For our actual anniversary day, Andy and I met Kelly and Madison at the Clearwater Lake Campground at the Clearwater State Recreation Site to go kayaking. The campground offers 17 campsites, a boat launch, picnic area, water, and toilets. See a campground map here. For fishing enthusiasts, the water is filled with Arctic Grayling, Whitefish, and Salmon. Get a fishing license here. If you choose to fish, here are your limits as of July 2015:
Arctic Grayling; June 1st to December 31st; Daily bag and possession limit is 1 fish which must be less than 12 inches long
Arctic Grayling; January 1st to May 31st; Catch and release only. All grayling must be released immediately
Salmon other than King: Season is open all year; Three per day, three in possession
Whitefish: Season is open all year; Fifteen per day, fifteen in possession
We met Kelly, Madison, Max, and Captain Bandit at their campsite that morning and launched down the Clearwater from there. The Delta Clearwater feeds into the Tanana and Goodpaster Rivers. The Delta Clearwater is the largest spring-fed tributary of the Tanana river; it’s about 20 miles long. To kayak from the campsite to the Clearwater Lake took us about 3.5 hours (around 12 miles), although the Float Guide indicates it can take up to 8.
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| Float Map; Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Parks & Outdoor Recreation |
Kelly and Madison wanted us to be able to enjoy a romantic float together so they stayed back at the campsite and launched us in. Madison gave us directions which I understood about as well as if he had explained them to a six year old.
Madison: Ok, so you’ll start paddling and at some point up here the river will split. You’ll go left.
Me: Ok, how do I know when it splits?
Madison: Um, it splits. Like, splits. Like there will be two directional choices.
Me: Oh. Uh, ok. So I go left?
Madison: Yes. Then you’ll reach another split with an arrow. You’ll go right at mile 3. Then you’ll see a spot where you feed into the Tanana. You’ll know this because the water gets dirty and murky. Go left at this spot.
Me: How murky are we talking?
Madison: You’ll know.
Me: Will I though?
Madison: You’re going to be fine. Now, pay attention. Once you go left, you’ll be paddling upstream. This part will suck. Then you’ll go to the left again and you’ll be in Clearwater Lake. Just head to the boat launch.
Me: So, basically I just keep going left.
Madison: Yes. No, wait, no. Go left except for that part at mile 3.
Me: Oh, I thought it was left there?
Madison: Oh my god. No. If you kept going left you’d go in a circle.
Me: Oh.
Madison: Kelly and I will be there to pick you guys up.
Me: We’re going to die.
Madison: You might.
The weather was perfect; sunny and warm! We saw tons of ducks and fish, beautiful tall trees, and gorgeous private cabins that dotted the banks.
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| One of the numerous cute cabins we saw along the river |
Along the way were mile markers indicating where you were in relation to the Clearwater Lake.
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| Mile marker 3 where you were supposed to turn left right |
Madison was right; the water almost immediately became murky as the Tanana and Clearwater rivers collided.
We finally reached the turnoff to the Clearwater Lake Outlet. I made sure to go right left.
Madison was right about this part sucking. Paddling upstream was exhausting! I almost died. I kept complaining to Andy like he could somehow make the river flow the other way. At some point a couple of boaters yelled out to us “that looks hard!” Thanks, Captain Obvious.
Fortunately, Andy and I survived and met Kelly and Madison at the boat launch. This was after Andy sort of fell in the water. Before we launched, Kelly told us to make sure we kayaked all the way onto the sand of the launch. She indicated that there was a strange 4 foot drop off right before the shore; she had made the mistake of thinking she could just get out of her kayak and drag it the last few feet to the shore. Not so. She stepped right into this drop-off and got wet up to her chest. As Andy and I made our way to the shore I see Andy start to climb out of his kayak.
Me: Big Husband, Kelly said not to do that.
Andy: You can see the shore right here. It’s fine.
In he went. At least Captain Bandit wasn’t with him this time.
We drove back to the campsite and hung out for a bit before heading out (we planned to get a couple drinks at The Cave). Captain Bandit and Max were enjoying their time at the campsite, tangling their leashes around the picnic bench, trees, and themselves.
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| “Hey there, Andrew, I heard you didn’t heed my mom’s warnings….” |
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| Gettin’ tangled |
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| More tangling |
After Andy dried off his pants and his ego, we drove to The Cave Bar and Grille, a new restaurant and wine bar in Delta Junction. Delta Junction isn’t know for its upscale or ritzy businesses. It’s a small town about 100 miles south of Fairbanks with a population of only a little over 900. While it does have a mayor and a small airstrip, along with its own courthouse, the town has very limited shopping, few business and just a small medical care building; most major tasks and responsibilities are done in Fairbanks.
Despite this, sitting on Mile 266 of the Richardson Highway is The Cave, a rather obscure and unassuming restaurant with a simple sign out front. When you walked inside it was like an entirely different place. The inside was fancy and lively; it had a beautiful bar with glass cupboards and a large flat-screen TV. The side of the restaurant housed a huge wine storage area, many of which they had on tap! It was a pretty awesome place. Such a hidden gem!
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| Madison was very excited about The Cave |
We headed back to the campsite after sharing some drinks and appetizers and made dinner and hung out with Captain Bandit and Max.
We considered spending the night but decided against it as the next day was a work day. What a fun anniversary in an amazing place with amazing friends!