There’s always a lot of talk about the mosquitos in Alaska. So much so, that it’s been one of things I’ve been dreading about this summer trip. We’ve been here since June 5th and they haven’t been bad until recently.
Buckle up! Today we’re back on the road with a couple of long-ish driving days. Leaving North Pole, Alaska (fun visit linked here) we’re headed south with the goal of ending up in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, but first, Big Delta State Historic Park. Historic Rika’s Roadhouse, a relic from the early 1900s allowed us to step back in time and learn about the WAMCATS (Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System) who constructed the telegraph line by hand, hauling supplies by pack horse and dog sled! Crews had to clear a route, erect the poles and string 1,422 miles of cable to connect the military post in Valdez with one in Nome and all the stations in between! And you thought your job was hard?
Back on the Richardson Highway (prior post here and more pics below), our next stop is the Delta Junction Visitor Center. We spent some time learning more about the Alaska Highway, the Trans Alaska Pipeline and the “Pipeline Pig”, which is device that moves through the interior of the pipeline at a flow rate of 6-7 miles per hour used to clean the pipeline by scaping away interior deposits.
We also see more references to the infamous mosquitos of Alaska and these are the biggest we’ve seen to date. You may remember from a prior post that the Denali Visitor Center (post linked here) tried to convince us that these wonderful helpers are good for the blueberries…but as much as I love blueberries, I’m struggling to embrace these pests!
Back in the RV, we enjoyed the majestic mountain views along this road. Although today’s lighting shows these peaks in a more subdued way, they are still impressive. We boondock for the night out on man-made gravel spit near a river. On both sides are standing water, which I’m sure is going to be mosquito heaven, but shockingly, it wasn’t that bad. Maybe we just haven’t hit “the season” yet? Or maybe, this is a good year? Or they’ve been over-hyped?
The next day, Summit Lake, which just 9 day prior contained chunks of ice, was smooth and reflective of the sunny skies of summer. When we reach our campground, the Sourdough Campground, we were the only RV there of 41 available spots! From inside the RV, the tranquil beauty of the swaying grasses and sunny skies are begging me step outside, but this place is swarmed with mosquitos!
Doug slathered up with repellant and braved the outdoors. His ride above the campground provided this cool shot of the Alaska Pipeline. Bailey and I tucked in for the day, unwilling to fend off the hordes.
There’s a reason Alaska mosquitos are legendary. They’re large (although rather slow so far) and it’s difficult to know which areas will be overrun with them!
I’m hoping we’ve seen them at their worst, but not holding my breath as summer has just barely arrived in the area. In the meantime, nearly every day I’m coated in picaridin, just in case. I’ll keep you posted.
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