I dropped my phone the day before and it developed a small crack. I think I dropped it because I lost the strap on the back when we went to Dome Mountain in Dawson City. When I dropped it a second time most of the screen cracked and started leaving small glass fragments in my finger so we decided to head to the Verizon store in Fairbanks on our way out of town. I searched and there was not one in Denali and I was hoping to get it fixed before we left. We left even before Ricky came by for his later than normal thump of our tires so we could get to the store when they opened at 10. I only had to wait a few minutes for the store to open but decided to only have a protective cover placed over the screen to hold me until we get to Anchorage or back to the lower 48. As much as I wanted a new X iphone I could not see paying the $1,000 for a new phone, especially when I have insurance on my current 6Plus iphone. When I asked about a replacement phone I was told they had to FedEx it to me the next day. I could not take one from the store. I called both the campground, Denali RV Park and Motel, and the Denali Post Office but was told that neither would accept FedEx packages. I was told the quickest delivery would be USPS 2-day mail but Verizon would not ship anything other than FedEx. The Post Office in Denali told me it could take from 3 – 8 days to actually receive a package n Denali which would probably be after we left. Verizon could not repair my phone but instead recommended a repair facility in downtown Fairbanks but that may have taken several hours to have fixed. We probably would need to disconnect the Jeep to get to the repair facility so I just decided to do the temporary fix, even when it was $35. I will call next week about having a replacement shipped to one of the larger cities, maybe Valdez.

By the time we got out of the Verizon store, some of the other caravan members were on the road. We joined them as we made our turn onto Alaska Route 3 to Denali. It didn’t take long for the rain to start again so by the time we stopped at the Rest Area about 80 miles from Fairbanks, we could not see Denali. I still took a scavenger hunt photo but put a text in the photo that the rain was obscuring the photo of Denali. They say only 35 percent of the people that visit actually get a good look at Denali, so I hope we get good weather later in the week.

Unhappy that we could not get our first glimpse of Denali because of the rain.

We only had 121 miles to drive to Denali, so we arrived in plenty of time to set up and take a nap before our evening dinner and show at the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. They served a family style dinner of ribs, salmon, potatoes, corn, baked beans, biscuits and berry pie with fresh whipped cream. It was a good dinner and our waiter, Joe, was a lot of fun! The staff were part of the show and sang a lot of old-fashioned songs and songs about Alaska. This was one of my favorite meals and shows so far. I have been very impressed by the talent that we have experienced on our trip. From the shows in South Dakota, to Dawson City and now Denali, the performers have been wonderful. I especially liked the reading of the 1907 poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert William Service, that was read/performed while we waited in line for the doors to open.

The Cremation Of Sam Mcgee – Poem by Robert William Service

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Now Sam McGee was from Tennessee, where the cotton blooms and blows.
Why he left his home in the South to roam ’round the Pole, God only knows.
He was always cold, but the land of gold seemed to hold him like a spell;
Though he’d often say in his homely way that he’d “sooner live in hell”.

On a Christmas Day we were mushing our way over the Dawson trail.
Talk of your cold! through the parka’s fold it stabbed like a driven nail.
If our eyes we’d close, then the lashes froze till sometimes we couldn’t see;
It wasn’t much fun, but the only one to whimper was Sam McGee.

And that very night, as we lay packed tight in our robes beneath the snow,
And the dogs were fed, and the stars o’erhead were dancing heel and toe,
He turned to me, and “Cap,” says he, “I’ll cash in this trip, I guess;
And if I do, I’m asking that you won’t refuse my last request.”

Well, he seemed so low that I couldn’t say no; then he says with a sort of moan:
“It’s the cursed cold, and it’s got right hold till I’m chilled clean through to the bone.
Yet ’tain’t being dead — it’s my awful dread of the icy grave that pains;
So I want you to swear that, foul or fair, you’ll cremate my last remains.”

A pal’s last need is a thing to heed, so I swore I would not fail;
And we started on at the streak of dawn; but God! he looked ghastly pale.
He crouched on the sleigh, and he raved all day of his home in Tennessee;
And before nightfall a corpse was all that was left of Sam McGee.

There wasn’t a breath in that land of death, and I hurried, horror-driven,
With a corpse half hid that I couldn’t get rid, because of a promise given;
It was lashed to the sleigh, and it seemed to say:
“You may tax your brawn and brains,
But you promised true, and it’s up to you to cremate those last remains.”

Now a promise made is a debt unpaid, and the trail has its own stern code.
In the days to come, though my lips were dumb, in my heart how I cursed that load.
In the long, long night, by the lone firelight, while the huskies, round in a ring,
Howled out their woes to the homeless snows — O God! how I loathed the thing.

And every day that quiet clay seemed to heavy and heavier grow;
And on I went, though the dogs were spent and the grub was getting low;
The trail was bad, and I felt half mad, but I swore I would not give in;
And I’d often sing to the hateful thing, and it hearkened with a grin.

Till I came to the marge of Lake Lebarge, and a derelict there lay;
It was jammed in the ice, but I saw in a trice it was called the “Alice May”.
And I looked at it, and I thought a bit, and I looked at my frozen chum;
Then “Here,” said I, with a sudden cry, “is my cre-ma-tor-eum.”

Some planks I tore from the cabin floor, and I lit the boiler fire;
Some coal I found that was lying around, and I heaped the fuel higher;
The flames just soared, and the furnace roared — such a blaze you seldom see;
And I burrowed a hole in the glowing coal, and I stuffed in Sam McGee.

Then I made a hike, for I didn’t like to hear him sizzle so;
And the heavens scowled, and the huskies howled, and the wind began to blow.
It was icy cold, but the hot sweat rolled down my cheeks, and I don’t know why;
And the greasy smoke in an inky cloak went streaking down the sky.

I do not know how long in the snow I wrestled with grisly fear;
But the stars came out and they danced about ere again I ventured near;
I was sick with dread, but I bravely said: “I’ll just take a peep inside.
I guess he’s cooked, and it’s time I looked”; . . . then the door I opened wide.

And there sat Sam, looking cool and calm, in the heart of the furnace roar;
And he wore a smile you could see a mile, and he said: “Please close that door.
It’s fine in here, but I greatly fear you’ll let in the cold and storm —
Since I left Plumtree, down in Tennessee, it’s the first time I’ve been warm.”

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.
Robert William Service

Refreshments while we waited in line for the doors to open at the Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. One of the cast came out and read the poem, “The Cremation of Sam McGee.”

The next day was one of my favorite activities but also the worse for me. We did an all-day Denali Park Tundra Wilderness Bus Tour that took us 60 miles into the Park. The day again started out wet and dreary so the wildlife was difficult to see but it did clear up by the end of the day. We got to see moose, caribou, ground squirrels, Denali sheep, several grizzly bears and several types of birds. Unfortunately, our seats were at the back of the bus and after several hours of bouncing over the rough road, I was not feeling very well. My vertigo was back with a vengeance so when we got back, I had a few bites to eat and headed to bed.

Another bus on the road in Denali . Our bus would wait until the road was clear before proceeding around the sharp, narrow curves.

Wide, shallow rivers are common in Alaska. I would have loved to see them in the Spring with the early runoff.

Typical of the rivers in Alaska. Wide and shallow with lots of rocks and gravel.

Caribou climbing the cliff next to the bus

Caribou climbing the hill next to the bus

Grizzly bear viewed off in the distance while on the bus in Denali

A long night’s sleep helped but I was still suffering the next day so I napped again after breakfast. After my nap, we took it easy with just a ride out to Denali Park. We were fortunate and got a marvelous photo of a caribou reflecting in a pond. At one of the Denali viewing areas, we met a nice older man with his grandson so we shared our chairs and waited for the clouds to lift. Our perseverance paid off and we got a nice view of both peaks of Denali after waiting about a hour. The view was not as good as Randy’s view from his trip in 1966, but he was at least 60 miles closer at Wonder Lake on a gorgeous day. I was still happy that I got to see both of Denali’s peaks and can say I am in the 35 percent of people that get to view the mountain.

Caribou with its reflection in a small lake along the road in Denali

We waited about a hour hoping the clouds would clear. Our patience was rewarded with a nice view of Denali

Dinner that night was at the Denali Salmon bake which was probably my least favorite restaurant so far on this trip. My salmon was barely warm and Randy’s steak was cooked more than he liked. They did not even ask anyone how they would like it cooked so I guess he was lucky it was not well done. This was a make-up dinner for the breakfast that was cancelled when the elevators did not work in Calgary. The building had a definite lean and the floors did not meet the walls and had large open areas. I assume the building has shifted due to frost heaves. Definitely kicked up my vertigo.