This weekend we joined our friends to drive into Denali National park. For those of you who don't live in Alaska - you can enter a lottery each year that gives away a limited number of passes to drive all the way back to Wonder Lake (the lake you see in pictures of Mt. McKinley). Most of the time, without the pass, you can only drive to Savage River about 20 miles into the park, so it's sort of a big deal.
We drove up to Denali and camped just inside the Park at this great camp ground (with flush toilets) - I know I'm getting really soft. I stayed at a cabin AND at a camp ground in the same summer! We got up and were out of our camp site by 7:00 Sunday morning so that we could maximize the limited time John and I had in the park.
This one was the closest that we saw - he was digging around for roots and whatever they eat and seemed to be happily ignoring us! We also saw a caribou - but it was too far away for our little camera to see it, and a cute little fox that ran next to the road with us as we drove.
We also saw Mt McKinley - not the whole thing, but it did clear up for a while...a beaver...a moose and a wolverine, naturally there's no picture of the wolverine! It ran across the road so cast we didn't even know what it was until we had a second to discuss what that could possibly have been.
The colors on the way there and the way home were amazing. I took a picture, but I don't think it gives justice to the brilliant colors - at times it seemed as if the trees were glowing, especially from the distance. Driving from Talkeenta to Cantwell was especially amazing, and you AKers - if you get a chance to take a drive in the next week or so, I highly recommend it!
I had to add a picture of the wolverine - just so everyone knows it really does exist!! :) I found out this morning it's not at all related to the wolf, it's a weasel...and it only goes super fast or it's stopped. This would explain why it ran so stinking fast across the road. Now that I've seen a picture, I'm even more sure it was a wolverine that we saw sprinting across the road.
There are a lot more pictures - but I won't bore you with all of them - you'll have to visit and look at the scrapbook! :)
1 comment:
Oh! Great post! Thank you for sharing your Denali trip. And wow - the picture of Denali is great!. 8 grizzlies? You sure banked on the wildlife on your trip. I'm glad you posted a picture of a wolverine. I had no idea it was a weasel-type animal. Interesting.
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