Alaska Chronicles Part Five

The first morning in Denali National Park we rise early for an informative school bus tour about 14 miles into the park. Only one moose cow visible from the bus and some snowshoe hares with their summer garb. A few interesting factoids: a lot of these animals have HUGE feet, adapted so that they can walk on top of the snow as if they are wearing snowshoes – thus, snowshoe hare. The lynx has feet like a mountain lion and a body about the size of a bobcat. The caribou, aka reindeer have hoofs that spread out as they put weight on them. There are approximately 71 wolves in 6 million acres of Denali Park. I third of all caribou cubs will be prey in their first two weeks. There are still a lot of caribou so it’s ok. Moose are humongous. Don’t run from bears or wolves. Run from moose and get behind a tree really fast. I asked the ranger about the young women running on the trails and she agreed that was a lousy idea – nobody runs here. Hope those gals are still around. I thought for sure they were locals off work for the day but I guess not – some crazy California girl who doesn’t know any better. At least I feel better about dragging my ass around the mountain rather than running. I was just being smart…

I could hardly keep my eyes open during the three hour ranger led tour. That first night in Denali I had been once again wide awake at 11:30 p.m., hanging around just outside the hotel room overlooking the Nenana River and watching the terns fly around. There were other night owls outside with me – including one woman who was saying she was craving a diet coke – my family will appreciate why I felt a certain kinship with her! – the midnight sun not only messes with your circadian rhythms but also apparently your Diet Coke rhythms. It just so weird, to be loitering outside the hotel with other people in broad daylight and realizing it’s nearly midnight. I think I would be like the animals – crazy maniacally active all summer long and then barely awake for the rest of the year. We have a dear friend who has lived in Anchorage for 25 years and wants us to come up in the winter to go skiing. Now that we’ve done the summer thing we’ll probably take her up on it sometime. Having experienced this weird phenomena of endless daylight it would be interesting to experience the opposite. She says you ski with headlamps. I mean really, if you’ve read any of my blog re: my skiing prowess, it sounds a little scary for sure.

Afternoon rolled around and I barely made it to the bed for a long afternoon nap. Al went on his Mt. Healy strenuous hike and said it was fabulous but that I probably would not have been able to write my planned book on long marriages had I accompanied him. In the evening we went to the Music of Denali song and dance and ha-ha dinner theater at the lodge. Very cute. Most of the employees at the park are, like in most national parks, college students this time from University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Now I write on the train from Denali to Talkeetna, the town which inspired the TV show Northern Exposure. The ride is 4 hours and every turn is more spectacular than the last. The clouds still obscure McKinley/Denali (the Alaskan government calls it Denali, the federal government calls it McKinley, apparently the Ohio legislators kill any attempts to change the name as that state boasts McKinley as a native son..) As usual I am a middle of the roader and think it’s just fine that it goes by both names. Who cares? Ultimately it cannot be named anyway. We are riding smack dab in the middle of a valley in the Alaska range, and as far as the eye can see on both sides of the train there are blueberries. It reminds me of when I was in high school and went to Quetico Park on the Minnesota/Canada border – the blueberries were in full ripeness and instead of the crappy freeze dried food (in 1971 it must have been REALLY bad, because it’s pretty bad now even…) we used the Bisquick provided to make blueberry pies. We lived on PB and J and blueberry pies.

Oooh a little bit of sunshine overhead – we have 125 miles to hope for a glimpse of Denali…

….now I write at McKinley Princess Hotel in Denali State Park and – you guess it – it’s 11 p.m. We arrived to scattered sunshine and this hotel main lodge faces the bank of clouds behind which Denali hides. I needed a Diet Coke when we arrived so we headed to the bar, grabbed a seat out on the patio – the temperature was perfect, maybe 70 degrees – ordered some food (I don’t want to talk about it) and suddenly, as it is wont to do, Mt. McKinley Denali started to peek out. Its summit was visible and then slowly the clouds that passed in front of it allowed about the third of the mountain to be seen. The dark range that sits in front of it looked like little anthills. Even though we could not see the whole thing, it is truly magnificent and awe-inspiring. Of course everyone headed out to the patio, cameras in hand, as it slowly rose out of its cloud bank. The whole mountain never did materialize but we are all content. Just seeing that little bit assured us that a) it is really there and b) it is really very very special, 20,000 feet of “NOW -do-you-believe-in-God ?” breathtaking size and beauty.

The clouds slowly came back but the evening remained temperate and sunny where we sat and lingered over pomegranate ‘tinis and beer and blueberry ice cream – my favorite! Those of you MU folks might remember Blue Boy ice cream next to the original Real Chili – r Boy Blue Bars were my favorite and I haven’t had blueberry ice cream since. I think I’m going to look into making it when I get home.

Now we sit here in the internet hot spot and Al is looking into taking the mountain railway tour in Skagway. We were going to pass but have heard from others (there are many tour groups coming and going – some have already cruised, some like us on their way to the cruise) that it is not to be missed. OK. Once in a lifetime. Here we go.

Tomorrow we are up again at dawn – or well, whatever – and stop at the dog sled museum – I’m not sure about where all this is but I do believe there is a stop in – GET A GRIP ON YOURSELVES, NOW – Wasilla. I promise you I will get my photo taken with Sarah if the opportunity arrives and have her autograph it to you personally :-).

Tomorrow night we board the ship. I will not have internet access but will continue to write and then transfer to the blog whenever I get a chance, although it will not be on the ship due to exorbitant rates. I am so jazzed to get onto the ship though. We are happy we fell into a tour with the land part first. This part has been a bit of work, getting up early in the morning to be here or transfer there. The train was definitely a highlight and we are considering that we might want to join the ranks of folks to like to travel by train. Quite relaxing and, at least from Fairbanks to Talkeetna, the scenery has been mind-boggling.

I also look forward to having more food choices. We’ve only cruised one other time and I said at that time “just because there is food 24/7 doesn’t mean you have to eat it all.” I did well on that cruise with that philosophy. It is much more difficult to control oneself when you are sitting down for one meal that always seems to include fries or chips or potato salad or those friggin’ biscuits that require butter to taste the way they should. Plus the ship has a fitness center and supposedly this one has WiiFit which is my exercise method of choice these days. I really don’t mean to sound like some food/exercise nut but really, I’ve had enough of the gluttony.

So…until we meet again, my friends…keep checking back, I hope to transfer at least every couple of days.