Another year has come and gone!  

We have been busy at Maclaren River Lodge! Our Crew has been incredible and all in for the Lodge.  Makes for a wonderful atmosphere when everyone considers themselves family!

We are very excited for the New Season starting February 1.  

We have built 4 new Duplexes so will have 8 new rentals available.

All have their own bathroom and give you plenty of space to relax and take in the awesome view of the lake!  These will be Called the Alpine Glow cabins 1-8.  

AG Cabins 1-8 if you are booking online.

For all you that have enjoyed the majestic beauty of the Maclaren Glacier and hiking or canoeing the Maclaren Valley we will be expanding our Glacier Camp this summer.  

MACLAREN RIVER LODGE - GLACIER CAMP

We look forward to seeing you in 2019 and hope you have a safe and wonderful Christmas and a very Happy New Year!

Winter 2016

Winter 2016-

This year the opening was amazingly smooth. No problems, always nice.  We have good snow coverage, 4-5 feet standing in most areas. The temps have been almost hot for the middle of the Alaska Mountain Range in February! Most years we sit at 30 below zero or considerably lower, that is "normal" temps. This season, we have only seen 30 below on a few occasions. Typical temps have been in the mid-teens, making for long days on the sled possible, and dare I say, comfortable. Snowmachining has been wonderful.

Starting with Jeff King's Denali Doubles Sled Dog Race, the first weekend of Feb., we have been awesomely busy every weekend. Zach is back, Liz just got in from New Zealand, the whole crew is back for more, so to speak. Look forward to seeing you all out here on The Highway, plenty of parking in Paxson, and only a 42 easy mile ride on a fully groomed snow covered superhighway. Call ahead if you feel like coming in on a weekend. Cheers!
Matthew

2015 Summer

Koda, surveying his domain!

Hello Everyone!
I know, I know!  It has been a while since a blog has been posted.

We have been having an amazing summer!  As usual, lots of groups as well as individual travelers from all over the world.

Our remote "Glacier Camp"  is going strong with our new tents and cots.  Thank you to Cabela's for helping us pick out the perfect tents for the camp.  Our Jet Boat has been running pretty much non-stop with campers as well as day trippers.

Our Crew is great this year and everyone is working hard to create the perfect environment for fun and relaxation.  Liz is back as a hostess/waitress.  Matthew is making his home made ice cream that is really becoming famous (Go Matt!).  We have Chef Philip as the afternoon/evening Chef this year.  He creates some of the most tantalizing meals for everyone.  Erika has been doing the housekeeping but we will have to let her go back to her life with her husband, Josh, and to help him run the farm and make the hay!  Rachelle will be coming on board in August with a new burst of energy, and even an ice cream flavor of her own suggestion, named after her: Spicy Rachelle is a Chai Tea flavor with fresh orange zest; it has been going over very well.

A couple weeks ago a young man from Vail, CO. arrived here on a grey rainy day, with plastic bags on his feet to keep his Crocs dry, on a 49cc mini bike! Rob Shearon, robsruckusroadtrip.com, is a fresh graduate of UC Boulder, and rode his mini up here raising money and awareness for his CUCRC Second Chance Scholarship for sober students. In his 2 months on the road, at no more than 35 mph, he raised more than $20,000! Rob hung out with us helping around the lodge. He really was a wonderful person, full of an amazing energy. It would seem no, that Matt may be riding Rob's mini bike back to him in Vail in May of 2016.

Body count of people who stopped by the lodge on their way to riding a bicycle down to the tip of South America or around the globe: 7. Last summer we had 5.

Number of times Koda has had his picture taken on the pool table: 281. Number of days Bandit has been a grouch because Alan has been off property without him: 7. Number of hours a day you can find Jackson sleeping: 22.

Matt's friend Zach, the banjo player from Wayward North, is out here for a couple weeks helping out, swing out and we'll talk him into play a little banjo with your dinner!

Susie & Alan

My goodness how time does fly.  It seems like we just started the summer and here it is, fall already.
The leaves are off the trees, the air defineatly has a bite to it, the sound of swans congregating in the lakes to begin their flight south.  And then a expectant quiet falls across the Maclaren Valley, as if everything is holding it's breath for the first snow. 

Only in the fall do we get sunrises like this one! 

We had a busy summer and we all worked hard and had some great times!  Thank you to Sean, Casey, Krista and DeSay for making the summer roll along smoothly!  Everyone is off on their new adventures. 

As for us, we are headed to WV for a few weeks.  Then will be in Fairbanks...opening back up in February. 

See ya'll down the road.
Susie & Alan

Spring has finally sprung here in the Maclaren Valley.  There are birds everywhere, with no place to go.  Water fowl have no water to float in, the willows are just beginning to show out of the mass amount of snow we have. 
The Cliff Swallows have arrived and are busy trying to find some muddy spots to collect mud for their nest making.

The Denali Highway is still closed, but the Cantwell Road Crew made it here yesterday evening for dinner.  One lane is now open to Cantwell. (HOORAH Cantwell Crew) The Paxson side, well, only at 28 Mile. 
We are thinking it will be another week before the Denali Highway is "open" since the Maclaren Summit can be a real challenge with the drifting and avalanche areas. 

The Maclaren River is not open yet.  Very late this year!
Memorial Day is usually the time of the Annual Polar Plunge in the River.  I suppose if you wanted to go roll around in the melting snow you could....somehow, just not the same as the Plunge!
We are missing all the "Gang" that gathers here for the Memorial Day Weekend.  The Blakes/Nichols Family, Kamps and Jacksons, the KMA Fam, Joni, Ryan, Jesse, Wiley...miss ya'll! 

Late riding on the Maclaren

Majestic Mountains!

 

 

We have had to cancel a few reservations, for Camping at the Glacier Camp, HA, can you imagine the surprise they would have!  Well if we could even get them there. 

Not to mention the bicyclists, motor cycles, tour buses and the list goes on.

We did get some snowmachiners this weekend!

 

 The Maclaren Crew this year

Returning from their adventures in the Southern Pacific: Krista and DeSay Howell

Returning from Life Adventures:  Casey Sullivan

Staying for the Summer Season:  Sean Isaacks

And your Hosts:   Susie & Alan

 

 

 

 

 

Greetings Everyone!

 

We are back and open and ready to rock and roll.

Our time off was wonderful, we got to spend time with family and relax a bit.  Alan started trucking, hauling fuel.

The opening of the lodge went well, no major issues, pretty darn great bunch of guys that we had working to help us open.

Thank you to Vern and Josh for helping haul all our stuff around,

Rabbit and Todd for mechanical and grooming support,

Don and Scott for hauling all our crap back to the lodge and then helping around here to make things look great.

And of course the new guy, Sean, who is going to work with us/for us until we close again next fall.

 

We have been getting a ton of snow, every day and every day.

A good day is when the wind is not blowing (which would be today)!

We got about 6 inches last night alone, that is not counting the 5 feet or more that we came back to.

 

Our first weekend back Maclaren River Lodge was a checkpoint and 8 hour layover for the Denali Doubles Sled Dog Race. 

 

The "Lodge" dogs are very happy to be home!

Jackson has his normal place by the Hearth, where he enjoys the warmth of the fire. 

Bandit is in his "working" mode of escorting snow machines around the yard and making sure that pesky fox stays away!

And our new little guy, Koda.  Border Collie/mini Aussie. He is just too cute to resist! 

 

 

We hope to see everyone soon! 

Susie & Alan



Closing For a Break

Well the time has arrived for us to be closing down for a couple of months.

The winter sunrises are beautiful, as always. The new snow quiets and smooths the landscape. 

This has been quiet a challenge for us since this has never been attempted before.  Things you have to think about!  Besides the main things like blowing out water lines, setting up a Caretakers Cottage, Packing what stuff you will need for a couple of months....There is the make sure everything is off the floor incase rodents get in..make sure no canned or bottled goods are left behind or they will explode (includes beer and wine).  Down to the little mayo packets on the tables, freezing will seperate mayo and it cannot be used afterward.  Cleaning supplies, tons of them in spray cans!  Make sure all the sheets and blankets are washed and put up.  Having all the wood hauled in, cut up and stacked for the reopening in February. 

Everything you would do to close your house only Quadrupled!!!!

 

As most everyone already knows, our email has changed to:

maclarenlodge@wildblue.net

and our phone number has changed to:

(907) 269-4370

 

While we are out, we will be house sitting a place in Fairbanks.
Alan will be back in a truck for a couple of months and I will be working on the computer and keeping in touch with everyone. 

 

While in Fairbanks our phone number will be

(907) 322-6632 

 

When we reopen in February for the Denali Doubles Sled Dog Race.