ARRIVING AT RILEY CREEK CAMPGROUND IN DENALI NATIONAL PARK - Wednesday, July 5, 2023

Today as we leave Teklanika River Campground, it is sunny and 53 degrees.  Our journey today is only 31 miles. We set out toward Riley Creek Campground at 9 a.m.

There are not many vehicles on the gravel road this morning as we head toward "Checkpoint Charlie" on our way back to Riley Creek Mercantile to dump our tanks and check in for our 10-day stay in Riley Creek Campground.

Of course, we always keep our eyes peeled for wildlife and maybe, just maybe another glimpse of "The Great One" Denali. And "The Great One" does not disappoint. Even though we only get a partial view today, a view of Denali is counted as a view.

We had been told that only 30 percent of visitors to Denali actually are fortunate to catch a glimpse or a portion of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. And only 10 percent of visitors see "The Great One" in its totality -- which we did a few days ago. We still feel fortunate to get another peak at Denali. 

Because the weather is so varied in the park that about 7 out of 10 days the mountains are out of sight because the Alaska Range is often shrouded in clouds.

But why do clouds cover the summit of Denali so often? It usually has to do with where the Alaska Range sits in relationship to the ocean. Mountain ranges throughout Alaska play a big role in influencing the weather and climate. When low pressure systems move northward from the Gulf of Alaska, that moist cold air hits the mountain ranges and condenses while rising upward. This results in clouds and precipitation in the mountains that often obstruct the view of Denali.

This weather pattern means the south side of the Alaska Range, also known as the windward side, receives more precipitation than many other parts of the state. As a result, this area is home to large scale glaciers and ice fields. The north side of the Alaska Range, where most visitors stay in Denali National Park, is actually in the rain shadow of the Alaska Range. The weather on the northern side is much more forgiving than the southern side of the mountain, but can still be varied and unpredictable. 

Often clouds add a dramatic look to the already breathtaking landscapes of the park. Even the elusiveness of the view make it that much more special.

So as we leave our view of Denali behind in our rear view mirror, we continue on our way toward Riley Creek.

We are nearing "Checkpoint Charlie" however, this time we don't have to stop and check in.

However, as we cross the Savage River for the last time, we continue to keep on the lookout for wildlife.

Back now on the paved road to Riley Creek, it isn't long until we are surprised with 2 moose (see below).

They weren't too far off road and buses and cars were stopping to watch.

We then continued on following a tan park bus.

We passed the Murie Science and Learning Center and then the Denali Bus Depot.

We continued on toward the Riley Creek Campground.

Soon we were at the Riley Creek turnoff.

Again we had to go to the Riley Creek Campground Mercantile to register. So while Mel was dumping the gray and black tanks and filling with fresh water, I went into the Mercantile to register for our 10-day stay at Riley Creek Campground.

I was once again given my registration tag and a map of the campground (see below).

We will be staying in Riley Creek Campground for the next ten days from July 5th through July 14th, leaving on July 15th.

The interpretive sign above tells about Riley Creek and important camping information, while the interpretive sign below tells about the best places to see Denali. As you can see me in the reflection in this sign -- which means I have already seen "The Great One" but as usual we hope to see it again in our ten days here.

We found a campsite in the Bear Loop, site #B6. It is a nice spot which is really close to the Mercantile and one of the restrooms.

After we got all set up, we decided to do our laundry at the Riley Mercantile. It cost $2 to wash a load and $2 to dry a load. We found that pretty cheap and we were all finished with our laundry by 3 p.m.

Why I was waiting for the laundry to finish up, I met a woman and her companion (Jenny and Andrew) that had worked seasonally for several years -- Andrew as a Park Ranger and Wildland Firefighter and Jenny as a Trail Builder and Biologist. After talking with Jenny for awhile, I found out that they have been cycling around the world. I will check out the YouTube address Jenny gave me when I get a chance.

Also while doing laundry, I saw this sign about the band "Diggin Dirt" and that they were going to have an appearance at Panorama Pizza in Healy on Friday, July 7th. I told Mel about it and we're planning to go.

Tonight for dinner we had salmon, sweet potato fries and Mexican street corn.

We're all settled in at Riley Creek Campground for the next ten day, with lots of new things to see and do in Denali National Park. We can't wait to explore!

Shirley & Mel

MANY BIKE RIDES FROM TEK RIVER CAMPGROUND & WALKS DOWN TO TEK RIVER FROM CAMPGROUND (LAST TWO DAYS AT TEK CAMPGROUND) - Monday, July 3 - Tuesday, July 4, 2023

Monday, July 3, 2023

Today was another beautiful sunny day, but the clouds were rolling in and it was very windy. We had a breakfast of toasted cinnamon raisin bagels spread with peanut butter and topped with a fried egg and crispy bacon.

Even though the temperature was already at 63 degrees, we waited awhile to see if the winds would die down before we went for a bike ride. Mel went for a walk around the campground.

At 12:45 p.m., we took off and went rode toward the Sanctuary River Campground. Battling winds from all directions and being tossed around on the road, I only made it about four miles before I turned around and headed back (8 miles roundtrip in an hour). A little disappointed, Mel turned around and went back with me. I stopped at the Teklanika River Campground sign to take a selfie.

Mel then decided to go for another bike ride, so he headed out toward Sable Pass and then came back (which was another 20 miles of riding). Mel said he again saw the mama grizzly with her 3 cubs, as well as a Caribou and 3 Dahl sheep at mile 34 around Igloo Mountain (see below).

Above is one of the Dahl sheep that Mel saw on Igloo Mountain. These white-coated grazers of Alaska's high mountains, can be viewed at a distance by scanning certain open slopes -- usually where whole mountain faces are visible at a glance -- most often when vegetation can provide a backdrop to their fur.

We had spaghetti for dinner. And then we decided to take a walk down to the Teklanika River from our campground.  

As we were walking, we stopped to talk with a family from Switzerland that had a jeep with a tent on top of it. (See picture above.) They said they were here in the states for about three weeks, and would be staying here for three nights. We thought their setup looked pretty neat.

We continued on our walk and then had to walk behind a trailer to the path that would lead down to the river.

The path was very scenic with fireweeds and mountains.

We passed by the sign (below) warning of bears frequenting the area. As we had our bear spray with us, we continued on.

The sky was beginning to look more and more ominous all the time.

Yet we continued on . . .

But soon we could tell it was going to rain -- and then it did start to sprinkle, so we turned around and headed back.

Tuesday, July 4, 2023

This morning it was still windy, but nice and sunny. Even though it was only 48 degrees out, we decided to finish our walk down to the Teklanika River that we had started last night. We left right after breakfast at 8:30 a.m.

The Teklanika River walk only took us 30 minutes round trip from our campsite.

Above is the beginning of the Teklanika River that is just a short walk west of the Teklanika River Campground where we are staying. The Tek River flows northward from the Alaska Range.

As we walked out onto the gravel bars, I was admiring all the different colored rocks, several of which that had white lines across them (see above).

And soon the Teklanika River begins to get wider.

And then the Teklanika River gets really wide!

It is such a beautiful day with simply spectacular mountainous views everywhere we look. And when we turned around to walk back, we had to look carefully to find the opening that we had originally come through.

When we got back to the campsite, Mel decided to go on a bike ride back to Sable Pass one last time. His twenty-mile bike ride took him two hours and 15 minutes from 9:00 a.m. until 11:15 a.m. 

After lunch, Mel went on another bike ride -- this time back to Sanctuary Campground, while I decided to ride my bike to the Teklanika River Viewpoint rest stop. The interpretive sign below talks about the wildlife corridor and traditional hunting ground at the Teklanika River.

The Ice Age Hunters (as described in the interpretive sign above) became experts in watching for mammoth bison and caribou from the ridgetops. While they waited, they often made knifes and repaired weapons.

Above and below, are views of the braided Teklanika River. As glaciers melt in the Alaska Range, silt, gravel and cobbles are carried downstream in the meltwater. When the river reaches the relatively flat plain, the flow rate slows. The sediment drops to the bottom of the stream, building up over time, creating this wide river bar, full of shifting channels or braids.

After I had spent a few minutes there, I headed back to the campsite first stopping to take a picture of the little pond alongside the road.

Then I decided to ride by the Murie Science and Learning Center Field Camp (shown in the picture above and below).

On my five-mile bike ride, I also checked out the open campsites in our two loops -- there were 21 open spots in both loops.

Pictures from Mel's 13-mile bike ride to the Sanctuary Campground follow.

The Sanctuary River, with an elevation of 2,468 feet. It is a large glacial river that is bordered by a narrow gravel bar with brush on either side. The river usually consists of one or two main channels originating from the high glaciers of the Alaska Range. There are a variety of valleys and tributaries feeding into the Sanctuary.

Mel takes a selfie in front of the Sanctuary River.

Below is the sign for the Sanctuary Campground, which is located at mile 23.

For dinner tonight, we had chicken fajita salads. After dinner, we went again for a walk down to the Teklanika River from our campsite. On our walk, we saw a couple of neat tent setups (see next two pictures below).

The half-hour river walk was very peaceful and beautiful! Hard to believe we are out wandering around between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. and it's still light out, but that is all part of the midnight sun in Alaska.

As this is our last night at the Teklanika River Campground, we whisper goodbye briefly to all that we have seen here at Tek.  But, we will always remember the shimmering beauty of the Tek River and the majestic Alaska Range mountains behind it! 

Shirley & Mel