SUNDAY & MONDAY, AUGUST 26 & 27

SUNDAY & MONDAY, AUG 25 & 26:

     These were the Denali days we had been waiting for!  Gorgeous clear, sunny days!  Have I mentioned that when the skies are clear in Alaska, there’s nothing more glorious?! 

     But first, we had our own version of Alaskan pioneering.  When we got home Saturday evening, we went about our normal routine of getting dinner, sorting thru pictures, reading, etc.  As the evening progressed, we felt cool and turned the thermostat up, a couple of times.  Finally, around 10 or 11:00, we realized that the furnace wasn’t kicking out any hot air.  Bill went outside in the cold air and determined that something was wrong with the propane tank.  There was nothing to be done but dress warmly as we went to bed and pull up all the covers, as it was forecast to go down into the low 30’s that night!

    In the morning, there was ice on the picnic table!  And it was mighty chilly inside our little home on wheels. Bill went first thing to the gas station up the road; they determined immediately what it was – when the propane tanks were last filled in Palmer, someone hadn’t set some valve properly, so when the tanks switched over, the 2^nd tank didn’t function.  While he was doing that, I paid $9 for 15 minutes of hot water in the RV park’s shower.  Never has a hot shower felt so good!     

    With that issue resolved, and the day promising to be beautiful, we headed south on the Parks Hwy to the Talkeetna/Trapper Creek area, about 150 miles south.   We had traveled over this same stretch of road coming north when we left Palmer.  But it was raining hard, and we couldn’t see a thing on this scenic highway.  So today we were given a chance to redeem this road trip. 

      We had some fabulous views of some of the Alaska Range to the west as we drove. 

Then, approached Denali State Park, which has entrances right off  the highway.  This park is best known for its splendid views of Denali the mountain (or as it’s officially called, Mt. McKinley, even though virtually all Alaskans just call it Denali, or The Mountain)  when it’s clear.  It usually has 2 vantage points, one on the north end of the state park, and the other at the south end.  The north one was closed due to highway repairs.  But the southern one was opened.  Oh Wow  - what a spectacular sight.  There is one viewing area right off the parking lot, when you drive in from the highway, which is handicapped accessible; then there’s a very short trail ascending to another viewpoint.  We stayed for probably an hour-and-a-half here, just luxuriating in the spectacular views and the warm sun, and of course taking pictures.

 

 

     We finally tore ourselves away and drove a little further down the road to the village of Trapper Creek, where we went into the quaint, friendly  little inn & café and got delicious burgers and cole slaw. 

     This was our turn-around point.  So now we were driving north, savoring the views that we should have experienced a few days ago when we drove this.  We drove on a little side road just past the café, where we’d read there was another view of The Mountain.  I don’t think we found the exact place the guidebooks talked about, but did find a great view of it on some private property with a little pond in front, and a clearing in the trees.  Wonder how much the modest house built there would bring with that view!      

     

     Stopped again at Mile 135 at Denali State Park to see Denali, this time in the evening light and deepening shadows.  Fewer people there this time.  But among those who were there was an Asian or Native American couple who were on their honeymoon, and he was photographing his bride in her wedding dress against Denali.  

 

 

 

     As we continued our drive home, The Mountain would occasionally appear right before us on the highway, beckoning and guiding us to the National Park.  What an absolutely gorgeous dan trip.  Never to be forgotten.    

Monday:

     Having heard that the weather forecast was for another perfectly glorious day on Monday, much like Sunday, we’d decided to take the bus tour again on Monday.  Debated some about how much sense it made to re-do that entire bus trip.  But finally reasoned that it would be our only chance to see the interior of Denali Nat’l Park on a clear sunny day.   Are we ever glad we made that decision!  What a fabulous ride it was!  Same route, same stops, same bus -  but an entirely different experience, with magnificent views not only of Denali itself, but of the entire Alaskan Range throughout the Park. 

                                             Trying on antlers for size at a rest stop:

                                          First view of Denali deep inside the Park:

      The viewpoints were especially intoxicating at the Eielson Visitor Center, where we marveled at the newly-frosted mountain higher peaks in front of us contrasting with the darker multi-colored mountains below them.  That was new snow, dumped as a result of the very storm that was doing its work on Friday when we were here.   Ironically serendipitous!

 

 

And of course the views of Denali itself were just breath-taking.

 

 

       After this first stop at Eielson, we continued down to Wonder Lake.  Several of us opted to leave this bus at this point, and hike a little ways to Reflection Pond. 

 

 

      After spending some time there, we caught another bus and returned to Eielson.  Bill & I hadn’t eaten lunch, so we were pretty hungry by  now (about 3:00).  Soaked in the sunshine and the views on the deck of the Visitors Center there.  How amazingly different from our stop here 3 days ago . . . we hadn’t even realized that this lovely deck and picnic area were here! 

 

 

What a wonderful country, where areas of amazing and spectacular natural beauty are set aside for ordinary people like us to enjoy and treasure them!

 

We walked a very short little trail here which takes you around the tundra.  Even the relatively barren tundra was lovely today, its fall colorings looking rich and warm in the sunshine.

 

     To top off a perfectly enchanting day, our wildlife sightings were mostly of bears (and one close-up elk)  – the animal of course which we had hoped to see here, and hadn’t thus far.  The icing on the cake!

 

       Two days of Denali National Park, and her showpiece Mountain, at their absolute finest.  Thank you, Lord, for this wonderful gift.   And, again, we appreciated these days even more for their relative rarity.  One great benefit to us with having experienced both rain and sunshine on these 2 bus trips is that we got to experience all that the Eielson Center had to offer – the wonderful indoor presentations, as well as the splendid, artful outdoor space.  If we had only taken the one bus trip when it had been sunny, we likely never would have ventured inside to see that wonderful exhibit on climbing McKinley, and the enlightening talks with the Rangers. 

     Didn’t get back to the main Visitors Center area til 8:00.  And not home til after 8:30.  Pappy was such a good boy – he really needed to go potty, evidenced by his letting go immediately as soon as Bill took him to the dog walk.  But he held it til we got home.