sept 6 - 7, 2000
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Next: Fairbanks & Chena Hot Springs
long drive through the Alaskan Interior
The next morning I made that right on main street and headed north towards Fairbanks, taking me past Denali National Park where I would stop on the way back. The ride up is one of the most incredible I've experienced, ranging from pristine woods to spectacular landscapes. I was wondering how I would know when I was seeing Denali (aka Mount McKinley) for the first time, but there's absolutely no question. When it first peeks out from behind the trees you know and if you can see the top you're fortunate because it's obscured by its own weather system about 75% of the time.
The area outside of Denali National Park is the most beautiful land I've seen anywhere. A bright red carpet of fireweed covers the valley yellow trees and shrubs burst out of the ground dotted with evergreens set against purple - yes literally purple - mountains under a bright blue sky. The only evidence of people in the valley is me, the car, and an empty road that stretches for miles in two directions. No houses. No telephone poles. No gas stations. I had to stop the car because it's too hard to see and think about anything else like driving. witness:
sept 6 - 7, 2000
Drove back to Anchorage for another night at the Jewel Lake B&B, because Anchorage is between Seward and Fairbanks. Had a great dinner at the very popular and packed Brewhouse downtown. Had to eat at the bar as I couldn't get a table, so I had the home brew which was yummy and this great jambalaya fettuccini.
Denali is the highest mountain in North America and the highest rising mountain in the world. Although the summit of Mount Everest is higher from sea level, its base starts well above sea level which means there's less vertical distance from base to summit than Denali, whose base lies roughly at sea level. In other words say that Katie Couric is slightly shorter than Matt Lauer. If they were both standing on even ground it would certainly appear that you would have to reach higher up to plant a spike in Matt's brain than you would in Katie's. But actually Matt is buried in cement up to his crotch and you're standing on the surface of the hardened pool of cement, so actually it will be much easier to reach up and drive a spike through Matt's brain standing on the block of cement than it will to stand on the ground and drive one through Katie's brain. See?
Next: Fairbanks & Chena Hot Springs