We have been here at Denali National Park for a few days, actually at a campground just outside the park entrance. Today we took a shuttle bus ride from the park entrance to a visitor center 66 miles into the park, where we were lucky enough to get a great clear-day view of Mt McKinley. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond the first few miles, for the most part, so the park services has a fleet of school buses that run folks into the center. Keeps traffic way down, especially when there's wildlife out on the road. Also keeps everyone safe, since visitors can concentrate on the views and the wildlife, instead of worrying about staying on the road, or perhaps forgetting to stay on the road.
That's McKinley directly behind us, the ice-covered one. I have better pictures, but we're not in them.
We saw animals:
And some animals we only saw from the back end. This first one is a 600 pound grizzly bear, moving down the road ahead of our bus. Not a close-up shot, but that's ok with me.
And some we missed, even from the back. This is a moose dung pile. Alaska is littered with the stuff. It's not nasty- they're dry little things, and appear to be filled with sawdust. Moose must eat a very high-fiber diet. I have seen these things painted and turned into gift shop trinkets. Yuck!
Hi Betty... At 2PM today, Tuesday, I had the History channel on and it began a documentary on Alaska. It ran for two hours and I never left the room! Included were shots of Denali, the road to Prudhoe after the discovery of oil, the war when the Japanese occupied a couple of the Aleutians,shipwrecks and rescues at sea by the CG etc. It was an excellent documentary. Your shots of the scenery are exciting. There is nothing like seeing them in pereson. Wonderful! Dad. PS By now, aren't you glad that the trailer did not get sold??
ReplyDeleteI love the animal pics! Is it cold during the day?
ReplyDeleteSome days are cold, especially in this area where there is a lot of wind. But yesterday was warmer.
ReplyDeleteWe keep waiting for the legendary Alaska mosquitos to descend on us, but so far not a problem.
-Betty