| Today was an easy run, or so we thought. The distance from the campground in Fairbanks to the campground in Healy is 120 miles (192 Km). Even by Alaska highway standards that should be a 2 1/2 - 3 hour trip. We didn't take into consideration the construction activity on the George Parks Highway. There were several segments of the highway under repair, which only had one travel lane, so each side had to wait its turn. One of these sections was several miles long and required an escort vehicle, forcing us to wait 15 minutes for our turn.
The Parks Highway is quite busy as it connects Alaska's two major cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks. Because of weather conditions, the construction season is limited to the months of May to September. The same conditions that limit the construction season also create the reasons for constant repair and reconstruction of the highway. The permafrost beneath the highway is melted by the heat captured by the blacktop surface. The constant thawing/freezing cycles damage the highway.
We spent the afternoon in the area of the Denali National Park Visitors Center, a brand new facility with excellent displays on the animals of the park. We also took in a dog sled demonstration at the park's kennel. These dogs are not just a tourist attraction, they are used to patrol the park during the winter.
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Our campsite in Healy, 8 miles north of Denali National Park
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View out the trailer door. The wilderness starts almost behind the trailer. Campground staff advised that bear and moose are frequently spotted in the area and that a Grizzly Bear was chased out of the campground two years ago.
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