DAYS 23 & 24

  Saturday was an uneventful day.  Lots of cold and rain that took us most of the day to get from Anchorage to Healy.  Healy being just north of the park entrance, so we called it a day and found some warm lodging to  shake off the chills.  I know there's no sympathy from the Chicago people.  We here you had to deal with a little rain yourselves!   Stopping in the bar for a couple last night, the first person we met is from Logan Square, Chicago.  Then a little later on, a couple of cheeseheads came in and finally Sunday morning we met a retired cop who lives by Western and Montrose in Chicago.  Gee it's a small world after all, gee it's a small world after all, oops sorry, I thought I was back in Disneyworld for a sec..

  Today we caught a break with the weather and checked out Denali National Park.  Two million acres of protected prime real estate thanks to foresight by some wise men a century ago.  The gem of the park is Mt. McKinley at over 20,000 feet.  Not being able to see it due to cloud coverage so we took in what we could and made the most of it.  Not seeing the mountain is the norm not the exception.  This particular mountain range creates it's own weather and the clouds are almost a permanent fixture.  Not what you would consider a big crowd for such an acclaimed national park.  But it's also not the most accessible for most people being 250 miles from Anchorage and that's on a two lane highway that is usually under construction during the warmer months.  Maybe this is a good thing, the park is unspoiled and still pristine.

Mt. McKinley is center in the clouds

  To finish the day we rode up to Fairbanks, about 120 miles.  Tonight we relax, tomorrow the adventure continues.  Mark

Things of note;
1- Willy, Tom says we got our permits to climb the mountain next July, start training and you owe him $250.00 for your permit.
2- Tom says HI mom
3- Lorry, how come there are no Hondas out here on these roads?
4-GTC say hi to JR for me
5- Were pushing 5000 for the trip
6- We would love to hear from some of the quite ones out there
7-You betcha, Sarah Palin says hi!!!!!!!!