On the second day on the Denali Highway we drove "only" the planned stage. In warm weather we drove up and down a lot on deteriorating pavement and reached Clearwater Mountain Lodge in the afternoon.

At the lodge we learned a lot about the history of the lodge and life "off the grid" during and after dinner. The rooms of the lodge were originally a shelter for miners, which were then reassembled and connected with a roof.

After years in this simple state, the new owner and her family are in the process of renovating the lodge. In the remoteness a lot has to be done by themselves. So the lodge has its own water supply and also its own power supply by diesel engine/generator. Telephone is only available via internet, which mostly works via satellite.

The mailbox and the pick-up point for parcels can be reached by car in about one and a half hours. In winter, the lodge is only accessible by snowmobile. Then, when transporting food, care must be taken that the food does not freeze (lettuce, for example, is kept warm with hand warmers).

Furthermore, Alaskan residents are often charged "international shipping" when ordering in the Lower-48, which they are not very happy about, since Alaska has belonged to the USA for 150 years.