I drove 266miles to our campground in Anchorage. It was 56 deg. and overcast when I left Denali and in the high 60’s in Anchorage.
I stopped at a roadside spot along the way where if it was a clear day, Denali could be seen. No luck today.
Anchorage has so far been my least favorite stop on this trip. I am not saying I hated it, but I think because it was a big city and there was a good bit of homeless people all over the city. Even on a trip to Walmart, I noticed lots of security cameras and people living in cars in the parking lot.
While here I tried to get the van’s oil changed at a Ford dealership. They said they would not do it as I had plumbing under the vehicle, as they had an old truck lift that would damage it. She referred me to a Midas shop down the road.
Midas got me in and out. They changed the oil and I had brought along a new air filter, and they also changed that for me too. Since I was noticing squealing brakes, I had them checked a long with a metal rubbing sound I am hearing at low speeds in the back. They said everything was good. The brake noise actually subsided after a few washes of the van. Perhaps lots of dust from the roadways was causing some of the noise. They texted the invoice along with photos of all the components they worked on and checked. This stop worked out well.
Our excursion was to the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It was a journey through years of Alaska Native history and culture through art, dance, games and demonstrations. They had an indoor museum with lots of artifacts and outdoor native village sites. Each site represented different native groups and had traditional structures and artifacts from each of the different Native groups. These groups are located all over the state of Alaska. It was interesting to see and read about their culture.
I also watched a group of young people demonstrate some dancing and music and also some native games.
In the evening after our travel briefing, our wagon masters and tail gunners made us a fajita dinner.
Next we head to Seward, Alaska