Computer Builds

Background
In 2001 I decided to build a gaming computer.  It was not hard to learn how to do it and in the long run it turned out to be a very good computer that we used for about eight years.  I wanted to build a computer to learn more about them and have a machine that I understood how it worked without all the junk that is put on the commercially built computers.  In 2002 I build another office computer for my wife to use that also lasted a long time with no problems.  In 2007 I slowly migrated to Macs, primarily due to my video hobby and have been using them since.  However, in the last few months I have become interested in building another PC.  I am interested in customizing a case for a moderately "high speed, low drag" gaming computer.  I would like to log my ideas and experience in this blog.

The Denali Highway - Paxson to Cantwell

September 2013

It was a last minute decision – to go somewhere that we had not been before.  We have lived in Alaska 19 years and have never driven the Denali Highway in central Alaska.  The Denali Highway runs east and west between the two main roads (north and south) that connect Anchorage with Fairbanks.  Paxson and Cantwell are the two towns on each side of the highway.  The road is mostly dirt and gravel and has fairly low vehicle traffic.  In mid-September Mrs. T Bob had a spur of the moment desire to drive the Denali Highway.  So, we jumped in the motorhome and took off.

It is interesting to note that this road was the original road from Anchorage to Denali National Park.  In 1971 the Parks Highway was built as a more direct route from Anchorage to Denali National Park and Fairbanks.  The Wikipedia article gives a good description and background of the highway.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has a brochure that describes the highway and highlights along the drive.

Due to the fact that we keep the motorhome stocked and mostly ready to go-  on a rainy September evening we just jumped in and started driving north.  We decided to drive the Glenn Highway up through Glennallen, Alaska.  It was raining hard most of the drive and you could start to smell the usual scents of autumn in the air.  We stopped at the newly found Tok Thai Truck in Glennallen, for dinner, before heading north on the Richardson Highway.

As the sun was getting lower on the horizon the rain finally turned from heavy drops to light sprinkles.  Recent road repair had eliminated many of the pavement frost heaves speeding up travel.  We arrived in Paxson as the sun started touching the horizon we peeled off the Richardson Highway onto the Denali Highway – 20 more miles until the campground.

View Larger Map

The highway is paved for the first 20 miles and snakes you up high on the shoulder of rolling hills with an excellent views of multiple glaciers, Summit Lake, and the home of The Arctic Man.  We immediately noticed that there were pullouts on both sides of the road, about every half mile, where people were camped.  These pullouts continued the entire 135 miles (217 km) of the highway.  After driving about 20 miles from Paxson, we crossed a bridge over a swift moving river connecting two of the Tangle Lakes.  On the far side of the bridge we experienced the transition from paved to gravel road.  The turnoff for the BLM campground at Tangle Lakes was another 100 feet further.  The Tangle Lakes Archeological District occupies both sides of the road in the area approaching Tangle Lakes (~MP 16-38).  These archaeological sites show evidence of ancient peoples who had inhabited this area and it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  Off-road vehicle travel is limited to designated roads and trails in this area.

The Tangle Lakes campground consists of two loops for campsites bordered by a small hill on one side and Round Tangle Lake on the other.  Most of the campsites were occupied during our visit (our visit was near the beginning of the hunting season).  The small brush and grass in the area had turned yellow, red, and orange with the cooler temperatures (there are no large trees until you get near the Susitna River).  A strong wind from the southwest made it feel very cold.

The following morning we woke to a slight breeze and partial sun.  A hiking trail diagonals up the hill near the campground and we went for a short hike.  We had good views of Round Tangle Lake, campsites, and the Denali Highway heading east.  We turned around when we got to the ridge due to very strong winds in that area.  On the way down the hill we noticed wild blueberry bushes.  We reached down to pick a few and then noticed that blueberry bushes were everywhere.  Other than our pockets, we had no containers.  We filled up our pockets and ate blueberries as we walked down the hill.

We left the campground about 10:00 AM and started driving west on the Denali Highway.  

Blueberries hiding on the trail

The road was in good shape (for a gravel road), much better than I expected.  Even though it was raining for us the previous day there were very few puddles in the road – very few washboards also.  With that being said, there were a few areas of the road that were rough with ruts and large rocks in the road.  Overall, in a motorhome, we averaged about 30 miles per hour.

Stopping on the hill leading into the Maclaren basin, overlooking the Maclaren river (at ~4,000 feet elevation), revealed a large glacial carved valley covered in red carpet with a few gold highlights.  The highway, with multiple hunting camps occupying the turnouts, could be recognized for miles.  Multiple mountain peaks, lakes, and glaciers could also be seen in the distance.  After crossing the Maclaren river bridge, the next five miles of road were probably the roughest on the trip with potholes and softball sized rocks scattered in the road.

Multiple small lakes could be seen just off the road, many containing different types of wildlife including swans.  Around mile 59 the road rises up onto a small ridge known as an “esker” and continues for about 20 miles.  According to the BLM brochure, eskers are a ridge of silt and rocks that were deposited by a stream flowing within the glacier (that formed the valley) and left as elongated mounds.  The eskers in this valley are supposed to be some of the best examples in North America.

Denali Highway driving on Esker

About the time the eskers were ending, we started to see taller trees including evergreens (which we had not seen since leaving Paxson).  The road turns north where it eventually crosses a large bridge over the Susitna River.  After crossing the river, near milepost 85.5 (from Paxson), there is one of the many turnouts on the road.  There is a hill just behind the turnout that only takes a few minutes of hiking to reach the summit.  On top of this hill is an excellent view of the headwaters of the Susitna River and multiple mountain peaks and glaciers.  With binoculars it would be easy to spot the different wildlife living in the large valley.

Susitna River Bridge (looking East)

Headwaters of Susitna River

Another BLM campground at mile 104 is bordered by a river with rapids and fast moving current.  The area also included tall trees and a rocky landscape.  This campground would be worth checking out on a return trip.

The pavement started about three miles before arriving at Cantwell.  When we first started the trip I thought I would be happy to see the pavement after 130 miles of dirt road (especially driving a motorhome).  However, when we did hit the pavement I was disheartened because I knew the exploring was over.

Overall it was a great trip.  Much of the Denali Highway reminded me of the highway in Denali National Park that leads to Wonder Lake and close-up views of Mount McKinley.  There was more traffic than I expected but not overwhelming – much of it being hunters traveling to camps.  This would be an ideal trip for an adventure  motorcycle.  On the way home, a short trip into Talkeetna for dinner was a nice diversion.  The entire two day trip was about 600 miles in length and has been added to our list of short Alaska trip recommendations.