Trip Report: Dog sledding, Dome Home, Pedro's Hideaway

My better half and I went for a winter break last week. Drove up to Denali Dome Home and were welcomed by Ann and Terry and the two dogs McCloud and Raven (the entertainment team...). Lots of rave reviews already for this place, so will just add my confirmation that it%26#39;s all well deserved. They are a lovely couple providing a comfortable and relaxing place which works great in winter too.

We went out the next day for a four hour dog sledding trip. Jon at Earthsong arranged for us to go with Mike and Michelle, local guides who help him out when he is already busy with a trip. They were both excellent. Mike had lots of great stories about mushing in Alaska and homesteading in the far north, Michelle was so enthusiastic and they were both great company on the trip. The mushing itself was fantastic. Even with the snow falling and the view in the distance obscured, we had a great time and stayed warm and comfortable in the winter gear Jon had provided for us. We were passengers for the first 20 minutes or so and then we swapped with our guides and mushed the rest of the way. They offered to take turns, but once I was on the rails, I didn%26#39;t want to give it up! I was having way too much fun!! An absolutely exhilarating experience and I%26#39;m addicted now. We are already talking about how we can get more mushing trips into our schedule.

We left the next day for Fairbanks and stayed out along the Steese Highway at Pedro%26#39;s Hide-away. It%26#39;s about 20-30 minute drive out of town, depending on traffic and weather. A small self-contained log cabin, with a wet entrance (so we could stomp in with our boots and have space to hang coats and take boots off before messing up carpets), two connected bedrooms and a lounge and small kitchen (complete with a few breakfast supplies) and bathroom, great for a couple or small family or even two couples. The bonus was a hot tub/spa pool in the back yard. A bit cold running the short hop from the cabin to the tub but worth it once you get in. Hint for winter use: wear a hat even while you%26#39;re in the water! Patty and Jon were fabulous hosts. They live in their own home which is further up the driveway, providing privacy for the cabin and themselves, but also means it%26#39;s easy to pop around to have a chat. They were fantastic. We were caught out by the heavy snowfall that hit Fairbanks on the Thursday and even with snow tires we ended up sliding off the Steese Highway into the snow bank about two miles from the cabin - oh so close! A call to Ann got us rescued and once Jon was back from work he drove down to pull us out. In the end a friend of his in a big big truck came along and popped us out of the ditch in a minute (thank you Hutch!!) and we all drove back. All so matter of fact, they were great about putting the effort in and helping us out. Alaskan drivers by the bunch were stopping to check all was well and help was on the way. They are so friendly up here!

Friday saw us driving with extra extra care back to Anchorage and having a lot more sympathy when we passed a car abandoned on the side of the highway (coming into Wasilla a driver in front of me spun out and ended up in the snow on the side and we counted 6 ditch divers along the Glenn Highway).

So in summary two great accommodations and hosting couples, a fantastic dog sledding trip and a nice time at the Museum and the Ice Festival, and an adventure on the highway that thankfully did not cost us damage to ourselves or the car. Exciting all around.

PS Didn%26#39;t realise the Visitor Centre in Fairbanks had moved from the log cabin. Ended up tramping through the snow a couple of blocks to the new location. It%26#39;s nice inside but it could do with a bigger and better placed sign don%26#39;t you think?

Trip Report: Dog sledding, Dome Home, Pedro's Hideaway

Thanks for your report. We arrived in Fairbanks late Thursday night. Glad we had a larger vehicle for the trip!

Jon at Earthsong was great and we too had others who took us out (Jamie and Hanna). Just excellent. My trip journal is coming in a day or two!

John

Trip Report: Dog sledding, Dome Home, Pedro's Hideaway

Very cool Kiwi! My aunt and I went up on Feb 28th and Jon was prepping for a long trip, so that%26#39;s what he must have been out doing when you all went up. I%26#39;m guessing he and Matt (my guide) must have gone out on the trail on the 29th. It was really a wonderful experience even with the snow. We had the clouds clear up a bit at the end of our trek, so I got some decent pictures. I%26#39;d have loved to see %26#39;the%26#39; mountain, but my aunt was wanting snow the whole time she was up here (and got it about half the days she was here), so she was happy about it.

And then we got to see McKinley out at the Willow restart of the Iditarod, so that was cool.

Glad folks stopped to check on you. The roads can get pretty bad, pretty fast, so I%26#39;m glad you just went a bit into the ditch.

Oh, what a treat this is . . . we haven%26#39;t had a trip report on the forum for quite awhile and reading yours was a delight! Thanks for sharing about your adventure. :)