Wow, what a whirlwind! I'm still catching my breath and processing our adventures after arriving home in the wee hours of Sunday morning. My expectations for Alaska were well exceeded and it is safe to declare that I've never been to a more beautiful place. Vancouver also didn't disappoint (the first thing I noticed when I stepped off our cruise ship was a life-size cutout of hockey players...destiny) and it was so wonderful to finally see my brother and sister-in law's house, spend some time with my niece and get a glimpse at even more mountains in Washington's Mount Rainier National Park.
Our group of 15 family members arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska on June 18 where we were greeted by the June sunlight shining brightly at 9:00pm. Summer daylight in Northern Alaska is in abundance--on the solstice, the sun rose at 3am and set at about 1am. It was pretty neat to witness, although I definitely wouldn't recommend hanging around for winter, when negative 40 degrees is typical and daylight spans 2 hours.
During our two days in Fairbanks, we did some hoaky riverboating and gold panning activities and had a decent dinner at a local "sports bar" (credit is due -- they had a Lundqvist jersey hanging on their wall) before boarding the McKinley Explorer train bound for
Denali National Park.
Words. Cannot. Describe. A of all, the train trip itself was remarkable. The cars were double decker, with the dining area on the first floor and passenger seating up top. Huge, domed windows for ample viewing of wildlife and incredible scenery.
 |
| The gang's all here! |
 |
| Train ride toward the Park |
But Denali itself--unreal. According to tour guides, Mount McKinley/Denali (name is a point of contention between Alaskans and Ohioans) is rarely visible to Park visitors, with only about 15-20% of tourists able to get a glimpse through generally solid cloud-cover. But for the two weeks around our trip, they were having warm, clear weather, allowing for perfect mountain sightings.
The Park is really well run. An 89-mile road winds itself through the mountains and tundra and is the public's only way into the Park. Not only that, but my VW Golf wouldn't be allowed past Mile 15; you have to take one of the limited shuttle or tour buses to access the remainder of the road, keeping traffic low and preserving one of the most amazing areas in our country. Simon and I opted for a shuttle bus to the Eielson Visitor Center at Mile 66, which was a 4 hour ride in due to some windy and steep roads.
It was well worth it; the entire ride providing absolutely ridiculous views. We spent a few hours at Eielson for some QT with the mountain and it really blew me away. I honestly didn't expect to feel so much when looking at something like this; it really was magical, powerful and moving. I'll try to show you what I mean, but of course, photos can't really do it justice.
 |
| Roadside moosey moose grabbing some grub |
 |
| First sighting of Denali |
 |
| Getting closer--there's a bus on the road over my shoulder |
 |
| Wowza |
 |
| In awe |
 |
| Mountains around Eielson |
No comments:
Post a Comment