Sunday, June 17th - Fairbanks to Palmer:
Steve and I were up early and started loading the camper with food and linens for our 5-day camping adventure. Donna woke a little while later and helped. We were on the road by 10am, after a stop at Sunrise Bagel for a breakfast sandwich. I was thrilled to see sunshine peeking through the clouds, and even happier to see a hazy Mt. McKinley on the horizon as we passed the Tanana Valley overlook on the Parks Highway.
We made many stops along the way to stretch our legs and walk Sedona. Donna enjoyed watching the landscape change as we left the rolling hills of Fairbanks behind and met the Alaska Range head on just outside of Denali National Park.
Our
journey took us 315 miles, and a good six hours. I felt terrible about
subjecting Donna to such a long vehicle drive after her long flight,
but I wanted her to experience as much of Alaska as she could during
the week, and that meant getting to the Kenai peninsula.
After setting up the camper, Donna and I drove up to Hatcher Pass to see if we could find some forget-me-nots and other wildflowers. It began to drizzle on us in the higher elevations, but the views were beautiful despite the low hanging clouds and haze. While we were gone, Steve prepared dinner - what a sweetheart!
 Rest Stop Parks Highway |
 Rest Stop - Wild Sweet Pea |
 Palmer, Matanuska River |
 Palmer, Matanuska River |
 Palmer, Little Susitna River |
 Wild Geranium, Hatcher Pass |
 Hatcher Pass |
 Hatcher Pass foliage |
We all went to bed early, even though we didn't have a long day ahead of us. We planned to stop on the way to Seward too, as the sights along the way are absolutely spectacular. We also wanted to get into Seward early enough to enjoy Exit Glacier, the Sea Life Center, and the town itself.