Wandering Dawgs

Day 57: Searching for Mt. McKinley

July 14, 2013June 17, 2015Posted in Alaska, Restaurants, RV ParksTagged Man vs Food, Mt. McKinley, Talkeetna, West Rib Cafe and Pub3 Comments

Day 57: Thursday, July 11, 2013 Teklanika Campground to Talkeetna, Alaska. Talkeetna Camper Park Site 34. 182 miles traveled.

The sky was still overcast as we drove the 30 miles from Teklanika to the Denali National Park exit. Our chances for a clear view of Mt. McKinley on our drive south on the Parks Highway were looking pretty slim. Mt. McKinley, at 20,320 feet tall, is the tallest mountain in North America. On a clear day there are overlooks along the highway between Denali National Park and Talkeetna where the mountain can be seen. We were keeping our fingers crossed the sky would clear.

The views were spectacular as we drove along.

There were still clouds in the sky as we exited Denali National Park and crossed Riley Creek

Our view out the front window of the truck as we drove south on the Parks Highway

Spectacular view at one of the overlooks on the Parks Highway

Our first view of Mt. McKinley from a Parks Highway overlook

Then finally, parts of Mt. Mckinley came into view at one of the overlooks.

Stops at a couple of other overlooks were disappointing with clouds completely covering the mountain. Finally, as we drove into Talkeetna, we were rewarded with spectacular views from the Talkeetna overlook.

Finally! A beautiful view of Mt. McKinley from the Talkeetna overlook as we entered the town of Talkeetna

Denali (formerly known as Mt. McKinley), 20,320 feet tall, is the tallest mountain in North America

Happy happy happy! We checked into our campground and watched the Alaska Railroad trains load and unload passengers right behind our campsite.

The Alaska Railroad runs right behind our campsite

Our home in Talkeetna

We enjoyed a great dinner on the outside patio at the West Rib Cafe and Pub which was featured on an episode of The Travel Channel’s Man vs Food. An Alaskan Crabcake sandwich for me and Halibut and Chips for Henry hit the spot.

Day 56: Rainy Day in Denali

July 13, 2013August 22, 2016Posted in Alaska, National Parks, Rainy Days, WildflowersTagged Denali National Park, Teklanika River

Day 56: Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Our plan for the day was to ride the bus up to the Polychrome Overlook and take a hike. When we awoke to a steady rain we decided to wait to see if it would clear up. The rain continued all day so we took a couple of short hikes around the campground instead.

Morning walk near our campsite

We took a walk out to the Teklanika River in the rain

The stream runs along the edge of the campground

Wildflowers growing in the middle of the riverbed

The rain finally let up a little later in the afternoon so we spent the rest of the day relaxing by the campfire.

Henry and Blondie enjoying the fire

Now this is the kind of view I like out our back window

Day 55: Wildlife but no mountain view

July 13, 2013May 21, 2015Posted in Alaska, National Parks, WildlifeTagged Caribou, Dall Sheep, Denali National Park, Grizzly Bear, Kantishna, moose, Nature2 Comments

Day 55: Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Our search for wildlife continued as we boarded our bus at 9:40 am. The 120 mile round trip to Kantishna and back took us all day. Our bus driver and tour guide Wayne kept us informed about each area we went through. The weather was overcast and rainy all day.

Our first two wildlife sightings were Grizzly bears. The first was close to the road, the second farther away.

Our first wildlife sighting was a Grizzly Bear

Second Grizzly sighting of the day

Next, we saw two different herds of Caribou before stopping at the Toklat River rest area. There we saw Dall Sheep on two different mountains. The Dall Sheep look like white dots on the mountain without binoculars or a telephoto lens. The pictures aren’t too good but you can tell they are sheep.

Caribou grazing in Denali National Park

We watched this Caribou herd as they moved quickly through the field

Beautiful view from Toklat River rest area

Three Dall sheep. The two rams are butting heads

Four Dall Sheep

Close up of one of the rams.

There were Caribou grazing on top of a ridge before we stopped at the Eileson Visitor’s Center for a stroll in the rain on the Tundra Loop Trail.

Another group of Caribou up on a ridge

Eielson Visitor’s Center

Wildflower on the Tundra Trail at the Eielson Visitor’s Center

Another wildflower on the Tundra Trail

Arctic Ground Squirrel, otherwise known as suicidal ground squirrels because they run out in the road right in front of vehicles.

And then there were moose.

Our first moose sighting was this cow by a pond

A big bull moose in the bushes

The Denali Park Road ends in Kantishna where several gold mines once operated. One of the mines was owned by the Quigleys. When the couple got divorced, Fannie Quigley built a cabin and lived there alone. When the national park expanded its boundaries the several privately owned lodges located there were allowed to continue to stay open.

Fannie Quigley’s cabin at Kantishna

We were on the bus for almost 10 hours

As we began our return trip we stopped at Wonder Lake where on a clear day there is a view of Mt. McKinley. In Denali National Park the chance of seeing Mt. McKinley is only 30% and the chance of seeing a bear is 90%.

A young bull moose

Moose in a pond in Denali National Park

We stopped at Wonder Lake where on a clear day you can see Mt. McKinley

Other than stopping to watch some Dall Sheep far off on the side of a mountain we didn’t make many stops to view wildlife on the return trip.

Total wildlife count for the day: 13 Caribou, 12 Dall Sheep, 2 Grizzly Bears, several Arctic Ground Squirrels, and a Ptarmigan (the state bird of Alaska) flying low to the ground by the bus. A great day!

Day 54: Into the Denali Wilderness

July 12, 2013May 21, 2015Posted in Alaska, National ParksTagged Denali National Park, Eilson Visitor's Center, Polychrome Overlook, Teklanika, Toklat River

Day 54: Monday, July 8, 2013. Denali RV Park and Motel to Teklanika River Campground, Denali National Park, Site 27. About 40 miles driven.

Denali Park Road is the only road in Denali National Park and Preserve. Private vehicles can drive the first 15 miles. Within those first 15 miles are the Visitor’s Center, the sled dog kennels, a campground, a science and learning center, scenic turnouts, and many hiking trails.

Travel beyond the first 15 miles is limited to the park buses and private vehicles going to and from Teklanika River Campground at mile marker 29.1. The campground has about 50 sites and a few of them are quite large. There is a three night minimum stay required and once we set up in our campsite we could not move our vehicle until the day we left. When we checked into the campground we received a camping pass along with a vehicle pass which we showed a park ranger at the Savage Creek checkpoint at the end of the 15 miles. She asked if we had filled our fresh water tank and had food. When we replied yes we were on our way into the wilderness area of Denali National Park.

We had to stop at the checkpoint at Savage River to show our vehicle pass to get to the campground

We stopped at this overlook for a spectacular view just a few miles after the ranger station

We’ve seen lots of Eskimo Potato growing wild

Parked at the first overlook on the way to Teklanika Campground

Site 27 in Teklanika Campground at mile 30 on the Denali Park Road. This is as far as private vehicles can go on the road.

Welcome to Teklanika Campground

The first 15 miles of the Denali Park Road is paved. The rest is dirt. The 90 mile road has several rest areas and scenic turnouts for the buses.

The wilderness area of Denali is just that. Congress designated Denali to remain a mostly primitive area. There are no maintained trails except for around the Eielson visitor’s center. Hikers can hike wherever they want. There are a few campgrounds for tent camping that can only be reached by riding the bus. Bicycles are allowed and we saw a few cyclists.

After setting up camp we walked to the bus stop to wait for a bus so we could see some of the Denali Wilderness. The buses start near the entrance to the park where visitors can board for a tour. The 20 people waiting for the bus at our campground were all hoping to get the next bus. Sometimes the bus is full and riders have to wait for the next one. Most of the riders are hoping to see wildlife and the protocol is to shout “STOP” if anything is spotted. The driver will stop the bus and, if possible, position the bus so there is a good view of the wildlife. Our bus had scheduled stops at Teklanika River rest area, Polychrome overlook, Toklat River rest area, and Eielson Visitor’s Center. The rest areas have pit toilets and the Eielson visitor’s center has rest rooms. At each stop the driver announces when he will depart. Riders can stay longer at any location and catch another bus later. Hikers can catch a ride on a bus by standing on the side of the road and waving their arms.

We rode the bus as far as the Eielson Visitor’s Center. Our two objectives were to see wildlife and hopefully Mt. McKinley. On a clear day the mountain can be seen from the Eielson visitor’s center. Unfortunately, it was not a clear day. We struck out pretty much on the wildlife sightings, too. There were several Caribou sightings and Dall sheep so high on the mountain they looked like white dots. No bears at all.

The Teklanika River Rest Stop was our first stop on the shuttle bus

Beautiful colors at Polychrome Overlook

Beautiful green valley at Polychrome Overlook

Another stop was at Toklat River rest area

Antlers on display at Toklat River

Our bus driver Ken waits for us at the Toklat River rest area

There are Dall Sheep on this mountain on the other side of Toklat River

At Eielson Visitor’s Center with Mt. McKinley hidden in the clouds behind Beth

View from Eielson Visitor’s Center

The rain started coming down as we returned to the campground. Our campsite was at the end of a row with trees and wildflowers surrounding us. The site next to us was empty and we felt like the only people there.

Day 53: Going to the dogs

July 8, 2013June 19, 2015Posted in Alaska, Tourist AttractionsTagged Alaskan Husky, Denali National Park Kennels, sled dogs1 Comment

Day 53: Sunday, July 7, 2013

Our day started with a visit to the Denali National Park Kennels for a sled dog demonstration. This is a very popular activity at the park. Demonstrations are given three times a day with shuttle buses leaving from the Visitor’s Center to take visitors to the kennel. When we arrived we had plenty of time to meet the dogs in their homes. Some were anxious to meet people and be petted while others just snoozed or ignored all the people.

These dogs are larger than the Iditarod dogs we saw in Fairbanks. The Iditarod dogs are like the thoroughbred of Alaskan Huskies and bred for racing.

Annie was the first dog we visited

Lukor liked it on top of his house

Pyro liked being petted

Opus with one of the trainers

Nuna liked to dig. She got all the way under her house while we watched

Puppy nap time

Henry and Sylvie

Five dogs were hitched to a sled to demonstrate how they run.

Hitched up and ready to run

Ready for a command

Beth takes a turn at mushing

After the demonstration we drove to the Mountain Vista trail head for short hike. The area where we hiked was the Savage River Camp back in the early 1900’s. Guests stayed in large white tents and dined in a large dining tent with linen tablecloths.

Unknown wildflower

Tundra Rose

Mountain Vista Trail

Siberian Aster

Henry with a young Sitka Spruce

The wildflowers were in full bloom

We walked down to the Savage River to find the wildflowers blooming along the bank

Even though we saw no wildlife we enjoyed the day.

We will be out of cell phone and internet range for the next few days when we enter Teklanika River Camp in the Wilderness area of Denali National Park and Preserve.