DENALI
We grab the shuttle and head over to the main lodge for
breakfast. At the
Nenana View Grill we are seated. I tell Michael-our server-that we haven't a lot of time as we have to catch the tour at 9:00 am. He takes our order of coffee, yogurt parfait, one egg over easy & toast and in no time our breakfast is placed in front of us. Bill $25 with nice tip for such good fast service.
 |
Berry and quinoa breakfast parfait
|
 |
| Egg and toast |
We are a bit early and decide to wait outside as it is a nice crisp morning. At 9:00 am we board the shuttle and per what I'd read on TA we get seats on the left side. (We will discover it really doesn't matter what side you're on as wildlife appears on both sides) This tour will be almost 8 hours. On each seat is a
box that is our
snack. Inside the box are packets of crackers, spreads for the crackers, and water. These buses are a tan color whereas the NP buses are green. The seats are nicely padded which makes for a comfortable ride. The windows do go down for better picture taking but some people don't want the windows down as they are cold. Since I've dressed in layers I'm perfectly fine. I try to only open the window wide enough to get pictures and not all the way down. During this trip I will see Dall sheep, several bears-some dark and one blonde, moose hidden behind trees, caribou. We have a stop at the Tolkat Station where there's a restroom and a bookstore. We see so much beautiful scenery and the rivers are amazing-very unique formations. Polychrome Pas.. Toolkit River. Our driver says we will continue further than the Tolkat of 53 miles. We will go a further 6 miles but not as far as Eielson Visitor Center. I think the Tundra Wilderness Tour should go to Eielson but I'm happy with what we saw. It was a good day. With seeing the summit/top of Denali last night and all of Denali except the top today if I piece the pictures together I'll get the full shot of Denali!!! Maybe tomorrow I'll get lucky as I'm doing the
NP shuttle to Wonder Lake while Richard does his activities. Today went by so fast. Everywhere I looked I saw the beauty that is
Denali National Park. It moved me like the Grand Canyon and Yosemite did. This is a place that could provide you with endless I'll remember this forever moments. I only wish I was in better physical shape and had more days here as I'd love to do some of the hikes. No time for that on this trip. Back to the hotel our driver gives each of us a lovely book with pictures and info on Denali National Park. It's called "Denali: A Living Tapestry" put together by Alaska Geographic. This small book has great pictures with so much helpful information. So you have to decide if the extra money this tour charges over the regular park buses is worth it. This was included in my Holland America land/cruise tour so if I didn't take it I wouldn't be refunded any money. I enjoyed the day. The bus was super comfortable. The snack pack was hearty but you could still bring your own food if you so chose. The book was a nice surprise.
 |
| Bus for Tundra Wilderness Tour |
 |
Snack pack
|
 |
| Caribou |
 |
| Bear-first of many |
 |
| Cool looking rivers |
 |
| Restroom/stretch your legs stop |
 |
| Green bus is Denali NP regular bus |
 |
| Polychrome Pass |
 |
| All of Denali except the top which is covered in clouds |
 |
| Another bear but lighter-blonde |
 |
| Grazing |
 |
| Bear tracks |
 |
| Another bear |
 |
| Grazing |
 |
| Dall sheep |
 |
| I look ridiculous but I just had to do it! |
 |
| More Dall sheep |
 |
| Another bear |
 |
| State bird-willow ptarmigan |
 |
| Lots of clouds around Denali/McKinley |
 |
| Lots of Dall sheep |
 |
Lots of caribou
|
 |
| Moose hiding in the trees |
Back to the hotel around 5:00 pm or so. We take the shuttle back to our room in Canyon Lodge. I change some of my clothes and leave my camera gear except for 1 point & shoot camera. We decide to walk across the street to find the places that Richard will be doing things with tomorrow. We easily find the office for
Denali ATV Adventures. Also the office for
Denali Outdoor Center. That done we explore the
Boardwalk Mall. There are shops of Alaska made products, places to eat, tour offices, gift shops, art, clothing........For
dinner we spot a place that has gotten good reviews
BLACK BEAR COFFEE HOUSE. I'm surprised to see that it has a small sit down eating area. Mainly ready made salads, sandwiches in the coolers. Not what I expected. You place your order, pay for it, and take it to your seat. Richard orders a bowl of the veggie chili which is listed as being vegan and gluten free. I order a chicken salad sandwich from the cold case and lemonade. I get a slice of banana bread for my breakfast tomorrow. Bill $23 This place is more suited for lunch than dinner but the food was tasty and it certainly wasn't expensive. We wander around a bit more just taking in the sights and sounds. Back to our hotel, catch the shuttle to our room, and another day has ended.
 |
| Dinner |
 |
| Veggie chili |
 |
| Chicken salad sandwich |
 |
| Menu |
 |
| Yummy! |
 |
| Small eat in area |
 |
| Lots of shops |
 |
| Some of the shops |
Tomorrow I have a 7:15 am
Denali National Park shuttle to Wonder Lake. Richard will do an
ATV adventure in the morning and white water rafting/canyon paddle in the afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment