August 16, 2016
We recently spent a month in Alaska (not on the boat); it was a planes, trains, ships, and automobiles trip. Alaska is fantastic; the scenery and wildlife are awesome. It does rain a lot in Alaska in the summer, so be prepared if you go, but it doesn't detract from the experience.
This is a photo-essay from the first segment of our trip - we flew into Anchorage, and traveled by car (truck actually) to Talkeetna, Denali and Healy.
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| 69 degrees in Anchorage the day after our arrival - quite a change from the 95 degree days in FL |
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First stop at Talkeetna
Sunny weather and AWESOME views of Mt Denali from about 100 miles away |
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| Mt Denali on a clear day |
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| Mt Denali |
From Talkeetna, we rode the 'Hurricane Turn' train to Hurricane Gulch and back. This is a 'whistle stop' train that will stop anywhere they are flagged down to pickup or drop off passengers.
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High above Hurricane Gulch on the railroad trestle.
So named for the hurricane-force winds that can blow through this valley.
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| View from the train |
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| Trumpeter Swans |
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| We stayed at an out-of-the way lodge in Healy, avoiding the crowds in Denali. |
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| Our cabin in Healy |
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Tundra near our cabin in Healy on a cloudy day.
Sparse, small trees - almost at the altitude of the treeline |
We took the long (92 mile) bus tour that takes you to the end of the park road and the Kantishna Roadhouse. Very long trip on a cloudy, misty day, but our driver/guide was fantastic and the views and wildlife were spectacular. The peak of Denali, however, was shrouded in clouds, like it often is; very glad we got those fantastic shots in Talkeetna!
We saw the 'big four' of wildlife, plus many more:
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Grizzly Bear.
A section of the park was closed due to a grizzly bear attack on a hiker. |
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| Caribou |
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Dall Sheep
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| Moose |
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Artic Ground Squirrel
Not one of the 'big four', but cute |
Many beautiful fog shrouded landscapes:
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| Polychrome Valley |
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| Near Wonder Lake |
The lodge that we stayed at had a sled dog kennel. The dogs are Alaskan Huskies and are work (not race) dogs. In the spring, they haul supplies to Mt Denali 'base camp' for expeditions climbing to the summit.
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| One of the 'lead-dogs' has her eyes on me! |
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| They do like to howl! |
On our return to Anchorage, we went to the Native Alaskan Heritage Center a great experience that showcases the native population of Alaska:
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Cassaandra - a young Yup-ik woman gave a talk about the various regions and native tribes.
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This native ensemble performed several dances.
The leader in the background is from St Lawrence Island, which is about 35 miles from Russia. |
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| One of the very expressive dancers |
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A totem pole from south-east Alaska.
Most of the native tribes live on the tundra and do not have the wood for something like this.
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Future blogs will follow additional segments of our Alaskan trip.
Tom
Docked Marco Island, FL
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