheel. They park at this home lot with a large 3 bay shop and a cover for their trailer. It was good to see them and see their dog Brandy.  We had breakfast at their favorite restaurant in the morning and chatted a bit more about their plans for travel and the possibility that they would stop in Clackamas for a visit in September.  After big hugs we headed north again.

The nice weather was hanging on so Chuck headed onto Hwy 3 George Parks Hwy.  Around noon Jane checked the State Parks listings and found Byers Lake State Park and it was decided that it would be the place to park for the night.  

Upon arrival we found it to be a real natural area with dense brush and trees around spacious camp sites. We had seen the lake as we pulled in so after settling in on our chosen spot C&J went for a walk down to the lake to check it out. After a very short walk they returned to camp as the wind coming across the lake was cold and it looked like it was going to rain.

After dinner was cleared away they got out the map and information regarding Denali National Park this was to be the destination for the next 3 nights. Since the trees were very dense and there was no natural light or electricity at this camp site bedtime came early. Darkness is coming earlier in Alaska at this time of the year. We remember very well how we had to cover our windows earlier in the Spring and Summer because it never got dark enough at bedtime.