The timing of everything worked out well for just enough with down time in between, ample driving time between places to stop along the way if we liked and to take our time.
We started out flying into Anchorage on Friday arriving at noonish after a 3 hour time change. Asked for a recommendation at the hotel desk for a place to eat and we were not disappointed in the Glacier Brewhouse. A quick stop after that at the Ulu Factory where they actually make an ulu with windows into the workshop. A restful evening. The next morning we are off to Denali park entrance area, but first a browse around the Anchorage Saturday Market. I am providing links to many of the places/activities we stopped at/for so as to not make this post a mile long!
On the road to Denali is where we spotted the black bear with triplet cubs (see earlier post for photo). We also stopped at one of the Denali viewing areas and although still a beautiful scene we were not able to see the summit today. See photo of the 4 of us in the earlier post. It was nice to get out and stretch the legs a bit.
Now we left all the arrangements as I said earler to the travel group. Sometime before we left I was notified that our hotel in the Denali entrance area was changed/upgraded due to some remodeling at our original hotel. No problem. So we arrive and the manager greets me and lets me know that they are overbooked, but not to worry. They have a view room for us at our original hotel and will reimburse us $100 cash for our trouble. Now, this worked out to our advantage for more than one reason...we catch the bus for our park tour at this hotel and we now are downgraded to a hotel that provides a continental breakfast. :) We are there for two nights so that is two free meals and not having to get in the car and park it before getting on the bus for the tour. Plus the cash. I think we did just fine. :)
Sunday is the bus tour into the interior of the park. Kantishna Roadhouse Tour. It is a 13 hour tour that travels 90 miles into the park and back. The weather is unpredictable and it is a bit rainy on and off, but a good day none the less. We see moose,a moose with a calf, a brown bear and her cub (see below for photos), snowshoe hares, caribou and Dall sheep. I cannot even begin to tell how beautful the country is there in Alaska. Wild and true to it's name of final frontier. 1 in 60 Alaskans have a pilots licence as they aren't much for roads to places.
This little guy decided he wanted to try my shoe for a snack, um, not exactly a good diet for a ground squirel. I was just fine with him sniffing it out but had to jump back when he decided to try a bite! It was a delightful day in the park, even with the bit of rain.The next day we are headed north to Fairbanks and a visit to the El Dorado Gold Mine. A demonstration of sluice mining and we get to try our hand at panning for a grain or two of gold ourselves. We get to see, even hold a nugget worth about $40K but no big strikes for us five minute panners. Here is Vern and Irene trying their hand at panning.
The next stop was a side excursion to North Pole. North Pole Alaska that it. The street lights are candy canes and everywhere you look you would think Christmas was right around the corner. All the streets are aptly named for a town based on Santa.The next day we travel on the Riverboar Discovery and get a sled dog demonstration from Susan Butcher's husband and a stop at Chena Indian Village. Another recommended spot for lunch at Wolf Run and on our way back to McKinley Princess Lodge. We arrive at the resort to a sight that happens only 20% of the time, a view of the summit of Denali! The clouds had dropped just before our arrival we were told and we were also told it had been raining and hailing for the days we were farther north. An even lovlier sight as we awoke to a clear view of the entire range before heading off on our glacier landing flight tour with K2 Aviation.
Now as you know there is no way to convey the dimension of the real thing in a photo. It was an amazing sight! And even more amazing to fly amongst those mountains at 11,000 feet. The pilot told us when you get up there you lose all sense of size and he was right. It appeared we could reach out and touch the mountains and yet we were still a great distance from them. We landed on the Ruth glacier. Irene was not with us as she unfortunately was ill that day. The pilot took a photo of us with the summit as the backdrop.
I do believe this was the highlight of the trip. Especially for Vern. After this we drive to Girdwood on the south side of Anchorage. We stayed at the Alyeska Hotel. Talk about a fancy smancy place. We even got pillow chocolates before bed! We rode the tram up the hill to 2300 feet for a view.
Tom and Vern taking photos over the edge.In Seward we visit the Alaska Sea Life Center which was built after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. It is a research and rehabilitation center for sea life. We see a bald eagle on a nest in the park and have an ice cream cone in town. Every 4th of July the town's population booms from roughly 3k to 20-25k for the annual Mount Marathon Race. Now 3 miles may not seem like a race for marathoners, but at 3000 feet up over those 3 miles I think it deters the likes of me very easily!
Our last full day in Alaska we take a scenic cruise with Kenai Fjords Tours. The 8 1/2 hour tour takes us out to sea and up into the Aialik Bay to view the Aialik Glacier. Enroute we were blessed to see a few humpback whales, several Dall porpoise, sea otters and Stellar Sea Lions.
The one whale gave us quite the show with his rolling and diving and breaching! So very cool!!!At the glacier we get to see a few chucks calve off and a harbor seal resting on an ice chunk too. The Common Mere and Puffins are abundant everywhere too.
I think my favorite baby animal shot is this Stellar Sea Lion pup. :)A fabulous trip! If you ever get a chance to go to Alaska, no change that, be sure to make yourself an opportunity to get to Alaska someday! We certainly plan to go back again!
