DENALI
Because my
Wonder Lake tour ticket is for 7:15 am and I have to catch our hotel's shuttle that leaves at 6:45 am to go over to Denali I have
breakfast in our room. Coffee and the banana bread I bought yesterday. It is moist and very good. I also have water, some snack bars, candy in my backpack for the long day on the park bus. Richard has an
ATV adventure scheduled for 9:00 am. He will be picked up at 8:55 am. This tour should be done by 12:00 pm which gives him enough time to get ready for his afternoon tour. The price for this is normally $105 but it was in our package that also included both of us for the Denali/McKinley flight with landing that we did on 8/12/15. He will have
breakfast over at the
Nenana View Grill after I leave. He has a bagel and coffee. Bill with tip $8 Then at 2:00 pm he has the
canyon paddle white water rafting scheduled. There will be no pick up as he will just walk across the street to the office. Cost $93.84 He will be helping to paddle the raft. He should be done around 5:30 pm or so. He will most likely be done before I return. I expect to be back by 7:30 pm.
I take our hotel shuttle over to the
Denali NP Wilderness Access Center. I show my e-mail confirmation voucher to the girl at the ticket counter and she gives me a ticket and tells me which line to stand in outside. I have enough time to use the restroom. There are food items and drinks for purchase here before you get on the bus. I buy some packets of trail mix and another water. I go outside to wait in line. There are just a couple of people ahead of me. The green bus arrives and I hesitate, but in the end, take a seat towards the back on the left side. It will be a good choice for today. It really is hit or miss as to where you sit. Our driver is Wendy and she narrates like the pro she is. She's been doing this job for many years. The drivers of the regular park buses aren't required to narrate any information but most do.
Our route is entrance/WAC, Savage River, alpine tundra, Primrose Ridge, Sable Pass, Polychrome Pass at mile 45 (colored rocks), Highway Pass, Stony Hill Overlook (views Denali/Mt. McKinley), Thoroughfare Pass, Muldow Glacier, McKinley River, Wonder Lake.
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| Shuttle from hotel to Denali |
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Road construction
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| Getting on the bus at the WAC |
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| We are bus #294 heading to Wonder Lake and back |
Within minutes I spot a moose! A good view. And he's with 2 cows! I'm so happy as my sighting yesterday was less than perfect. Wendy stops the bus and announces that Denali is fully visible and lets us off the bus to take pictures and just drink in the beauty of the mountain-the "high one". Only 30% of us get to see Denali fully visible so this is my lucky day-a moose and now, all of Denali. Can this day get any better? Yes, it can. Soon we are at a check point, our bus stops, and a park ranger gets on to welcome us all the Denali National Park with a short speech. Maybe she's making note of how many we are in the bus for a park tally? We make stops at Tolkat, Eielson, and other places where there are restroom facilities. Before the end of this day I will see so many moose, even a cow and baby and a male with 2 cows. Bears but not quite as many as yesterday. Arctic ground squirrel, lots of caribou-a mother with a baby by a braided river. 2 sightings of willow ptmarigan. The first sighting by the side of the road was a large group of maybe 5-6 but they scurried fast so my picture is blurry! The second was a group of 3 that stayed by the side of the road longer so I got some decent pictures. One of them was already starting to change its feathers to the winter white. Dall sheep. Bear scat on the road. Then we can't decide-wolf, coyote?? The scenery is as stunning, gorgeous as it was yesterday. A portion of the drive is on a winding road with a drop offs by the side of the bus. Yesterday I was on pins and needles when we drove this section but not so much today.
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| 2 cows/moose |
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| Bull moose off to the side of the 2 cows |
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| Denali in all its glory-fully visible |
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| Me with Denali in the background |
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| Pin that I bought |
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Park ranger-welcome speech
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| Caribou |
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| Larger caribou |
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| Lots of caribou sightings |
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| Braided river |
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| Beautiful |
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| Dall sheep |
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| Bear scat |
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| Bear |
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These pictures are of the same caribou that we stopped to watch as he made his way down to the road and across it in front of our bus
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| The following pictures are of the same bear |
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| Stunning colors of Polychrome Pass |
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| Second group of willow ptarmigan |
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| The one on the left's feathers are already changing for the winter |
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Tolkat, mile 53
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Tolkat
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| Moose antlers |
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More bear
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| Caribou gazing out over the park |
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| Bear grazing |
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| Arctic ground squirrel |
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Picnic tables for lunch
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Clouds moving in
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| Muldow Glacier |
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| Wolf, coyote????? |
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| Mother and baby caribou |
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| Another mother and baby caribou in same area |
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| The following pictures are of the same bear |
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| Me and our driver Wendy |
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| Rest stop |
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| Add caption |
When we finally reach
Wonder Lake it's a bit of a disappointment as too cloudy to see Denali or any reflection. Wendy shows us where to look for berries-blueberries and salmonberries. The blueberries taste good but the salmonberries are a bit bitter. We see some birds but I have no idea what kind of bird. We see tons more moose around the Wonder Lake area. I'm in heaven! Before I know it we are back at the
Wilderness Access Center where I will catch a shuttle back to my hotel. Before I want to take a quick look at the gift shop here. I buy a Denali hat and shirt, an Alaska knit hat for myself, a pin which states the wearer is a member of the 30% club, and a Denali key chain. I go back outside to wait for my hotel shuttle. Several shuttles appear but not mine. I'm starting to get worried but it eventually arrives. The last shuttle is at 6:55 pm. I get back to the hotel and my room before 7:30 pm and Richard is there.
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| Wonder Lake |
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| Salmonberries |
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| Blueberries |
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| Moose in the brush by the lake |
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| Couple moose in the brush |
Richard said he enjoyed his day very much.
ATV adventure. He decided to walk across the street to the office instead of being picked up. He was on a single rider ATV called the Grizzly. You don't ride inside the park but in the areas surrounding it. Stops with views Alaska range mountains, Otto Lake, Healy Valley. Riding through rocky creek beds and splashing through mud and water. Tour covers 10 miles or so and lasts about 2 1/2-3 hours from time of pick up to time of drop off. He had his waterproof camera with him and did take a few pictures. Then he had his
white water rafting with the Denali Outdoor Center. Drysuits were provided as well as life vests. This is on the Nenana River, class III-IV runs. Through 11 miles on a paddle raft where he helped to navigate the waters along with the guide and the other rafters. He said the girl behind him thanked him for shielding her from most of the water! One of the girls on his raft did go overboard but was quickly brought back on to the raft. He said it was exhilarating/fun. He said he was done by 6:00 pm. Then he just walked around checking out the hotel property while waiting for me.
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| Grizzly ATV |
Since we have no car our choices for dinner are limited. It's been a long day, it's getting late so we decide to just have
dinner at the
NENANA VIEW GRILL at our hotel. Our server is Katie. Richard orders an Alaskan amber ale and the rockfish. I get coffee and the tenderloin. Bill $86 which includes the tip.
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