As we left Anchorage it was the usual mid 50's, gray and overcast. On the way we passed to 8000 mile total for our trip so far. We were unable to see Mt. Denali (McKinley) on the drive up although for a brief moment the summit was visible and I got a picture of it. Later on we could see part of the base but the middle was never visible. The mountain creates its own weather and is only ever visible about 30% of the time. In the 80's the name was changed back to the original Athabascon name of Mt. Denali but is has never been changed on maps, etc. The alaskan refuse to call it Mt. McKinley.
We arrived at the park at 6:30 pm and settled in for the night at the Riley Campground after a long days drive. This is the first campground as we entered the park. We were dry camping but were able to dump, fill our water tanks and shower at the Welcome Center. . The next morning we drove 29 miles into the park. Only the first 12 miles are paved and then it became dirt/gravel. Very slow going especially because there are shuttle and tour buses driving the same narrow road. We had reservations at the Teklanika campground. This is the furthest RV campground in the park. You need to get a special permit for this one and once there we were unable to move the campers for a minimum of 3 nights. We got 2 spaces next to each other. We were again dry camping. We were so impressed by the CG. There was plenty of space between each one with greenery so we felt very private. Our site fronted the Teklanika river. This is a glacier fed "braided river" where the diferent offshoots of the river intertwine with many gravel beds. It was so peaceful. That night we went to a talk given by a park ranger which told us bout "A year in the Life of a Moose". It was very informative and entertaining. Afterwards we cooked hot dogs over a campfire and ate with Marnie and Jeff in their camper as it was larger. We finished dinner at 9:30 and then cooked marshmellows over the campfire for so-mores for dessert. Life is Good.
The next day we were scheduled to take a tour of the park going all the way to the end of the 92 mile road to the old mining town of Kantisna. It was the usual grey and rainy day.
I don't have enough words to describe the park. The views at time were vast and expansive. At other times we are surrounded by mountains. Again we were unable to see Mt. Denali. The landscape changed as we went further into the park. At times we were on the subartic tundra which was above the tree line. At others we drove along or crossed over beautiful "braided rivers". We passed the Polychrome Mountains which were absolutely gorgeous with all the colors in the mountain rocks. At other points we were down in valleys or driving around the edge of the mountain. Up and down and around. 30 minutes into the trip we saw a GRIZZLY BEAR. What a thrill! I am glad we were on the bus. During the drive out to the end we also saw Artic Fox, Caribou, Ptarmigan birds, Dahl Sheep, more Grizzlies, Loons, Brown Squirrels (called a 200 calorie snack for a Grizzly; or a Texas grizzly - the Texans think everything is big in Texas), Artic Hares and a 9 member wolf pack. There are only 54 wolfs total in the park so we were fortunate to see so many together. I WILL POST PICTURES ON THE NEXT BLOG AS WE HAVE SO MANY. On the drive back we had a complete Rainbow arch appear against a mountain backdrop. It was breath taking. The trip out and back took over 10 hours. We were exhausted when we got back to our campers. Marnie and I fixed Salmon for dinner that night although we were all too tired to eat.
The next day (our last in the park) we made a day of rest and relaxation. It was pouring down rain so we each did our own thing.In the afternoon after the rain had stopped we all took a hike along the river bed. It was so quiet and peaceful in the park. We all loved it.One more Salmon dinner and we sat up until after midnight playing Quiddler.
Sadly the he next morning we had to leave. On the way back we saw several tour buses pulled over on the side of the road. Of course we also stopped as we knew they had spotted an animal of some sort. We were absolutely thrilled to see 3 Moose including a huge Bull Moose with an enormous rack of antlers. We have learned that the moose loose their antlers every year and have to regrow them every spring. The older they get the more impressive the rack.
We stopped by the Park Ranger Office on the way out and attended a sled dog talk and demonstration. The park is open year round and the dog sleds are used to not only patrol the park but to also carry supplies out to the interior as roads, ranger camps, bridges etc. are repaired. We then toured the Visiter and Wilderness Access Centers as we had not taken the time to see them before we went out to our campground. We left Denali feeling so blessed that we have been able to see and experience the park. I hope to come back again someday.
We have now arrived in Fairbanks.We spent last evening camped at the Eilison Air Force Base Bear lake campground. Today we attended a parade in downtown Fairbanks for the "Golden days" celebration. It was the culmunation of 4 days of activities commemorating Pedro Felix's discovery of gold in the early 1800's and the establishment of Fairbanks.Finally we went up to the University of Alaka to tour The Museum of the Artic. Absolutely wonderful. We are now sitting in the Vistor Center updating this blog. We hope to go out to the Cheno Hot Springs tomorrow and soak in another Hot Springs. Sorry this is so long but we have been busy!
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