June 2nd-4th, 2010

Today we’re heading out to Wasilla to meet up with the person who’s selling the tank bag on Craigslist.  We’ve never heard of Craigslist until shortly after entering the U.S.  I think it was Canuman back in Vermont who first told me about it.  We hung out with RedGoatRider and family in the morning and they gave us Kaladi Brothers t-shirts and more as parting gifts.  RedGoatRider was super generous enough to give Amanda a helmet he wasn’t using after hearing about how many times Amanda has dropped hers. 

So we managed to talk the seller down to $30 instead of $45 when we found out that the tank bag did not come with a cargo net as described in the ad on the website.  I did some research on the make and model beforehand and it wasn’t supposed to anyway.  The tank bag originally costs around $80 new and we got it for $30 in mint condition.  We were very pleased how the negotiations went.  

So long old helmet.  Hope you find a new home to go to. 

We stopped here to check out some sites…

…and found this interesting looking wooden foundation

We stopped at a library just south of Talkeetna to reserve a bus tour to Kantishna in Denali National Park.  Vehicles are restricted to enter and the only way to get in is by booking a tour.  We found out that the first tour of the season doesn’t begin until June 8^th, which gives us a few days to kill.  Apparently people book months to a year in advance.  Luckily we were able to reserve a spot for the two of us.  It started to pour rain and we decided to wait it out at the library.  When the rain stopped, we decided to start looking for a suitable place to camp.  Who knows when it will start back up again; this is Alaska after all. 

This spot looks as good as any for a place to pitch out tent.  

It rained for the next 2 days and since we were in no big hurry, we decided to stay put.  Although we felt kind of boxed in and isolated, we found ways to keep ourselves entertained.  I’m not sure how the average couple would fare if they were trapped in a two-person tent for two days straight, but we managed to do just fine…except for when Amanda hid bacon in my trousers when I went out for a potty break in the bush.  Just kidding.

Patching up a few tears

Played videogames on the cell phone and watched movies on the iPod sparingly to conserve battery

By now our bear hanging skills are second to none.  Every time we needed to eat, we would walk out a 100 yards or so to the tree we hung our food on and ate just enough so that our bellies weren’t deprived.  Since we’re just lying down in the tent for the majority of the time, our bodies didn’t require much calories. 

181 km

Wheelin’ and dealin’.

Rainy days are lazy days.

A sleek new tank bag.