I’m going to quickly run out of adjectives in attempting to describe our first four days in Alaska because even though this is Linda and my fourth tour here, we’ve never seen it like this before; bright sunshine and mild..even warm..temperatures. Because the weather has been so beautiful, the state is showing off like never before; a proud peacock letting down here guard. There’s a saying up here that you take what Alaska gives you. More often than not, she chooses to be mighty but mysterious with overcast skies and mist shrouding the magnificent mountains allowing us only occasional glimpses of their enormity. But this time, Alaska is baring it all with colors and views that have even the locals saying “WOW.” I’m afraid my little Kodak can’t come close to capturing its splendor but I had to try.
Our first stop out of Anchorage was the Idiarod headquarters outside Wassila, Sarah Palen’s hometown. We actually drove by her house. I looked but couldn’t see Russia from there though. Here, some members of our group get a sled dog ride.
Everytime we’ve been here, Linda has held one of the sled dog puppies. These are the youngest we’ve seen.
At first glance, I thought Joyce Nilles had stolen one of the cute little pups..but it’s just a realistic toy from the Iditarod gift shop. That’s her husband Jim posing beside her.
Our first glimpse of “The Tall One” Mount McKinley’s South Face. This is a good sign, Denali has been covered in clouds on our last two visits. It’s right above the lady’s head on the right.
The only downside to getting around Alaska is the road construction. Delays of up to an hour aren’t uncommon. Here our tour guide provides some information while we wait out the delay.
Our wildlife tour through Daenali.We saw lots of bear, moose, caribou, foxes and more but the star of the show was this.
Only ten percent of those who tour the park get to see Mt. McKinley like this unobstructed by any clouds. It’s awe inspiring.
Our tour guide, Teresa who grew up in Alaska and has been to Denali dozens of times has never seen the mountain this clear. She must have taken a hundred photos. One of the guys on our tour said he hasn’t seen a woman that excited since his wedding night.
Believe it or not, the mountain is still 40 miles away.
Our perfect day was made complete with dinner outdoors at the Alaska Salmon Bake in Fairbanks.
One more view of Denali. Gotta run now to catch the bus. We’re going pannin’ for gold and a riverboat ride today. Wish you were here.
