Sunday July 10

Tatlanika Gift Show and RV Park

8:30AM  61°F. Overcast: clouds and smoke

We have now travelled 7,030 miles.

The wildfire came within 1 mile of the campground but stayed on the other side of the Nenana River.

Since stopping here we have wondered how the owners could maintain a very large gift shop miles from anywhere.  Well we came back to grab something we forgot one day and found 6 cruise line busses at the shop. Princess, Royal Caribbean, Viking,, Holland America, and Norwegian.  People climbing over everything to get their Alaskan trinkets.

Anyway today we head to Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. It's raining and traffic is typical Sunday traffic coming back from your favorite weekend getaway. We stop at Hurricane Gulch rest area to cook breakfast. Sorry no pics of the gulch it was raining too hard to walk back up the highway to take one.

The next stop is at Mt Denali North Viewing Area. Other than the weather this may explain our not siting the 20,310' Mt Denali while in the Park. IT'S NOT THERE.

We're about 130 miles south of the Park and now we get the viewing area. I was going to include a photo of Mt Denali or at least what you'd see Trust if the clouds weren't there 🤪

As it's Sunday there are no tire service businesses open in Anchorage so we continue on.

Once below Anchorage the is one AND only one road to the Kenai Peninsula. This road goes around Turnagain Arm. Check it out on a map on a normal day it's 2 hours from Anchorage to Cooper Landing. But not on Sunday afternoon in July and public services has decided to replace 20 miles of guardrails. That right 20 miles of backup, one lane with escorted cars...

But it's a beautiful drive.

We land at our Kenai base camp: Princess Kenai RV park.  The lodge up the hill from the RV park was where Pat and I stayed 20 years ago. 

Bob and I had dinner at the lodge. After dinner I asked the tour desk if anyone remembered our tour guide from back then. Believe it or not she and her husband just retired a few years back and still live in the area. He became the GM of the lodge a position held for 15 years. I actually talked to her on the phone. Of course she had no recollection of Pat and I . Just one more act to prove my insanity.