North to Alaska - The Ultimate Road Trip

Driving by car to Alaska had been a personal dream since my childhood. In the summer of 1986, circumstances permitted me to take this trip. Living mostly out of the back of a pickup truck with occasional nights at motels, we spent an incredible 56 days on the road, a tour de force of the American - and Canadian - West.

This series will present my journal of that trip in one week increments as shown on the map at left. Many of the places visited will have their own pages with more information and photos. For example, visit our pages on the Gates of the Arctic and Denali National Park.

Weeks 5-6: From Denali National Park to Kenai, Alaska; Catching the Fishing Bug

August 1, 1986. After the wild ride back to Fairbanks, we stayed around town for the day. Did chores like laundry, car maintenance, and replacing the ruined tire. Tried a little fishing in the nearby Salcha River without any luck. Dinner at the grandiose Fairbanks' Salmon Bake was memorable. The all-you-can-eat meal featured barbequed king salmon, halibut, and "reindeer" sausages. Delicious and overwhelming!

August 2, 1986. We leave Fairbanks for the final time and head south for Denail National Park. The visitor center is congested and chaotic, and the park is sold out for the day. We purchase a camping reservation for the following two days and head for a nearby private campground. Did a little hiking in the area, picked more blueberries plus many salmonberries which are similar to raspberries, but orange. We get enough to make a meal the next morning.

August 3, 1986. Secured our spot at the Denali campground, then took the park shuttle bus to Eilsen Visitor Center, sixty miles into the park. Unbelievable vistas, lots of wildlife, including moose, dall sheep (in the distance), ptarmigens, two grizzly bears, and numerous caribou even on the road. Got a few glimpses of Mt. McKinley through the clouds. Be sure to read our feature on Denali National Park.

August 4, 1986. Joined a ranger-led hike up the mountainsides looking for Dall sheep. The weather continued unsettled and very windy. Sadly, the sheep apparently had the sense to stay out of the wind, and none were seen.

August 5, 1986. We are now heading south towards Anchorage and the coast. We're looking forward to catching (and eating fresh) salmon. We stop at a place called Montana Creek which was supposed to be a good salmon fishing spot. Hordes of fisherman were waiting at the mouth of Montana Creek where it flows into the Susitna River, a major salmon river. No one is catching anything. We spot a fellow emerging from the woods with a full string of huge salmon. He advised us to follow the trail in the woods downstream to a quiet pool full of salmon.

It was good advice. The next hour was the wildest hour of fishing we experienced before or since. These were chum salmon, viciously attacking the lure on every cast. (We may have been disturbing their breeding in the quiet pool.) In the hour, we hooked six, landed three, and kept two for dinner. The "one that got away" was amazing. I had it pinned to the ground with my knee and was about to remove the hook. It shook free, leaped several feet in the air, snapped the line, wiggled back into the water, and took off! Talk about determination!

Our larger fish was about eight pounds and two feet long. We had char-broiled salmon about two hours later, 16 ounce fillets with seconds. Perhaps the most delicious meal of my life!

August 6, 1986. Spent much of the day driving to Anchorage in more bad weather and stayed in a motel for the night. Had superb Chinese food in a downtown restaurant.

August 7, 1986. We're continuing now to the Kenai Peninsula, south of Anchorage. Our first stop is the Portage Glacier (right). As we found out at Saskatchewan Glacier in Canada, it is very cold and unsettled near glaciers. However the visitor center at the edge of the glacier had an excellent glassed-in viewing area.

We camp for the night at the Russian River, world famous for its sockeye salmon run. The latest run had already gone through, so fishing was very slow. However it was quite amazing to see fishermen lined up shoulder to shoulder as far as the eye could see.

August 8, 1986. It rains again all night and most of the next day. We drive a little further down the peninsula, fish a little, and mostly try to stay dry.

August 9, 1986. We start out late and quickly arrive at Soldotna, the center of activity for the famed Kenai River. We booked a guided fishing trip on the river for the next day, then headed to the Captain Cook Recreation Area. The park protects a gorgeous section of coast on the Cook Inlet. We got to enjoy some hiking and dinner before it ended up raining all night again.

August 10, 1986. We met the guide at his home early the next morning. He lived on a large wooded property right on the Kenai River, with his own private dock. Rustic living here consists of a trailer and an outhouse. The outhouse was actually the nicest building with water and electricity.

The guide was a colorful local, reclusive and hard-drinking, but he knew his fishing. The action was quite lively because the pink salmon were running. The pinks which are much smaller and less tastier than the other varieties run on alternate years. They are very aggressive and easy to catch. It's a lot of fun but we throw most of them back. We're after the prized Kenai silver salmon, the best for eating, and our joint limit is six fish to keep.

In the end we kept three silvers and three pinks. I caught the biggest fish, a gorgeous ten pound silver salmon. It doesn't rain that night so we feast at the local campground.