We headed up Chena Hot Springs Road toward Chena Hot Springs. Many people along our travels had told us about the hot springs and that it was a must see. As we drove, we found many places where you can just pull off and camp for free on Chena River. We came across the perfect spot for us at mile 38.2. We tucked ourselves at the end, close to the river and stayed for five days.
Saturday was a gorgeous sunny Alaska day. I even put my suit on and laid out in my lounge chair. We both were happy to just sit. I think we are both on book #5 and it’s nice to relax and read for hours.
In keeping with our Road Angel status, we were able to help out two young men from Switzerland. They had camped by us one night and then moved just across the river. They wanted to be on the rocky beach but didn’t check before driving a little too close and got their 19 foot Class C motor home stuck. They walked over to our campsite asking for some help. I was happy to be able to use my winch for the first time and we pulled them out with no problem. They were so thankful and paid us with two Swiss chocolate bars!
Monday we geared up for a hike. We did the Angel Rock loop which is 3.5 miles. It was a nice, somewhat difficult hike, up a rocky trail. We were a little concerned about Gus but he was excited and didn’t show signs of slowing down until we were almost back to the Jeep. We were happy to have done it and continue to look for more hikes suitable for the three of us.
Tuesday we drove to Chena Hot Springs which is at the end of Chena Hot Springs Road. It is privately owned and they have quite the little set up. There are horseback rides, chickens, goats, reindeer and of course the hot springs.
We didn’t feel like soaking in a big bath with a bunch of strangers so we opted for the Ice Museum tour.
As we entered the ice museum, we vowed to follow all the rules which included not opening the door on our own letting all the warm air in that melts the ice sculptures, and we also had to promise not to touch or lick anything. Visions of The Christmas Story immediately went through our heads and made me want to try. Just kidding. We were also told that our coats were cute but it was 18 degrees in there and we would be in there for about 45 minutes so we donned the big puffy coats they supplied. I’m thankful that I did because as it was my flip-flops turned out not to be the best decision. Thankfully, we were warmed up by a nice appletini at the Aurora Ice bar. It was a pretty cool experience.
We grabbed lunch at the restaurant and waited for the 2 pm Geothermal tour that they offer as well. The tour was interesting and explained how they are able to generate their own power using the hot springs. We went through the greenhouse as well and learned they hoped to be totally self-sustaining in the future.
As we headed back to our campsite, we made a quick stop at Angel Creek Lodge. As we were bellying up to the bar an older gentleman was getting up from his bar stool. Craig said he was fine, as in he didn’t have to leave because of us, and the man said “I know, but you’re not my type” with a smile. He put something away in his truck and came back in and I told him he could sit next to me if he wanted, which he did. He turned out to be from Cadillac, Michigan and had been living in Alaska for almost 30 years. The owner of the lodge was from L’Anse, Michigan and has been here for almost 50 years. We remarked that we continue to meet many people who originated in Michigan and wonder if we’ll feel that draw as well.
Wednesday we woke up to rain and it rained all day. We packed everything up and stopped to do a quick load of laundry. We knew we were going to head up the Steese Highway to a gravel pit that had a cool trail but because it continued to rain we stopped back in at the Silver Gulch Brewery. Here we met a group that also belong to the RVing to Alaska 2018 Facebook group that I’m in. They are from Texas and have been hitting all the breweries on their way. They were fun and we compared our adventures. This is when Sheri sat down on the other side of me. She is from Homer, Alaska but working road construction up here. She had so much great advice on the towns she thought were worth stopping in and the places to see and eat at. We were feeling guilty for going back to the brewery but we had another great night of meeting people.
We made our way up to the 12 Mile summit Wayside on the Steese Highway. It was overcast and foggy and we couldn’t see much. It was also really cold. Thankfully, it cleared up in the morning and we could see we were surrounded by awesome scenery. We packed up the Jeep and headed out on the trail. It was rocky and hilly and muddy and so much fun. It was so peaceful to be out and not seeing another person or RV. We went about 9 miles in before a big muddy bog turned us around. We didn’t feel comfortable trying to get through even with our winch. The trees out there were not big and we didn’t want to get stranded.
It was a great day anyway and took us about 4 1/2 hours. We figured we had time to run up to Circle, Alaska. The road there was the best gravel road we’ve been on so far.We drove into Circle, which isn’t much, looked at the Yukon river, again, and turned around. We stopped in Central at a small bar/store and grabbed some dinner. The owner and his son were bartending and we chatted with them well after they had closed. The son is in the National Guard and works on Blackhawk helicopters. How cool is that? Central is also a stop for the Yukon Quest 1000 mile International Sled Dog race and the family is really involved with that. They even said if we came back in February they would put us to work because they could use all the help they could get. We finally had to say goodbye and got back to our camper around midnite.
We love that this week we were able to do a few things off the beaten path. It’s cool to see the stuff that many people won’t get to. We don’t want the same pictures that everyone else has, we want our Alaska experience to be a different. Thank you to all those that have helped make that possible so far. We are headed to our next town excited for the next trail and more stories.
Off to roads less traveled…