On The Road Again......: Denali National Park

August 3-8, 2013

Denali National Park is breathtaking. In 1908, Charles Sheldon had a goal to make a wild dream come true. He was in the mountains viewing what could one day be a premier national park, the Yellowstone of Alaska which could be preserved and protected for one reason above all others: to celebrate restraint as an expression of freedom, our rare ability to save a place so it will one day save us. (From Denali National Park and Preserve publication by the National Park Service) After 10 years of campaigning, Sheldon saw his dream come true, and Mount McKinley National Park came to be. The park was 2 million acres. However, after study and more campaigning to protect the ecological integrity of the area and to accommodate the increasing traffic to the area, President Carter in a final act of his presidency signed a law increasing national parks. Mount McKinley National Park went from 2 million acres to 6 million acres and became Denali National Park and Preserve.

Mount McKinley or Denali is the highest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet. Denali is the Athabascan name meaning "the high one". Mt. McKinley most often is referred to as "the mountain" or Denali.

We stayed here for three nights. Private vehicles can only travel fifteen miles into the park on the only road into the park. From that point, shuttle buses or tour buses are the only way to get into the 92 miles of the road. We took a tour bus into mile 62. Words can't describe this wilderness. We saw 16 grizzly bears, 6 moose, 9 Dall sheep, 4 caribou, 3 Spruce grouse, 1 red fox, and a family of Willow Ptarmigan (Alaska's state bird).

In addition to all of the amazing wildlife and scenery, we were also fortunate to see partial viewings of Mt. McKinley including the peak. Only about 30% of people who come here to see the mountain actually get to see it. The mountain makes its own weather including many clouds. We also saw the mountain as we left the area on our way to Anchorage.

White water rafting on the Nenana River provided another thrill. We took the easier way and went on an oar raft. The guide does all of the work since we aren't paddling, and we just have to hang on. We wore dry suits which helped to protect us from the 37 degree glacier fed river. Yes, it was cold. After rafting, we decided to go for a hike at the 15 mile point along the river. On our way to the hike, we spotted our first bull moose. This moose was a young bull, but a few minutes later we saw one with a great rack. This fulfilled one of our quests.

Arriving in Anchorage, the largest city in Alaska, we stayed for three nights. The population of Anchorage is around 300,000 which is about half of the entire state's population. While touring the city, it was interesting to see moose crossing signs. Yes, there are moose and bear roaming around the city. In addition, we found out the salmon have begun their spawning runs, and saw a decent sized silver salmon being caught. Found out silver salmon is the same as coho and red salmon is sock-eye.

On to the Kenai peninsula tomorrow. Tomorrow will be our half-way point of the caravan being day 24 of 48 days. Hoping to spot Beluga whales tomorrow. Hope you enjoy the pictures.