“USA 🇺🇸 Alaska ~Chistochina Was Our Next Stop and WHAT A TREAT to Stay at the Historic Red Eagle Lodge”

• July 30, 2023
• By Pen
• 0 Comment

After our shuttle driver dropped us off at Jonah and The Whale, in Chitina, after our visit in Wrangells-St Elias National Park, it was already 7PM. We did not delay, and once we checked out that all was fine with our outfit, we got underway.  

Our first choice is to NEVER leave Jonah or The Whale, to take off to other parts unknown, but in some cases it is necessary and this was one of those times.
We are very fortunate to have six Lithium Batteries, and a back-up generator, to keep our residential-sized refrigerator operational, when not plugged in to shore power.

Its one thing to boondock, when we are with our home on wheels, but its another thing, entirely, to lock everything up and leave, whilst boondocking in remote locations, but it is Alaska, and fortunately there are more good people here than not.

The other thing that had me a little unsure was the sudden heatwave that hit Alaska. It happened, after we left The Whale and we’ve never left her in this kind of heat, without shore power.

We have suddenly gone from cold-ish temperatures and rain, to sunny and HOT, practically over night. BUT, we both just had to put our worries out of our minds, and say our prayers, because we wanted to focus on what we were doing and to have an amazing time, doing it; in Wrangells-St Elias National Park.

I was far less worried about a break-in, than I was about our freezer; full of fresh caught fish, because we have had heat waves before, but we were living inside with the A/Cs running and awnings put out to help with shade.

I’m proud to say all was super well, while we were gone for those 36 hours, and The Whale handled everything like she was designed to do. She is an amazing Motorhome and built for days-long boondocking, and even weeks-long boondocking with the generator back-up. The generator was not needed in our absence, so those Lithium Batteries are the bomb! I love her even more now, cause she really proved herself, again, in a big way.

…..So back to our drive to Chistochina (pronounced Kistocheena)

All we did when we got back to The Whale was set-up Jonah for tow mode: key in ignition; turned slightly to keep the steering wheel from locking, brake off and put transmission in neutral.
Daryl did get the generator on and the A/C’s fired up, because it was quite hot inside. We run the generator while driving, in these cases; for heat, too, when it’s cold.

Within ten minutes, we were underway.  Our goal was to get to the Red Eagle Lodge by 10PM. Its normally under a two hour drive, but there are a lot of frost heaves present, going back on Highway 10, to the Richardson Highway, to Glenn Highway, and eventually on to the Glenn – Tok Highway as it gets referred to, and this requires some slow driving, to keep from going airborne, which is no good for either vehicles!

It took us 2.5 hours and all was well and good.  Our wonderful hosts were there to greet us with smiles, even though it was everybody’s bed time!

Driving from Chitina to Chistochina

We were so pooped, and very ready to call it a night!
What we planned for, with our special stop in this wilderness setting of Chistochin; for the next three days, was to stay in a 100-plus-year-old Alaskan Cabin, while being able to plug The Whale in to 20 amp, to help keep that ever-lovin fridge and freezer operational, without using our batteries or generator.  

We were very remote and surrounded by wilderness; next to Wrangell-St Elias National Park; enough space that there are five packs of wolves in the area. It’s also a great Moose habitat, and there are mamas with their calves who stay closer in to town, to keep their babies safer from the wolves and bears, that tend to stay away from people, and are deeper in the bush.

We stayed in 

“Grandma’s Cabin” ⬇️

We slept very well and are just so cozy in the Cabin!
Breakfast; home cooked meal, was included, so we went over to the Lodge and enjoyed that each morning and had great conversations with other guests who are hunting, fishing, or are just here, touring like us.
Incidentally, on our last morning, a bear was seen on the runway, as well as a Wolf; running in and out of the woods! 

Our hosts: Richard and Judy are an amazing couple and they are Alaskan tough who have built a life together and decided to settle in Chistochina, many years ago.

Their plan was not to run a lodge, but they loved the property which already had many, original, 100-year-old cabins on the acreage that they thought they could fix up to make nice housing for when their children visit.  

Richard is also a pilot and their property is right next door to the little airstrip of Chistochina, which the town maintains. How perfect is that?

Apparently, the original lodge on the property had burned down in the 90’s, and being so remote out in this area, the town really wanted them to build another lodge for the sole purpose of offering a place for travelers. So, they went into the lodging business and have been doing so for a long time.

Original Roadhouse Lodge⬇️

Early in the 1900, a two-story log roadhouse was built in Chistochina.

The Roadhouses served as early day hostelries. Spaced a day’s journey apart, by foot or dog team, the roadhouses offered food and shelter to everyone from miners to missionaries.
Of the hundreds of roadhouses in the north, few remain. Chistochina roadhouse, later called Chistochina Lodge and Trading Post, sadly burned to the ground in November 1999.

The Current Lodge ⬇️

⬆️ The Red Eagle Lodge
~There is “large group” lodging on top floor

Red Eagle Lodge is known for the richness of its history and spectacular setting in the Copper Valley, adjacent to Wrangel-St. Elias National Park. Located on the original site of the historic Chistochina Roadhouse, Red Eagle Lodge is the place for adventure. Whether you choose to wander the trail to the Beaver Dam or fish in the Copper River, you’ll be surrounded by awesome scenery and the peace of unpopulated space.

People come repeatedly to stay in our authentic homestead cabins with rustic elegance. What guests remember is the spirit of the Roadhouse – meals served by the fire, stories shared with fellow travelers, and a good night’s sleep for tomorrow’s adventure.

• Historic Roadhouse Site
• Fly-in or Drive-in
• Log Cabins, RV, and Tent Sites
• Continental Breakfast
• Bathhouse and Laundry
• Real Alaskan Adventures

Like most Alaskans, Richard and Judy Dennis bring a unique and varied background and experience to their work as host and hostess at Red Eagle Lodge

⬆️ Lots of room to park 

⬆️ Bathhouse with Laundry

We got here at the perfect time, because almost all of the unique lodging options were un-occupied, till a few groups of guests would came in, the next day. This gave us an opportunity, with permission, to explore each and all other cabins, the “Goldmine Camp” tents, and the fishing “bus” sleeper.

What a beautiful job this couple have done to refurbish and decorate these unique stays, while at the same time, preserving them.

“Gold Rush Camp” ⬇️

“The Fishing Bus” ⬇️

100 Year-Old Cabins ⬇️

“Cabin Fever”

“Hermits Roost” ⬇️

“Timbers Trail” ⬇️

“Fish Camp” ⬇️

“Hunters Hut” ⬇️

A few other cabins on the grounds ⬇️

“The Bears Den”

So, if you are wondering why in the heck we chose to stay in a cabin, when we have a perfectly fine motorhome, the owners did too! Well, we live in our motorhome full-time, and have for a good long while, so for us, it would be like you, taking a trip to the beach or the mountains, and leaving your permanent home, to go on a little get-away.

Change is fun and we love unique opportunities, and do not hesitate to do what we call “double-book,” when something like this comes up.

Honestly, I could stay here a week. It’s peaceful and lovely! For us, we ate our dinners in The Whale, each night. All we needed to do is turn the generator on to use the kitchen set-up.
The actual town of Christochina is four minutes away, but it doesn’t have services, and the nearest restaurant is 45 miles away.

We were especially good staying put and NOT driving for the next few days, but we do plan on giving Jonah a much needed bath and put a treatment on her rag top. I will also clean her up inside, too. There was mud before, now there is dust…

No, we are not using her with the top down, because, as mentioned, there is so much dust, plus there are Bears everywhere and Jonah would be too tempting to “play with” to a Bears thinking. …Just not wanting to take a chance.

We found ourselves, once again, in the perfect place, when in need to change-it-up and slow-it-down.

Our summer in Alaska has been incredible (minus the weeks and weeks of rain, prior) but it is also a lot of work to keep it all going. We have driven thousands of miles, to date, and that, in and of itself, is tiring; especially with the road systems being limited, and the roads themselves needing much repair, at all times.

It takes a lot of focus.

I also got some laundry done, and of course there is always cleaning inside The Whale. This never ends, and no different when in our stix and brix home. They require constant housekeeping, too.

So, I say relax, but it was not all relaxation, all of the time. It’s just more enjoyable to do it when our scenery out our window is constantly changing, because we are on the move!

We love this part of our lifestyle!

We will get underway again and go back through Tok, then a stop in Chicken, then drive the “Top Of The World” Highway and cross into Canada to spend a few nights in Dawson City; Yukon.

More info on our stay: but update is they’ve operated the lodge for 16 years, now.

http://redeaglelodge.net/dennis.asp

And about Chistochina:

http://redeaglelodge.net/about.asp

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From there, we plan on continuing, south, for a couple of days, then cross back into Alaska, to get to Haines. This will be our final destination in Alaska, before heading back to the lower 48.

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