Alaska
July 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)
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