Day 659- Alaska Trip-Chicken-Cantwell

Alaska!! We made it

Gold was discovered on nearby Franklin Creek in 1886 and on Chicken Creek in 1896, kicking off a major influx of prospectors before the famous Klondike Gold Rush

Chicken, Alaska got its name because early gold miners couldn't agree on how to spell "ptarmigan," the name of the abundant game bird they relied on to survive the winter

Reindeer is the term used for domesticated or semi-domesticated animals. 

Caribou is the term used for the wild populations that roam North America. 

 Top of the World Highway is a spectacular, 79-mile seasonal gravel route connecting Chicken, Alaska, to Dawson City in Canada's Yukon. Famous for running directly along mountain ridge tops rather than through valleys, it is typically open only from mid-May through mid-September due to harsh winter conditions.

We managed to get the flat repaired

North Pole is a small Alaskan city, near Fairbanks. It's known for its year-round Christmas decorations, including candy cane–striped street lights. Santa Claus House is a Christmas store with walls covered in children’s letters to Santa and a huge Santa statue outside. Streets have names like Kris Kringle Drive and Mistletoe Lane. Nearby, the Chena Lake Recreation Area has a beaches, nature trails and picnic areas.

Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses over 6 million acres of sub-arctic wilderness. Originally established as Mount McKinley National Park in 1917 to protect wildlife like the Dall sheep, its history is rooted in a fascinating mix of Indigenous heritage, early climbing expeditions, and shifting conservation efforts.