August 11: Fairbanks & Denali Park
Today was a most, A MOST, A M-O-S-T EXCELLENT Day! The morning was great, so interesting and the weather was brisk....which for our So Cal gal-pal Patti was a welcome relief from the oppressive heat she's had, and for us Florida kids, well, it's one of the reasons we love coming here. We had to have bags out by 6:30 am (which after a seventeen hour day yesterday was no easy feat let me tell you). And we were on the buss by 7:45 am to drive to the Discovery Riverboat. There we boarded the paddle-wheeler and meandered up and back along the river while enjoying the fresh air, the narrated description and the sights along the way. Following the trip we had a sit-down lunch of salad (YES, I ate the whole thing.... you know who you are), beef stew, roasted vegetables (YES again I ate a full helping...you KNOW who you are....) and then we were back on board for a 3 1/2 hour journey south to Denali National Park. It was a scenic journey and our guide/driver Kate was GREAT keeping us entertained the entire way. When we arrived we received our welcome packets with our room keys & assignments, and info for our two-day stay.
"They say" that only 30% of visitors to Alaska actually get to see Mt. McKinley. Our guide Kate was thrilled that today was such a clear day and we got several glorious looks at the mountain. She was so excited that she finally found a spot to pull over and let us take a photo of the mountain. Pretty cool.
Denali Excursions: The Girls Take An ATV Adventure!
After getting settled (in about twenty minutes) we gathered again for a quick dinner in Denali Square (a part of the development built by Holland America for their cruise guests), and then Kim and Patti headed off for their excursion. They were taken into Denali Park where they mounted All Terrain Vehicles and drove themselves around to see the sights. I understand Kim did all the driving, and kudos to Patti for being brave enough to be the co-pilot :)
Mark Flies Over The Mountains & Glaciers - I MUST APOLOGIZE
Not wanting to ride at ground level, I took the "high road" by flying with Denali Air along with seven other intrepid passengers as we took off from a gravel runway and headed high, HIGH over the mountains of the park in search of the glaciers and the centerpiece of the park.....Mt. McKinley. Here's why I must apologize - I cannot put into words, and even when we get home and I make the highlight video it won't be anything like what the real experience was like. The first clue I'll give you is that in the one hour flying adventure - where I was the co-pilot (WHOOO HOOOO!) I took over 100 photos. Going through them was hopeless and so I have what are a very small sample of what I saw. The second clue I'll give you is that with each passing five or ten minutes just when I was thinking "It doesn't get any more spectacular than this....IT DID." And as we got close to Mt. McKinley, our pilot Bob said, "Let's get closer" - and I was astounded at how close we were, buzzing over the glaciers and snow-covered mountains. Then he said, "There it is...let's get up close and personal to that bad boy!" And I thought, "Seriously, how close can we get?" RIGHT UP TO THE FACE, most, MOST astounding my friends. Enjoy the photos, but accept my apologies as it really was tons more spectacular than this.
Just so you know.....tomorrow we tour the park and the bus leaves - IT LEAVES at 5 am. Do you realize how early we are getting up? This is our vacation :)
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