Today we took a tour bus to the end of the park road. This was a long but awesome trip. We had great weather, and saw lots of wildlife, terrific views, beautiful wildflowers, and even saw the mountain for the first time. Its official name is Mt. McKinley, but Alaskans prefer to call it by its original name, Denali, which means "The Great One". They say it's not like William McKinley ever set foot in the state. They managed to get the park name changed to Denali, but apparently people from Ohio have managed to block any attempts to change the name of the mountain. This is the tallest mountain in North America, and stands head and shoulders above the surrounding peaks. The Great One sounds like an appropriate name to me too.
Denali
It was a beautiful, clear morning, so we were hopeful that Denali would be visible when we got to the first overlook. We were not disappointed - still not even a cloud in the sky. Even at 75 miles away, it is still a pretty impressive view.
Wildlife - the Big Five
Everyone wants to see "The Big Five" - bear, moose, caribou, wolf, and dall sheep. We managed to see all five by mid-morning. We saw the moose shortly after leaving the visitor center. It never turned around before wandering into the woods, so the only picture we got was moose rear-end.We spotted the wolf a few miles down the road, but it was just a brief glance before he ran off into the bushes. I tried to get a picture but he was gone. But I liked the picture, so here it is.
The caribou and the sheep were both pretty far away, so they are pretty tiny in the pictures.
The bears were a little closer, so the pictures were a little better. Don't worry, we stayed on the bus.
Braided Rivers
We have seen a lot of these extra-wide rivers with only small channels wandering inside them. At first I assumed that they filled up during the spring thaw, but even that stretched the imagination. I learned that this is a special kind of river called a "braided river". It happens in an area where there is more sediment than the water can carry, such as a glacial area. The sediment is basically loose gravel and glacial silt, and the channels change course frequently within the stream bed.
Here is another look at braided rivers from a little higher up. Nice view of the mountains, too.
More Dall Sheep
I thought this was cool with the sheep right on the edge of the ridge and the other ridge behind.
Closer View of Denali
It is not uncommon for the mountain to be shrouded in clouds, so we felt fortunate when we saw it multiple times on this trip. About half way down the road, we reach another spot where the mountain is visible on good days. We still have a clear view, but you can see the clouds just starting to accumulate. This closer view gives a much better look at the mountain.
Just half an hour later, the clouds are starting to roll in. Look very closely at these pictures, you can actually see the top of the mountain above the low clouds.
Of course, not all of the stunning views were of Denali itself. Here is another view of the mountains, and an amazing mirror image in one of the small lakes.
About half an hour after the last view of the mountain, some serious clouds start rolling in. This is the last time we will see any of the mountain on this trip.
Flowers
There were lots of flowers, but only two that I had not seen before - Dwarf dogwood, and anemone. This dogwood is actually a small plant, not a tree.
Fannie Quigley's Cabin
We reached the end of the park road, where we also visited Fannie Quigley's cabin. Fannie was one of the settlers here during the Alaskan gold rush. The story goes, she was famous for her hospitality. Though visitors were few and far between, she always treated them to one of her berry pies. The entrance to her mine was just behind the house, and it tunnelled down through the permafrost. She figured out she could make up the pies during berry season, store them in her permafrost freezer, and bake one up fresh and hot whenever company arrived. This was not her original cabin, but she lived in this one for quite a few years.
Reflection Pond
Well, the reflecting pond would have been a stunning view if the weather had cooperated. Too many ripples on the pond, and too many clouds on the mountains. Oh well.
More Scenery
By now, the clouds have taken over the taller mountains again, so you don't see much of them, but there are still some beautiful views of the lower mountains, and the braided rivers.
More Bears
We saw more bears on the way back, but not much other wildlife. This group of three looked like a mom with two older cubs, nearly full grown. It was hard to catch all three of them together as the wandered in and out of the bushes. I think mama bear is on the left, and the two cubs on the right.
Train on Trestle
On the way back to camp after the trip, we caught the Alaska Railroad train on the trestle at an overlook near the highway.
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