Category Archives: Travel

Alaska Day 10 – 6/28/2011

Alaska Day 10 06/28/2011 Photo Album

We eagerly anticipated the shuttle trip through Denali National Park, and Tuesday was our day. We had purchased breakfast and lunch food at a Fred Meyers in Anchorage, and we had our first breakfast of muffins. The muffins became a joke with us as they were huge and laced with sugar and fat. Jane and I both felt like we gained four pounds after our daily diet of muffins.

We needed to be at the Wilderness Access Center before 8AM to catch our reserved bus and we were there early. There were several types of buses running within the park. We reserved a green bus which meant we could get off whenever we wanted and catch a ride on another green bus that came along. The weather was overcast and cloudy but not raining as we set out in the morning. I returned to the car to get something, and somehow forgot to bring along the new binoculars that we purchased in Anchorage for this event.

We're Off on the Denali Shuttle Bus

Our bus driver/tour guide’s name was JB, and he did a nice job of driving, explaining the park, answering questions and pointing out wildlife. We learned that the big five of wildlife were dall sheep, caribou, bears, wolves, and moose. A slam meant seeing all five. JD was also careful to outline the bathroom stops and the distance in between. The first 12 miles covered the same road that Jane and I drove on Monday after we arrived.

Surrounding us in the bus were quite a few personalities. Beth was a cute intern recently graduated from Clemson majoring in soils, and her job was to ride the bus and record information about the quality of the driver, the customer experience, and the location of wildlife sightings. It was nice to have her in front of us as she answered quite a few questions and shared her binoculars. A bit behind us were two gentlemen from Slovakia. I eventually discovered that the taller of the two was a professional hockey player in Europe. Two men and a woman got on at Teklanika River Campground with their bicycles. They were from Port Jervis, NY and had driven across country and up the Alaska Highway.

Not too far beyond the Savage River crossing the driver was pointing out some distant Dall sheep, and as everyone strained to see the small white dots, he announced that a grizzly bear was ambling down the road. Sure enough the bear passed right by the bus on the shoulder and then meandered up the hillside. I got a pretty nice photo, and we checked off one of the big five. Bears typically are one of the more difficult sightings.

A Grizzly Next to the Bus Early on Our Trip

We continued on and Jane and I got out at Polychrome Overlook and the Slovakian’s took our photo. Close to this area the bus stopped as two Dall sheep were perched on the edge of a rocky pedestal. Two of the big five were now seen. A bit further along the road, and we spotted our first moose browsing on some shrubs in a small ravine. I snapped some photos but I could have used more zoom. It’s amazing that these animals can hold up those awkward looking antlers.

Overlook Near Polychrome

Dall Sheep

Nibbling Away

Shortly after watching the moose and not too far from our turnaround destination of Eielson Visitor Center, we spotted more bears. A mother bear and her two cubs were moving through the tundra. One cub had light fur similar to the mother and the other one had darker coloration. The darker of the two cubs decided to dig up a hole on the side of a small hill. We watched in amusement as it dug deeper and deeper to the point where he or she could fit half its body into the hole. There was much speculation about the motives of the bear, but we’ll never know what its intentions were.

Cub Could Fit Half His Body in Hole When Done

Mother Bear Visible Again on Return Trip

We got off at the visitor center, but the sky had clouded up quite a bit and it began to rain lightly. Jane and I had packed lunches, so we found a table inside and enjoyed our sandwiches and snacks. While seated in the dining area guess who we saw? Remember Bob and Judy from Southern California? Here they were again, and they managed to get on our bus for the return trip.

After looking at Amy and Dan’s slides from their backpacking trip, Jane and I decided we wanted to get off the bus and do a one hour or so hike away from the road. On the western ride we had selected an area that Beth referred to as the Stony area so we grabbed the attention of JD, and he dropped us off by the side of the road. It was a strange feeling as we watched the bus driver disappear and we embarked on a hike with no trail knowing that we’d seen four bears in this wild country. By now it was raining steadily and we both had raincoats and Jane had rain pants but I was wearing only jeans.

We decided to hike south in a small valley and then up over a saddle, down the other side and back on a dry river bed to the road. We anticipated this would be a one hour hike. It pretty much worked out that way. My pants got wet from my ankles to just below my knees from hitting the vegetation and we sang and did the Tulo chant to announce our presence to the bears. We eventually returned to the road and waited 10 minutes or so until a green bus came along and picked us up. We liked the crowd and driver on the first bus better than the second.

Jane Points at Road

We spotted some more Dall sheep and another moose on the return trip, and we’d also seen some caribou from a distance so we sighted four of the big five. We skipped the visitor center and the sled dog demo when we returned to our car as we had booked lodging in Wasilla for Tuesday night and that was three hours away. As we drove south on the Park Highway we stopped at a viewing point where a sign pointed out Mt. McKinley and Mt. Hunter, but the entire top of the mountains were obscured by clouds.

Wasilla was a small town and we passed through to the southern end and then turned left to find the Agate Inn. The owners left an envelope on the door and we punched in a code and then picked up our room key. This was probably our nicest lodging on the entire trip. By this time is was around 9PM so we hustled back out to Wasilla and found a Mexican restaurant for dinner.

Alaska Day 9 – 6/27/2011

Alaska Day 9 06/27/2011 Photo Album

Jane booked two nights at the Arctic Fox Inn in Anchorage, so we stayed there again on Sunday night. The itinerary called for a day of travel to Denali National Park on Monday and lodging was reserved at the Healy Family Cabins 12 miles north of the entrance to the park. Amy and Dan backpacked in Denali two years ago, and after seeing their photos and hearing their stories, we wanted to include this stop on our trip. Jane also reserved seats for us on the Denali National Park shuttle for Tuesday.

Talkeetna Main Street Alive with Tourists from Alaska Railroad

Once again we enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the Arctic Fox on Monday morning and then set out on our drive. Drive time from Anchorage to the park was estimated to be 4 hours. Once again it was a cool partly cloudy day with temperatures in the mid-60’s. On the way north I read about the town of Talkeetna so we made a slight detour. It is a small town that mountain climbers use as a staging point for attempts to summit Mt. McKinley. Small shops and restaurants lined the two streets, and a bunch of tourists had just arrived via the Alaska Railroad. We went through town and parked and hiked out to the shore of a huge river that flowed by the town. We then met a couple from the Philadelphia area who suggested we hike up to a railroad bridge because four eagles were visible. We did this but couldn’t spot anything other than some seagulls soaring above the river.

We returned to the car and reversed course back to the highway and continued north to Denali. When we reached the park we stopped and confirmed our reservation for Tuesday and then continued on the main road within the park. Passenger cars are allowed to drive the first 15 miles, but then access beyond that point is only by buses. We decided to stop at the Mountain Vista picnic area and eat our lunch. We pretty much had this area to ourselves and then took a short loop hike at Mountain Vista. Jane made friends with a bird by feeding it an orange slice.

Mountain Vista Picnic Site in Denali National Park

After lunch we continued toward Savage River which is the furthest point that can be reached via passenger car. Several cars were stopped on a high turnout overlooking the river, so we stopped and spotted three caribou in the river bed. We then continued a short distance and parked at the trailhead for the Savage River loop. While doing this short 1.5 mile loop we encountered a family of grouse-like birds that we think were ptarmigan. The adults were on the hiking path attempting to nudge all the young ones off the path.

Close Up of Adult

Dave Scans for Dall Sheep by Savage River

Once we completed our hike, we returned to the car and drove back to the main highway and then north and found our cabin. It was a cute little one room cabin with a deck in a neatly landscaped evergreen forest. I read about the restaurants in the area and there appeared to be only one viable option in Healy, a brewpub called the 49th State. We went in search of this establishment and found it along the highway. It was set back from the road and looked like a converted warehouse. Once we entered it was quite rustic with all sorts of backwoods decor on the walls. We both had huge salmonburgers for dinner. They were so large that we wondered where they obtained such giant rolls.

Front View of Our Cute Cabin

Jane Tackles Salmonburger at the 49th State

The menu mentioned that the bus that was lived in by the character in the book and movie Into the Wild was parked outside the restaurant so on the way out we boarded the bus and took some photos. We returned to our cabin and got a good nights rest before our planned day enjoying the shuttle ride in Denali National Park.

Dave Poses in Into the Wild Bus

Alaska Day 8 – 6/26/2011

Alaska Day 8 06/26/2011 Photo Album

Jane and I awoke on Sunday morning in our nice room at the Arctic Fox near downtown Anchorage. Our plan included spending the day in Anchorage. We enjoyed a tasty breakfast at the bed & breakfast which included a lot of fresh fruit and met Bob and Judy from southern California. Bob was a retired school teacher, and they were part of one of the cruise tours.

Dave and Jane Bike Coastal Trail in Anchorage

We’d read about biking in Anchorage, so we used the iPad to go online and found a bike shop in downtown Anchorage within walking distance. It was looking like a nice day by Alaska standards and for the first and only time in two weeks I wore shorts, but also took along a raincoat. Nice days in Alaska while I was there were partly cloudy skies with highs in the mid-60’s. Jane and I found the bicycle rental shop and watched the presentation by the clerk and rented two bikes. The store clerk gave us maps and a couple alternative routes and a suggested place for lunch, and we headed off. We decided to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, allegedly the most scenic bike trail in the world. That label was debatable, but it was a nice ride along Cook Inlet for part of the way and then through some forests. The coastal trail ended at Kincaid Park, and then we chose an alternate route back that took us through the airport area with numerous float planes and bush planes everywhere.

We stopped at the organic supermarket and had a nice lunch and then returned to downtown. We had more time to bike so we did an out and back along Ship Creek and saw quite a few fishermen near the city. On the return we stopped at the Ulu Factory and purchased an ulu and cutting board.

A Couple Fishes in Ship Creek Near Downtown Anchorage

Jane Practices Mushing at Ulu Factory

After returning the bikes, we walked over to the farmers market we’d spotted and browsed the stands. We spotted a place called The Snow Goose and checked that out as a dinner destination. We went back to our rooms and cleaned up and then in fact drove to The Snow Goose for dinner. We liked the atmosphere of this place, another brew pub, better than the Glacier Brewhouse.

Snow Goose Walls Were Decorated with Quilts

We read about the wildlife viewing south of Anchorage along Turnagain Arm, so given the abundance of daylight we drove the Ford Escape south as far as Alyeska Ski Area and then returned. The scenery was breathtaking and we walked around the ski area a bit at the tramway base. We also stopped at the boardwalk by Potter Marsh on our return trip and walked as far as we could go, but didn’t really see any wildlife. By this time a light rain was falling.

A Returning Tram