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Denali National Park Bus TourJun 2, 2009
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Mother moose and calf leaving the area, grizzly just seen
Sheep doing the same in the same area
This is what caused all the commotion!
| Yesterday we just roamed around the area north of Denali, exploring the little towns of Nenana and Healy, plus "Glitter Gulch" (the touristy area of the town of Denali); we ended with having dinner at the Salmon Bake which was yummy! Tuesday we left early to catch our 7:00 AM bus for the 63 mile trip into Denali National Park. It was sunny, and not expected to be as cool, but we still had to take jacket layers for the higher elevations and wind. And what an event-filled day it was! We saw lots of wildlife once we were 25 miles or so into the Park. Let's see: caribou (several groups and a couple of singles); a moose walking right down the road in front of us; then a grizzly doing the same thing - all we got of him were "rear end" pictures! Also saw snowshoe hares (did you know they have 3 litters per summer!), ptarmigans (Alaska state bird), and golden eagles soaring in the wind. Later we saw dall sheep up close, coming down off the cliffs to cross the road to the river bank and then a moose cow and her calf hurrying along the river banks; soon discovered why they were scurrying along so -- a big grizzly coming up the river! Guess he thought he had spotted dinner. The bus had to move along, but we later heard the bear sauntered up the river, without dinner! As we drew closer to the Eielson Lookout (closest to Mt. McKinley), we spotted a wolf, hunting along side the road; and then an alpha male on the other side(because he had on a tracking collar, according to our driver). We got really good closeup pictures of him carrying a ground squirrel, as he walked right beside the bus! What a thrill to see such magnificent wildlife so close, yet so wild! The wildlife almost overshadowed the beautiful views of Mt. McKinley and the views of the tundra and other mountains, but we were in for a special treat. Mt. McKinley was about 90% visible -- couldn't see the south peak, but as we stood at the lookout, the clouds drifted so that we could see the north peak! 20,320 feet of rugged, snow-covered mountain, the highest mt. in North America. The bulletin board inside said there were 342 climbers on the mountain that day! Truly a day we'll never forget! J |
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