Hi there all! It's Sunday, September 2nd now and I am very near Denali National Park- I've slowly been wandering the 121 mile or so in small bites-  first day only 40 miles or so to a Parking (P) pullout that was hidden from the road by a copse of trees- great free campsite! Sun even came out!!

It has been rainy and cold here and looks like it will be the remainder of my visit- Fall is on us hard here. The colors are changing and there are beautiful reds and golden yellows among the green and brown of the forest and along the roadside. Very pretty especially when the Sun breaks through and shines on a part of the forest around me which is dense and seems to go on and on. There are also some very tall mountains with snow capped peaks that reach into the gray and black overcast sky.

The van is keeping me dry and warm when I use the heater on the stove or when I cook- got up to over 80 degrees in there when I baked a meatloaf and a potato for an hour at 400 degrees. That was a very tasty dinner and took the chill out as well!. I had filled up with propane that day and it took 4 gallons so I figure I am good for awhile with a 15 gallon tank.

Last night I stayed at a meadow campground near a river in Anderson, AK. There was a group staying there that dress in Medieval clothing with swords and crowns and things like that- they are called the Society for Creative Anachronism - here's a link if you'd like to know more:

Society for Creative Anachronism

I asked them if I could take pictures of them and they were ok with it, but it felt weird so I only took a couple. The had the covered picnic area with the fireplace so i kept to myself in the van. The campground had a plug in which I used for once hopping the battery would get a better charge- with the rain the solar panel isn't cutting it and when I don't drive the alternator can't help it.

Plugged in alos meant charging the computer and the phone and being able to watch movies without running it down. I had a simple dinner of leftovers (refried beans, meatlof and baked potato burritos with fresh onion and my favorite hot sauce!) and went to sleep late not caring if I get an early start.

When I left the medieval folks were debating whether to call it a weekend because of the bad weather, I thought the King would just decide.....huh.

I intend to stay in Denali National Park tonight- right now I am at the Denali Princess Lodge to use the WiFi to post this and catch up on business.

Here are some pics, before I left Fairbanks I went to Pioneer Park and so there are some pictures from there of the Sternwheeler ship and the Aviation Museum.