Lucky 20%--Alaska & the big "D"
We spent 13 days in Alaska and the Yukon, and only 4 days on a boat. Ours was the chance to see and experience the interior of both places and what the sourdoughs saw during the gold rush days. Jump-off was Anchorage, where we boarded the Holland America Lines tour railroad car, the McKinley Explorer:
Inside the McKinley Explorer, there is not a bad seat. The lower half of the car comprises the galley and dining room:
The 7 1/2-hour trip to Denali provides spectacular scenery:
Our tour, HAL #4, included two nights at the McKinley Chalet, only a couple of miles outside Denali National Park and Preserve:
The 2-story chalet lodging--very nice, although the hill leading to the lodge makes a tough walk:
A moose came right up to our chalet to munch on the willows--a favorite food:
The next day, we spent about 8 hours touring Denali. Denali shuttle bus: discomfort defined. However, the sights are so engrossingly spectacular that you forget about the intense pain in your knees resulting from their being pressed into the back of the seat in front of you. In this situation, midgets and children have a decided advantage:
The day was perfect--no clouds in the morning, no fog, no snow. We were ecstatic when we first glimpsed Mt. McKinley in the early morning:
The driver and passengers yell out when they spot any wildlife. This ptarmigan (Alaska's state bird) caught my attention:
The shuttle goes through/by many beautiful glacial valleys:
Toklat River in Denali National Park and Preserve. Note that these glacial rivers do not support fish because of the silt (loose sedimentary material) they carry:
As we gained altitude after leaving the park's primary visitor center, the air got cooler. Our torture bus followed the road you see, which is gravel and dusty. (Remember to clean your camera lenses frequently.) Note, too, that as the morning progressed, more clouds started forming above Mt. McKinley, although visibility of the top remained excellent throughout the day:
McKinley remains snow-covered all year, and is 33+ miles away from this vantage point. Only 20% of visitors get to see McKinley; the other 80% have views obstructed/diminished by fog, snow, rain, or haze.
Another shot of the majestic Mt. McKinley, but later in the day (note the clouds forming over peak):
Another shot of the mountain that the natives call "Denali":
Mountain goat (notice black, short horns). Some of the wildlife looked scruffy because they were shedding their winter coats; others looked scruffy because they were.
Dall sheep with a nice set of horns:
Our next trip segment was from Denali to Fairbanks, about four hours on the McKinley Explorer and a trip filled with spectacular scenery. I shall post some pictures of that part of the journey in the future.
Inside the McKinley Explorer, there is not a bad seat. The lower half of the car comprises the galley and dining room:
The 7 1/2-hour trip to Denali provides spectacular scenery:
Our tour, HAL #4, included two nights at the McKinley Chalet, only a couple of miles outside Denali National Park and Preserve:
The 2-story chalet lodging--very nice, although the hill leading to the lodge makes a tough walk:
A moose came right up to our chalet to munch on the willows--a favorite food:
The next day, we spent about 8 hours touring Denali. Denali shuttle bus: discomfort defined. However, the sights are so engrossingly spectacular that you forget about the intense pain in your knees resulting from their being pressed into the back of the seat in front of you. In this situation, midgets and children have a decided advantage:
The day was perfect--no clouds in the morning, no fog, no snow. We were ecstatic when we first glimpsed Mt. McKinley in the early morning:
The driver and passengers yell out when they spot any wildlife. This ptarmigan (Alaska's state bird) caught my attention:
The shuttle goes through/by many beautiful glacial valleys:
Toklat River in Denali National Park and Preserve. Note that these glacial rivers do not support fish because of the silt (loose sedimentary material) they carry:
As we gained altitude after leaving the park's primary visitor center, the air got cooler. Our torture bus followed the road you see, which is gravel and dusty. (Remember to clean your camera lenses frequently.) Note, too, that as the morning progressed, more clouds started forming above Mt. McKinley, although visibility of the top remained excellent throughout the day:
McKinley remains snow-covered all year, and is 33+ miles away from this vantage point. Only 20% of visitors get to see McKinley; the other 80% have views obstructed/diminished by fog, snow, rain, or haze.
Another shot of the majestic Mt. McKinley, but later in the day (note the clouds forming over peak):
Another shot of the mountain that the natives call "Denali":
Mountain goat (notice black, short horns). Some of the wildlife looked scruffy because they were shedding their winter coats; others looked scruffy because they were.
Dall sheep with a nice set of horns:
Our next trip segment was from Denali to Fairbanks, about four hours on the McKinley Explorer and a trip filled with spectacular scenery. I shall post some pictures of that part of the journey in the future.
Gil
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I was amazed the the quantities of wildlife in Denali that we saw. We also has one of those magical days where is was so clear.
You know it's clear, that when on the train, the train stops and all the staff gets off with their own cameras to take photos! Out conductor said they see this type clarity about once a year....
I hope you had as much fun as we had, post more!
Z
I Live at http://www.alaskamountainforum.com
Thanks, gentlemen, for the kind remarks. We loved the place: its immensity, varieties of topography and climates, and the extremes that so characterize Alaska. The people were warm and interesting to talk to; they all seemed to love the place and would not live anywhere else. In the Yukon, too, we met fascinating folks: one lady we met who worked in a store in Dawson City was from Holland, and her dad delivered milk to the home in which Ann Frank and her family lived upstairs.
A truly wonderful place. Living there? I don't think that I would enjoy the many months of darkness and the days of gray, rainy skies--too much like Seattle. :>)
Thanks again.
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WOW WOW WOW WOW WOW. No my keyboard was not broken.
We booked a 4 day trip to Denali after our cruise last August - we went a 2nd time on the same cruise to specifically see Denali because we didn't book it the first time.. Our ship broke down and we were towed into Whittier with Coast Guard Helicopters and tugs accompanying us. We ended up missing our train ride and the Denali Trip. What a beautful place to shoot. It's back on our list of places to be awed by.
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Thanks, Chatkat and grimace, for the feedback. Chatkat--how disappointing (and depressing) that you second try for Denali ended in failure. We looked forward to Denali more than any of the other great places because of Mt. McKinley and the beauty of the Park. What we realized, though, was that we had many more impressive places to see as we went through Alaska and into the Yukon. Every curve in the road led to another spectacular view, which sometimes made us feel overwhelmed (in a good sense).
Thanks, again, for the feedback. We appreciate it.
Brings back some memories. AK is a wondeful place.
You would have to be in pretty good shape to make that trek, but what an adventure. I spent most of my time on the vestibule of the McKinley Explorer with my wide-angle and telephoto. Not only did I get some interesting pictures and experience the changing geography, but I also got to meet several other people on our tour--particularly the camera buffs and smokers.
Thanks for sharing your comments with us, Ian408. We, too, would like to go back. Frankly, we have not met anyone who has been to Alaska who did not consider it a highlight in their lives.
I Live at http://www.alaskamountainforum.com