The Roadtrip Begins: Denali and the Interior

Cruise Journal Continues:

After a week on a ship, it was time to move from water to land and get to see Alaska's Interior.
The ship docked in Seward and we boarded a bus to Anchorage, where we would pick up a rental car at the airport. The "Planned Tour" was over. We were ready to head out on our own and explore the mainland!

On the way to the airport, our driver took the back road into the airport where moose are often seen. Sure enough, there was a female grazing in a field right off the road in the back of the airport. I have to hand it to the driver. Some of the people on our ship were flying home rather than continuing on. That was a special moment for them. I have been to Anchorage before, and one time as I drove that same road, I came by a moose grazing along the shoulder. He was gorgeous. It has always been one of my favorite memories. I wasn't able to get a photo of this moose from my vantage point in the bus which was too bad, because it was the best sighting we had. Later on I saw a moose and newborn calf, which was a real treat, but they were very well hidden in the brush.

An interesting piece of Trivia.... I think Anchorage is the only city in the U.S. that has a registered population of Moose, Grizzly Bear, and Black Bear in the city limits. Fun place to live....(or not?)! I guess it depends on how much you enjoy checking your backyard for wildlife before putting the trash out or getting the mail!

Anyway.... on to the trip.

A Day of Highs and Lows

We spent the night in this bed and breakfast in the Wasilla/Palmer area. The mountains were drizzled in white frosting against another "forget-me-not blue" sky.

The next morning we headed north towards Denali National Park, home to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America. It is often hard to see, because it usually has it's head in the clouds. Along with seeing whales, seeing Mt. McKinley, or Denali as the locals call it, was on my MUST SEE list. I've been to Anchorage twice and on a clear day it can be seen from there. I've never had a clear day in Anchorage.

As we headed north on Highway 3 the sky was incredibly blue and clear. We rounded a curve at Trapper Creek and there she was...straight ahead, clear as a bell.

1st View of Mt. McKinley from the highway

The south face of Denali's white, snow-covered peaks rose above the trees that lined the road. It glowed in the sunshine. I was in awe. It was just a beautiful sight, and it was easily 50 miles away.

Mt.McKinley seen from the South

We saw it several times as we drove north and it was more majestic each time. There are two peaks to Denali but from the south you see the south peak. The north peak is mostly behind it.

Mt. McKinley seen from the East

Driving north, our eyes were peeled to the sky, constantly searching for the next view. As we traveled we were able to see the different faces of it. When it was to our west we could easily see the two peaks. The south summit was conquered first and is the one most climbers attempt.  Once we were inside the park we had a very different view. From this vantage point we had a better concept of the challenges facing mountain climbers.

Mt. McKinley seen from the North...view inside Denali National Park

The park view looks quite different from the southern view, but it is unmistakable from any vantage point because it is so much bigger than any other mountain and always covered in snow. The skies were hazy here and there were times when the effects of distance caused it to blend in much more with the other mountains.

The mountain has two names and both are registered. It was originally named by a gold prospector in 1896 for then presidential nominee, William McKinley, because McKinley supported the gold standard. The Athabascan natives called the mountain, Denali, meaning "the Big One". Most maps today call it Denali, but the U.S Geographic Registry has it listed as Mt. McKinley. There are attempts to change it officially to Denali, but those attempts haven't been successful, yet.  Clink this link to Read more about Mt. McKinley/Denali.

We stopped for lunch at a Subway outside the park and gassed up before heading in. And suddenly our day took a nose dive into the unexpected, with a phone call from home, 4,000 miles away. Our plans were thrown into a tailspin with the devastating news that Larry's mother had suffered a stroke. With sporadic phone service, and hours from any airport, we were essentially two to three days away if we left then and 36 hours away if everything was timed perfectly. It's a terrible feeling when you want to do something and you know there is nothing you can do. We could sit in the waiting room and wait, or we could wait for word sitting in the car.

Those of you who follow my blog know that I write them one day and then edit several days later. Almost all of my blog posts are posted in retrospect, even though they are written currently. So at this point I can tell you we stayed in Alaska and had multiple daily updates. Initially she stabilized and was moved to a nursing home where she made remarkable progress. We were able to get home to see her before she suffered another stroke, but we kept in touch via lots of phone calls and texts. 

For the time being, we decided to stay put, and continue on with our plans to drive through Denali and wait for more word on how she was doing. So with our minds in two places, thousands of miles apart, we ventured into the park.

Denali Nat'l Park is beautiful, but bleak, or stark in places. Due to the cold winters the tree line is much lower than in the Colorado Rockies. The tundra rises up as far as it can go, and then leaves the granite peaks to reach into the sky unclothed. It was still early summer/late spring, before the ground cover had begun to bud.

In the lower valleys the birches were in new leaf and the light green was a contrast in relief with the dark green of the spruce.

In the higher elevations the snow still lined the mountain valleys, and ice shelves were still prominent along mountain streams.

Our visit was timed well, because during our two day visit we were still able to drive into the park to Mile Post 30. On May 20 the park road was cut off to traffic at Mile 15. From there, people had to board buses if they wanted to go any further.

As we drove through the park we found ourselves going slowly, searching for wildlife. Binoculars and cameras were at our fingertips as we scanned hillsides, tree tops, ravines for any sign of moose, caribou, bear, eagles, or Dall Sheep. And we were rewarded.

Ptarmigan, Alaska's State Bird, in the brush by the side of the road.

 Dall Sheep on rocky hillsides and outcroppings.

We had a good view of this Caribou in a dry river bed

Caribou were in abundance, if distant. At first it took a sharp eye to pick out the antlers rising above the scrub, or the sand colored hides along rocky river banks, and hillsides. A nice zoom lens was a big help to this amateur photographer!

These caribou had been lying in the brush until one stood up giving us a good view.

A bull Caribou grazing by the side of the road.

Cars or buses stopped along the roadside gave us a heads up that something was there and we would stop and look.

As we drove out of the park several cars were stopped at Savage River so we stopped too. Hard as we tried, we couldn't see anything of interest, so I went up and asked a bus driver if he could see anything. "Sure can," he replied. "Two bear right down there."

I pointed the binoculars in that direction and finally saw two small, round, off-white rumps in the bush along the river. Bear! I pointed them out to Larry and he finally found them too, just as the yearling put his front feet on his mother and rose up for a look around. By the third day in the park we were able to locate and point them out to others, but the eye-mind connection had to really adjust what we were looking for before they were visible to us.

When we went back the next day we saw the same pair crossing the river on the ice shelf.

We pulled away from Savage River and rounded a corner, when all of a sudden, a Mama Bear and two cubs walked casually out of the line of spruce trees right by our car! Larry slammed on the brakes, and grabbed a camera. Snapping a picture, he got her in his side view mirror.

Then he handed me the camera as I rolled down my window.

The three bears stopped by the back of our car and grazed while we snapped away. Larry, in his excitement, yelled at me to "get out and take a picture!" Using some of my more colorful words, I told him I wasn't GETTING OUT of the car!!! But I did get some great shots.

Our first day in Denali ended with us feeling the effects of emotional exhaustion. It had been a day of very big highs, and extremely low lows. But there was one more special moment waiting.

Susan Stevenson and I meet by chance at a rest area outside Denali

For years, I have followed a blog written by fellow blogger, Susan Stevenson, who lives in Fairbanks. We had made plans to meet face-to-face for the first time on Friday in Fairbanks. Now I wasn't sure that would happen. Susan has very long, very red hair, and I knew she had been in the park that day. As we were leaving I saw a woman with long red hair walking to a car in a rest area! It was Susan! Excitedly, I pointed her out to Larry, and we immediately turned around and drove back. It was my final MUST SEE of this trip. All I can say is that God knew my bucket list and covered it on one of the most difficult days we have known.

We headed back to our B & B that was located on a small lake. We were ready to turn in for the night. From our room I watched the setting sun reflected on the hills and welcomed the peace.

The day was done, but this was Alaska in May. There wasn't a lot of night.

Midnight in Alaska in May: I could read in my room using just the light coming in the window!

At midnight the mountains were reflected in the water. As I drifted off to sleep I reflected back on the day. Whatever tomorrow was to bring, I had been blessed.

To God be the Glory. He has graced me far beyond what I deserve.