Aug 26, 2012 - Denali

We awoke to rain,and have had "liquid sunshine" ALL day. We slept great at the Cantwell RV Park. Cleanest bath house in the state, but others have been quite clean, too. Arrived in Denali national Park at 11:30, just in time for the start of a movie in the visitors center which is gorgeous and has tons of displays about the animal and plant life in the park. We also saw a sled dog demo which would have been more enjoyable if we weren't cold & damp! Drove the RV just north of the park to Rainbow RV Park which is in a 5-month "town" of just...

Aug 9, 2011 - Denali, AK

August 6, 7, 8, 9, 2011 – Denali, AK Denali RV Park and Motel On our trip from Anchorage to Denali, we stopped at the small town of Talkeetna. This was something John and I wanted to do since we had taken a plane ride out of here the first time we were in Alaska. In the late 1960’s Talkeetna became the place that mountaineers from around the world came to scale the 20,320 foot Mt. McKinley (also known for its native name Denali). Talkeetna still has some of its old town charm, but it has grown so much and it is also full of restaurants,...

Jun 26, 2011 - The Murie Science Center

Sunday morning was another lazy start. After lunch we went to the Murie Science Centre where we watched a fascinating video on forest fires and another one on the ecological changes to the park over the last 90 years. Then over to the wilderness centre to watch a movie on the history of the park. It was a beautiful afternoon so we walked down to the train station to watch the train come in. At least 1000 cruise people got off and boarded buses to take them to their hotels. After dinner we went for a stroll around the campgrounds and then bed.

Jun 25, 2011 - Trip to Glitter Gulch

A lazy morning. Hung around the trailer and read while Marilyn went for a short walk. It would have been a longer walk but she realized that she was in the woods with moose and grizzly bears by herself with no preparation so she turned around and headed home. After lunch we headed in to "Glitter Gulch", the area on the highway just outside the park. It's lots of gift shops, restaurants, hotels and adventure companies. The hotels are almost all owned by the cruise lines and they are beautiful. We toured all the gift shops. Actually Marilyn...

Jun 24, 2011 - Trip to Wonder Lake and Happy Birthday to Ian.

Alarm went off at 5:30 AM as we had to be at the Wilderness Activity Center to board our bus for Wonder Lake at 6:45 AM. This trip is 11 hours long. 86 miles one way (172 return) on a school bus travelling on a gravel road at 30-35 mph. At times the gravel road is one lane and other times hangs on the side of a very steep mountain with no guardrails. This is fun? Bright, beautiful, sunny and warm day. On this trip we saw our "big four" animals. Lots of moose, five grizzly bears (two very, very close including one walking on the road), lots...

Jun 23, 2011 - Visiting the Sled Dogs

A cloudy morning but we know the sun will be out soon. After breakfast we went about 12 miles to a town called Healy to get propane,gas and check out the grocery store. The price of gas in Denali was $4.99 a gallon. The highest we have come across. Gas in Healy was $4.34 so we filled up and on the way home we went into the lobby of the McKinley Chalet Resort to get information on river rafting. We are thinking about it. Back to the trailer for lunch and then down to the information centre to take a bus out to the park headquarters to the...

Jun 22, 2011 - June 20, 2011: Day 17-140 miles: Denali

It rained during the night and is sprinkling when we get up. Around 8:00AM, we are packed and are filling up with water and dumping. We head out for Denali. By 8:15AM we have left the borough that Fairbanks is in. Instead of counties, they have boroughs here. The road starts out real good but gets bumpier the closer we get to Denali. It is rainy and 52 degrees. By 11:30AM, we are settled in our site at Savage Campground. It is beautiful here. The park is 6 million acres! The campground is named after the Savage River. We grab a bite to eat...

Jun 22, 2011 - June 21, 2011: Day 18-Denali Park

We sleep in until 8:00AM when we can use our generator. Johnny fixes breakfast and Jan walks Nicky. We go to the Visitor’s Center and walk in just in time to see a talk about migratory birds and a movie “Heartbeat of Denali.” Then we inquire about touring the sled dog kennels and find that we need to catch the 1:20PM bus to the kennels. This is free. We go to Riley Creek and find a campsite-103. We eat a quick bite and head back to the Visitor’s Center to catch the bus. We both enjoy this tour. We see about 30 dogs and they each have a log...

Jun 22, 2011 - Denali National Park and Preserve

Ann is writing this one. Last night was the equinox, the longest day of the year. Sunlight for 24 hrs. And noisy neighbors all night. Every campground has a quiet time. This campground's quiet time was 10 to 7. No such luck. Bunch of foreign/French? speaking young adults hooting and hollering and laughing. Then a campfire was started and talking continued til way past midnight. Then the rains came and all became quiet. Ahhhhhhh. For once I was happy to have it rain. The day started off just the way I don't like... bright and early. :-( But...

Jun 22, 2011 - Trip to Eielson Visitor Center

Today we are taking the Eielson Shuttle 66 miles (one way) into the park. Cloudy this morning but that seems to be the weather pattern. Starts cloudy and then clears by late morning. At the Wilderness Access Center by 8:15 and boarded the bus at 8:30. Bus was almost full. 44 people on a 52 passenger bus. Highway school bus with comfortable seats. The bus averages 30-35 mph and stops for wildlife settings and comfort breaks. You are not allowed to get out of the bus for wildlife photos. Our bus driver, Elton Parks (an appropriate name), was...

Jun 21, 2011 - Denali, Alaska

Drove from Fairbanks to Denali today. We are staying at Denali Rainbow Village and RV Park for at least two nights. Right behind a string of gift shops and eating places on a boardwalk crowded with tourists. We have reservations for an 8 hour bus tour in Denali National Park at 7AM Wednesday morning. Should be nice....

Jun 21, 2011 - Denali National Park

The rain from yesterday had disappeared. Left the campground at 10:00 and travelled the eight miles back to the park. Pumped out the bit of grey water (shower and sink) that we had and sent Marilyn off to scout the campsites. By the time I had finished she had our tag on a site. An even better site was available so we moved to that. Private and treed with some sun. A great site. We set up, had some lunch, chatted with some neighbours from Florida and prepared to explore the park. Just as we finished setting up a couple walked by with two...