MEM-FAIAlaskaJuly 17 - July 25
- In the morning, we went to a dog sled demonstration. It was pretty interesting, despite the absence of snow...the sleds were modified with small wheels so that the dogs could pull them.
We departed Denali N.P. and headed north/east to Fairbanks, where we were flying from to Memphis the following day. Once in Fairbanks, we checked into the Hampton Inn off the interstate (well, highway). - A nice lady on the plane from Memphis to Fairbanks had told Nick about the University of Alaska Museum. She recommended going if we had time. So, since we had time today, we opted to check it out.
The newest addition to the museum had quite the assortment of exhibits, ranging from Native Alaskan art to a room called "The Place Where You Go To Listen," which was essentially a light and sound show tuned to the seismic activity of the Earth in real time. The older part of the museum was really just a mess, we thought. It appeared that everything that was in the museum before the addition had been shoved into one gallery and then signs and placards were placed on the stuff to try to teach you things. Not to mention the extreme oldness of the busload of people that were there. They enjoyed walking in front of us and stopping to look at an exhibit...right in front of us. Multiple times. We couldn't handle it anymore, so we went outside for a photo op.
- After leaving the museum, we went downtown to find out what there was to do. The answer is 'not much.'
We walked around for a while and finally went into a bar called Mecca. The locals there stared us down while we ordered and drank a beer. They were all buying pull tabs (a version of the lottery) and swearing/yelling loudly. We had only one beer - that was plenty of time spent there. 
- After that we decided to go back to the Pump House bar/restaurant that we had gone to the first day of the trip. We had several beers and played pool for a while before heading back to the hotel.
- After getting back to the hotel, we ate and then watched television. The next morning we packed everything up, headed to the airport and back to the god-awful heat of the Memphis summer.
MEM-FAIAlaskaJuly 17 - July 25- We took the 9:30 AM green bus to Eielson stop 66 miles in.
During the trip, we saw 3 grizzlies and about 5 cubs, lots and lots of caribou and a couple Dall Sheep. No moose...
- Our driver was Elton Parks - he was quite a storyteller. He had been driving the summer buses for many years, and was pretty knowledgeable on the animals, plants, and geologic formations in the park. At any time, if a passenger wanted to stop to take pictures, or view wildlife, you just yelled "STOP" and he would stop the bus and everyone would take pictures or ask questions about whatever it was that we were seeing.
- Overall, the drive to the Eielson Visitor Center was beautiful - the scenery alone was pretty amazing. We were at the Visitor Center for about an hour, then got on the bus back to the park entrance. While boarding the bus, we became aware that some rednecks in the back of the bus had brought a cooler (which was ok) but it was full of beer and they were pretty inebriated. A ranger (gun included) was brought on to escort the gentlemen off the bus. Apparently alcohol and drunkenness is discouraged on national park-sanctioned vehicles. Go figure.
- Mt McKinley (Denali) is the tallest mountain in North America at 20,000 feet. It is generally not visible due to weather - clouds, rain, etc. However there are days where even just a few minutes of visibility is possible. This is still pretty rare though. We were on the bus, returning to the park entrance, and suddenly a passenger yelled "STOP" meaning there was something to look at! Sure enough, we turn around toward the way we were coming from (the visitor center, in the direction of Denali) and the north face of the mountain had suddenly come into view! We got some pictures (we were about 60 miles from the mountain) and then headed off again.
- Back at the campsite, we cooked dinner (potatoes and beans).
- It was very cold and windy. We didn't pack enough warm clothing!
- BOD: leftover Alaskan
- Mileage: 0 (132 on the bus)
MEM-FAIAlaskaJuly 17 - July 25- We left Anchorage at 10 AM via Highway 1.
Drove through Wasilla (home of you know who), 
and headed toward Denali National Park via George Parks Highway. - We arrived at the park around 2 PM. We found a campsite in the park for $28/nt, paid our entrance fee of $10 per person. Then we ate lunch ($25) at the cafeteria/restaurant at the visitor's center.
- At the visitor center we also watched a short film on the history of the park, the mountain after which it is named, and this area of Alaska.
- In Denali, cars are not permitted to drive through the park. Auto access is limited to about 15 miles in. This is a park the size of the state of Massachusetts, covering about 6 million acres. In order to see the interior of the park, visitors must purchase a bus pass. The park operates buses that take visitors in to different points along the 92 mile park road. We decided to go to the Eielson stop, about 66 miles in. We purchased tickets for the ride, at $32 per person. The trip to Eielson takes 8 hours, round trip (the innermost point in the park, Kantishna, takes 13 hours for the 92 mile [184 RT] trip).
- Mileage: 1190
- Gas: $25
- Beer of the Day: Alaskan White, Moose Drool
