I have mixed emotions about today, but in the end, I think it was a great day. I was up early and on the road, not in my own vehicle, but on a 'wildlife tour bus', to see the birds and animals in their natural surroundings, as well as seeing Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America.
I made my reservation for the wildlife tour by telephone, so I went to the hotel where the busses depart, a good one hour before my bus was due to leave, just to make sure I found the place and that I could get my ticket. All that worked out pretty well. My bus was at 7:00AM and I was there at 6:00AM. I tried to get on an earlier bus, but they said all busses were full. Okay, so I went and had breakfast...so there.
Someone 'up there' must like me, because today was a gorgeous day, weather-wise. After being literally soaked, climbing Mount Healy yesterday, today the sun came out and....before the day was over, I could see Mount McKinley clear as can be!
My sourdough cabin does not have television or a phone, so I'll be a bit late getting my diaries and pictures posted to my web site. I cautioned readers of my diary in any earlier entry that occasionally this might be the case. All this coming week, I'll be staying at a Super 8 Motel in Anchorage, so I will be able to post things daily.
Later this month, when I take the car ferry from Haines, Alaska to
Prince Rupert, British Columbia, I will not have access to a phone
line for two days, July 26 and 27. It will be the evening of the 28th
before I have a chance to post my diary and photos. Ah, such is the
life of the wayward wind.
He gave us some minimal departure instructions, and away we went. We
entered the park, he explained where the visitor's center and hotel
were, in case that was relevant to anyone, and pointed out where the
train station was, because he knew many of the people on this bus
would be leaving Denali by train, at the end of the tour.
He covered the first 14 miles of the park, which is paved, much like
I did yesterday. There really wasn't anything to see along that
section of the 54 miles that we eventually travelled into the park.
Realize that 54 miles into the park meant 54 miles out of the park
before the end of the day. And other than the first 14 miles, the
rest was all gravel, at 25mph. That 100 miles took at least four
hours of driving time.
But, we saw lots of game and we finally saw a really good view of
Mount McKinley. It was 45 degrees when we boarded our bus at 7:00AM
and it never got much more comfortable as the day went on. The sun
came out and maybe the temperature rose a little bit, but given that
we were at higher altitudes and exposed to the wind, it was a good
thing that most of us were dressed accordingly.
Our first view of Mount McKinley was a clear one, but it was 72 miles
from the east end of Denali NP to the mountain. Later as we reached
the end of our drive into the park, at Mile 54, we were still 20 miles
away from the mountain. It is such a huge mountain, 20,000 feet high,
that it gave us all plenty to look at and photograph.
We travelled along side or saw a number of rivers as we drove further
into the park. I'm still confused about the weather and the water
conditions here in Alaska. The rivers we saw today are a muddy grey
color, which Scott told us is because the water comes from
glacier sources. But the gravel river beds are very, very wide, yet
the rivers flow only a tiny section of that. Scott says that's the
way it is, and there is no flood or high water at any time, such as
spring runoff.
Denali, by the way, means "High One" which is what the native people
prefer to call the mountain we officially know as Mount McKinley.
McKinley, being President of the United States at the time the park
was established, might have something to do with naming around here.
Our tour started at 7:00AM and it was 8:15AM when we had our first
sighting. Several grizzly bears romped up a hill, eating and looking
at us, as invaders of their park. I would estimate that they were
about 600 yards from our bus, and they didn't seem to care that we
were there.
We saw birds today also, beginning with a small group of grouse. A
mother bird and about a half dozen tiny birds followed her every way
she went. Later in the day, we saw a golden eagle, soaring and
then swooping to the land in an attempt to catch some food.
We saw little animals like ground squirrels and a small woodchuck,
but it was the bigger and more exotic animals that everyone seemed to
be interested in.
At one very high mountain, Scott knew (suspected) that chances would
be good that we would see Dall Sheep, and sure enough we saw at least
a half dozen. We saw them on the way out of the park too. They were
at some distance from our bus, but most people had spotting scopes of
some kind. Me, I used my telephoto lens to see animals at longer
distances.
After seeing the one group of Dall Sheep, it wasn't but a few minutes
later, at a different location, that we saw a group of about twelve.
The real surprise for the day, Scott included, was a large grey
wolf, sometimes called a timberwolf, came up out of a creek and onto
our gravel roadway. It saw the bus and walked directly towards us.
Scott asked everyone to be quiet and sure enough it worked, because
the wolf just walked along side the bus, looked at us, and continued
on his way. I hope my pictures come out!
We saw caribou at several places along our route. Some very close,
some moving quickly, and some just eating and resting. One pair were
first spotted coming over a ridge, and they came right down the hillside
and across the road in front of our bus. It couldn't have been better.
I don't know at what mile of our 54 mile entrance drive, but at one
point the road narrowed from a two lane gravel road to a one lane
gravel road, and seemed to get rougher. We started to climb, elevation
wise, and the road caused Scott and any other bus driver to drive with
extreme caution. I can see now why they do not let the general public
beyond the 14 mile point of the park road.
The tour bus stops at various vistas for a photo opportunity, and it
also stops 2-3 times going into the park, and 2-3 times on the return
trip, so people can use the rest rooms (outhouses). The people on my
bus were pretty good about being prompt to get off and also to get
back on, so that it didn't delay the overall trip. I didn't mention
it, but the tour began at 7:00AM and it was 4:15PM when the bus came
back to the starting point. A very long day!
We saw a couple of moose and a few more bears before getting to Mile
54 and our grand view of Mount McKinley. We saw more grizzly bears
on the return trip, some with darker coats of fur and several blond
grizzlies. The last bear we saw was a real treat. It was HUGE and
it was the closest to the road such that everyone got a very good look
and a chance for good photos. I know I took my share of both video
and 35mm pictures.
After returning from the tour, I saw that the Nenana River was busy
with rafters, so I drove to a spot I knew where a very high bridge
spanned the river and would give me a good vantage point for photos.
Within minutes, I video taped and photographed at least six big rafts
with people doing their best to guide their raft around the rocks
and over the rapids. They were yelling and screaming, getting wet, and
just having a great time.
So, it's the end of another day. I'm off to find some supper and then
tomorrow move onto Anchorage. While there, I plan to see what the
city has to offer, but also use it as my base to see things south of
the city, such as Seward and Kenai. I'll keep you posted.