SOUTH CENTRAL

(NOTE: All pictures can be enlarged by left clicking with mouse)

On August the 13th, Lesley and I left Fairbanks for what amounted to a two-week excursion into an area referred to as South Central Alaska by the locals.

Our first night was spent at Otto Lake, about a mile south of Healy, Alaska. A friend told us of a really nice nine-hole golf course located there. Otto Lake is just outside the northern boundary of Denali ( a.k.a. Mt McKinley) National Park. The Black Diamond Golf Course is certainly remote, but in my opinion has all the features of a first class course. The Greens are lush and smooth, the Fairways are well tended, and the Club House Restaurant features a really nice menu. We will return! Adjoining the golf course is the beautiful Otto Lake. The accompanying "Sunset" photo reflects the view from our camp site and RV window

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Our next stop will be Denali National Park National Park. The park entrance is just ten minutes south, from Otto Lake. A three-day stay in the park is quite reasonable, for seniors the entrance fee is waved with a Golden Age Passport. We paid only $22.00 for three nights at the Riley Creek campground, located just inside the entrance. Shuttle Buses are provided for transportation and wildlife viewing. Fares are determined by the turnaround location. My destination on this occasion will be the Toklat River turnaround, a distance of 53 miles, and a duration of six hours. There are two additional turnaround choises, the last one being Wonder Lake, distance 85 miles. On the day of my visit the weather did not allow viewing of the "Big One", Denali. My objective was to view and photograph the wildlife, and I was not disappointed! I think the pictures tell it all, the only thing not captured on camera were the Brown Bear and Golden Eagle, otherwise, I caught it all.