Denali National Park!

From Fairbanks, we drove to a pull-out a few miles north of Healy, Alaska. We were told by other Boomer friends that it would be to our advantage to do our paperwork and get our Tek passes the day before we were going to drive into the park. After getting set up for the night, we drove into Denali and completed our paperwork. On our way back to the RVs, we just had to stop at 49th State Brewing Company.

The beer was good, but the service wasn't. Bob and Larry had to go to the bar to order our drinks. The brew tanks were located between the restaurant and the restrooms.

In the garden before entering the brewery, there were family games like bocce ball, hoola hoops, and horseshoes. There was also bus 142 which the owners claim is the one used by Chris McCandless lived his final days in on Stampede Trail near Denali. There is a book, Into the Wild, about Chris McCandless' life. He was not prepared for the hardships he would face living in the Alaskan wilderness.

The next morning we left the parking area to head into Denali National Park. After unhooking the cars, getting everything we would need for the next four nights out and into the RV it was time to head to Savage River. We timed our arrival at Savage River checkpoint to coincide with the time we could continue on to Teklanika Campground. No vehicles are allowed to drive beyond Savage River unless they have a pass.

The drive in was beautiful. We couldn't have asked for a better day. Denali/Mt. McKinley was gorgeous. Only 30% of people who visit the park get to see all of the mountain. It is usually cloud covered.

As we drove along the park road, Larry and Connie were about 5 minutes behind us and got pictures of our RV as we wound around the curves creating dust storms behind us.

On our way out to Teklanika we didn't see any animals but we knew we would see them the next day on our bus trip to Kantishna.

After finding two RV spots near each other, we set off to explore the Teklanika River.

  Like most of the glacial fed rivers in the park, it is braided. We were able to walk quite a way upstream looking for animals and other interesting things.

Later in the afternoon, Bob and I went walking again, this time in the other direction, following a creek behind the campground as it flowed to the river. We didn't see any animals, but we did see moose tracks near the creek. I did get a better picture to give you an idea of the braided river. The silt and rocks from the glacier finally build up and the water takes different routes to get around the buildup. That is why you see so many 'streams' in a braided river.

The next day was also a gorgeous day! It was the day we were to ride the bus from our campground to Kantishna at the end of the park road. We packed a lunch and brought plenty of snacks and water as it would be an all day trip.When you ride the park bus, the driver will stop if anyone sees an animal, so everyone on the bus has a chance to see the animal.

One of our first stops was Polychrome Overlook. The colors in the mountain are beautiful.

 There was a male caribou running around among all the tourist trying to find a quiet spot to get away from everyone.

We only got on our bus to get our belongings off since the radiator on the bus decided it didn't like its current hoses and blew them apart! The next bus was a Discover Hike bus with just a few hikers aboard. Our driver took control of that bus and kept the hikers. He let them off to meet their ranger at  mile marker  59 and we continued on our way.

Due to our extended stop at Polychrome, we stopped for a quick bread at Toklat Visitor Center, but not long enough to go in the tent.

It was another beautiful day to view Mt. McKinley! The driver stopped the bus when the mountain came into view so we could have a photo op. We were still over 50 miles from Mt. McKinley.

From Toklat it was on to Eielson Visitor Center. The only way to reach this spot is by park bus. Of course, this is an excellent place to view Mt McKinley!

 Inside Eielson Visitor Center is a gorgeous three-panel quilt. A local woman made this quilt depicting Mt. McKinley and all the animals in the park. It took her over a year to complete the quilt.

From Eielson it was on to Kantishna. Kantishna started as an old mining camp. Now it is host to several private lodges. There is an old homestead located there. Fannie and Joe Quigley began as miners, but he got sick and ran off with his nurse. Fannie lived in the homestead for the remainder of her life. The house was built for her, she was a short woman and the inside cabinets counters were designed for her.

 Finally, we reached the end of the road! After a quick stop it we boarded the bus to make the return trip. This time we stopped at Wonder Lake. The blueberries were ripe and we picked a baggy  so we could have blueberry pancakes the next morning.

On our trip out to Kantishna we saw caribou, moose, bears and Dall sheep. On our way back, we got to watch this grizzly eat soap berries--a grizzly's favorite!

The hump on his back has the muscles he needs to dig roots and pull berries from stalks. He was kind enough to turn and face the camera before the bus left.

We had a great time exploring Denali by bus. The next day we would spend time around the campground. On Thursday, Bob and I went on a Discovery Hike. More about that in my next installment!